OFF THE RECORD #75

Fathers, Friends, and Firepower
The Bonds Behind Alec Laird’s Comeback

Above: Alec Laird and friends at the 2025 Highveld Awards (photo: Pauline Herman)

Alec Laird and the owners of Fire Attack — Gary Basel, Grant Cornwall, Lance Clark and Denis O’Driscoll — were honoured with three trophies at the Highveld Racing Awards on Saturday evening. This was just hours before what would have marked the 60th birthday of Laird’s former top patron, Chris Gerber, who passed away from malaria in 2018.

Above: Chris Gerber (supplied)

Chris was widely admired in racing, business, and social circles — not least for his generosity and down-to-earth demeanour. When his brother Johnny posted a birthday tribute on X this past Sunday, it stirred memories for many who had shared good times in his company. “It’s hard to believe Chris has been gone for seven years. He was the backbone of my stable, and his sudden passing was a massive blow,” Alec reflected this week. Adding another layer of resonance, Alec is now the same age — 64 — as his legendary father, Syd Laird, was when he passed away in 1988.

Above: Syd Laird with his most famous horse, Sea Cottage (photo: The Bugle)

Much has been said and written about Syd Laird’s extraordinary horsemanship, his bond with Alec and the rest of his family, his passion for gambling, and his fondness for a puff and the occasional shot of whiskey. Alec, wisely, didn’t inherit the smoking habit. But he did absorb horsemanship and life skills to forge what has become an exceptional career of his own — now well into its third decade and showing in excess of 2,000 winners, including 20 Grade 1s.

After a few challenging seasons following Gerber’s passing, and with the support of a new group of staunch patrons, Alec has reestablished himself among the top ten on the National Log. With 70 horses in his care at Randjesfontein, the stable is thriving once again.

Alec recalled: “My father faced a few dips in his career too. One of them came when we moved from Durban to Alberton in the early 1980s, after he’d trained Politician, his last of seven Durban July winners. We’d lost momentum. He had to break through in a very competitive new centre. Despite the tough times, he stayed cheerful. He was up at the crack of dawn every morning, eager to train his horses at Newmarket. I once asked him, ‘Dad, how can you stay happy when we’re not having winners?’ He simply replied, ‘Son, you must never blame the game. Just keep going, don’t change your training methods. This is a tough game but it’s a good game.”

And, of course, it did. Syd soon found himself back among the big winners — just as Alec has now. “Racing ebbs and flows, and much of it depends on the owners in your stable. In the early 2000s, I had a good thing going with a group of friends brought together by Iain Catterall. That group included Craig Clucas, Graeme Hope, Gavin Chamberlain, and Mark Currie. They campaigned horses like Hail Caesour (Caesour), American Badger (Badger Land), and Bilboa (Cordoba).”

Above: Power in numbers: The connections of Fire Attack (photo: JC Photos)

Alec explained that Catterall was the glue holding the partners together, but over time their enthusiasm waned. “Iain’s business interests in Australia meant he had to travel more often, and racing gradually took a back seat. They are all stockbrokers, constantly busy striking deals — an intelligent bunch who often had me scratching my head with the way they traded horse shares among themselves and their friends. Out of that association came an introduction to Chris Gerber, which marked the start of a new chapter for the yard.”

Gerber had a deep love for sport, especially rugby. His father, Mickey, was a Springbok player who later became an administrator, and Chris himself played first-team rugby at King Edward VII School (KES) and later for Stellenbosch University. “Dr Bennie van der Merwe of Moutonshoek affectionately called Chris ‘Sportsman’ — not just because of his passion for rugby, but because he was a true gentleman,” Alec recalled. “Chris approached life with a sporting spirit. He celebrated his victories in business and racing, but also took the losses on the chin.”

In the owners of Fire Attack and Atticus Finch, Alec said he has found the same camaraderie, friendship, and competitive spirit that once defined his earlier partnerships. “Gary Basel and Grant Cornwall stepped into the gap after Chris passed away. Lance Clark and Denis O’Driscoll joined later. Phil Gregory has a share in Atticus Finch. They didn’t know each other outside of racing, but they’ve since become close friends who now socialise together. They’ve been inspirational and incredibly supportive in helping me rebuild the yard.”

Alec noted that at auction sales over the last few years, Basel, Clark and Cornwall, with their partners have significantly boosted the stable’s buying power. Their strategy is to spread the risk through partnerships. Instead of buying one or two individually, they can buy around 10 horses together. They enjoy the wins just as much if not better while sharing the success with friends. “It gives us more runners, more often,” Alec said. “They just love their racing. We all get together when we have runners on a race day. It’s a whole lot of fun — and that’s really what it’s all about.”

Through their close involvement with Alec at the sales, the group has also developed a sharper eye for selecting horses. “We consider and discuss every personal choice together before bidding on selected lots,” he explained. “There are times when we might decide to go for a more expensive horse. You sometimes have to, if you want a well-bred offspring of Gimmethegreenlight or Vercingetorix, for example. But it’s not the priority.”

Above: Fire Attack (nearest camera) beats Royal Victory in the Premier's Champions Challenge (photo: JC Photos)

Alec has a knack for identifying outstanding runners by stallions unproven at the highest level. He trained the first Grade 1 winners sired by Grey’s Inn (Royal Bencher), Judpot (Forest Indigo), and Ideal World (Smart Call). He nearly achieved the same feat in 1996 with London News, a son of Bush Telegraph, who was narrowly beaten in the Cape Guineas by Ashtontown — and again, almost with Fire Attack (Fire Away), who was beaten by Confederate in the SA Classic on 1 March. Fire Attack confirmed his class three weeks later by winning the Grade 1 Premier’s Challenge.

Atticus Finch was a R150,000 purchase in 2021; Fire Attack fetched R450,000 two years later. Both were sourced at the Bloodstock SA National Yearling Sale. Atticus Finch, winner of the 2023 Grade 1 Betway Summer Cup, has already earned R4.3 million, while Fire Attack has banked over R2.1 million from three wins in his first season on the track. These are exactly the kind of buys the Basel syndicate hopes to repeat as often as possible. Alec observed: “Fire Attack reminds me a bit of our old champion, Crimson Waves, who won the 1994 Grade 1 Queen’s Plate. He wasn’t the biggest horse, but he’d bulk himself up before a race and look twice his size in the parade ring. Fire Attack has a bit of that cheeky edge too. He’s good, and we’re hoping for more big success with him.”

Fire Attack is still feeling the effects of a recent foot injury and has been withdrawn from contention for the 2025 Durban July. “I’m not sure he’d stay the 2,200 metres anyway,” Alec noted. “The Grade 1 Gold Challenge is a possible target, as is the HKJC Champions Cup at the end of the season. We’ll likely have to take the weight-for-age route with him, which means he’ll have to face his close relation, Dave The King. The Summer Cup is also under consideration, but we’ll take it step by step. I let the horse guide the plan. Thankfully, his owners trust in that approach.”

With his former colleague Ormond Ferraris proving that 90 might just be the new 60, Alec still has plenty of competitive years ahead. “About two years ago, I said to Alistair Gordon at one of the sales that I wanted to train one more champion before I retire. Then Atticus Finch started racking up the wins, and Fire Attack arrived,” he said. “I’m definitely not done yet. The champions come and find you. Now, I’m hoping for another one, or more!”

As his legendary father once said, and as Alec himself has come to know: “This game is good to you.”