The Emerald Cup is shaping up into an intriguing showdown. The interest and debate around Africa’s richest race on sand proves again that there is nothing quite like needle and a good horse or two to add a touch of fire and an injection of life into proceedings. The monotony and humdrum nature of our daily racing menu has been shattered by the prospects of a brilliant filly called Cinnamon Sugar. She carries the hopes and dreams of a faction of horseracing fanatics of varying backgrounds, who are united in their love of the game and a yearning for a return to the halcyon days.
Not to say Mike De Kock or Sean Tarry can’t win it. But it is a race that has taken on interesting proportions with lots of speculation and track and bar-side talk. Will the renegades have their day in the sun? I’ll be glued to my television set on Saturday afternoon and it won’t be boring – whatever happens. It reminds me of a conversation a few years ago with the twenty-four hour man. That is probably an appropriate tag for the shortest serving Chairman in Gold Circle’s chequered and colourful recent history. But it hardly describes the dynamic and innovative Hassen Adams, a passionate racehorse owner who ridiculously was denied the opportunity of realizing his true potential to make a meaningful contribution to the game through leadership and lateral thinking. Here was a man who undeniably had the backbone to iinitiate real change. A few years back Adams made a few interesting observations about the age-old debate of how to capture punters’ imagination and get them back to the racecourse. He suggested that, particularly the grassroots supporters of any sport, needed a hero, team or cause with which they could identify and which brought out feelings of loyalty, raw passion and excitement. At the time he chatted about the seemingly far–fetched idea of a league system where owners silks were replaced by those of the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. As far as I know, nothing came of what I thought was a workable concept, but Saturday’s big race proves it. There are opposing sides beyond the punting money. And these allegiances make for great entertainment, undeniable interest and a fascinating race.
VERY SWEET
Cinnamon Sugar is the rose amongst the thorns. The lovely five-time winning R260 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, a daughter of Fort Wood, has become the adopted poster girl for the voiceless and much maligned posters of the Scotfree Racing Website. Owned by the Greek Tycoon, Jess Kyriacou, Scotfree webmaster Steve Reid and the vociferous legal eagle, Advocatte Brett Maselle, she carries the hopes of many punters in her quest to upset the big guns in this prestigious race. The aftermath of her last win in the listed Sandy Beach Stakes on 28 August, is now well documented and sadly resulted in the post-race interview being censored by Tellytrack. On-track presenter Neil Pretorius is alleged to have told her excited owners that the post-race interview was not the forum to air opinion. It seems, however, that Tellytrack do not apply their Big Brother judgements and rulings with too much consistency as they often allow those who have influence, or those connected with the decision makers , to have their free say when the moment suits. I suppose I can’t really blame Pretorius – like everybody else employed in the industry he knows where his bread is buttered, and he might even get a little jam if things go really well. I wonder if Tellytrack have a contingency plan in the event of their absolute worst nightmare? Yes, a live Brett Masselle post-race interview would go down the organiser’s throats like a dirty brick, so I imagine that that international feed is going to come in very handy for the producer.
PRETTY PETTY
I hear that only one of Cinnamon Sugar’s three partners received an invitation to be hosted as an owner on the day. While we respect that right of admission is reserved, is racing not bigger than this childish pettiness? Both Messrs Reid and Masselle have shown their disagreement with the course that the RA has chosen in engaging with Phumelela and have resigned as members. But that is surely their prerogative and in these tough times every owner should be treated like gold and why not be bigger than silly agendas or differing viewpoints and invite them as connections of a fancied horse in the biggest race of the three day festival? The wheel turns in this game – ask me! And have any other owners been cold shouldered and what about the KZN-based owners?
MARKETING
Hats off to whoever at Phumelela has been responsible for promoting the Emerald Cup. The simple but clever initiative of using minor race names, as an example, to promote hospitality packages and other aspects, as is well established in the United Kingdom, is quite effective and is in-the –face and cost effective advertising . I don’t know how many non-racing people will have been lured as what I saw was all on DSTV 232, and one wonders how many people will travel to Vereeniging just to see Prime Circle. The live draw was also quite entertaining – even if it took Shaheen Shaw to step in and save the two pretty dolls from dislocating their shoulders and to pull the ridiculously sticky covers off the draw board. Nico Kritsiotis was also very relaxed and is a polished MC on his day. And we have seen far more adverts, promos and general references to this one race – even the Sansui Summer Cup at end November is already being shouted about – than we could ever hope to see for the Cape’s entire Sizzling Summer Season or worse, the KZN Racing and Breeding Awards, which was allegedly held on Friday evening. I say allegedly as there was no pre-publicity and nobody I spoke to knew about it. We know there is a serious communication problem, but when the two top presenters in Gold Circle territory, James Goodman and Paul Lafferty, don’t even know when the annual acknowledgement of their top achievers is happening, then something is wrong. Said on Tellytrack’s Winning Ways (which is based at Gold Circle Head Office at Greyville) last week: JG: “ Paul isn’t the Awards on Friday evening?”. PL : “ I don’t know James.” But we are lead to believe that Tellytrack is shared by Phumelela and Gold Circle and both operators receive equal treatment. I’d rather then believe that the Pope will attend the J&B Met.
ADDING VALUE?
While we can wax lyrical and get excited about the Emerald Festival, there are a few housekeeping issues that need urgent attention. It is no good taking two steps forward this weekend and then three steps backwards when the dust settles on the bread and butter fare next week. The latest Racing Web newletter is entitled , ‘ Do We Really Need The NHA?” and to quote from an unnamed source in Charl Pretorius’ writings: “The trainers feel that the NHA’s rules are archaic, biased and applied inconsistently and that they are a hindrance to racing’s progress.” So while the racing and casino gods may have done a fine job marketing the Emerald Cup, the sport needs to buckle up and get rid of the many controllable rough diamonds in its make-up. Take the debacle at the start of the sixth race at Clairwood on Sunday. The punters and connections of the odds-on favourite Ivory Trail can feel justifiably aggrieved that they did their money in cold blood – the horse lost fifteen lengths and was never sighted thereafter. Joey Ramsden’s son of Badger’s Drift runs off a merit rating of 110 and he can’t be the easiest horse to programme. And father and daughter partnership Nancy and Jack Mitchell have paid their keep and last saw their horse run at end August. When will there be a race for him again? The worst thing for me is that fthe fault looked to be that of the starter or his assistants. The gelding is seen advancing forward into the stalls as the handler is waving his arms vigorously in the air. The horse is not wearing blinkers and as the gates spring option there is little alternative but for him to shy. It is a small field – why did the starter not call a false start? We are talking here about a lot of exotic hopes and dreams being dashed. I would not have liked to have been in earshot of the straight shooting Joey Ramsden as he sat at home in Big Bay watching the circus over and over on his pvr. A disgrace, is the only way I can describe it and certainly not the way to win punters or owners’ loyalty.
Another question I would like answered by the National Horseracing Authority concerns a horse called Wizardry, who ran, if one can call that it that, in the fifth race at Flamingo Park on Monday. This seven year old son of Super Magic had previously run 55 times for six wins and 15 places. In his last four starts, two at the Vaal and two at Kimberley, he has finished a dismal total of over 113 lengths off the winner. He was lame at two of those four runs. And he has had four runs in 23 days! If not the National Horseracing Authority, then whose function is it to put an end to this patent cruelty and what to my mind amounts to abuse and bringing racing into disrepute? How on earth can the authorities justify allowing this poor horse to run? Besides the cruelty aspect, it is not good for punters or for the image of the sport. On Monday , he was tailed off after 400m of the race. The system has failed the horse and the sport – I just wish the so called protectors of the integrity of the sport of horseracing would get off their butts and do what they are subsidized by the operators, and indirectly the racing public, to do. If anybody anywhere is in a position to defend the case of Wizardy in the Sporting Post mailbag next week, then I would welcome a different opinion. To my mind, the trainer and the NHA should be answerable to the SPCA in this case.
BIG FOUR
Back to the glamour and less sensitive issues of this weekend. The Scotfreeracingwebsite.com is running an Emerald Cup Top-Four competition to celebrate the site’s first anniversary. Just predict the winning quartet in the Emerald Cup. To prevent dead-heat scenarios, every entry must indicate a winning time. Entries will be open to all registered users on the site. The prize is a weekend away for two to attend the 2010 J&B Met and includes return airfare, two nights accommodation at a 4 star hotel on a bed and breakfast basis, rental vehicle and VIP Marquee entrance. For those of you lucky enough to be invited to the Vaal, drive safely and enjoy it and let’s hope it is an incident free day. And may the best horse win. Sweet my mate.
