Picture: Paul Peter earlier this year at Summerveld walking Reunion (Candiese Lenferna).

SHOCK – Champion Trainer Hands In License

A National Horseracing Authority press release was sent out today that had the racing industry stunned.

It read:

“At a meeting held at the NHA offices on Thursday, 8 September 2022 at 11h30, the Chief Executive has been informed by Trainer Mr Paul Peter that he intends to relinquish his Trainer’s Licence after the race meeting on Saturday, 10 September 2022.

The Licencing Committee of the NHA has resolved that pursuant to the request of Mr Peter, his Trainer’s Licence be withdrawn with effect from 11 September 2022 in accordance with the authority of the Licensing Committee under the Rules and Constitution of the NHA.

As a result of the above, Mr Peter has confirmed that all his runners for the race meeting of 15 September 2022 have been scratched and that all Racehorse Owners have been communicated accordingly.

The necessary arrangements for all horses under his care to move to other racing stables shall be handled in an effective manner.

Whilst the NHA acknowledges the loss of the Champion Trainer of the previous season to the horseracing industry, we respect Mr Peter’s decision and wish him well in all his future endeavours.”

Vee Moodley
Chief Executive

Paul Peter could not be reached for comment, but a letter he had allegedly sent out to all of his owners was leaked on to social media, reading:

“Good afternoon, I would like to inform you that due to personal reasons I have relinquished my training license. It is a very emotional time for me and my family. I am so sorry that I am unable to call every single one of you. I am so grateful to all of my owners and I am thankful for you and wish everyone God’s richest blessings. Please note that all of your horses will be taken care of and in good hands until new stabling homes are found for them.”

Picture: Suzette and Basie Viljoen and Megan Trott receive the Horse Of The Year Award for Captain’s Ransom and Kevin Sommerville receives it on behalf of the connections of Jet Dark (Candiese Lenferna).

Captain’s Ransom/Jet Dark Share KZN Horse Of The Year Award

Master Of Ceremonies Graeme Hawkins kept everybody on tenterhooks before the announcement of the KZN Horse Of The Year last night in the Hollywoodbets Greyville Classic Room.

He did a mock commentary of Captain’s Ransom and Jet Dark dueling for the line and then said, “And it goes to …”

The screen then revealed the award had been shared.

Some people do not like shared awards, but in reality it was the best outcome.

The Justin Snaith-trained pair of superstars have never met and it is impossible on form to say which one of them is better.

In boxing terms, considering all of the Horse Of The Year decisions around the country, the end result would be a split decision and it would overall go to Captain’s Ransom.

She was voted Equus Horse Of The Year and Cape Regional racing Horse Of The Year, while Jet Dark was voted Cape Breeders Horse Of The Year and the KZN Racing Awards panel could not separate the pair.

Suzette and Basie Viljoen and Megan Trott (the assistant trainer at Snaith’s former satellite yard in KZN) received the reward for Captain’s Ransom and Kevin Sommerville, the racing manager of Drakenstein Stud, who bred Jet Dark, received it on behalf of the latter, who is owned by Nick Jonsson and Tommy Crowe.

The other winners of the equine and human awards were:

Champion Two Year Old Filly – Canadian Summer
Champion Two Year Old Colt – Cousin Casey
Champion Three Year Old Filly – Silver Darling
Champion Three Year Old Male – Waterberry Lane
Champion Sprinter – Captain’s Ransom
Champion Middle Distance Filly/Mare – She’s A Keeper
Champion Middle Distance Horse – Jet Dark
Champion Stayer – Decorated
KZN Champion Apprentice – Rachel Venniker
KZN Champion Jockey – Keagan De Melo
KZN Champion Trainer – Gareth Van Zyl
KZN Champion Breeder – Mauritzfontein & Wilgerbosdrift
KZN Champion Owner – Hollywood Syndicate

Picture: Anthony and Candice Delpech receive the KZN Personality Of The Year award last night. (racingpost.com/photos)

Heffers Win Anita Akal Award, Delpech KZN Personality Of The Year

Owen and Lesley Heffer were honoured at the KZN Racing awards last night when receiving the Anita Akal Special Award and Anthony Delpech won the KZN Racing Personality of the Year award.

Anita Akal has known the Heffers for some 40 years and spoke about their incredible rise from humble beginnings.

They famously arrived in Durban from Zimbabwe with R4, a mattress and two deck chairs.

Owen then spent the R4 printing out 100 tipping sheets, which he sold outside Greyville racecourse.

Anita remembers the days of Owen selling the sheets.

From there he took a computer programming course and founded the Winning Form racing guide and from that, after may years of toil, sprouted the ever-burgeoning Hollywoodbets bookmaking company.

Akal said one of the most amazing facts of Owen’s success story was the low profile he had always kept.

Owen and Lesley’s son Devin, who accepted the award, elaborated on this and said what was noticeable when their names flashed up on the screen was that, unlike the other award winners, their’s was accompanied by only one photograph. Indeed he said he had recently received a photograph request for Owen from somebody because none could be found on google.

Owen Heffer sharing a joke with Graeme Hawkins recently (Hollywoodbets).

Owen and Lesley could not have wished for a better Brand and Communications manager for Hollywoodbets than the affable, well-spoken and always-brimming-with-enthusiasm Devin.

Devin said Owen could easily have concentrated on the massive sports betting and numbers games markets in recent times, but racing had always been his passion and hence his incredible support for the Sport Of Kings.

Owen Heffer’s name is increasingly spoken with reverence in racing as the owner of the company Hollywoodbets, who have provided so much financial support in racing’s greatest time of need.

It was fitting that the Hollywood Syndicate were named Champion Owners in KZN.

Last season they had 102 winners countrywide, which was the most in the country by any owner, beating Suzette Viljoen by 16.

However, their stakes earnings of R8,983,250.00 were second to Drakenstein Stud’s R11,646,637.50.

In KZN Hollywood had 62 winners, 30 more than second-placed Mario Ferreira, and they had they had the most stakes of R5,118,000.00.

Anthony Delpech, the Hollywood Syndicate’s nominee and racing manager, received the Champion Owners award together with Devin.

Anthony Delpech and Devin Heffer with the KZN Champion Owners trophy last night (Candiese Lenferna).

Anthony became emotional when talking about his team and especially when frankly revealing how Owen had reached out during his “darkest hour” (when having to give up riding) and appointed him as Hollywood’s racing manager.

Delpech has been on the same stage many time before to receive the KZN Champion Jockey award.

He was announced as KZN Personality Of The Year award to tremendous applause.

MC Graeme Hawkins said it had been amazing to watch Delpech grow in his job and to see him growing in confidence on the racetrack, at the training tracks and on the sales grounds.

He said what had been particularly pleasing was to see Anthony smiling again (after the struggles he had endured on many fronts after a career-ending fall).

Delpech had thanked many when receiving the Champion Owners award, including all of Hollywood’s trainers.

He thanked many after receiving the KZN Personality Award too, including his doting wife Candice.

Picture: Zac Purton celebrates on his way to a fifth Hong Kong Premiership last season (Kenneth Chan).

Hong Kong Racing – Zac Purton ‘Taking Things As They Come’ As Speculation About His Future Swirls

Australian enters the new season with renewed positivity after a gruelling 2021-22 campaign

by Sam Agarson (South China Morning Post)

He might not be bouncing into the new season like a 21-year-old but Zac Purton returns to action this weekend with a renewed positivity after a gruelling 2021-22 campaign.

Purton battled injuries throughout much of last term, in particular after his heavy fall in December’s Hong Kong Sprint, and he is still contending with a number of niggles despite spending the off-season relaxing in Dubai and the Maldives.

On top of that, months of suffocating Covid-19 restrictions took a heavy mental toll on those within the Jockey Club’s “racing bubble” and had many questioning their future in Hong Kong.

Plenty are wondering how much more the Australian is willing to demand of his 39-year-old body, and whether this season will be his last in a city that lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus.

But despite speculation about his future, Purton heads into Sunday’s season opener focusing on what’s immediately in front of him.

“It’s a new season and I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what happens,” he said. “I’ll be taking things as they come this season and I’ll work it out from there.”

Purton has nine rides this weekend as he bids to pick up where he left off on the final day of last campaign, which saw him reel off an extraordinary four-timer to break the deadlock with Joao Moreira and secure a fifth jockeys’ premiership.

He again gets a chance to create a buffer on Moreira, who will miss at least the first two meetings of the season as he attempts to return to somewhere near full fitness, and has also not offered any guarantees that Hong Kong is part of his long-term plans.

“I actually didn’t have any time to reflect on it, because I was in such a rush to get to the airport we sort of just jumped straight into the holiday and I didn’t really give it any more thought,” Purton said of his championship-clinching quartet.

“It was odd that I didn’t reflect on it, but it was just nice that I was able to get the job done and go and have a nice holiday, it was refreshing to be out of Hong Kong for a while and away from everything that’s going on here.”

One thing Purton does look back fondly on from that remarkable final day is his ride aboard the David Hall-trained Never Too Soon, who he again teams up with in Sunday’s Class Three Sunset Peak Handicap (1,400m).

“It was probably one of my rides of the season under the circumstances, because everything was on the line and the fence appeared to be off that day,” he said.

“They went really hard through the first part of the race and then they slammed on the breaks around the corner and all fanned a little bit and I went from being second last to sliding through the inside and joining the leader by the time we straightened.

“That just doesn’t happen so he’s not going to get that same circumstance again ever and he’s drawn awkwardly in 13 so he’s probably going to have go back again, so it’s going to be harder.

“He’s up in the ratings as well, but he certainly started to show his best form, like he’d started to settle in, so he can definitely continue on with it.”

Purton also rides This Is Charisma for Hall, while he teams up with another Australian, David Hayes, four times.

“I just ended up with four for him, it’s just the way it panned out but he started last season well and hopefully he can do the same this season and get me up and running,” said Purton, who climbs aboard Wide Blue Yonder, Oriental Smoke, Starry Night and Birdsville for his countryman.

Picture: Champion mare Verry Elleegant will be retired from racing if she fails again in France on Sunday (supplied to punters.co.au)

Verry Elleegant racing for her career at Longchamp on Sunday

by Ray Thomas (https://www.punters.com.au/)

Owner Brae Sokolski conceded Verry Elleegant’s career is at the crossroads when she races at Longchamp in either the Group 1 Prix Vermeille (2400m) or the Group 2 Prix Foy (2400m).

“I’m apprehensive because this is D-Day,” Sokolski said.

“It would be difficult to stomach if she failed again. The adventure would be over.

“If she doesn’t perform to our expectations on Sunday there is no way we would persevere. We are mindful of protecting her legacy.”

Verry Elleegant, an 11-time Group 1 winner of more than $14.8m prizemoney, was disappointing at her European debut when she ran last in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville.

There were legitimate excuses for the flop, with the race developing into a sprint for home which made Verry Elleegant’s task to come from the tail of the field and win mathematically impossible. But it was still worrying she could not pass a single rival.

But Sokolski has been buoyed by French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard’s soaring confidence on the eve of Verry Elleegant’s Longchamp run.

“Francis-Henri has been particularly measured, quite circumspect about giving an opinion about the mare,” Sokolski said.

“But in the last week or so he has changed his tune, he is quite bullish about her. The run at Deauville has really brought her on.”

Sokolski revealed Graffard is still to determine the most suitable race for Verry Elleegant on Sunday.

“There is the Group 1 Prix Vermeille which attracts the best staying fillies and mares in Europe,” Sokolski said.

“Verry Elleegant has to give those top fillies plenty of weight which is a significant assignment, so we are having a think about whether that is the right race for her.

“We are also looking at the Group 2 Prix Foy over 2400m which is an open race.”

Sokolski stressed that Verry Elleegant doesn’t necessarily need to win on Sunday to show she is still on track for Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) at Longchamp on October 2.

Unbeaten English superstar Baaeed is early Arc favourite at $2.80 with Verry Elleegant rated at $17 in latest TAB fixed odds betting.

“We have two options, the Arc itself or a 2800m Group 1 fillies and mares on the same day,” Sokolski said.

“To win a Group 1 on Arc day would be awesome, but we will get through this weekend first. We know Verry Elleegant and we will assess whether we are happy with her performance before deciding if we keep going with her.”

Captain Of All And Son Have Tongues Wagging

Like Father, Like Son

Klawervlei Stud took the above two tongue-wagging pictures of Captain Of All and his son, who is out of Safe Harbour (Elusive Fort).

Botes-Vosloo/Khumalo Treble

Barend Botes and Yolandi Vosloo scored a treble at Turffontein Inside today, all of them ridden by S’Manga Khumalo.

Botes-Vosloo have now had six winners this season at an impressive strike rate of 24%.

Khumalo rose to joint-second place on the national log on 24 winners, four behind Keagan de Melo, and he has done it at a strike rate of 19.05%.

Picture: Turffontein racecourse was looking beautiful this morning (JC Photos).

Today’s Question

When and where was South Africa’s Jockey Club (today know as the National Horseracing Authority) formed?

Picture: A scene on the old the old Fairview racecourse (thecasualobserver.co.za)

Fairview Turf Fields

Today’s Question Answer

South Africa’s Jockeys Club was formed in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) in 1882.

H.B. Christian became the first Chairman of the Jockey Club in 1882.

For many years the HB Christian Memorial Race was the premier race in PE pre sponsorship days.

Port Elizabeth was the hub of SA racing back then.

CLICK TO READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF EAST CAPE RACING

The old Fairview Racecourse on Cape Road. Fairview was relocated to its current location of Greenbushes in 1977 (thecasualobserver.co.za)

Turf Talk Newsletter – 8 September 2022