Steeped in racing tradition, the Alexander racing dynasty dates back to Gary's father Duncan.
Duncan Alexander was a leading light-weight jockey in South Africa and won the majority of major races in the country from the Summer Handicap to the J&B Met.
After retiring from the saddle, Duncan took out a training license and this was the step that Gary had awaited. He joined his father whilst still at school and in 1982 was granted his training license by the Jockey Club of Southern Africa.
Gary took over the reins from his father and has established a world-class facility at Turffontein Racecourse. He has trained over 1000 winners to date and this number is growing weekly. For this feat he received a special achievement award from the Racing Association in 2006.
Gary and his team have to date saddled over 100 group and listed race winners, some of the group 1 wins being:
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The 2000 Champion Stakes with Drum Star
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The 2000 South African Derby with Silver Silver
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Two years later the South African Derby again with Timber Trader
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The 2003 South African Oaks with Icy Air
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The Champion Stakes in 2005 with James Jaguar
Gary was voted trainer of the 2000 racing season by the Racing Association and won no less than 13 graded races that season. Gary has also finished third on the National Trainers Log three times. Gary and his competent team held the South African record for the most stakes earned in one day, this being achieved on April 27, 2000 when his runners captured a hat-trick of group races, namely the South African Derby, the Champion Stakes and the Gold Bowl. Add to this the acheivement of training six winners on one day at the same race course (Turffontein) on two seperate occasion and one can see that this ia a competent team and a top trainer.
Gary and Dean Alexander Julie Alexander
Playing an integral role in the Gary Alexander Racing Stable is Stuart Rankin.
Stuart joined the Alexander team in mid 2008 and brings to the business a wealth of experience gained through working with top trainers and spending time abroad honing his skills. He comes from a racing family, his father, late brother and two uncles having been jockeys.
Having entered the Zimbabwe academy in 1992, Stuart ended his indentures in 1997 and took up the reins, eventually riding for his late brother who by then had moved on to training.
The two moved to South Africa soon after Stuart’s indentures were concluded but with the death of his brother in 1998, Stuart joined the stable of Alec Laird with whom he worked for six months. In 1999 he moved on to Lexington, Kentucky were he plied his trade for a further six months, returning to South Africa in 2000 where he took up a riding position with Geoff Woodruff.
Stuart soon had the urge to learn more and decided to join the stable of Australian trainer Gerald Ryan with whom he worked for nearly four months before returning to the Woodruff yard where he became a stable employee.
The urge to travel soon had him off to New Zealand where he joined the yard of Paul Jenkins where he stayed for nine months.It was then back home and for the next eight years he worked with Geoff Woodruff, taking out his assistant-trainer’s licence in early 2007.
Stuart Rankin
movie downloads 2010
Adding to the strength of the team at Turffontein are the head grooms who play a major role in ensuring that the day-to-day tasks of the business and needs of the horses are met. They are:
Boy Mbele Richard Mollo Samuel Kubheka
Stable Manager Foreman Feedroom Manager
Agrippa Mthumkulu Andries Mavuso Albert Ngwenya
Grounds Manager Foreman Stable Manager