Racing web Mike Cave article

Great article.

Excellent and well researched piece. We need more of this type of thing, maybe Martin Schoeman or Gerald Turner next?

Well done Charl.This is awesome stuff.Keep it coming.

Former SA champion jock Gerald Turner dies




By Nici Garner, Racing Express



FIVE-times SA champion SA jockey Gerald Turner died of a heart attack on Wednesday night, 9 February. He was 58.



The chant of ``GT, GT’’ will be remembered by many racegoers who witnessed the many Turner successes during an illustrious riding career that spanned more than three decades.



Turner’s first winner was Sun Prince at Turffontein in 1963 and he subsequently won many of the major feature races in the country, including the SA Derby on Bridesman, Bill Bailey and Welcome Boy, the Champion Stakes (Bridesman), the Smirnoff Stakes (Smilin Thru), the Spring Champion Stakes twice running (Damask and Naval Escort), the Dingaans (Welcome Boy), the Computaform Sprint (Gerald Boy, twice), the SA Guineas (Anytime Baby), the SA Invitation Stakes (Count Du Barry) and the SA Nursery (Home Guard and Main Man). He rated Non U and Welcome Boy the best horses he rode.



Turner was chairman of the Transvaal Jockeys’ Association for many years. Arguably his most important achievement in that post was a comprehensive study of jockeys’ health which resulted in the minimum weight being raised from 48kg to 50kg.



Said SAJA chairman Tex Lerena: ``Gerald was a mentor to many young jockeys over the years – me, Michael Cave, Toby van Booma and Freddie Macaskill to name a few. And he kept a keen eye on my son Gavin’s progress.’’



Turner retired from riding in 1996 and for a short while helped James Maree out with the Work Riders’ Training Programme.



Said Maree, another former champion and apprenticed to ``Lookie’’ Coetzee at the same time as Turner: ``It is a sad loss for South African racing. Gerald was one of the greatest jockeys we’ve seen on these shores. He was 20 years ahead of his time in his riding style and his objectives for jockeys.’’



More recently Turner has been working in the Customer Care department at Phumelela TAB.

He is survived by his daughter Lesley-Anne, brother Leonard and sister Elaine.



Turner's cremation service will be held at 11am on Monday, 14 February, at the Alberton Catholic Church at 7 Fick Road, Floret, behind the Alberton Public Pool.