A collection of opinions and thoughts on all aspects of horse racing from around the world.
A great winning double for Winning Form’s Duncan Howells and a doughnut for the starter. These were the highs and lows of an entertaining but frustrating afternoon at Clairwood on 18 September.
The contrasting fortunes of racing! A terrible run from the favourite Depardieu was overshadowed by a terrific effort from the Justin Snaith trained Soweto Slew, who won the Listed feature at Kenilworth with ease. And once again question marks were raised against getting too excited about juvenile form…
Horseracing needs to provide punters with a win-win solution at all costs. Factors largely beyond anybody’s control and thoughtless policy conjured up an early and unhappy ending to the afternoon at Clairwood for many PA punters on 14 September.
A Pick Six carryover and some puzzling results characterised a tough day at the Vaal on 13 September. Add to this the foul-up by the starter with Game Over in the sixth and maybe it was a day best forgotten.
A great day for the Barry Steenkamp yard but another testing day for punters at Arlington on 12 September. With only one favourite winning, the
Trainer Dean Kannemeyer has produced a few aces from up his Classic sleeve in the past two months and sent out another two smart three year old winners on Saturday 10 September. Brett Crawford shared the limelight with a double of his own and he has a very smart filly on his hands in the beautifully bred Thunder Dance.
Dead-heat or dead beat? Or neither? The photo-finish of the Vaal sixth race on 8 September had punters scratching their heads. The judge probably got it right but it was another case of communication meltdown. Why show a meaningless photo on national television and then make a thirty second decision?
Youthful energy versus age and experience! Young Cape rider Grant Van Niekerk dished out a free lesson in committed race riding to a bewildered veteran
It was a memorable day for apprentice jockey Bryan Claassen at Scottsville on 4 September, as he blew the world out of the Jackpot and
With the weather playing havoc at Fairview, the jockeys soldiered on and poor light stopped play with two races to run. It is a pleasure to give credit where it is due and it was a brave and commendable display in testing conditions with even the starting stalls and rails falling victim to raging wind.
Jockey Robbie Fradd and trainer Sean Tarry are developing into a formidable combination on the East Coast and they enjoyed an impressive double at Clairwood on 30 August.
The classic has a long and proud history dating back to 1955 when it was run as the Cape of Good Hope Guineas
