World Sports Betting Cape Town Met fever is spreading like wildfire as we count the days down to the 162nd renewal of the R2 million Grade 1 spectacular at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Not since the near invincible Horse Chestnut trumped a high-quality field in 1999, have we seen the big race betting boards so dominated by one horse.
His name is See It Again, and the fairytale is set to unfold as two of our greatest jockeys of the modern era, Michael Roberts and Piere Strydom, team up with the 4yo son of Twice Over to gallop their way into the history books of the South African turf.
While See It Again certainly deserves his lofty position atop the betting boards, there is no such thing as a racing certainty, and there will be many and varied expert opinions on the 2000m showdown and the balance of a tricky and bumper eleven race card.
And none will be more valuable and insightful than veteran racecaller Rouvaun Smit and form expert Shaheen Shaw, who will team up with brand new Sporting Post-sponsored dual Grade 1 winning jockey Louis Mxothwa for a live panel discussion at the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth off-course branch at 1 Rosmead Avenue Kenilworth on Thursday 25 January at 17h30.
Louis Mxothwa has nine top rides on the afternoon, including Gr1 SA Classic winner Anfields Rocket in the big race, and he will share his thoughts and opinions.
Rouvaun Smit, known to a generation of racegoers as the ‘Golden Voice’ of the Cape, has been a popular fixture at these panel discussions over the years, and called his first Met in 2014 when Hill Fifty Four won.
Rouvaun has delivered the commentary on every Met since, bar Whisky Baron in 2017, and One World in 2020.
An accident laid the legend of the eagle’s nest low in March 2023, and while he now gets by with the aid of a wheelchair, he says that wild horses will not keep him away from meeting and greeting the old faithful and regulars on Thursday evening.
“I hope the locals come out in their numbers to enjoy the world-class Hollywoodbets hospitality, and let’s share our pearls of wisdom and opinions. This is a great raceday, and, believe me, every punter has a Met hard-luck story to tell too! So let’s make this a good luck year,” added Rouvaun.
A lifetime horseracing fan, Shaheen Shaw hits the bookmakers hard with his popular ‘A Shaw Thing’ podcast, and will be providing insights and hopefully some ‘Sunshine shrewdies’ for the big day.
Hollywoodbets will offer boosted odds on the WSB Cape Town Met from 18h30 to 19h30 on Thursday evening on site, and at Hollywoodbets outlets countrywide. The times and prices are subject to fluctuation.
Snacks and refreshments will be served, with spot prizes being given away during the course of the discussion
All racing fans can look forward to a great evening of ‘infotainment’!
For those who can’t make it on the evening, a replay will be made available on Youtube on GallopTV and Hollywoodbets at 18h00 on Friday 26 January and at 08h00 on Saturday 27 January.
