GARY LEMKE : HWB JULY THOUGHTS

Gary Lemke has always had a keen interest in horse racing. While at school at Ashley in Pinetown, outside Durban, representatives of the South African Jockeys’ Academy in Summerveld came to “measure” the smaller boys and offer them futures at the Academy. Some of Gary’s friends went, but the friendships remained. One of them, Mark Mason, rode a winner with his first ride, on a horse called Bena Demure (or so he thinks). It won at odds of 33/1 at Clairwood. Gary had R2 on the nose.
He became racing editor at the Daily Dispatch in East London in the early 1980s and tipped (outright selection) the July winner in the newspaper for three successive years – Big Charles, Jamaican Rumba and Tecla Bluff. On “July” day in 1982 he tipped seven outright winners (first selection) in print on the nine-race Greyville card.
He became racing editor at The Pretoria News in the mid-to-late 1980’s and used to have a “Top Tip” published in the newspaper. It was one horse for the day. He once tipped 19 out of 20 of these.
His love for racing has never diminished and he has been a colour holder for over 20 years. However, he has only ever had two winners carrying his colours.