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Opinion

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.

Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Yesterday’s Burger ran with a headline about local Mossel Bay golfer, Lee-anne Pace. Now I’m not detracting from golf – it is a fine and skillful sport – and obviously having a pretty young blonde ambassador is somewhat of a coup, but come on folks. The girl earned front page news attention for (admirably) being the highest earner on the Ladies European Tour this year by winning 5 out of the 25 events she took part in this year. For this honour she received a silver salver and EUR 20,000.

On the same weekend, a maverick South African contingent comprising a cheap, vertically challenged, crooked legged little horse, his bandy-legged trainer and their motley support crew took on the best in the world at the world’s richest race meeting

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14th December 2010 3 Comments

Hoofprints In My Heart – Robyn Louw

We all have a seminal catastrophic moment imprinted somewhere in our memory. For some it’s JFK’s assassination, Lady Diana’s car crash, or those planes hitting the twin towers. The sights, sounds and feelings of that exact moment are somehow etched indelibly somewhere deep inside and will travel with us for the rest of our lives. In the same way I carry an image with me – it’s burnt through, right down to cellular level, and sits somewhere alongside my twisted strands of DNA. I know it will never leave me and will haunt my dreams and spring to mind unbidden when I least expect it.

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13th December 2010 2 Comments

What A Weekend – Robyn Louw

Quality does not just happen. It is hard to describe, but for me there is a mystical alchemy of skill and God given ability, tempered with the right amount of hard work and dedication that defines true quality. It is this rare and ephemeral element that hallmarks great works of art or music and elevates them from being merely good, to something truly beautiful. Interestingly, beauty is not always based on perfection and it sometimes takes an unexpected imperfection to render something unique. However, true beauty has the power to uplift, inspire and somehow feed the soul and it is this ‘soul food’ that makes it so highly desirable.

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7th December 2010 No Comments

Genetics and the Thoroughbred

The “speed gene”, launched by Equinome earlier this year was to be on reflection just the tip of the iceberg as it didn’t really differentiate between good and bad, rather it just told you what distance your horse was going to be best at. One of these latest studies confirms the MSTN (myostatin) gene (also known as the “speed gene”) as an important one for distance in the thoroughbred while another two start to look at separating out the elites from the average

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30th November 2010 No Comments

Summer Cup Blinder – Lance Benson

Congratulations Phumelela and Sansui. The Summer Cup afternoon was a first-class entertainment treat that appeared to go off without a hitch. For this cynical couchbound coconut, it was an incident-free afternoon of which we should really be able to enjoy many more. Maybe we are expecting too much but hopefully a few aspects are adopted as standard for big days like the J&B Met and the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. The starting point could be the limited gaps between race-times and banning the use of irritating know-it-alls

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30th November 2010 No Comments

A Right Royal Day Out – Robyn Louw

I like people who are passionate and interested in this industry. I especially like people who are prepared to get off their rears, roll up their sleeves and do something positive. Throw a pair of blue eyes into the package and I’m pretty much sold.

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29th November 2010 No Comments

New Import Ruling Upsets Applecart

In a ruling on 23rd November, just four days before inspections commence at Tattersalls December Mare Sale in Newmarket, England, the State Vet declared that in-foal broodmares purchased at the sale, a rich source of fresh blood at various budgets for South African breeders over the years, would be unacceptable for the regular January flight to Cape Town unless in foal no earlier than 240 days before the flight scheduled for 20th January.

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26th November 2010 No Comments

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