It’s a long journey from Harare to Cape Town, let alone to Hong Kong, but for top trainer Brett Crawford it has been a four-decade odyssey.
Respected as a methodical horseman, renowned for his professionalism and a charismatic presence in the hard-nosed South African industry, Crawford has been a fixture of the country’s biggest races – despite never winning the South African trainers’ championship.
In partnership with his son James, who has run the stable’s Highveld satellite operation since 2021, Crawford has become one of the leading trainers on the competitive Cape circuit.
What is Brett Crawford’s origin story?
Born in Salisbury, Rhodesia – now Harare, Zimbabwe – in 1971, he moved to South Africa when he was 18.
His grandfather was an avid racegoer at Borrowdale Park, but it was his family’s relationship with Zimbabwe’s celebrated Muscutt family that provided his first foray into the racing industry. Crawford’s older brothers were friends with Peter and Paul Muscutt, which sparked his interest in horses.
From the age of 12, he mucked out stables and rode work for Brian Muscutt – father of Peter and Paul – before also gaining experience with Neil Bruss and Shane Rankin.
Upon his arrival in South Africa, he learnt from three prolific Group 1-winning trainers across the country’s three major bases. He worked under Mike de Kock in Johannesburg for a year before further learning his trade as an assistant to Eric Sands in Cape Town and Dennis Drier in Durban.
In 2001, he was appointed private trainer to prolific German owner-breeder Sabine Plattner – his first role as a trainer in his own right – before he established Crawford Racing in 2009.
Which horse is Brett Crawford best known for training?
The honour roll of Crawford’s Group 1 winners is extensive: Angus, Laisserfaire, Thunder Dance, Futura, Whisky Baron, Captain America, Winchester Mansion and Oriental Charm are just some of the top-liners to have flown the flag for the stable.
Jackson is the horse Brett Crawford is best known for training, though. The leading middle distance colt of his generation, Jackson was part of a top-tier three-year-old crop that included sensational miler Variety Club, the stout Pomodoro, precocious Delago Deluxe and three-time champion stallion Gimmethegreenlight.
Jackson took the Cape Derby and the Daily News 2000 in 2012 as part of a powerful partnership between Crawford and Karis Teetan, his stable jockey at the time, before returning at four to land the Champions Cup.
He is remembered for a rivalry with the globetrotting Variety Club. Jackson outstayed him to land the Cape Derby over 2000m at three but Variety Club had his measure at four, defeating him three times at 1400m and 1600m.
Teetan has ridden some of Hong Kong’s best horses, including a Group 1 win on Romantic Warrior, but he still speaks fondly of the colt that put his name up in lights.
What is Brett Crawford’s greatest achievement?
Crawford’s greatest achievement came in 2024 when he became the 10th trainer to win South Africa’s most prestigious race, the Durban July, in consecutive years with different horses.
Crawford won his first July in 2023 with Winchester Mansion, who just outlasted favourite See It Again to win by a nose, while three-year-old Oriental Charm burst through to win by a neck in 2024.
He joined some of South Africa’s best trainers, including De Kock, Justin Snaith, Sean Tarry, David Ferraris, Terence Millard and Syd Laird in achieving the feat.
What they’ve said about Crawford
Karis Teetan: “He was the first person I asked when I got offered the job in Hong Kong, he said ‘You go ahead, this is your opportunity.’
“His record doesn’t lie, he’s won all those major races in South Africa, he’s just got better season by season. He’s one of the top guys in South Africa, that’s for sure, he’s done really well the last couple of years and he deserves to be here in Hong Kong.
“I think the Jockey Club has the right person, he has the kind of attitude you need to train in Hong Kong. He’s the kind of guy that is always willing to learn and try to improve himself in different ways, and I think he will understand the way Hong Kong is and will understand how to train in Hong Kong, so if he gets the support he deserves, I think he will do well.”
