{"id":98,"date":"2026-04-12T07:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.cybersofty.com\/?page_id=98"},"modified":"2026-04-12T08:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T08:58:24","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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About Us<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Zaki Thoroughbreds<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Join the Zaki Racing Club<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Zaki Thoroughbreds<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Zaki Thoroughbreds is one of South Africa’s most respected and enduring horse racing establishments \u2014 a family-run stable built on passion, tradition, and a deep love for the sport. Founded and nurtured through four generations of dedicated horsemen, the stable has become synonymous with quality training, integrity, and competitive excellence on tracks across the country.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The roots of the stable trace back to\u00a0Andy Smith<\/strong>, who first established the family’s presence in South African thoroughbred racing. His commitment to horsemanship and his eye for equine potential laid the foundation for what was to become a well-regarded racing institution. His son,\u00a0Gavin Smith<\/strong>, grew up immersed in the world of racing, riding work from the age of 10 and learning the nuances of training under Andy’s guidance. In\u00a01996<\/strong>, Gavin officially took over the training license from his father and began building the stable into a powerhouse, particularly in the Eastern Cape racing circuit. Under his leadership, the yard consistently produced winners and was recognized multiple times as the Eastern Cape Champion Trainer.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Gavin’s remarkable career spanned decades and thousands of starters, with more than\u00a03,000 winners<\/strong>\u00a0to his name \u2014 a remarkable milestone few trainers achieve \u2014 and numerous cherished horses that thrilled racing fans, including crowd favorites such as\u00a0Stormy Appeal<\/em>,\u00a0Bold Silvano<\/em>,\u00a0Muscatt<\/em>,\u00a0Shoes Of Silver<\/em>,\u00a0Cherry Ano<\/em>, and\u00a0Cruise Control<\/em>. His success was driven by meticulous attention to detail and a quiet integrity that earned respect throughout the industry.<\/p>

In 2025, the stable experienced a profound moment of transition with the sudden passing of Gavin Smith after a brave battle with cancer. His son,\u00a0Dean Smith<\/strong>, who had been working alongside his father for many years, stepped up to take the reins as principal trainer. At just 25 years old, Dean had already developed a strong understanding of training, stable management, and the competitive demands of racing \u2014 skills nurtured under Gavin’s mentorship and rooted in a lifelong connection to the sport.<\/p>

While Dean’s journey into training wasn’t always straightforward \u2014 Gavin initially encouraged him toward academic pursuits outside of racing \u2014 the pull of the family legacy and the racetrack proved irresistible. Dean’s approach blends traditional horsemanship with fresh ideas and modern insights, and he has quickly made his mark on the South African racing scene.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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A defining highlight in the stable’s history came with\u00a0their first Group 1 victory<\/strong>\u00a0through the sensational sprinter\u00a0KingDundee<\/em>, who stormed home to win the\u00a0Cape Flying Championship (1000m)<\/strong>\u00a0in fine style. Ridden to perfection by jockey Calvin Habib and bred and owned by long-standing supporter Mr. Clive Murphy,\u00a0KingDundee’s<\/em>\u00a0victory marked a pinnacle achievement for Zaki Thoroughbreds and a proud moment for the yard’s future under Dean’s leadership.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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A defining highlight in the stable’s history came with\u00a0their first Group 1 victory<\/strong>\u00a0through the sensational sprinter\u00a0KingDundee<\/em>, who stormed home to win the\u00a0Cape Flying Championship (1000m)<\/strong>\u00a0in fine style. Ridden to perfection by jockey Calvin Habib and bred and owned by long-standing supporter Mr. Clive Murphy,\u00a0KingDundee’s<\/em>\u00a0victory marked a pinnacle achievement for Zaki Thoroughbreds and a proud moment for the yard’s future under Dean’s leadership.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About Us Zaki Thoroughbreds Join the Zaki Racing Club Zaki Thoroughbreds Zaki Thoroughbreds is one of South Africa’s most respected and enduring horse racing establishments \u2014 a family-run stable built on passion, tradition, and a deep love for the sport. Founded and nurtured through four generations of dedicated horsemen, the stable has become synonymous with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-98","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136,"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/98\/revisions\/136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zakiracing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}