Grant Knowles, pictured leading in debut winner Elusive Winter last week, has won a daily prize, a weekly prize, a most-winners-in-a-week prize and is in line for the overall prize in the Hollywoodbets Racing Stars Challenge (Picture: Chase Liebenberg).
Experience is a vital aspect of racing nous and this was borne out last week in the Hollywoodbets Racing Stars Challenge when the “oldies” dominated the daily competition.
The consistent Grant Knowles is out to lay a claim for the “Mr. Racing” title as he emerged the winner of the more lucrative weekly prize and he also scooped the prize for tipping the most winners during the week.
Grant was also lying in second place on the overall table behind experienced presenter Neil Pretorius with commentator Rouvaun Smit in third, Graeme Hawkins in fourth and veteran sports writer Gary Lemke in fifth.
On day two last week on Tuesday, the ever-improving presenter-commentator Brandon Bailey won the daily prize.
However, veterans were to the fore for the rest of the week.
Clyde Basel kicked off by winning the daily prize last Monday.
The Wednesday prize went to racing anchor Neil Andrews.
On Thursday it was won by the African Betting Clan’s owner Dave Scott.
On Friday it was won by Graeme Hawkins
On Saturday it was commentator Nico Kritsiotis’ turn.
On Sunday the popular presenter and jockey agent Deez Dayanand was the winner.
Grant Knowles was announced as the weekly winner on Sunday. Rouvaun Smit tipped the winner of the last race of the week to make a late charge, but Grant hung on by a nerve-wracking six-and-a-half points.
The camaraderie between the industry people taking part has been the highlight of the competition and it has really brought these workers together, so this competition has been an excellent innovation by Hollywoodbets.
Grant thanked everybody on the whatsapp forum which is attached to the competition by saying, “Thanks Team. This has certainly been a mind- boggling journey. Love the camaraderie on this group. Looking forward to starting again. Thanks Devin and your Hollywood team!”
This week the veterans got off to a flyer again, with Paul Lafferty making it a quick double for KZN presenters on Monday before veteran sports writer and former tipster and Pocket Power biographer Gary Lemke winning a daily prize for the third time!
Lafferty is the only trainer involved in the competition and is leading this week’s weekly competition narrowly from Lemke with that man Knowles in third place.
