Ken & Jane Truter

Cape Racing held its CommunityFest on Saturday, 20 April, and one of the charities that was supported by Cape Racing, Varsfontein Stud, and Klawervlei Stud was the Western Cape Equine Trust. The minds behind the re-homing of racehorses from out of racing are Ken and Jane Truter, true blue stalwarts of the sport of kings.

The re-homing of racehorses is a serious business and their promise to find so many horses good homes and then follow their lives post-retirement is a rewarding yet arduous ordeal. Although a team effort, re-training and re-homing a horse takes the patience that not many have. To see what each contribution meant to Ken and Jane made one quite emotional. Nobody would be here without the horse. Their commitment to welfare is unwavering.

Born and bred in Cape Town, Ken’s introduction into racing came in the late 70’s as part of a syndicate. This is exactly the message behind syndication and the various opportunities for expanding ownership. It was not long before Truter managed to add some big names to his string, putting him forward as one of the prominent owners in the country. 

DRAMADOR is noted as the first foray into the big league but soon DOMINION ROYALE, GLAMOUR BOY, and GAULTIER were added to carry the familiar blue and white silks.

The likes of ELUSIVE SILVA, LINEBACKER, and the 2020 Cape Town Met winner ONE WORLD have recently kept the Truter flag flying at the top level. Racing fans witnessed COASTAL COMMANDER follow up his fourth in the SplashOut Cape Derby with an excellent win over some very good horses, setting him up for feature races over for the next few months. Thankfully, his horses have earned more silverware than his beloved Tottenham Hotspur.

Having served on many administrative boards over the years, Truter has earned the utmost respect among the passages of racecourses nationwide. The Truter presence in Cape Town has provided many great memories, and here is hoping there are many more.