These figures give a broad snapshot of trainer performance and horse quality distribution within a fairly large sample of 2,459 runners. Instead of focusing on race results or prize money, the breakdown is built entirely around rating bands, which helps separate sheer volume from quality levels. That makes it easier to see which yards are handling higher-rated horses and which are operating more heavily in the lower brackets.
At the top end of the table, the distribution is heavily weighted toward lower-rated horses, with 76.5% of the population sitting at 89 or below. Only a small fraction of the pool sits in elite territory, with just 2 horses in the 130+ bracket and 33 in the 120–129 range. That sharp drop-off is what creates separation between the leading operations and the rest of the sample.
Looking at the trainers, the contrast between volume and quality becomes clear. Some yards like Dean Smith and Kelly Mitchley sit near the top in terms of total runners, but with very different rating profiles underneath that volume. Others, such as Dean Kannemeyer and J A Janse van Vuuren, stand out less for sheer numbers and more for the density of higher-rated horses within smaller or mid-sized strings. Justin Snaith also shows a strong upper-end spread, with meaningful representation in the 110+ brackets and a high average rating compared to most peers in the list.
Overall, the data points toward a split environment where most trainers are operating predominantly in lower-rated pools, while a small group manages to consistently access and maintain higher-rated stock. The rating distribution helps highlight that gap more clearly than raw win totals would, especially when comparing yards that might look similar in size but are structurally very different in quality composition.
Trainers Ranked by Total No of current Horses (Top 25) with merit ratings
| Rank |
Trainer |
Total |
≤89 |
90-99 |
100-109 |
110-119 |
120-129 |
130+ |
Avg MR |
| 1 |
Dean Smith |
98 |
80 |
11 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
77.3 |
| 2 |
Sean Tarry |
81 |
47 |
13 |
10 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
88.3 |
| 3 |
Candice Bass |
74 |
52 |
7 |
8 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
85.1 |
| 4 |
Alan Greeff |
74 |
45 |
17 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
85.0 |
| 5 |
Tony Peter |
73 |
47 |
12 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
85.2 |
| 6 |
Justin Snaith |
72 |
36 |
12 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
1 |
93.5 |
| 7 |
Kelly Mitchley |
70 |
62 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
69.6 |
| 8 |
Andre Nel |
69 |
56 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
78.4 |
| 9 |
M/M de Kock |
62 |
38 |
10 |
9 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
88.7 |
| 10 |
James Crawford |
56 |
40 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
83.2 |
| 11 |
Gareth van Zyl |
50 |
36 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
82.6 |
| 12 |
Glen Kotzen |
47 |
38 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
80.9 |
| 13 |
V Marshall |
44 |
33 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
81.6 |
| 14 |
Fanie Bronkhorst |
40 |
37 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
71.6 |
| 15 |
Juan Nel |
39 |
35 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
71.9 |
| 16 |
Jacques Strydom |
37 |
35 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
68.5 |
| 17 |
Wendy Whitehead |
36 |
33 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
73.1 |
| 18 |
Garth Puller |
36 |
33 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
71.7 |
| 19 |
Cliffie Miller |
35 |
34 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
70.3 |
| 20 |
Dean Kannemeyer |
33 |
10 |
13 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
94.9 |
| 21 |
Lucinda Woodruff |
33 |
27 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
79.4 |
| 22 |
Paul Matchett |
31 |
22 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
80.0 |
| 23 |
Alyson Wright |
31 |
27 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
75.9 |
| 24 |
Janse van Vuuren |
29 |
18 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
89.7 |
| 25 |
Fabian Habib |
28 |
18 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
83.2 |
Overall Rating Distribution
| Bracket |
Horses |
% |
| 130+ |
2 |
0.1 |
| 120-129 |
33 |
1.3 |
| 110-119 |
99 |
4.0 |
| 100-109 |
170 |
6.9 |
| 90-99 |
275 |
11.2 |
| ≤89 |
1,880 |
76.5 |
These are the horses who have a merit rating only.
Ever attempt has been made to accurately reflect the numbers but with the movement of horses and horses not rated as yet, there will be slight differences.
Image JC Photos (illustration purpose only)
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