Touching base this weekend with multiple Gr1-winning trainer Charles Laird after Good Council had won the Listed Aquanaut Handicap at Turffontein on Saturday and Gimme Gorgeous had cracked his maiden at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday, it was fascinating to hear about one of those small coincidences that make horseracing
A smart bit of initiative to skip the Derby Trial and take the older horses on over 2400m in the Listed Aquanaut Handicap at Turffontein on Saturday has set Vaal trainer Ashley Fortune up for a serious SA Derby bid
She has clearly blossomed as a 5yo under the Sean Tarry flag, having won three Gr2 contests in just four starts for the former multiple SA Champion conditioner
Ridgemont Highlands’ Redoute’s Choice stallion Rafeef continued his dream season on Saturday at Turffontein when his daughter Ipso Facto stayed on strongly to signal her SA Oaks aspirations
Birthday Boy Weiho Marwing’s Son Of Raj put his 2023 SA Derby hand up when slamming his field to win the R175 000 Listed Derby Trial
The high-riding Winning Form sponsored Richard Fourie and trainer Stuart Pettigrew got the Turffontein feature action off to a flying start
Leading South African racecaller Alistair Cohen has cut short his Emirates Racing Authority contract ahead of the Dubai World Cup and is back on African soil
Three riders were injured and a communications breakdown between the Stipes and the Starter saw a race started without the public getting a chance to restructure their bets
The reality of racing for the horse is this: through handicap raises, penalties and restrictions, the system is geared to prevent all but the greatest horses from cherry-picking prizes
Although, by his own lofty standards Silvano has yet to dominate he has become a regular top ten damsire since 2017, finishing as high as fifth place in the past two seasons
Now ridden by Julius Mariba, War Empress followed up her promising debut effort with an encouraging run over today’s distance at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth
Former SA Champion jockey Andrew Fortune’s six month quest to be relicenced to ride again reaches something of a watershed
