On a bleak day for South African horseracing, Vaal trainer Barend Botes and jockey Smanga ‘Bling’ Khumalo produced the magic with a well taken hat-trick at Turffontein. The 52 year old ‘Mr Fixit’ had 5 runners, or 25% of his yard, for the 3 winners and a second place. Not bad going!
The head numbing announcement of the departure of newly-crowned SA Champion trainer Paul Peter earlier had more folk speculating on some wild rumours rather than concentrating on the racing. The National Horseracing Authority announcement, while clearly confined by legal constraints, confirming Peter handing in his licence was a classical trigger for wild speculation. We are empathetic to whatever the circumstances, but this vague communication did nobody any good.
Bling Khumalo returns on Kind Judy, led in by Mrs E Scheepers and ‘Mr Fixit’ (Pic – JC Photos)
But the racing went on and Barend Botes and Smanga Khumalo kept their heads down and produced a thrilling hat-trick that incorporated Mirren (33-10) in the fourth, Kind Judy (18-10 ) in the sixth and rounded off by recent KZN maiden winner Berengaria (5-1) in the seventh race.
Bling’s win strike-rate of close on 20% maintained his fourth position on the SA national log and the former SA Champion said it was ‘an absolute honour to have partnered the Botes horses to the hattrick of wins.
An emotional Bling told the Sporting Post that an unforgettable and heartening story that he has only ever shared with those close to him until now is that it was Barend Botes who sat him down on the staircase outside the jockey room at the Vaal one weekday whilst the top rider was an apprentice.
“He told me in strong terms that I would be champion jockey of South Africa one day. I’ll be the first to confess that I thought he was smoking some strong illegal stuff. What a prediction! He had all the belief in me and likewise me in his talent as a horseman. If there are owners out there looking to join a yard that can produce sometimes miraculous results it would undoubtedly be that of Mr. B – my term of endearment for the good man. Botes Racing is fully endorsed by Bling! Whoop! Whoop!”added the popular jockey, who enjoys a near 60% win strike-rate for the small stable.
R20 000 buy Kind Judy makes it 5 wins from her last 9 starts (Pic – JC Photos)
Netherlands-based Andre van Schaik, who is a big Botes fan and part-owner of the Moutonshoek-bred Judpot mare Kind Judy, told the Sporting Post that his trainer was a man who worked wonders with relatively ordinary horses. Kind Judy, now a six time winner, had cost them R20 000 and has won 5 of her last 9 starts for the partnership.
“Communication, excellent value for money, plain good fun and keeping the passion for racing alive. We need more trainers like Barend Botes and to my mind, the man deserves a bigger string than his 20 horses. His life is invested in his stable and the horses. An owner can’t ask for more than that,” said Van Schaik.
