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.
Phumelela’s application for leave to appeal the judgment of the Honourable Justice Wright of 6 November 2015, which dismissed their application to review and set aside a decision of the Gauteng Gambling Board, has seen the Judge refer the matter on appeal to a full bench of the South Gauteng High Court
Sarah Whitelaw examines the influence of North American-bred Thoroughbreds on the South African stud book
A large portion of the proceeds of the sale of Clairwood were ring-fenced.It would be good to know if, when and how these funds are to be utilized. Surely, restoring Greyville to its former glory should be a priority?
A concerted team effort has seen Dr Marianne Thomson’s Ambiance Stud receive a half sister to globe-trotting sprint star, J J The Jet Plane
While the argument that these penalties have been introduced to minimise the ‘fear factor’ may hold water, at this stage I suspect there is a larger ‘fear factor’ of what else may have been changed without notice.
One needs to be competitive, especially in big races, and to sit twiddling one’s thumbs at the back of the field becomes an extremely tough pill to swallow. Sometimes I wonder if there is not more competitiveness in an under 4 girls hockey team than there is in the jockey’s room
With the Green Point Stakes being run on the same day as the Selangor Cup, and with the same prize money on offer, there clearly would be no incentive for a 3yo to run in the Green Point and thus take on older horses
Pat Shaw again showed why he is a leading conditioner that can hold his own anywhere in the world
It is important that efforts should specifically focus on players and the playing experience rather than pushing the wagering side – and show a genuine interest in the wellbeing of the sport through sensible and clear racing objectives
With sons of the mighty Sunday Silence dominating last Sunday’s Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, it seems his stud book legacy is assured via sire son, Japanese Triple Crown winner and dual Horse Of The Year, Deep Impact
Good management starts from the bottom up, not the top down and we appear to have too many people at the top who think they know what needs doing and too few people at the bottom who actually know what needs doing and getting on with it
The charge originated from comments made by Jockey van Niekerk during a post-race interview following the running of Race 2 at Hollywoodbets Durbanville Racecourse on Wednesday 26 March
The premature loss of Lancaster Bomber (War Front) was a sad setback to the South African thoroughbred industry
The highest-rated horses in all but one race – Parisian Walkway, who achieved his highest performance figure over 1600m – claimed the top four positions in each of this past weekend’s Grade 1 and Grade 2 races (excluding the two-year-old races).This provides strong validation regarding the effectiveness of the rating system!
In one of the most high-profile in-race incidents of the past five years, former SA champion jockey Gavin Lerena was found guilty of four charges, while Jason Gates didn’t escape punishment
