A legend celebrates his 58th birthday on the eve of yet another bid to win the Met. The ice-cool Karl Neisius says he has no immediate retirement plans – scoffing at danger and suggesting that one could fall off a horse just as easy as falling down stairs
Just 23 horses accept at the second last entry stage for the J&B Met. Raymond Koedyk is believed to be the first South African to be taxed on Pick Six winnings. Windy conditions make for an upset in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship. The untimely death of champion sire Foveros comes as a severe blow to the beleaguered South African breeding industry. No less than seven of the runners in the Gr1 Arc-en-Ciel Paddock Stakes are by Elliodor or his son Model Man. The Gr1 J&B Met is won in fairytale fashion by 20/1 shot Pas de Quoi, a seven-year-old who comes in from the cold after standing a season at stud in ’92.
August 1 – 7 All horses turn a year older. Transvaal TAB posts a record turnover of R95.3 million for the month of July. Turnover
A look back at horse racing history from South Africa and abroad, going back 20 years ago to June 1993
The number of entries compares favourably in quantum with recent years, with 58 first entries received in 2024, 60 in 2023, 68 in 2022, 53 in 2021, 52 in 2020, 49 in 2019, and 69 in 2018
Ironically, it was a colt which provided Alan with a first Gr1 success, this being Alec and Gillian Foster’s homebred Cereus, who landed the 2001 Gold Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville, his victory completing a momentous double on the day, with the Gr2 Golden Slipper having gone the way of juvenile filly Tatler, a great-great-great grandaughter of Sun Lass!
JP van der Merwe is not the only guilty party in the matter. In simple terms, he is the only rider to have exercised the NHA’s offer of an Acknowledgement Of Guilt and moved on with his life
Andrew Fortune made it three winners on the Family Day public holiday as Tenango breezed home to win the Gr3 feature
