We have enough stodgy, starched fakes in action. Bring on the real people like Andrew Fortune and the public ratings can only go in the right direction. What a breath of fresh air on an Easter Monday to listen to a man who is not scared to say it as he sees it.
Andrew Fortune
The impact of the televised component of the racing product should never be underestimated and it is ultimately the small things that can make a world of difference to our entertainment value and general perceptions. Not that Mr Fortune is a small thing anymore. In his own words, ‘I have no intention of missing a meal today or in the near future’ and he looks like he has been very true to that undertaking.
Most of us over the age of 40 grew up on a fairly normal diet of how the world works and were exposed at an early stage to the reality that there is inevitably a good guy and a bad guy. In those early, not necessarily politically correct movies, the Cowboys always got the indian, the Yanks always nailed the Germans and Zoro and Kid Colt never died. Without the bad guy it would have been, quite frankly, boring.
And in sport, it is the bad okes that take the edge off the humdrum. Brilliance and talent alone are not enough to grab our wholesale attention and it is often the guys that we love to hate and who grip our morbid fascination that are the real stars.
There are those that will argue that the bad boy is a dying breed, as we are oh so politically correct these days and obsessed with bluffing the world and pretending we are somebody else.
Sponsors still look for squeaky clean ahead of human fragility, so give them what they want and bank the bucks. Simple. And the stars are all perfect until a Joost Van Der Westhuizen or Tiger Woods home movie falls through the cracks, pardon the pun, and goes viral. Then we find out what we already knew. That all these guys are just human after all. Round the clock media coverage and advanced technology also means that we seldom miss anything anymore , which no doubt deters many of the wannabees.
An example is tennis. I prefer the biscuits to the sport nowadays. With big servers dominating the game, the last time I watched a decent game was probably twenty-five years ago. John McEnroe had us enthralled then with a talent for shots and volleys and a serious rebellious streak that made us love or hate him and hardly endeared him to officialdom. But we never missed a game or post-match interview. The spoilt brat with the Alice Band screamed, shouted and ranted during titanic struggles with the likes of the introverted Ivan Lendl, the womanising pig-tailed Bjorn Borg and that whimp Jimmy Connors. It was McEnroe that kept us on the edge of our seats and we didn’t miss a heartbeat.
I am quite sure Andrew Fortune has told many a Stipe that “ You cannot be serious! ” after being called into the boardroom and that little retort was being used by the crazy McEnroe thirty years ago to rile umpires and test the breaking point of match referees.The seven-time Grand Slam single titles winner, including three Wimbledon titles, was despite it all inducted into Tennis’ Hall of Fame in 1999. That in a game that once only allowed virginal white outfits and forced ladies to wear frilly Gussie Moran bloomers.
In fact it was McEnroe who is credited with saying that ‘We should reach out to people to try to go after the fans the way other sports do. Because we can’t just depend on the fact that it is a great game.’ And a great game like horseracing can learn from that and throw the ‘bore factor’ straight out of the window, starting today.
Phumelela Betting Executive Clyde Basel admitted that he had only picked up the phone on Sunday evening to book Fortune’s services for Monday. But no matter the lack of formal planning and forethought, it was a rare moment of marketing innovation that worked a treat for those of us who could hear what the legend had to say with his educated assessments.
What the racing authorities need to acknowledge and come to terms with is that the average racing fan, whether they like it or not, actually identifies with Fortune. We don’t want to hear a presenter who is intent on maintaining his popularity levels, saying all the cute right things or promoting breeders or trainers. Like Gavin Venter in Port Elizabeth, who may just lack the Fortune charisma but not the knowledge, we want to hear what an educated eye genuinely thinks about a horse without them worrying about upsetting a trainer.
Drug-free now for five years, Fortune was our SA Champion Jockey in the 2008/9 season and has been awarded his national colours. He is a mythical character who hails from the Cape Flats, has exceeded his nine lives three times over in his life and career, and has done everything apparently from Tik to Cat to Coke. He makes Tiger and Joost look like angels, but has more talent and brilliance to offer horseracing than both of them and any racing administrator combined. And unlike most people in this industry, he wears his heart on his sleeve and shoots from the hip. He has no fear in ribbing the likes of local legends like Joey Ramsden and Karl Neisius(how was the jibe about running fourth?!) and playfully digs at good-looking guys like Justin Snaith.
Well done Clyde. Please give Andrew a permanent post and his own show.
Fattis and Monis are standing by to sponsor him too.
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Var Reaches For The Stars!
It was a memorable weekend of racing for Avontuur stallion Var who sired a Gr3 double feature at Clairwood on Sunday and then the impressive first race winner on Monday, Contador.
Jockey Anton Marcus was all smiles and breathless after piloting Valdivia to win the Strelitzia Stakes. Pippa Mickleburgh General Manager of Avontuur, was naturally over the moon: “ I think Valdivia is in the same exciting mould as our star Val De Ra – and could be something really special in the making. She has that same amazing laid back attitude as her paternal sister and is so professional at such a young age. I am sure she will go for the Allan Robertson, which is the standard stepping stone for a talented 2yo and although her clash with Franny will be an awesome drawcard, I am wary of the Scottsville track. It has been the downfall of many a good horse.”
Pippa said that Godolphin Barb winner Twitter on the other hand looks like he will get better with racing and experience and he should go a little further. As always there is an interesting story attached to the Avontuur breds, and their Captain’s Lullaby also ran a cracker when running on for second to the brilliant Hammie’s Hooker in the Listed Perfect Promise Fillies Sprint at Kenilworth.
And it just goes to show the cocktail of science, good fortune, gut feel and fate, that puts the seal on breeding champions!
Pippa recounts : “ A few years ago, my late boss Tony Taberer went to watch his youngest son on a rugby tour in the Argentine. While there he went ‘horse shopping’ and fell in love with a mare and her foal. The mare was Murmuration(by Miswaki) who in turn is the dam of the Listed placed Captain’s Lullaby. But the owner would not sell her as she was so attached to another mare called Avian Talk. That is Twitter’s dam! She was already middle aged but was a good mare already having produced a Gr2 winner called Some Talk. She also had a rather severe neck injury and was attached to Murmuration.”
Pippa contined by explaining that Tony Taberer would not give up and over a glass of good red wine, the deal was clinched and he ended up buying both mares and the foal at foot. She says that the two mares are still inseparable and are quite a strange duo – the big strong Murmuration taking care of the ‘lop-sided’ and submissive Avian Talk.
It doesn’t end here. Valdivia’s dam River Divine (by Irish River) also has a story behind her. Pippa says that she bought her at the Tattersall’s December Mare Sales a few years back: “ I just loved her at first sight. She was a big, roomy and tough specimen. After the Sale the problem started. I found out to my horror, when trying to export her, that she was two days over the 9 month mandatory no fly time. I had counted the days wrong, so it looked like she was going to be stranded in the UK!”
Pippa approached Professor Alan Guthrie who told her to write a letter to the Air Traffic Authority, who look after air safety. They agreed to let her travel if she would sign a letter authorising that River Divine could be euthenased if she caused any problems on the flight as a result of her pregnancy. “She was well behaved and arrived safely. The rest is history now!” said an elated Pippa.
