A look back in time at horse racing in South Africa. We provide a historical account of events that shaped the industry in South Africa. Useful, informative and unique content not previously available on the internet.
Doug Whyte rides five winners on the card at Scottsville, including four legs of the Pick Six; Clairwood Turf Club announces reductions in stakes for over half of its feature races for 1993. Michael Roberts becomes only the fifth rider in British history to ride 200 winners in a season. “See how they run”, a new TV magazine on racing sees the light of day.
At Turffontein, bookmakers get an unexpected bonus when the on-course Tote breaks down; described as a “top-level meeting between controllers and administrators of racing”, the Jockey Club and ARCSA co-host a gathering of JC Head Executive members and chairmen and senior racing executives of all raceclubs in South Africa; the Durban Turf Club at Greyville opens the full extent of its Member’s facilities to owners and trainers; ARCSA chairman Ken Palmer expects a contract to be signed “within 3 weeks” with the British company SIS to beam SA racing into UK betting shops every Saturday of the year; ….
South African champion Jeff Lloyd wins his very first start in England, “Tip-Of-the-Month” award goes to the M-Net team of Ramsay and Harrison, the Natal Mercury holds an emotional plea for the establishment of a national stud, in the Cape the TAB launches the “Mystery Bet”, ….
Ante-post disaster strikes when July favourite Empress Club is found to have a virus and is scratched from the big race… Controversy erupts when the owners of Transvaal juvenile Lombard Rate instigate Supreme Court action…Jockey Michael Roberts has a brush with death… New entrance qualifications are released for the Cape Guineas…. Roland’s Song comes under the hammer…The final issue of Racing Digest is published… and Jeff Lloyd is the champion jockey, with a new record number of wins: 313.
Empress Club tastes defeat for only the second time in her career, Basil Marcus wins the Hong Kong jockey championship, Stanley Greeff reaches a new milestone when he saddles his 2000th winner, Transvaal TAB announces new rules and host of exciting bets (including the All-Up), Michael Roberts, 38 last month, rides a 406/1 hattrick at Ascot and is installed by bookmakers as the 8/11 favourite to win the English jockey title with half of the season still to go.
Empress Club is allocated 55.5 kilos in the Rothmans July, the highest weight for a three-year-old in recent memory. Michael Roberts rides his 3000th career winner at York in the UK.
The Transvaal TAB releases its 20th Annual Report – turnover for 1991 was a record R911 million. The Cape Turf Club at Milnerton launches a R20.000 incentive for trainers, based number of runners entered, and the performance of those runners. And more…
Cape Provincial authorities start an investigation into legalised sport betting as an additional source of income. South Africa’s Law Society expresses disapproval and the expression “They’re Off” takes on a whole new meaning when The Ringer sheds all – well, almost all. In Natal pre-race “dope”-testing is introduced. South African buyers arrive in force at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale and spend some R5 million on almost 50 yearlings.
Customer service takes on a whole new meaning when the Cape TBA introduces race commentaries on 087 numbers; Topsport introduces a new team of commentators; jockey Mawing and trainer Ferraris part company; Cape owner Adams takes the Jockey Club and Cape Turf Club to task; Empress Club scores her third Gr1 win in the space of seven weeks; and more…
The Administrators Cup, to be run in alternate years at Turffontein and Gosforth Park, becomes the richest in the country with its stake of R1.25 million. Michael Roberts is named Natal Sports Star of the Year for the second time in his career. Daytona Stud imports the stallion Sportsworld. The Jockey Club arranges informal seminars at Turffontein, Arlington and Milnerton to enlighten trainers on the intricacies of industrial relations and employment law.
Course records are there to be broken, but at Milnerton things are getting more and more curious; on J&B Met day, former Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith is on hand to lead in Ken McKenzie’s winner Karsavina; the finish of the J&B Met becomes a Ladies Final; and the Jockey Club offers a R50.000 reward for anyone providing information that leads…
The course manager at Newmarket is warned off, TBA General Manager John Kramer and Kimberley breeder Basil Benjamin return home after vetting all of the entries for the 1992 yearling sales, M-Net starts it new Parade Ring feature programme, E-Cape Jockey Club chairman Morum proposes to sell Arlington racecourse, and Lester Piggott comes to Greyville for an AllStar jockey challenge….
SA Champion trainer and big race title-holder Justin Snaith has nine entries in the early stages of the R5 million World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Town Met class of 2025 that was unveiled earlier today
