Life Member of the Month – July – Gerald Kalil
The World Pool Gold Cup Day at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse was filled with thrilling races and so many special moments were celebrated by well deserving owners, trainers, grooms and other winning connections. The fourth race on the day, the Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes was won by the exceptional filly Quid Pro Quo (Lance x Delightful Diva), owned and bred by Gerald Kalil, and the Racehorse Owners Association is honored to celebrate Gerald as our Life Member in the July edition of ROA Today.
Gerald hails from the quiet town of Heidelberg in Gauteng. Two of his late brothers were quite fond of racing thus sparking Gerald’s interest in the sport. He went from playing a jackpot or a pick 6 to later in life owning and breeding horses.
Some of the horses owned by Gerald throughout his racing journey include Back In The Swing, Monastery, Deleware Park, Connoisseur, Path To Fortune and Electric Surge but to mention a few. He also mentions Past trainers which include Nick van Tonder, Andre Kirsten, Danny Gonsalves, Darryl Hodgson, Dennis Bosch, Gary and Dean Alexander and Ashley Fortune. His current trainers are Garth Puller, Robbie Hill, Barend Botes, Weiho Marwing, Fabian Habib, Gavin Smith and Glen Kotzen.
When asked about his favorite racing memory, Gerald reflected on a few that stood out to him. One that came to mind was when Monastery (West Man (USA) x Amber Rosary), trained by the late Darryl Hodgson won the KZN Champion 3 Year Old Colt/Gelding award in 2000/2001. Another is that of Red Chestnut Road (Pathfork (USA) x Scarlet Sky), trained by Robbie Hill, who won the Grade 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes in 2016. Gerald was elated when Pearl Of Asia (Pathfork (USA) x Asiatic Pearl) won the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint on Gold Cup Day in 2021 and also went on to win the Champion Older Male and Champion Sprinter categories at the KZN Racing Awards in 2021. More recently, Gerald is still reliving the wins by Quid Pro Quo including the Grade 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper on Hollywoodbets Durban July Day and the Grade 1 Alan Robertson, which were such thrilling moments for him.
Outside of racing, Gerald is the proud owner of Hot Pot Paint and Hardware where he is still very active every day, a thriving business he has successfully run for an impressive 47 years. His business offers a wide array of products, including paint, power tools, hardware, and plumbing supplies. He is assisted by his son, his son in law and staff. Gerald’s personal life is equally fulfilling. He has been happily married to Karen for 43 years and together, they have raised a wonderful family of two daughters, one son, and eight grandchildren. While his son and son-in-law share his passion for racing, they have yet to dive deeper into the sport. The grandchildren, on the other hand, delight in calling their grandfather’s horses home.
As a Life Member of the ROA, Gerald holds the facilities in high regard, and notices with pride the Life Member Boards in the Elevation Room at Turffontein, where he is thrilled to see Life Members being recognized. He praises the friendly and helpful staff, noting how their support enhances his experience. Gerald adds that the parking discs are quite helpful on feature racedays as well as the members badges with the colours, which are of good quality. Additionally, the added stake bonuses serve as a significant benefit which he appreciates and looks forward to the informative monthly newsletters.
Gerald is a true soccer fan supporting Manchester United, whether they win, lose or draw. He has also coached the U19 Colts for the Eastern Gauteng Districts for over 10 years, making him quite competitive. Outside of racing and soccer, Gerald enjoys watching athletics, golf, Formula 1 and rugby.
We have truly enjoyed learning more about Gerald and we wish him, Karen and the rest of the Kalil family a wonderful new season ahead.
