Couldn’t resist the Bible reference – it being the season and all that, writes Robyn Louw
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. They had faced a horribly arduous journey and draconian quarantine regulations to get there, and were greeted none too warmly by the local and international press, with less than glowing comments about the horse’s conformation and condition. If ever there has been a story of David and Goliath then this was it. You can practically hear The Eye of the Tiger playing in the background.
Dogged in their determination, they not only overcame adversity, but triumphed, winning the HK$14,000,000 purse (for those of you counting those zeros that’s Fourteen Million Hong Kong dollars), as well as a rather impressive trophy, showing that South Africans and our breeding product can truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the very best in the world. For JJ, the little horse in the middle of all this furore, this was his 6th Group 1 Victory – truly a staggering achievement for any horse anywhere in the world, but made all the more impressive when you take into consideration that he did this across multiple continents. But in his usual style, he took it all in his stride and all he wanted at the end of the day’s fuss was his dinner !
What a heart-warming, truly sensational story, particularly given the time of the year and the current state of the industry. And yet again, the administrators of our industry have let us down horribly. Where are the front page articles ? Where is the fanfare? Where is the party to welcome home our conquering heroes ?
Not a bloody peep. Our local broadsheets don’t even know it happened and all I can say is that whoever is supposedly in charge of promoting and marketing South Africa racing, this really is a gigantic fail on your part. I understand that horses and racing are fraught with the unexpected and one can never be too confident lest Murphy comes and bites you on the bum, but for heavens’ sake ! Here is a golden ticket onto the world stage and an opportunity to shout out what incredible equine and human talent we produce. Surely based on this achievement alone, Piere Strydom should be eligible for Sportsman of the Year award ?? But no. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch.
I know that Sunday is supposedly a day of rest, but what the hell were you guys all doing ?? It’s not good enough to run something on Wednesday or next week. We needed it splashed all over everything on MONDAY.
55,000 people watched this incredibly story unfolding before their eyes at Sha Tin. How many South Africans are ever going to know who Piere Strydom or Lucky Houdalakis is, nevermind that they achieved the nearly impossible on the weekend ?
The sport would struggle without officials. It wouldn’t EXIST without competitors. And if this is the way we support, encourage and praise our industry heroes, then shame on all of us.
