About Us

Generations Of Champions

“My dad taught me everything I know, but not everything that he knows. There is just no replacement for the old school horsemen.”

Corne Spies and his Spies Racing Team, offer extensive experience and horsemanship dating back to the 1940’s, when a young Tobie Spies won on his first ride of an amateur race in the then Eastern Transvaal Highveld aboard one of his father’s charges.


Offering stabling on the grounds of the prestigious North Rand Training Centre at Randjesfontein, Spies Racing has access to world class training facilities and tracks to give our clients and their horses the winning edge.

It is our commitment to put sound, fit horses in suited races as frequently as possible to make sure that they can earn to their optimal potential, and our valued patrons stay on top of the game.


Spies Racing is known for clever purchases of yearling horses at auction sales around the country, even the so-called ‘cheapies'. We are renowned for the conditioning of early precocious types to win over 800m & 1000m, but also excel with older horses over all distances, even ultra-stayers having the first 2 past the post in the longest race in South Africa over 3600m called the Port Elizabeth Gold Cup and winning the Gold Bowl over 3200m at Turffontein. In his day, Tobie Spies won the Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m with Northern Flame, and had many successes with stayers like Aced, Fearless Fred and Chic.

A Horse Can Change A Life

Tobie, steeped in horses, grew up with animals on his father’s farm Haasfontein between Bethal and Middelburg in Mphumalanga.

His father used to take part in the local "bush racing" in the area, racing retired thoroughbreds from the Witwatersrand.

As an amateur jockey, Tobie won his first race on one of these horses when he was 7 years old.

He started his career as a surveyor on the mines because he was too big to be a jockey. He soon proved his worth by becoming the youngest senior official in the Anglo American group with 13 mining qualifications.

The passion for racing always remained with him, and in 1977 he began breeding thoroughbreds as a hobby.

A few years later, when the oldest of his foals reached racing age, he applied for an Owner Trainers license with the former Jockey Club of South Africa, and the rest is history.

A Good Horse Is Hard To Replace

Tobie's first win came with a grey filly named Mantilla that he received as a gift from the Goodman family. After that, she produced several other homebred winners trained by Spies.

Over the past four decades, Tobie Spies has held positions as breeder, owner, owner trainer, trainer, stud manager, selector for TBA and assistant trainer. Tobie Spies has now come full circle back to his roots in training.

The 1988 Queen's Plate went to Yardmaster, two Bloodline Millions went to Fast Gun and Mysterious Hal respectively, and he won dozens of other races with runners like Terewa, Aced, Northern Flame and National Beauty..

In 2018, he won the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion with Van Halen to mark his return.

Corne holds a National Diploma in Equine Science to supplement the practical knowledge he received from his father.


In addition to the SA Fillies Nursery twice, Corne has been successful in the Gr1 Allen Robertson with Rock Opera, the Gr1 Golden Horseshoe on July Day with War Horse, the Gr1 Mercury Sprint with Van Halen, the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint with Singforafa, the Gr2 Emerald Cup with Tommy Gun, and the Gr3 Egoli Sprint with Take Silk and to many more to mention. Rock Opera and Take Silk were sold to overseas interests and exported.

Corne Spies won the Northern Cape award for Champion Racehorse Owner in the 2009/2010 racing season.

During the 2014 and 2015 racing seasons, Corne raced a string in Zimbabwe and won the Zimbabwean Trainers' Title for the 2014/2015 racing season.

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