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.
LANCE BENSON: Champions are great for racing, but does it mean that prospective opponents would rather stand in their boxes munching on their expensive food than take their chances in the bull-ring?
ROBYN LOUW: 2012 is going to be the year of legends. Battles will be fought, history will be made. Where will you be?
SARAH WHITELAW:There are a number of really exciting horses and sire prospects worth following over the next 12 months. Selected are a mixture of local and international, excluding such obvious superstars as Igugu, Frankel, What A Winter, etc.
What a day for owner Knut Haug, trainer Dennis Drier and jockey Alec Forbes. The Sharks combination teamed up to spoil the Stormers New Years party with a sweetly taken treble at Kenilworth on the Cape’s very own ‘Tweede Nuwe Jaar’ celebrations. Unhappily for local breeders, all three of the Drier winners are imports!
A superb training feat to win the Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes followed by some thought provoking post-race comments by Assistant Trainer Frikkie Greyling. These were the real fireworks, coupled with a double for Muzi Yeni and Anthony Delpech, that livened up the opening meeting of 2012.
LANCE BENSON: The curtain comes down on another tumultuous and testing year. While much has changed, one wonders if we really are any better off than we were twelve months.
ROBYN LOUW: My task for this week was to do a retrospective on 2011. Listing things chronologically you realize just how much you’ve forgotten.
SARAH WHITELAW:The horse racing year of 2011 was dominated by the progeny of Galileo, sire of Igugu, South Africa’s Horse of the Year.
His record speaks for itself, but the impact of the tragic recent early demise of multiple champion stallion Jet Master cannot be underestimated. He sired
A memorable evening for one of the great families of SA horseracing and a jackpot of winners for rising star jockey Raymond Danielson. Throw in
A terrific spectacle on a gorgeous summer’s afternoon but sadly no sponsor in sight. The R200 000 Gr3 Summer Stayers Handicap run over 2500m produced a
The South African bred former Equus Champion Sprinter Isivunguvungu made a terrific winning debut on US soil for trainer Graham Motion and confirmed his Prevagen $1million Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint aspirations
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
