It has been a busy few days down here in the Western Cape with four seasons in seven days. We really have had it all. We have had the most glorious weather with the temperature climbing into the high twenties and then going back down to the low teens, all this mixed in with gale force winds and driving rain. By all accounts we are not done yet, with serious rain forecast for later in the week.
Surprisingly, our horses’ coats, with a few exceptions, have all survived the cold weather and are looking well. We like to leave the top doors open at night (each horse has a double blanket in the cold months) so we do sometimes end up with really woolly coats.
We have done nothing different this year so it is quite difficult to fathom why the horses coats look so good but long may it continue.
We had a couple of winners on the weekend and it puts a smile on everyone’s face. One knows ones horses are in good form when one wins with the lesser ones. Let’s hope this continues for a good while.
It has been a busy couple of weeks of awards dinners and stallion days.
We had the Western Cape Racing and Breeding Awards and Equus Awards. I was surprised not to see Mick Goss and his team at the Breeder’s Awards as they have been in the past. I can only assume Mick is away doing some extremely important business elsewhere as I am sure he is not one to shun such an event for political reasons.
It would be remiss of me not to congratulate Klawervlei on winning the Breeder’s Championship. They are only one of a handful who have ever completed it and it just goes to show how tough it is out there.
It was also lovely to see Variety Club win a few special awards. Everyone here at home really misses his big chestnut nut. We miss feeding him carrots while at the same time trying to keep all our fingers – not an easy thing to do as he was extremely nippy and quick. However, the search to replace him goes on and that is what keeps us all going.
We have also had a couple of magnificent stallion days.
The first was at Drakenstein where we got to see their regular band, including their superstar, Trippi. We were also shown their new import, the brilliant Duke of Marmalade which was, like Twice Over which stands at Klawervlei, a champion racehorse in Europe.
It is fantastic what breeders are now investing in as, 25 years ago, we could only dream about horses like this. It is for real now and our breed and performance on the track can only improve.
To follow Drakenstein’s stunning day, the weather played ball for Klawervlei’s stallion day out in Bonnievale. We were treated to a superb lunch and entertainment, along with the stallions glistening in the sunshine. They all looked great.
These days are always loads of fun and a good time to catch up with people one has not seen for a while. However, there are also sometimes a few too familiar faces and it is amazing what some will do for a free lunch!
Klawervlei had an innovative idea for charity: the great Gary Player supervised a chipping contest where all wannabe golfers had a chance to chip into a circle for a service, at a cost of a grand, to the great Pomodoro.
Gary Player – an incredible man
A few got close and it was won by James Armitage in a close chip-off against Mark Bass.
Sadly my efforts were not to be lauded and is probably the reason I have not picked up a golf club in two and a half years. It could well be another two and a half years after this pathetic showing.
Gary Player is a wonderful man with a fantastic sense of humour and such an enthusiasm for life. It is amazing to see him teeing up each golf ball for each player to take his shot. He made sure they each had the nicest piece of turf. How many superstars can you see bending down and doing such a menial task?
Quite incredible.
He is a remarkable man and it is these little things which have made him the superstar that he is. Sadly, no matter how he teed the ball for me, it did not help. I thought the best swing of the day was Gary’s wife Vivienne, who, despite advancing in age (I am sure she won’t mind my saying this) had the most glorious swing and put in a few really plucky efforts. It is easy to see who has been coaching her.
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