The Flamingo Park racetrack was slated as a ‘disgrace’ and nothing more than a training track by a vastly experienced trainer in a post-race interview on Monday 11 July. One can only wonder why the authorities allow the track to deteriorate to a point where the trainer of a winning horse is forced to vent his frustration in this fashion. Customers are seemingly regarded as a disposal commodity.But what’s new?
Selling horseracing as the ‘brain game’ or ‘the intelligent bet’ is patently misleading Joe Public and it has proven itself once again as mostly a guessing game with a regular downer for the punting public who keep the wheels oiled and turning. It will be very interesting to see whether the serious criticism and allegations on live television gird the Phumelela loins into some form of action, similar to that sparked by the recent attack on horseracing by the SPCA.
The thrill and euphoria of the sweet moment of victory in the post-race interview is probably not the best place to let off steam but trainer Vernon Rugg(in the pic above), who had just delivered a killer knock-out blow in the jackpot when saddling the 100-1 shot Irish Cowboy to win the sixth race, was livid. He called the ridiculously heavy going of the Kimberley track a ‘disgrace’ and said it was not a racetrack , but rather ‘a training track’. He said it was bad for racing and did not make for fair and true competition. Well that certainly explains how Irish Cowboy managed to turn punter’s worlds upside down and his own diabolical formline on its head when sweeping through late to beat the filly, I’Lollipop. It was a 102nd winner for promising apprentice JP van der Merwe and Rugg also saddled the 28-10 favourite Smart Quest in the race. Probably needing it slightly, Smart Quest had nothing to come late and fell away to finish a disappointing eighth. Well done to Vernon for opening his mouth. It is a given that he is unlikely to be training any horses for the big boys in the future!
Petrus' Boss. Markus Jooste owns the Rakeen gelding.
The performance of the afternoon was undoubtedly that of the very talented Rakeen six year old Petrus, who is trained by Shaun Miller and runs in the familiar Markus Jooste silks. Extremely lightly raced for a chap of his age, he has now won six of seven races and won the MR 72 Handicap over 1800m with embarrassing ease, in spite of a rest and being declared as only 80% fit by his trainer before the race. The betting public didn’t want to know and backed him into 4-10 before the off. A R1,2 million purchase as youngster, he is beset with soundness issues but he sure can gallop.
An interesting question arises when one looks at Petrus’ merit rating of 71. An expert on the subject, who will remain unnamed for the purposes of this discussion, was asked to comment on what seems a ludicrously low and out of line rating. He suggests the rot started when Petrus won first time and was rated 60 per the rules. He then won at the Vaal carrying 49kg. Then he was beaten by 6,25 lengths by Boylan Blaze at the Vaal and was dropped immediately. He then won at Kimberley and went straight back to 63, which is comparable to getting 10kg in a maiden in a major centre. The expert suggest that the rules, a little psychology and the moderate opposition means that we could all keep a nice horse till he is five years old and then send him to the right stable at Kimberley.
Gauteng trainer Louis Goosen enjoyed a successful raid with a great double in the seventh and eighth races. Jack Rock led from start to finish to win under Neo Quale and then the gamble was landed as the three year old filly Candy Cotton came home under a rejuvenated Gunther Wrogemann to hold the Clinton Bindat-trained Opening Night who just failed despite the urgings of Niresh Juglall.
Kimberley doesn’t rock without the ‘Bump’ and we are sorely missing the unique character and accuracy of Flamingo Park’s regular race –caller Bumpie Schoeman. Young commentator Alastair Cohen, while an undeniable talent, had a shaky afternoon in the hot seat. The Lensley gelding Fast Fantasy was transferred straight in at the 600m marker of the final race, an MR 74 Handicap for fillies and mares. Fifty meters from the line, the gelding became the three year old filly called Greek Goddess, who happens to have the same owner and trainer as Fast Fantasy, but she was still no match for the winner, Celestial Flag. We do not want to criticise what is a difficult job, but a solid brush-up of the day’s card and some homework is required. Even the top guys do the homework and studying. And when old men like Jehan Malherbe and eagle-eye Craig Peters are right on the mark and have no memory problems, then we would urge the youthful Mr Cohen not to rest too much on his laurels at this early point in his promising career.
