Life Member of the Month – February – Bruce Gardner
As we continue to celebrate Life Members, we are honored to present Bruce Gardner as our Life Member of the Month in the February edition of ROA Today! We truly enjoy telling the inspiring stories of these individuals within their racing journeys, while simultaneously learning about their broader interests.
Bruce has been a passionate ROA Member for 28 years. He grew up in Durban and matriculated from Northlands Boys in 1973. Although he was not born into the sport, the people he was around growing up were actively involved in it, especially the Bowman Family. Arthur was a bookmaker and played a significant role in sparking Bruce’s interest in horseracing, thus the bug had been bitten. Bruce married his wife, Jo, and through their marriage, he inherited a connection to Summerhill Stud’s champion breeder, Mick Goss, as a brother-in-law, and with that, his passion for the industry was inevitable.
His very first experience in ownership came with a modest 5% share in a British-imported daughter of Roan Rocket named Misty For Me, which expanded over the years. In her breeding career, this mare produced a filly named Mystery Guest, sired by Northern Guest, who went on to win the Grade 1 Gosforth Park Fillies Guineas on 18 November 1989. Another progeny, Valley Mist, a daughter of Mount Hagan, was raced briefly before being sent to stud. She was later paired with National Emblem in his first season as a stallion, resulting in the birth of Nhlavini, one of the highlights of Bruce and Jo’s breeding ventures. Nhlavini had a fantastic racing career and was nominated for six consecutive Equus Awards, winning three of them.
In the past, the Gardner Family raced with their good friend James Goodman and their first horse being a “chuck out” from David Payne that they purchased at a “horses-in-training” sale. They then moved to the Alexander yard for about 25 years until the brothers departure to Australia. Bruce and Jo also had an interest in a few horses with Sean Tarry for around 17 years through their great friendship with Champion Owner Chris van Niekerk and when Chris retired, they stayed with the Tarry yard. They currently have horses with Sean including Legend Of Arthur, and Jo is part of the Magical Lady Syndicate who own Mrs Geriatrix.
When chatting about favorite racing memories, Bruce said: “To win a Grade 1 is special, especially the first, so to win our first along with Laurence Wernars’ first, with our old friend Greg Sadie, was a special moment. We won the Derby with Hero’s Honour, trained by the Alexander Brothers in 2018”. Another special moment was the celebration of Champagne Haze winning the Grade 2 Senor Santa Stakes in 2017. He also shared a story about being the underbidders for horse named Bohica, he explained that Mike Azzie bought the horse for Glen Morris and Brian Riley and asked them to stay in for a third, which they did and this son of Captain Noir went on to win the Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship for the partnership on WSB Cape Met Day in 2022.
Horses owned by the Gardner Family in the past include Arabian Mist, who won two Grade 2 Merchants races consecutively in 2009 and 2010, Witchcraft, who won two Grade 3 Oaks races in 2016 and 2018 respectively, and other horses like Coby, Shango, Lisa Anne, Pierre Jordan and many other hard knockers. More recently, they raced Bohica’s half-brother, Bartholdi (son of Act Of War) with the Azzies and still have three nice horses with them, Ready To Charge, Lead The Charge and a beautifully bred filly named Francine.
Bruce jokes that if not for horses, their bank account might have been larger. However, he is quick to add that the wonderful memories, the highs and lows, and the incredible people they have met along the way have been invaluable. His contributions to the racing industry extend beyond ownership and breeding. He served as a steward at Gosforth Park for six years until the racecourse closed. Additionally, he was a board member of the Racing Association for six years, including two years as the Chairman. He recalls those years as challenging times, particularly during the government-mandated corporatization of Gauteng’s horseracing industry, which he describes as “dark days indeed”. Despite these challenges, Bruce remains hopeful that good sense will prevail, and that the Association will continue to strive to get the sport back on track.
Outside of racing, Bruce has also built a successful business. In 1984, he and Jo moved to Johannesburg and established OWA Ceiling Systems, a company he remains actively involved in today. Sport has always been a part of his life, and in his younger years, he played and coached rugby. He fondly recalls being coached by Kitch Christie in the late 70s, the mastermind who led the Springboks to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Bruce and Kitch became close friends, and after South Africa’s historic win, Bruce leased a horse from Summerhill Stud for Kitch and rugby legend Francois Pienaar, appropriately named “Amabokkebokke”. Though the horse won only one race, the experience was a cherished tribute to their friendship.
Bruce and Jo also share a deep commitment to philanthropy, supporting the Make A Difference Leadership Foundation (MAD), founded by Francois 22 years ago. They are proud to be part of this meaningful initiative, which aims to empower young leaders and create positive change in South Africa. Happily married for 45 years, Bruce and Jo have built a beautiful family together, with one daughter, two sons, and two beloved granddaughters who bring them immense joy.
We thank Bruce for his longstanding support to the ROA and wish the Gardner Family many more special victories.
