OFF THE RECORD #101

Dedication, Devotion and a Quiet Hand

Inside the life and philosophy of trainer Frank Robinson

Above: Frank receives his Summer Cup trophy from Betway’s Jonathan Blumberg (image: JC Photographics)

In racing, fairy tales rarely arrive on cue, but trainer Frank Robinson wrote his own in last Saturday’s R6-million Betway Summer Cup. A loner by nature and a horseman by instinct, Robinson watched his 100-1 outsider Mocha Blend (Ideal World) deliver a victory as sweet as its name, giving him his first Grade 1 success, achieved in Africa’s richest race, and with his first runner trained for the storied Oppenheimer family.

There is an old adage in racing: “You don’t find a good horse, it finds you!”

Robinson had met Jessica Jell (then Slack) at his Summerveld stables when he was caretaker trainer for Cape-based Brett Crawford in 2015 and Jessica owned a share of Crawford’s classic prospect, Maybe Yes. “Jessica came around to see her filly and we had a chat. We saw each other just a few times after that. Nine years later, Steven Jell phoned me out of the blue to ask if I’d be interested in training Mocha Blend. Wow, as if I was ever going to say, no! I felt very privileged, even more so when Mocha Blend arrived at the yard. She was smashing, I liked her from the day I first laid eyes on her.”

Above: Mocha Blend stays on to win the Betway Summer Cup from a flying Olivia’s Way (image: JC Photographics) 

Having worked with dozens of high-quality fillies in his long career, including Bold West, Jungle Class, Fanciful, Olma and Chocolicious, Robinson suspected that Mocha Blend was not an ordinary specimen, and told his new patrons as much. “She turned out a bit in front but was otherwise perfect, with a beautiful temperament.”

Mocha Blend finished third, first-up, and then won two races off the bat late in 2024. After that she placed in three features during the KZN Summer Season, performing with much promise. But Robinson raced her sparingly and explained: “The tracks are hard in winter. Mocha Blend had some issues with her legs, so I took it easy with her. She was a bit light too, had some maturing to do. But when spring came around, she started blossoming and filled out. She has been sound as a bell this season. Every time I feel her knees after a gallop they are cold as a fridge. No heat, no trouble.”

Mocha Blend had two prep runs into the Summer Cup, including a fast-finishing second to Kisshoten in the Listed Syringa Handicap over 1600m. Robinson recalled: “On paper that didn’t look good enough to make her a serious contender. Jehan Malherbe phoned me to discuss the fact that off her 105-rating she’d be running several pounds under sufferance. I told him that she was much better than her merit rating, that she was approaching her best and that the long straight at Turffontein’s standside track would allow her to settle, find her rhythm and run on.

“That, to our delight, is exactly how things panned out. If you watch the replay, you’ll see how Mocha Blend builds up her run in the straight, coming from near last. She got a bit tight on the fence behind The Equator and The Ultimate King and had to switch out to get a clear passage, which adds more merit to her win. My heart pounced when I saw Olivia’s Way running hard at us at the finish, but Mocha Blend held on. She was courageous!”

Above: Frank Robinson in the winner’s enclosure with Mocha Blend (image: Candiese Lenferna)

This breakthrough gave the stable a whopping stakes boost and propelled Robinson into the Top 5 on the National Log — a fitting reward for a man whose gentle demeanour and quiet dedication to animals have long spoken louder than he ever does. That he was bizarrely and opportunistically maligned in media releases by the National Horseracing Authority in 2020 and earlier this year, would have made this success even more gratifying.

Robinson has never really been fazed by noise, however. To understand why, one has to return to his teenage years, when his only concern was a horse and a stable yard. He remembers riding his 50cc motorcycle to the Summerveld training centre after school in the early 1980s and said: “All I wanted was a job in racing, and I tried everything possible to get involved until a door opened with Gail Thompson, the man who prepared Jamaican Rumba to win the 1982 Durban July.”

After a short spell learning the basics (not excluding mucking out stables), Robinson found employment with Herman Brown (sr), the trainer of greats like Gatecrasher and Foveros; also Bold Monarch, Singing Boy, Turncoat and many others. This association yielded the grounding for Robinson’s skills, his lifelong friendship and later his long partnership as assistant trainer to Herman Brown (jr).

There were two other trainers that influenced his career. Robinson’s admits to having had an obsession with the legendary Terrance Millard — so much so that he was nicknamed ‘Frank Millard’, and had to endure jokes from his friends. Robinson also has good things to say about John Nicholson, another big name from racing’s so-called, ‘Golden Era’.

Robinson noted: “The Brown team was based at Clairwood for some time, when there was no room at Summerveld. Between 1986 and 1990, when he was almost unbeatable, Mr Millard had his visiting stables next to us. I plucked up the courage to introduce myself and I was surprised at how kind and accommodating he was. He always had time for me, answered every question and helped us with analysing blood counts.”

Nicholson, racing’s flamboyant gentleman, had a colourful history and international experience. He rode in the Grand National in his young days and frequently attended the Breeders’ Cup in the US with his good friend John Gosden, later multiple champion trainer of the UK. Nicholson’s own training skills were honed in England.

Robinson said: “Johnny Nicholson had top horses including Beau Art, Count Du Barry, Lagin, Red Bishop, Ever Fair and Gerald Boy. He used to arrive at stables to fanfare, driving a loud, purple Ford Mustang. He was (still is) a man of great character and humour and his training methods were unconventional, but effective.”

In a spell with Nicholson, Robinson said, he acquired techniques that helped to shape his own ways of training. “He was an out-and-out horseman, thorough in his ways and hands-on, probably the best I’ve ever worked with. He put me in a paddock every day, for three days at a time, just practising the basics. He gave me three horses to ride and look after. I lunged them, got to know their every habit and their quirks, walked with them around the tracks. One thing he said, early, was, ‘when you’re walking with a horse and you want to turn, never turn to your left, always to your right. This may sound like something trivial, but there were many other little things he did, differently, including loading horses front to back when they were schooled at the starting pens.”

Robinson attributes his knack of presenting his runners in lean racing shape, and with glowing coats, to learning early feeding methods from Nicholson. “There isn’t much else for a horse to look forward to every day. I crush and mix my own feed to ensure that it’s fresh. You can cut corners elsewhere if you want, but never on what goes into the horse.”

Robinson works his horses twice a day and explained: “This doesn’t mean they are overworked. They enjoy getting out of their stables frequently for slow canters. I don’t do a lot of speed work, instead focus on overall fitness. I visited Aiden O’Brien in Ireland some years ago. He sends his runners out for jogs a few times a day. I’ve also in the last three or four years spoken very often to the incredible Ormond Ferraris, who has offered a wealth of advice.”

Last season, Robinson won almost every feature race for stayers, including the Highland Night Cup (Shoot The Rapids), the Gold Vase (1st and 2nd with Madison Valley and Shoot The Rapids), the Lonsdale (Field Marshall) and the Cup Trial and the Michaelmas Handicap (Madison Valley). He said: “Madison Valley ran a disappointing race in the Summer Cup, but he got his tongue over the back of the bit, somehow. That was a valid excuse. There were other well-fancied runners around him including King Pelles and Royal Victory, who also ran well below par. These things happen and leave us with question marks. One of the challenging things about horses and racing is finding the answers to questions.”

Above: Chevay and Sid Moodley with Madison Valley (image: Anneke Kitching)

In his chief patron Sid Moodley (who owns Madison Valley, Shoot The Rapids and others), Robinson has found a racing partner that shares his values and supports his ambitions. Moodley commented: “Frank is a top trainer with 40 years experience and this Grade 1 win is thoroughly deserved. We pick our horses carefully and plan every individual’s career. We’ve had about 50 winners together in three years.

“My family and I enjoy being with Frank, because aside from his great knowledge of horses he is also an animal lover who will feed his animals before he feeds himself.

Racing humbles you, but it also teaches you about life and I am happy to have my son, Chevay, involved as well. He is studying finance and his exposure to the high-profile racing world is a valuable learning platform for his future career. Having a good relationship with your trainer is essential. Frank is always there, he lives for his horses.”

Robinson said: “Yes, I don’t like being away from my horses. I haven’t had a day off since 1998, but that’s the way I want it. Whenever I am at home, I can’t wait to get back to my stables. It is just the way I’ve always lived my life.”

His horses share the yard with 30 cats and a peep of chickens. “I started feeding stray cats many years ago and they simply came and stayed. There’s also an abundance of birdlife around my stables, probably because of the seed I scatter for the chickens.”

Soon, there may be another Mocha Blend coming through the ranks as the latest addition to Robinson’s small string is a filly by headline-hitting Rafeef out of Triple Tiara winner, Summer Pudding, from the appreciative Jell family. Meanwhile, Frank Robinson’s life in racing continues exactly as it always has — a gentle, unchanging rhythm of horses to tend, animals to feed and another beautiful Summerveld dawn to greet.

Above: Rafeef filly out of Summer Pudding (image: supplied)