Ken Nicol (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Following the loss of Tarquin Norval and Steve Naude to the Western Cape ranks, the latest NHA official to vacate his post is Cape Town handicapper, Ken Nicol who handed in his badge on Friday, 31 March 2017.
About Ken
A Scottish native, Ken immigrated to South Africa at the age of 10. He grew up in Cape Town, completing his schooling at Sea Point Boys High before obtaining a degree in Psychology from UCT and a post grad in Information Science and starting his professional career in IT.
Ken was a keen bass and guitar player and played in several bands in his teens , including Riot Squad, which released a record titled ‘Total Onslaught’. He also played semi-pro soccer and it was after he hurt his knee and retired that Ken first developed an interest in racing. “My brother in law used to go racing and as I was looking for something new to do on weekends, I went along. The first time I placed a bet, it came in at 10-1 and that seems to be the story for most people who are in racing today.”
Racing experience
He was befriended by the Roebuck family and progressed to being a jockey agent for Nicky Roebuck, and later Marthinus Mienie. He also owned shares in a couple of horses (Classic Ruler and Sweet Alma), which helped cement his interest in racing.
After realizing that he was not happy in the IT industry, Ken answered an advert for a handicapper in the Sporting Post and joined the team in 2005. From handicapping, Ken progressed to writing editorials including race previews and reviews. In 2010, Vee Moodley offered him a handicapping post at the NHA, a function Ken carried out until Friday, 31 March 2017.
Who is left
With the departure of Tarquin Norval and Steve Naude, this leaves the Western Cape with a Stipendiary team comprising Ernie Rodrigues, Cecil Van As and Nick Shearer and sans a handicapper or Investigating Officer.
Nationally, our handicapping team now comprises Roger Smith in Johannesburg and Matthew Lips in Durban. Durban-based Lennon Maharaj will in future be splitting his time between handicapping and Stipendiary Steward duties.
Looking ahead
Ken, a divorced father of two, said that his stint as NHA Handicapper had been educational and challenging and that he had learnt a lot during his tenure. He will be making use of his new freedom to take a short break and says the move may well prove to be a blessing in disguise and allow him to follow more creative pursuits such as writing or possibly offering his services as a racing manager. He can be contacted on [email protected] if there is anyone out there who wishes to utilise his extensive racing knowledge.
