Joey Ramsden
I was extremely pleased to see Mrs Forbes response in the Sporting Post, giving me some stick. If one dishes it out, one must be expected to get it back, along with that other theory of relativity – for every action there is a reaction. Anyway, good on her and she won’t be hearing any more from me on the subject.
I suppose on the subject of jockeys, we have had a bit of a tumultuous week and I am expecting a big change around in pilots and stable policy. I am very excited about some of the changes we are going to make and the individuals who will be involved. Sometimes people get complacent and while I seem to be using a fair number of clichés today, a change is as good as a holiday. Anyway, exciting times ahead and I am very much looking forward to them.
We had Sherman Brown down this weekend to ride for us. Now Sherman is someone I am a massive fan of and I sadly (and rudely) describe him as a poor man’s Anton Marcus. He rides very much like Anton. When I say “poor man” I mean that he does not get the same quality of rides that Anton gets. I don’t really know Sherman particularly well except that he is very pleasant and it is an absolute pleasure to deal with him. I love the way he rides horses, that no matter how bad the horse is he gives it a chance and he pushes all the way to the line, something many of our jockeys are guilty of not doing. Sherman is a complete pro in every aspect and it is always exciting when he rides for us. I feel he is one of the best riders in the country and without doubt the most underrated. I only wish he lived closer to the southernmost tip of Africa.
I am busy packing up in Durban for the start of my long trek back to Cape Town. I am looking forward to the new season. We have many unraced horses and I think it will be an exciting year. Justin Snaith has obviously been the most lauded – probably by himself – trainer of the year. He has had an awful lot of winners and good luck to him. By his own admission the big races have not come his way and I am sure he will be hoping this will change for next year. Either way, this is a fantastic achievement. Well done to him.
The tussle between Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry is going to be a very, very close one. While I am sure it means a lot to Mike, I know it will mean a lot more to Sean and his friend and partner, Chris van Niekerk.
Pierre Strydom won the jockey’s title a long time ago and it was great to see him out and about riding winners in every centre. It was only a great shame to see him not carrying this on when he was so far clear. I have been lucky enough to know the blond bomber for a very long time. I can honestly say I have never seen Pierre look so well in his face. He looks like a 20 yr old and is fit and healthy. I know both the women in his life have looked after him extremely well but maybe just chasing around and making himself more competitive again turned the clock back a few years for him. I only wished that clock kept on ticking throughout the year every year as one misses seeing a huge talent like him on the racecourse.
I tried a couple of times to get hold of ‘bio rhythm’ Anton Marcus but he is not answering my calls. Maybe he is taking a few days (not sure if it is well earned) break. I am not quite sure how his thumb is but I hope it is back to where he wants it to be and is healing as he wishes.
Some people say no news is good news; I am not so sure that is the case with Anton. He has been out for a long time and I know he wanted to ride certain horses and for an injury like that to not heal properly would frustrate the living daylights out of him. I can only feel for his poor wife as he must be a complete pain in the butt to be around. Anyway, I will keep trying to contact him and will keep you updated as to the progress of his dodgy thumb.
The rain has been continuing in Cape Town and I know poor Dean Diedericks has been working his butt off on the tracks. With the amount of water we have had on these tracks recently, I have to say Dean is really a marvel at keeping racing going. He cannot be paid enough. He is out there in all weathers and Kenilworth is a different place to be these days. Fantastic! Well done, Dean.
