Little Breeders, Big Prices
ROBYN LOUW: Celebrations, but Judy Brannigan cautions that the industry needs to acknowledge the importance of the small breeder
Sporting Post columnists share their opinions and insights into horse racing from South Africa and around the world. They are experts who have a deep understanding of the sport of kings, enjoy their thoughtful and fresh articles.
ROBYN LOUW: Celebrations, but Judy Brannigan cautions that the industry needs to acknowledge the importance of the small breeder
ROBYN LOUW: “They say money doesn’t buy happiness. But it does buy books. And that’s sort of the same thing.”
SARAH WHITELAW: Champion sire for five consecutive seasons, Jet Master’s last crop of yearlings go through the sales ring this year.
LANCE BENSON: I believe it was author Robert C Gallagher who suggested that change is inevitable – except from a vending machine. And it is indeed strange that the racing operator would have allowed the sponsor to tinker with the veritable ATM machine that is the J&B Met.
Imagine you’re a rival of Usain Bolt in an athletics final. You’re on the blocks, the starter gun goes off and away you go. At halfway there are people waving their arms to stop. You do and are told: “Sorry, Usain wasn’t ready – you’ll have to return to the start.”
Letter from Adv B Maselle to the NHA
ROBYN LOUW: Queen’s Plate 2013. I was a little nervous after a couple of days of rain and then a pumping South Easter, but the racing and weather gods conspired to deliver a perfect days racing.
ROBYN LOUW: Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. Which obviously adds enormously to the challenge and the mystique, but sometimes an instruction manual might not be all bad.
SARAH WHITELAW: Following on a year which saw exceptional performances on the racetrack, 2013 sees a number of horses worth following.
ROBYN LOUW: A horsey friend from Joburg joined me for the Guineas. Her last experience of racing was some 20 years ago when people dressed to the nines and you had to jostle for a good view. How things have changed.
The evergreen hero travelled to Vereeniging on Thursday for a 100% strike rate from two rides that saw him bring up his recordbreaking 5555th winner milestone
‘The Breeders Cup Distaff is definitely still on the cards and Beach Bomb will probably have one more race before then’ – Gaynor Rupert
It will be good news for South African racing fans that, despite a number of offers from abroad, Gerald and Karen Kalil’s multiple champion Quid Pro Quo will continue her 3yo season on African soil
The son of Twice Over has been gelded and will be aimed at the Betway Gr1 Summer Cup, the L’Ormarins King’s Plate and the WSB Cape Town Met