Former KZN champion trainer Garth Puller conceded that he was ‘perturbed’ when the carded mixed turf-polytrack racemeeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday was converted to 100% on the all-weather, but made a point that losses were suffered when scratchings were made due to a surface change.
Only four horses were withdrawn from the first three races switched from the turf late on Tuesday, so maybe the majority of KZN trainers are realizing that half a loaf is better than nothing at all. Kumaran Naidoo enjoyed a good day with a rare double.
Puller was speaking after the Duke Of Marmalade 4yo Imperial Power had found a winning chord under the in-form Jonsson Workwear-sponsored Rachel Venniker to win the second.
“We haven’t got a lot of younger horses in the stable and this is the time that we traditionally have our older horses finding their form,” added the accomplished horseman, who was rewarded for sticking to his guns, rather than seeing fields dwindle and the operator suffering more losses with thin fields in an already tricky climate.
He thanked Gold Circle for putting on an extra meeting recently.
Gold Circle Racing Executive Raf Sheik told the Sporting Post that Hollywoodbets Greyville had been hammered by 84mm of rain. ‘We are very pleased to have raced at all today,” he said.
Jockey Craig Zackey has been suspended for interference (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
One man who didn’t mince his disfavour with the Hollywoodbets Greyville polytrack, was Craig Zackey, who rode a confident forward race on the very expensive-to -follow, Mc Dazzler, to win the fourth.
“This track is horrendous. It’s really just sand. It gets up the horse’s nasal passages. Have a look at Fairview – horses can win from anywhere,” added Zackey in a vocal post-race interview.
To be fair, the Fairview surface was reconditioned fairly recently, and with Gold Circle in a phase of change, let’s hope that Zackey’s, and any other stakeholder’s concerns, are addressed.
Didn’t Mark Twain say it was a difference of opinion that made horse racing?
Interesting to note from the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing programme that Fairview will only race on the polytrack through November and December, in a deviation from the general turf on Fridays, and poly on other weekdays, that we have become accustomed to. That could well see less visitors in Gqeberha over the festive period.
The Turffontein racemeeting starts at 12h15 on Thursday.
