Life Member of the Month – August – Laurence Wernars
Celebrating Laurence Wernars on a stellar racing season!
The Racehorse Owners Association is honored to celebrate Life Member, Laurence Wernars, his family, friends and respective partners on an outstanding 2023/2024 South African racing season. A prominent figure in the industry, and the top Central Province owner for the last racing season.
Laurence has been actively involved in racing for over 40 years. Owning, breeding, celebrating momentous occasions and thoroughly enjoying his love and passion for the sport. Over the years, he has also served as a director of the ROA and on the Board of the National Horseracing Authority. As we know, he is the founder of the prominent Studio 88 Group of Companies. Beyond his personal successes, Laurence has significantly contributed to the welfare of those who work behind the scenes. The Golden Grooms initiative has been a transformative program for the grooms who play a crucial role in the racing industry. Through this initiative, the winning grooms received cash prizes and Studio 88 vouchers on feature racedays, recognizing their hard work and dedication.
Laurence attributes his breeding success not just to his own efforts but to the hardworking staff on the farms. He acknowledges the countless challenges that arise before a horse even steps onto the racetrack, recognizing that it is the dedication and perseverance of these individuals that make it all possible. He adds that he has a special attachment to the mares, especially when they foal.
Laurence’s favorite racing memory is Puerto Manzano (ARG) wining the Grade 1 Betway Summer Cup on the 26th of November 2022 and just four months later winning the Grade 1 World Sports Betting Premier’s Champions Challenge on Champions Day on the 29th of April 2023.
Laurence is besotted with racing and explains that it is the feeling of celebration that is so important, because there are so many trials and tribulations faced in the process of breeding, training and getting a horse ready to race, and to win. This is something which many people don’t always see.
The Racehorse Owners Association presented Laurence with a Special Achievement Award at the 2022 Highveld Feature Season Awards, acknowledging not only the notable season he had had, but the dedication, loyalty and invaluable contributions to the industry throughout his journey. The 2023 Highveld Feature Season Awards proved to be even more exciting, with the Wernars Family taking home three awards on the evening, deservingly earned by Puerto Manzano (ARG) winning the Champion Older Horse, Champion Middle Distance Horse AND Horse Of The Season categories. This past season, he continued to shine, having bred and owned Proceed, who earned him his first Equus award as Champion Two-Year-Old Colt. He expressed how blessed they are to have an army of babies and younger horses (2-year-olds and 3-year-olds) this season, some of whom we have already had the pleasure of seeing in the winners’ enclosure such as Bakwena, Saigon Suzie and Far Reaching.
The 2023/2024 season provided Laurence with a host of incredible winners, including 12 feature races (including Non-Black Type) which include:
- PRINCE OF FIRE – winning the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Polly Challenge 1200 (Open Leg 1 Non-Black type) on 25 August 2023 in the Eastern Cape, trained by Kelly Mitchley.
- PUERTO MANZANO (ARG) – who stormed home to win the Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile (Gr2) for the Wernars Family and trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren on 28 October 2023.
- MRS BROWNING – went on to win the Joburg Tourism Carry On Alice Stakes (Gr 3) on Betway Summer Cup Day, 25 November 2023, trained by Sean Tarry.
- LITIGATION – also trained by Sean Tarry, galloped home to win the Dr Richard Maponya Handicap (L) on 28 January 2024 and his next run was on 17 February where he won the Betway London News Stakes (Gr3), both at Turffontein Racecourse.
- MARAUDING HORDE – cantered home to victory in the Tab Hawaam Stakes (L) on 9 March 2024 for the winning connections and is trained by Mike de Kock.
- DREAMLAND – sprinted home to win the Betway Mythical Flight Sprint (Non-Black Type) on 13 April 2024 conditioned by Lucky Houdalakis.
- The 4Racing Championships Finale Day on 27 April 2024 brought home 3 feature race winners for Laurence including; PROCEED – owned and bred by Laurence, this colt went on strongly to win the Tab Protea Stakes (Gr 3) , MRS BROWNING – went on to win a gutsy race clinching the Tab Camellia Stakes (Gr 2), this colt and filly were both trained by Sean Tarry, and PURE PREDATOR – also owned and bred by Laurence and trained by Fanie Bronkhorst, added to the accolades by winning the Tab Colorado King Stakes (Gr 2).
- CYMRIC – ran a cracking race and was victorious in the running of the TabGold Godolphin Barb Stakes (Gr 3) on 28 April and PROCEED – fought strongly in a gutsy race to win the Gold Medallion (Gr 1) on 1 June 2024 at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Racecourse.
We are also delighted to note that Laurence and his partners have won 26 ROA Bonuses during the season, including 2 Super Bonuses which were run on Allied Steelrode Charity Mile Day and Classic Day respectively. We thank them for their continued and loyal support as ROA Members.
Laurence’s message to the racing community is one of unity. He firmly believes that a united industry and unified body is key to the sport’s progress and success. He reiterated that there needed to be a “brains trust” who would come together and sort out the current reality where different entities were pulling at different angles and in different directions. As we celebrate his achievements and his ongoing passion for racing, we are reminded of the importance of working together to keep this beloved sport thriving.
Laurence and his racing team are also familiar faces at the sales and rightfully so, when this sport is loved by him so dearly. His presence at the sales and at the races is a testament to his dedication and his ongoing commitment to the future of horse racing.
We wish Laurence, Tessa and Jarryd Wernars, and all their racing partners many more achievements and an extremely successful 2024/2025 racing season!
