Race meeting to honour "Buddy"

Great news!

THE race meeting at Turffontein on Saturday next week, which features the R200 000 Tommy Hotspur Handicap, will honour the late ``Buddy’’ Maroun, the ace sprinter trainer who died in Buenos Aires on 17 February last year.

Racing Association chief executive Clyde Basel said yesterday: ``The RA and Phumelela decided to have a raceday in `Buddy’ Maroun’s honour and it’s fitting that it’s on the same day as the Tommy Hotspur. Although `Buddy’ didn’t train Tommy Hotspur he was a brilliant trainer of sprinters. In fact, arguably his best sprinter was Golden Loom, who locked horns with `Tommy’ on a regular basis early in his career.

``We’ve asked the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association to lend us a portrait they have of `Buddy’ to display in the parade ring at the meeting.’’

Maroun, a supreme horseman who rode much of his own work and kept his horses in prime condition for months on end, was licensed by the then Jockey Club of South Africa back in 1992 and Golden Loom, or ``Goofy’’ as he was affectionately known, won 22 races.

Other top horses he trained included Dane Julia, Fov’s Favourite, All Will Be Well, Noble Thatch, Greek Warrior, Geordoba, Come Thunder, Alarm Call, Fanyana, Time Goes By, Escobar and Vega. Many were owned by `Buddy’s’ leading patron, Andre MacDonald.

Well Well Done to all concerned.

ditto


nice bloke sorely missed

Brilliant idea! Are they talking about the photo of Buddy with Golden Loom which hangs in the TBA's bar? That's a superb picture, and one which pretty much sums up the man. It was always, first, foremost and last, about the horses with Buddy.

Paperwork, on the other hand....we had a horse with him for a while. Our accountant was nearly driven up the wall trying to get an invoice out of Buddy...I think one came after about six months. That little episode told me a lot about the man.

What a dreadful loss.

100% guys, very down to earth first time I met him he was riding for his dad Robert, who gave me my first winner Mucho Hombre, the same year as Creator, they were coupled on the tote first time out, Robert told me it would be best if I played the tote as Creator was "slightly" faster!
Used to love going to the stables on a Sunday morning, great chap.

The best sprint trainer & your horse ran every week if Buddy felt it was ready to run every week,ur training fee's paid for itself.

In my opinion he was the best trainer I had by many miles..a lovely man and a great family..its impossible to compare him to anyone as he was just a unique individual who worked 50 horses everyday himself and his results speak for themselves and will never be matched in our lifetimes.

Agree 100%. Any if u guys remember the flop horse in Durban that came up to Buddy & was easy to back first time out at 50/1 then shortened to 2/1 & won going away under Lisa Prestwood i unfortunatley only got 33/1 the horse became a champion & even went on to race in Dubai making SA proud the horse in question is AL Nitak what a horse only because of the champion himself Buddy.

I was a huge fan of Buddy Maroun. The first pick 6 that I won had a Buddy Field of sprinters in it (great for the pick 6 with the Maroun couplings).

I still follow Fanyana as he is racing again but does not seem to be the same horse at this stage without Buddy.

One of my fondest memories of a Buddy Maroun horse is the grey Alarm Call trying to take a bite out of the horse going past him. Reminds me of when I was a kid and I was racing a mate on our bicyces, he had a racer and I had a BMX. As soon as he started passing me I drove my bike into him sending us both on our arses down the tarmac!

Talking about the Pick Six the best one i ever got was the only ticket at Vaal 40% & the remaining 60% being a carryover North By Northwest my banker david ferarris & weichong mawing & guess who trained the roughie @ 100/1 that won the second last race of the p6 taking all the tickets standing out besides my 40% Buddy & the name of the horse Sheltering Trees.

I can tell you the whole story behing Al Nitak but will take time to type out..Buddy was very proud of that achievement..he even gave the car park attendant R2O.00 to go back it ..he got 7/1 but theres a wonderful story behind that first win including an earlier training match race at Turf on a Thurs morning.

TS heehhe mate you are as suspicious as me nowadays..no relation to Rigzo at all.

Buddy the sprint king trainer who did most of his work will always be remembered as a legend,although most trainers thought he overraced his horses the man had his own agenda and his results proved it,great to see a race meeting in his honour.