From John Freeman News :
"John Frederick Newsome Chairman of the Motram Group plc and founder of Fieldspring Racing passed away on Wednesday 9th April after a long illness. He was a graduate of Caius University College, Cambridge. He first visited South Africa to look at our racing in 1997 and decided to establish a home and racing base in South Africa the following year.
John was known for incisive business judgement and a biting wit and was an intensely private person. He was a generous host and was a huge supporter of racing charities, especially the Grooms’ School, Horse Care Unit and Western Province Owners and Trainers Benevolent Fund.
His thoughtful interest in the future of SA racing was translated into tangible benefit in many ways for racing. Two striking examples come to mind:- his aim to contribute to our breeding industry was demonstrated in the importation of mares and stallions. In just 4 seasons, the first five runners out of the mares he imported are already stakes winners and one of these mares has also delivered the record price yearling filly in SA. John was also the first to respond to the call for the establishment of a new training facility for Cape Racing and immediately secured a west coast property with the intention of handing it over to racing for the benefit of all. Despite being made the highest offer for any horse on record in the history of South African racing, he refused to let Dynasty be sold for export as he had immense respect for his sire Fort Wood and believed that his best son in SA should be allowed to make a contribution as a stallion here. Everyone associated with John knew that his love of racing bordered on altruistic as he did not capitalise his successes.
John was the driving force behind the establishment of autonomous corporate racing image in SA as the first to race his horses without the name of a nominee in the racecard. Through a series of appeals he got the Jockey Club of SA to change the rule that dictated that all runners had to have a nominee carded. His dream was to establish a racing entity that would survive beyond his own existence so that the name Fieldspring would not be associated with just one owner and so that the team that delivered each win take credit for Fieldspring’s successes. He also wanted Sam and Karen to carry on the racing entity that was built for them. John enjoyed Fieldspring’s horses becoming public celebrities on their own merit. He always felt that the public “owned” Dynasty and enjoyed their appreciation of his racing status.
Fieldspring have won races in England, Ireland, France, United States, Dubai and Singapore but it is in South Africa, with no disrespect to the honour of winning the Dubai Guineas or their brilliant 2nd in the greatest classic race in England, that they enjoyed their most sustained and best successes. A search of John’s trophy room in Cape Town reveals no less than 58 trophies which he collected in just 9 years including 6 Equus Awards (two of which were for Horses Of The Year for Dynasty and Free My Heart). Two Cape Owner of the Year Awards (2002 and 2005) and Two Vodacom Durban July’s.
Thankfully John lived to see Fieldspring’s most recent successes; two runners, Russian Sage and First Honour, in the GR2 Selangor (the race most considered a pointer to the Cape classics) – they ran 1st and 2nd. Russian Sage ran 2nd in the Gr1 Cape Guineas and then won the Gr1 Investec Derby beating Fieldspring’s other runner in that event, Tan Can.
He would never allow us to document Fieldspring’s achievements but from our records we know that the horses that raced in the familiar burgundy silks, in just 9 racing seasons, achieved a formidable stakes strike rate incl:- Dynasty (Horse of the Year and Equus Champion 3yo – 4 Gr1 wins), Free My Heart (Horse of the Year and dual Equus Award winner – 7 Gr1 wins), Rabiya (the only horse bred in John’s own name in SA – Equus Champion 3yo with 3 Gr1 wins), Eyeofthetiger (Equus Champion 3yo, a record breaking Gr1 Durban July), Russian Sage (Gr1 winner), Roman Charger (Cape Champion 2yo), Honour the Guest (2 x Gr1 wins), and many other stakes horses incl:- Royal Opinion, West Coast Gold, National Title, Ivy Green, Spring Lilac etc."
Condolences to his family and friends.
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