Rouvaun Smit received a timely boost to his spirits when named winner of the Equus Media Award for broadcasting (Equus Awards).
Rouvaun Smit’s Spirits Boosted By Equus Award
Popular Cape Town-based commentator Rouvaun Smit has been going through a long recuperation process after fracturing his spine in a serious fall at home and his spirits were given a timely lift when he was named the winner of the Equus Media Award for Broadcasting.
His winning submission was his coverage of the L’Ormarins King’s Plate Race Day from a presenting and commentating perspective.
He said, “It came as a complete surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise. I was watching the awards by live stream and it was such a pleasant surprise and such a good cheer up, expecially considering I wasn’t feeling too great on the day because my physio had really worked me that day.”
He said about his progress, “It’s going well. I’ve been religiously attending physio and OT (occupational therapy) twice a week. I was fortunate there was a student from Europe here and he had to put me through a certain amount of hours and so he was able to help me maintain my upper body strength because of being in a wheel chair. My physio was concentrating on my mid-section and getting the glutes and hips to all work together and he’s been trying to get me to sit up and to push myself up from a sitting position. My OT is working on the legs. It’s very good because we are now at the point where we are trying to get me into an upright position … and I tell you what it is not easy … yooa it is not easy!”
Rouvaun said it was hard to predict when he would be back in the commentary seat because they were still working through all of this therapy.
He said, “When racing returns from Hollywoodbets Durbanville to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth I am hoping to slowly, but surely work my way back in. It all depends on my progress at that point in time. I don’t want to push it because I don’t want any relapses. I would rather make sure I am almost 100% there. I ccould probably do it now in a wheelchair. But then they would have to set up a whole new system for me and I don’t want to inconvenience anybody in that regard. Until the first time I can and am able to, that’s when I will go. I’m hoping it is in the next two or three months. I think in the racing game we could possibly get there.”
Rouvan goes back a long way in the sport.
He said, “It actually just stems back to my childhood days when I was growing up in a home with my grandfather, who was very keen on horse racing. And then from there, I think the interest and the knowledge of racing started building. From a young age I was living in a house where every Saturday afternoon the old man would either watch it on TV, when he could, or listen to it on the radio. Then later I would go to the racecourse and stand on the top balcony of the car park and watch the races from up there. All these little things sparked the interest.”
He continued, “In my senior year of high school, the book shop I worked in had a manual Tote just to assist with having a Tote facility in Mitchell’s Plain.”
When the Tote became computerised a number of the bookstore staff moved over to work full time for the Tote and Rouvaun was one of them.
He added, “From there everything just happened because three years later they were looking for somebody to work in dissemination. And three years thereafter, they were looking for another commentator. So it all just happened very quickly.”
Rouvaun’s DJ work helped a lot with his commentating.
He said, “I started working on the radio in 1989 and I started commentating in 1994. While I was at the SABC, from 1989 to 1994, they put you through a lot of in-house training. They also sent you to external people that could assist with voice quality and assist with being able to think on your feet. Having learnt all those little tricks while I was with the SABC, it did help a hell of a lot when I started to learn to commentate because then it wasn’t as difficult. I think I got it much quicker than anybody else at the time.”
Most commentators sound surprisingly different when you speak to them face to face, Rouvaun included, and he pointed out that this is due to the microphone enhancing the quality of the voice through modern technology techniques such as turning up the base or treble or whatever they want to do.
However, he said it was important to present and commentate in as natural an accent as possible.
He said, “Once you’re as natural as possible everything just flows.”
He continued, “Commentating is a very rare talent to have because there ain’t many that can do it. You either can or you can’t do it. It’s as simple as that. Once you master the art, the world becomes your oyster. Opportunities arise elsewhere. You meet other commentators. Then you visit different racing jurisdictions. You may want to experience what it is like to call there. I’ve had the pleasure of commentating in Mauritius, commentating in Dubai and I was part of a Commentating Exchange Program with Investec, who were sponsoring the Derby in England at the time. So between Richard Hoiles and I, we got flipped here and there in terms of the exchange. That was a once in a lifetime experience to be able to go to Epsom. In the first year I called the Coronation Cup and in the second year I called the Diomed and the Queen Elizabeth. That was something else to be able to do that. It was probably the highlight of my commentating career.”
He added, “Although I did call in Dubai shortly after Meydan opened. I was the first international commentator that Terry Spargo gave an opportunity to call to. I called the Mahab Al Shimal on Super Saturday. That was nice. It was different in that you’re really high up in the grandstand. When you pull away from the binoculars it is a rude awakening because you go from seeing the horses almost at half life size in front of you with the binoculars to seeing them look like ants underneath you. I don’t know how Alistair managed it. But you do have a big screen in the middle that you can also refer to which gives you some idea of who’s who and where they are in the race.”
Hr continued, “Talking of commentary boxes, on Derby day at Epsom, when you look straight down on the grandstand side of the course you don’t see grass at all, it is just a sea of people all the way down to Tattenham Corner. It is the most unbelievable race meeting you would ever be able to attend. The sheer size of the crowd that comes and the infield, how that gets transformed. What they call common ground, people just come and they flock in. They just create such an atmosphere.”
Rouvaun gave some enlightening insight into commentating and particularly on the most amazing point to outsiders i.e. how are they able to spot the horse or horses that come flying out of the pack and in the instant of time available still manage to get their name or names right?
He said a bird’s eye view is the best view to have of any race and it enables one to spot the ones who are making threatening runs much quicker.
He said he would usually reserve mention of them until a little after first spotting them in order to create a greater effect.
However, there are occasions when a late run does come out of the blue and he revealed, “In normal life they tell you to think before you speak … whereas in commentating you must speak before you think. You speak with your lips and your brain sort of processes it afterwards. There is no time to think. If you see a horse in those colours you must know that that is the horse’s name. You have to trust your judgement. If you are going to second guess yourself there is going to be silence. Even if you get it wrong, unfortunately you’ve got to just take the punches that come along with it. The most fascinating thing about commentating is you can get it 99.9% right, but the 0.1% you get it wrong you never live it down. You will forever get ragged about it. It’s the nature of the game, these things happen and you take the good with the bad. We’re all human, we all make mistakes.”
Rouvaun’s most famous mistake was in the pre-race parade for the Met in 2019 when announcing the horses and jockeys he became tongue tied on the intended words, “Made To Conquer, S’Manga Khumalo” and it came out as “Made To Conquer, S’Manga Khuconquer.”
Rouvaun said, “S’Manga reminds me of that everytime I see him! But sometimes there’s more good in it than bad. It adds a bit of character to the sport because sometimes people can be so serious about it that it’s not real. I just find we need to be a little bit less serious, be a little bit more light-hearted about things. Just take it in our stride as we go about it. You know, racing itself will be so much better.”
That mistake was certainly not taken seriously and was celebrated only because it sounded so funny and not as a criticism of Rouvaun.
A big majority of the racing community are looking forward to having the bubbly Capetonian back in the commentary box.
Captain’s Christy has fetched Cala Mureta and put her nose in front shortly before the line in the Gr 2 Debutante but the latter then put her head down to get the verdict (Candiese Lenferna Phptography).
Summerveld trainer Mark Dixon has a good filly on his hands in Captain’s Christy, who was beaten on the head bob in the Gr 2 World Pool With Gold Circle Debutante over 1200m on the last day of last season.
Mark said about her plans, “She had seven runs as a juvenile and she was ready for a rest. We will just give her a couple of months off and take it from there.”
Asked where he found her from he replied, “The KZN Sale from Clifton Stud (for R100,00). We had a short list of Colts and fillies and she was one of them and she was in our price range of 100 grand. She’s good and she’s out of a Fort Wood mare, so she’s going to improve a lot. That last run of hers in the Grade 2, we were unlucky, we caught the one in front before the line and were ahead after the line.”
Mark said Captain’s Christy had not been quite herself in the build up to the only Gr 1 she has taken part in, the Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on June 3.
He said, “She was leaving a bit of food. It was minimal but something wasn’t quite right that day and she didn’t run up to scratch.”
She duly proved that run to be all wrong two runs later when beating older fillies over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville with the field spread out like the washing.
Then came her fine run in the Debutante to prove she is one with a bright future.
Assked whether he felt she would go further than sprints, Mark said, “She looks like a sprinter. But she is out of a Fort Wood mare and she ran on strongly in the Debutante. She was flying at the finish and wasn’t stopping. So 1200m to seven furlongs, if she got a mile it would be nice, but I have my doubts.”
He concluded, “We will just have to see what’s available for her three-year-old career and take it from there.”
His decent Querari filly Get In The Q bounced back with a good run last time. She was one of a few horses who was interfered with by a loose horse.
She is capable of adding to her three wins this season, but Mark believes this filly, who “is not the biggest” is a bit high at present on a 90 merit rating.
Mark has 23 horses in his yard at present and lamented he was just one of the trainers who were currently “counting the numbers”.
However, there look to be some syndicate plans kicking off from various quarters and hopefully these will boost the numbers in the ownership pool. If it does there could be a knock on effect.
Kranji Racecourse Picture: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images
Singapore Racing Fraternity Still Reeling In Shock
15 Minute meeting ends 180 years of horse racing in Singapore
By Siti Rahil, Kyodo News – (article written on August 15)
The 100th Singapore Gold Cup in October 2024 will mark the end of horse racing in the city-state as its only track is closed for redevelopment.
The decision made by the government in June came like a thunderbolt to horse trainer Mahadi Taib.
Mahadi said executives of the Singapore Turf Club, which manages Kranji Racecourse, the third track in its 181-year history, informed him and other horse trainers suddenly during a meeting on June 5 that the club will be closed down and the land rented from the state will be returned.
Photo shows the paddock at Singapore Turf Club in Singapore in June 2023. (Kyodo)
“One hundred and eighty years of prestige but the meeting was 15 minutes,” Mahadi said.
“Everyone was sad. We don’t know where our direction is,” said the 52-year-old who had imported horses in recent months to revive his business after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The club owned by the Tote Board, a statutory board under the Finance Ministry, will end its operations following the Singapore Gold Cup to be held on Oct. 5 next year.
After the race, around 700 horses will be sent overseas in batches until March 2026, according to the government, and the land will be returned to the state in March 2027.
The government, which owns the majority of the city-state’s land, has said it plans to use the site for public and private housing amid surging demand from young couples and foreign buyers following delayed construction during the pandemic.
Singapore, which says it is studying other possible uses for the site including leisure facilities, has been supporting money-spinners such as two casinos that opened in 2010 and Formula One racing introduced in 2008.
Indranee Rajah, who serves as second minister in the Finance and National Development ministries, told at a press conference in June that the decision was difficult but necessary.
“As you know, Singapore is land constrained and we do need this land for other uses,” Rajah said.
Kranji Racecourse, which occupies 124 hectares of land in a quiet leafy area in the northern suburbs of Singapore, was built at a cost of S$500 million ($372 million) and opened in 1999. It is located between a World War II cemetery and a semiconductor wafer fabrication park.
The Singapore Turf Club, the first horse racing club in Southeast Asia, was established in 1842 during the British colonial era.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, known for her love of horse racing, visited the club’s second racecourse in 1972 and the current Kranji track in 2006. Its annual Queen Elizabeth II Cup was launched in 1972.
Singapore’s decision to end horse racing has been met with shock and dismay among trainers, owners and fans.
Michael Clements, president of the Association of Racehorse Trainers Singapore, said, “It came as a total surprise to us. There was no dialogue whatsoever between the government and the club” before the announcement.
Steven Burridge, a member of the Association of Racehorse Trainers Singapore, is pictured in Singapore in June 2023. (Kyodo)
Australian horse trainer Steven Burridge, 68, who belongs to the association, said, “The government wants to take the land back, fair enough, but they should have done it in a better way with a 10-year-plan, scale down in 10 years.”
The closure of the horse racing track will affect the livelihoods not only of the 350 people employed directly by the Singapore Turf Club but also about 350 others who work under around two dozen trainers, including 30 jockeys.
Sugumaran Kerishnan, a 52-year-old track manager who has worked with the club for 13 years, said he was prepared to move overseas to secure a job related to his experience.
The club’s horse trainers from Australia, Britain, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries have been negotiating with the club’s management to soften the blow of the closure, including by ensuring the remaining races go ahead amid an expected exodus of workers.
The news of the club’s closure came as income from horse race betting declined over a decade from 20 percent to 8 percent of the total revenue of the Tote Board, which also administers lottery funds and casino levies.
Sugumaran Kerishnan, a track manager who has worked with the Singapore Turf Club for 13 years, is pictured in Singapore in June 2023. (Kyodo)
With around 550 races a year, average attendance fell from 11,000 in 2010 to 6,000 in 2019 and about 2,000 after the pandemic, according to government data.
Tan Kian Seng, 65, a retired cook and regular weekend racegoer, was among the spectators at Kranji Racecourse on a recent Sunday.
“The news is so sudden,” he said. “I like coming here because I don’t need to spend much aside from the S$6 entry ticket.”
“We are all silver generation here. For us, it’s the cheapest kind of recreation around. But we will have no other place to go after this.”
Cadence Wong, the organizer of an online petition demanding that the government reconsider its decision, said Singapore should save horse racing because it is an essential part of national identity. The petition had garnered 3,200 signatures as of early August.
“It would be a terrible shame for Singapore to lose reputation on the world stage and for a sport that provides jobs and enjoyment for so many,” Keith Power, who signed the petition, wrote on the website.
Frankie Dettori after winning the Ebor Handicap on Absurde despite being drawn in 24. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
Dettori Teases Retirement U-turn After Winning Ebor On Absurde
Jockey lands two wins at York, including Absurde from out wide
‘If an offer that’s big enough comes, I might consider it’
Greg Wood at York (The Guardian)
If Frankie Dettori is indeed reconsidering his decision to retire at the end of the year, as some reports have suggested this past week, he spent his Saturday afternoon at York racecourse doing a very convincing impression of someone who is not having second thoughts at all. Dettori picked up a retirement presentation from the York executive, then rode a winner and performed the near-obligatory flying dismount after a parade in front of the stands to mark what he expected to be his last success on the Knavesmire – “because I’m drawn in 24 in the Ebor”.
Then he went out and won the Ebor, too, on Absurde, coming home in front from a wide draw for the second year running. And as he had on Wednesday, after an equally masterful performance on Mostahdaf in the International Stakes, Dettori suggested – with a wide grin on his face – that a substantial retainer might yet change his mind. “If an offer that’s big enough comes, I might consider it,” he said. “But it’s got to be big.”
Dettori is, almost certainly, teasing. He has been given a date to be out of his house in Newmarket, has already auctioned off plenty of his trophies and other mementoes from a glittering career, and also parted company with his longtime commercial agent Peter Burrell, to sign up with an agency which is more geared towards media bookings for high-profile talking heads.
Some jockeys, of course, simply wake up one morning and decide that they have had enough, but bringing down the curtain on such a long, successful and incident-packed career as Dettori’s was never going to happen overnight. His extended retirement tour of the sport’s biggest events, meanwhile, is going so swimmingly that it would almost be a shame to spoil it by performing a U-turn now.
But at the same time, when he is still capable of heroics like his winning ride on Absurde, who was in prime position just behind the lead from an early stage despite being drawn widest of all, it is inevitable that some will speculate about a change of mind.
“He’s a horse that likes cover and I was stuck without cover,” Dettori said after beating Rab Havlin on the favourite, Sweet William, by half a length. “Then he wanted to hang right a bit, so I thought: let’s grab the fence.
“I was in front three out and thought: this won’t go down too well with Willie, and at the furlong marker, I believed I was beat when Rab came with a good run. In fairness, he stuck his neck out like Willie Mullins horses do and he won.”
One report on Friday floated the possibility that Wathnan Racing, the nascent but rapidly growing operation funded by the Emir of Qatar, could be a good fit for Dettori next year. But Richard Brown, a bloodstock agent who is closely involved with Wathnan Racing, poured cold water on the idea here. “Nobody’s put that on my radar,” he said. “As far as I know, and I’m not very senior in the operation, there’s absolutely no truth in that.”
While retirement still seems to be a red-hot favourite, however, the moment when Dettori will officially be an ex-jockey has already been pushed back a couple of times, after an initial suggestion that he would exit the stage at the Breeders’ Cup meeting in November at Santa Anita, the track where he rode Ravens Pass to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2008.
First, Dettori decided to head straight from California to Australia, in search of a first success in the Melbourne Cup a few days later. Then he suggested that he would extend his career into December if Kinross, the first leg of his 25-1 double here on Saturday in the City Of York Stakes, runs at the valuable international meeting in Hong Kong a couple of weeks before Christmas.
Absurde could well prove to be Dettori’s mount in Australia’s biggest race, as his Ebor win, as well as being worth £500,000 in prize money, also guarantees a place in the field at Flemington in November.
“I don’t know where Frankie got his energy from in the last 100 yards,” Mullins said. “He was brilliant on him.
“I’ll have to have a word with the owners about Melbourne. They are at a family do today but I’m sure they’d love to go.”
Sharapova (far side) is selected to win the 6th at Turffontein Inside on Tuesday (JC Photos).
Game, Set And Match To Sharapova
Jack Milner (The Citizen)
The final tennis Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, begins in New York today and punters at Turffontein on Tuesday should be able to reminisce about one of the most successful women’s players of this century, Maria Sharapova.
The Russian-born player, who now resides in the USA, won five Grand Slams and is one of few participants in the sport to have won all four Grand Slams. Her US Open victory came in 2006.
Mike de Kock trains the daughter of Querari who was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein and is out of Grade 1 winning mare Nother Russia, hence the name. Her granddam was Mother Russia, who was also a multiple Grade 1 winner, including a victory in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate where she beat some of the best milers in the country.
At this stage of her career Sharapova has not shown quite the same level of flair as her mother and grandmother but has been lightly raced and is ultra-consistent.
The four-year-old has only run six times for just one win, but she has also had four seconds and a third place, so she has been earning her keep.
Sharapova came back from a four-month rest last time and the only factor one can blame on that loss when just touched off by I Am Regal over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside track was the lack of a run.
She gets a chance to atone for that defeat when she lines up in Race 6 at Turffontein on Tuesday in a MR 89 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m, but this time on the Inside track.
It is worth noting that her lone win came in her only race over this course and distance so the return to the Inside track is another factor in her favour.
JP van der Merwe rode her for the first time in her last start and he is back on board for this event. They will jump from No 4 draw but there are only six runners in the field so the draw should not make much of an impact.
Although she received a 1.5kg penalty for her last race, Sharapova will carry just 54kg and that makes her highly competitive.
The main race on the card is the R400,000 Farm Sale Stakes (Non-Black Type) over 1200m for three-year-olds where all colts and geldings carry 60kg and fillies 57.5kg.
Qhawe Lami is the only two-time winner in the line-up while Richard The First is a one-time winner. The other eight runners are all maidens and as Qhawe Lami is unbeaten in two starts at the course, and with Muzi Yeni in such fine form, Clinton Binda’s charge should be hard to beat.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 8 Right Turn On Red, 10 Venetian Moonlight, 2 Zoom Lady, 9 Shine In Memphis
Race 2: 2 Fast Duty, 10 Sovereigns Call, 8 Japanese Star, 3 Copper Mist
Race 3: 9 Outer Dimension, 1 Lady Dynamo, 3 All Rise, 7 Annewithan E
Race 4: 3 Angel’s Wish, 1 Kind Judy, 2 Princess Kesh, 5 Burmese Tiara
Race 5: 2 Black Lightning, 3 Summer Fling, 6 Rosy Lemon, 10 Lidl Miss Sunshine
Race 6: 4 Sharapova, 5 Rattle Bag, 3 Golden Aspen, 1 Queen Of Smoke
Race 7: 1 Qhawe Lami, 5 Dhoni, 10 Zenobia’s Gold, 2 Richard The First
Race 8: 1 Cosmic Star, 3 Black Egret, 4 Munchkin, 2 Power Broker
Race 9: 4 Super Awesome, 6 King Rahul, 3 Successful Secret, 2 Ziyasha
BEST BET
Race 6 No 4 Sharapova
VALUE BET
Race 9 No 4 Super Awesome
BEST SWINGER
Race 6 4×5
BIPOT
R192
Leg 1: 2, 3, 8, 10
Leg 2: 1, 3, 9
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 5
Leg 4: 2, 3
Leg 5: 4
Leg 6: 1, 5
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R144
Leg 1: 1, 3, 9
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 5
Leg 3: 2
Leg 4: 4
Leg 5: 1
Leg 6: 1, 3, 4
Leg 7: 2, 3, 4, 6
PICK 6
R1800
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Leg 2: 2, 3, 6, 10
Leg 3: 4
Leg 4: 1, 5, 10
Leg 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
JACKPOT 1
R60
Leg 1: 2, 3, 6, 10
Leg 2: 4
Leg 3: 1, 5, 10
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
JACKPOT 2
R75
Leg 1: 4
Leg 2: 1, 5, 10
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Munchkin is rated one to look out for in the 8th race by the At The Races Tipster (Picture: JC Photos).
Turffontein Inside Tuesday August 29 Formguides And Selections
At The Races
R1 12:15 PM – 4Racing Welcomes You Maiden Plate (F & M)
Half of the 10 runners are debutantes – watch the betting. SHINE IN MEMPHIS found no support on debut but did well to run third, however, she disappointed in her next run. Similarly RIGHT TURN ON RED found no support on her debut but wasn’t disgraced – look for improvement. ZOOM LADY has been costly to follow but could get it right.
Top Tip: ZOOM LADY (2)
Watch out for: RIGHT TURN ON RED (8)
R2 12:50 PM – Racing240 For Racing. For You Maiden Plate
FAST DUTY has done better in blinkers and is overdue his maiden victory. Stable companion SOVEREIGNS CALL can improve on debut. COPPER MIST should be suited to this track and could have a say. TRIP TO STATES disappointed last time. Watch first-timer JAPANESE STAR.
Top Tip: FAST DUTY (2)
Watch out for: COPPER MIST (3)
R3 1:25 PM – Book A Table Call 0116811796 Maiden Plate (F & M)
VILLA SEMAYA should see out the extra and must be one for the shortlist. On their last meeting ANNEWITHAN E (needed her run) should hold OUTER DIMENSION (blinkers on) and SOLO DIVA (honest form) but it could go to any. LADY DYNAMO should hold ALL RISE and EXQUISITE DAWN on their recent encounter and all are looking for Quartet money.
Top Tip: OUTER DIMENSION (9)
Watch out for: SOLO DIVA (2)
R4 2:00 PM – www.tab4racing.com Fm 76 Handicap (F & M)
ANGEL’S WISH finished 1.75 lengths ahead of PRINCESS KESH recently but the latter has her blinkers removed which could help her settle. In the same race KIND JUDY never kicked and finished a further length behind, however, she appears much better than that. Her stable companion, BURMESE TIARA, could get into the mix.
Top Tip: KIND JUDY (1)
Watch out for: ANGEL’S WISH (3)
R5 2:35 PM – Racehorse Owners Association Mr 67 Handicap
After two runner-up positions BLACK LIGHTNING, who if relaxed early, could get his just reward. THREE STRANDS is improving but races before this – update the form. ROSY LEMON hasn’t been far off recently and could make her presence felt. ADMIRAL’S RANSOM won on debut for his new yard and could improve more now on the Highveld. Others are looking for minor money.
Top Tip: THREE STRANDS (4)
Watch out for: BLACK LIGHTNING (2)
R6 3:10 PM – Tab Telebet 0861 000 822 Fm 89 Handicap (F & M)
SHARAPOVA needed her last outing when touched off. She should have no problem doubling up this course and distance. RATTLE BAG could prove a threat if she starts on terms. Stablemate TWICE AS WILD could get into the mix. QUEEN OF SMOKE is a slow starter and could battle to make up ground at this track. GOLDEN ASPEN is another who gives away ground at the jump but has a definite Trifecta chance.
Top Tip: SHARAPOVA (4)
Watch out for: RATTLE BAG (5)
R7 3:40 PM – Farm Sale Stakes (3 Year Olds)
Two-time winner QHAWE LAMI meets one-time winner RICHARD THE FIRST and eight maidens so if handles the sharp turn could be hard to catch. RICHARD THE FIRST won well last time and has scope for improvement. Stable companions DHONI (needed the outing) and ZENOBIA’S GOLD (inexperienced on debut) should come on heaps. FIRE CHASER and JOHN WICK are looking for Quartet money.
Top Tip: DHONI (5)
Watch out for: QHAWE LAMI (1)
R8 4:15 PM – www.soccer6.co.za Mr 88 Handicap
BLACK EGRET was narrowly beaten by POWER BROKER last time and the 1kg difference could bring them together. However, the latter could make it 2 from 2 this track and trip. Stablemate SIBERIAN STEEL shouldn’t be far behind on collateral form. COSMIC STAR is speedy and could get away. MUNCHKIN and ZINOVI are not out of it and warrant inclusion in all bets. FORT LAUDERDALE could sneak into the Quartet.
Top Tip: POWER BROKER (2)
Watch out for: MUNCHKIN (4)
R9 4:50 PM – Next Turffontein Racemeeting Saturday 2 September Mr 75 Handicap
Open, and many with winning claims. SUCCESSFUL SECRET was troubled by breathing last time but if sorted could be involved in the finish. If settles STORMY SEAS should give a good account of himself. Stable companion SUPER AWESOME comes off a maiden win but could go on. HERE IS THE TIGER should enjoy this turn and could go in. Stablemate honest DARK TIDE cannot be ignored for money.
Top Tip: SUPER AWESOME (4)
Watch out for: STORMY SEAS (1)
Muzi Yeni won the first today on the Kelly Micthley-trained Pembroke and this took him to 25 wins for the season at a strike rate of 21.37%. He is eleven clear of Richard Fourie. (Pauline Herman Photography).
Mxothwa, Greeff Doubles
Louis Mxothwa and Alan Greeff had individual doubles on the Fairview poly today (Monday).
Greeff goes to nine winners for the season at 11.84%.
Mxothwa goes to eight winners at 13.56%.
Today’s Question
Where was this now defunct racecourse in South Africa (pictured above)?
Question answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Horse Racing In East London
Facebook page “What’s on in and around East London”
The first horse racing in East London was conducted in the late 1880s in Quigney and was served by a Grandstand on the site of what was later to be the Langham Hotel, Fleet Street.
For a while after that the course moved to land near Frere Hospital.
The Nahoon course (pictured) was eventually established and fell under the management of the East London Turf Club.
The race course stretched from the current Stirling High School in an easterly direction towards the Golf Club.
The course, when fully developed, was accessed via an impressive arched entrance gate and consisted of a circular track of nearly two kilometres which was entirely visible from the Grandstand.
In its heyday it boasted a series of grandstands including one for the officials with a glassed observation platform.
In the 60-odd years of active racing at the course, stables and other facilities were steadily upgraded and the track fulfilled its function as a fashion and sporting facility, earning many thousands of rand in revenue.
By 1964, however, public interest had dwindled.
“The cheers of racegoers, the thunder of hooves and the crackle of paper money” became but a memory.
By 1965 the land was being leveled for what was eventually to become Stirling High School.
