Profit: Which SA Racehorse Trainers delivered in 24-25?

As the new SA Horse Racing Season gets into full swing this Spring, The Punter takes a look back at the 2024-25 Season. Specifically, could punters have made a profit from playing wins on every runner from a single stable last season? The answers are very interesting, and quite surprising. Read on below for the list of SA Racehorse Trainers to follow, particularly those who returned a profit from placing a R1 win on all runners for last season from 1 August 2024 – 31 July 2025.

Firstly, here’s some overall observations on SA Racehorse Trainers to follow:

• These stats show what your unit profit would be on a level stake (R1 a win) for all runners from a particular stable
• None of SA’s Racing Trainers returned a profit from putting R1 to win on all their runners at every racetrack
• A handful of trainers showed a profit at certain racetracks for R1 win on every runner.
• At provincial level, only in the Western Cape do we find trainers who returned a profit from R1 wins on runners at all tracks in a province.
• Trainers who did return a profit, are not necessarily the ones winning most races or earning the most from stakes. In fact, quite a few of the profitable trainers are those who deliver big outsider winners, at times from quite low win strike rates overall.

Now let’s dive into the data:

SA Racehorse Trainers to follow

No KZN trainer returned a profit from backing all their runners at all local tracks. But, Scottsville and Greyville (Turf + Poly) did produce profitable trainers at each track.

At Scottsville, Tienie Prinsloo (36 units profit) and Gareth van Zyl JR (32.5 units profit) lead the way for a level stake wagered on each of their runners. Trainer Dean Kannemeyer earns a special mention for having a much better win percentage of 25.9% for a 10.6 units profit.

At Greyville Turf a different set of stables emerge, with Stuart Ferrie (14.4) and Alyson Wright (8.3) showing the highest profit for a level stake wagered.

At Greyville Poly, no trainer returned a profit from backing all their runners. This is the only track in the country where this is the case.

In Gauteng, no trainer returned a profit from a level stake wagered on all runners at every track. Robyn Klaasen returned a profit from runners at both Turffontein inside (19.4) and Standside (3.3). Interestingly, Paul Matchett returned a big 46.5 unit profit at the Standside track. However, this comes from a win strike rate of just 6.4%. This indicates some big outsiders arriving from that stable at the Standside track. The only other trainer with a double-figure unit profit at that track was M/M de Kock (11.1).

At the Vaal Turf, Paul Peter (20.2) and Mark Khan (11.3) showed double-digit unit profit returns. Three further trainers sneaked into the green with marginal profit returns (B/J Crawford, L Houdalakis, and P Matchett).

At the Vaal Classic however, only Tyrone Zackey (10.0) returned a profit. The stable also showed a commendable 50% first-three-finish strike rate on the classic track.

Western Cape and Fairview

In the Western Cape, three stables showed a profit for a level stake wagered on all runners across both local tracks (Kenilworth and Durbanville). These are: B/J Crawford (21.4), Andre Nel (4), and Piet Steyn (60.5). This is likely due to strong performances by these trainers at Kenilworth in particular however. The Crawford stable deserves a special commendation as they are a much bigger outfit who returned a profit even after stepping out far more runners.

At Fairview Turf, it’s the Cape raiders who came out with a profit. Particularly the Glen Kotzen stable, which delivered a 33.1 unit profit from their PE runners, while the Snaith stable creeps into the frame with a 4.3 unit profit.

And finally, Fairview Poly is the track with the longest list of trainers returning a profit from a level stake wagered on all their runners last season. Why could this be? It must be that horses are coming home at value prices.

JVA Strydom returned the highest unit profit (16.9) albeit from just a 9% win strike rate, while Kelly Mitchley deserves an honourable mention for her 12.9 unit profit delivered with a high win rate (37%) and place rate (52.7%) from 19 runners.

So how might these stats be useful for punters?

• It reveals a track bias for certain trainers
• It shows which trainers to watch for big outsider strikes
• It gives some indication of which trainers could be followed consistently. Bear in mind, some trainers make this profit-list due to only a small number of winners at big odds. So you may find yourself outlaying stakes often in the hopes of only an occasional winning strike.

It’s also important to note that last season is in the past. Things change and the past is only a guide on which SA Horse Racing Trainers to follow for the new season. There are new dynamics to consider going forward, but fortunately The Punter is here to help!

Having a punt this new season?

The Punter’s Tips for SA Racing, Soccer & Combos are head and shoulders above the rest! Check out the BIG Spring Specials on all membership options below. That includes FULL SEASON memberships for Racing, Soccer and Combos for the entire new season ending 31 July 2026: https://thepunter.co.za/membership-options/

Also see The Punter’s Latest Tipping Highlights here: https://thepunter.co.za/tipping-highlights/