Michael Rattray: Veteran hopes for pot of gold with Rainbow Bridge

Michael Rattray seems to have achieved just about everything in horse racing, but seeks to fulfil a life-long dream when Sun Met victor Rainbow Bridge lines up in the Vodacom Durban July today.

The 86-year-old was for many years the owner of Lammerskraal Stud, and also had great horses, like Yard-Arm and Celtic Grove, running in his famous red-and-white silks.

Both those champions managed a runner-up slot in the great race, but Rattray has never led in a July winner.

“The late Chris Gerber was a nice man and his untimely death was a great loss to racing.

“But when I heard that Rainbow Bridge was about to be sold to Far Eastern interests, I made inquiries as to what the asking price was.

“After I picked myself up off the floor, Norma – my wife of 48 years – told me ‘buy the horse, you’ve always wanted to win the July’. I took her advice, and the deal was done the same day.”

Rattray was born into KwaZulu-Natal farming stock and his father and grandfather farmed at Kwambonambi. Sugar and timber were the primary crops and Rattray himself later farmed at Mkuzi and Heatonville.

“My grandfather was responsible for planting what is now the forest between Richards Bay and St Lucia. I used to shoot crocodiles in the pools around there, but the gum trees soon dried them up.”

He has had a lifelong connection with horses.

“My father gave me a horse, imaginatively named Pony, when I was three. Then from the age of 13 I got involved with polo. I ended up in the Springbok team and was head of the SA Polo Association. I’m still the life president.

“I played till I was 64. One day a young chap kept bumping me, so I gave him some serious abuse. He replied, ‘sorry sir, I didn’t hear what you said,’ so I decided it was time to give it up.”

Michael Rattray with his wife, Norma. Picture supplied

His association with racing also goes back to his youth.

“I bought a horse called Royal Dandy. In those days they had races at gymkhana’s and I used to train him and ride him. So I was a jockey of sorts.

“Later I joined the board of the Durban Turf Club and became chairman.

“One day I went with [former champion trainer] Terrance Millard to look at horses in Ceres. I asked if there were any stud farms for sale. The answer was no, but a sheep farm was on the market. The end result was that I bought Lammerskraal.

“We concentrated on getting quality mares. The rule of thumb was that they had to have won five races before we would consider them.

“So we had a set base with quality mares, and then [stallion] Western Winter came along – he made the whole show.

“His progeny have won more Grade 1s than any stallion in the history of this country. But when he died I decided to sell.

“My one condition was that the buyer had to keep on my long-serving stud manager Sally Bruss. Then Peter Graaff came along and the first thing he said was, ‘I’d like to buy, but on one condition – the stud manager stays’. So it was a perfect match.”

And the Durban July has always been a special race to him.

“My first July was in 1951, when I was 18. We were friendly with Dennis Labistours and his Gay Jane won that year. I borrowed R10 and won R100. I had never been so happy” he says with a laugh.

“It’s been an ambition of mine from way back to win the July. The closest I came was in 2003. I yelled to my wife, ‘We’ve done it’ when Yard-Arm hit the front, but then Dynasty got us.

“Celtic Grove and Yard-Arm were the best two who raced in my colours. But there’s a story behind Yard-Arm.

“We had a whole load of colts going to the sale. I told Sally we would keep two and could each pick one. She went first and all the while something was nibbling my ear from behind so I said ‘I’ll choose this one’.

“That was Yard-Arm – and Sally’s never won a race,” he concludes with a chuckle.

His long association with the Mala Mala Game Reserve also put Rattray in the public eye.

“It used to be just used for shooting and only in winter, due to the malaria and mosquitoes. But I bought it in 1964 and immediately tripled the asking rate.

“Soon everyone was talking about it and we never looked back. I handled the field and the rangers; my wife maintained the camps and food, and dealt with the guests. It worked well.”

Little-known is that he was a director of The Citizen newspaper for 15 years. “I didn’t know too much about newspapers when I started, but certainly learned a lot. The editor at the time was an Australian called [Johnny] Johnson.”

Rattray has great faith in trainer Eric Sands.

“He’s a top horseman. Rainbow Bridge is a cheeky horse, but Eric knows how to handle him. I had a few with him many years back. The first thing he said when I told him that Rainbow Bridge would stay in his care was, ‘It will be great to have those red-and-white colours back in my yard’.

“Our jockey, Gavin Lerena, is very confident. He told me, ‘don’t you worry I’ll win for you’.”

The Rattrays’ seven children and 18 grandchildren are “not racing folk, but they are invading [Greyville today], so let’s hope they invade on the right day”.

And there would be few, if any, more popular or deserving winners.

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