Michael Roberts leads in See It Again after he had won the Gr 1 Splashout Cape Derby in 2023. (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Trainer Michael Roberts was left fuming by what looked to be a premature scratching at the starting stalls of See It Again in an important Conditions Plate race over 1400m at Hollwyoodbets Greyville on Sunday.
See It Again, who was the last to load went three-quarters of the way in and appeared to then back out. The handlers then moved him back towards the gate. When he did not immediately go in the hood was removed. He then circled a few times without the hood on. Then to the astonishment of the racing public, it was announced he had been scratched for refusing to load.
Roberts said, “When I saw them taking the hood off and him circling I thought maybe he had kicked the back of the gates and they are just checking him. But the next thing it comes over the blower that he is scratched. I went into the inquiry room to watch the replay of the loading. I watched it numerous times and they just never gave the horse a chance. He goes more than three-quarters of the way in and the handler in the front then jumps up to get on to the side railing. They are big fellas and you can see when zooming in on the video that when going up the handler actually pushes against the horse’s head. He has a hood on, so he can’t see and he obviously resents being pushed in the head and half rears and then backs out. Shortly afterwards Rachel (Venniker) was told the horse was delaying the start and he was scratched. The amazing thing is here you have a race the whole racing fraternity around the country and the punters are waiting to see, because they are hedging their bets for the richest race in the country (the R6 million Betway Summer Cup) and there are four fancied Summer Cup entries running in this race. People wanted to see the progress horses were making and the favourite in the race is just ignored by the starter!”
The inconsistency was another point Roberts raised.
He said, “The other day there was a horse who must have been given about five minutes and many chances to go in – we actually commented among ourselves when watching and said, ‘How long are they going to give this horse?’ It surely can’t go on how quietly the other horses are standing. Every horse should be given the same opportunity to load.”
Roberts said the response, upon pointing out it had appeared to be the fault of one of the handlers that See It Again had backed out in the first place, was that the starter had been unable to see what was happening in front of the horse.
Roberts added, “They couldn’t see it happening, but then ignore what the jockey tells them!”
He added, “They said they were trying something different, but in fact the last time this horse had a mark on his passport was way back in 2022. He is not the easiest to load, but he is not crazy and once he is in he is in. In hindsight, what should have happened was a handler should have been on the side rails before loading him, not this handler jumping up and pushing him back. The horse should also have been given another proper chance to go in. It is not just about See It Again, it is about the whole race and the public who are concerned in wanting to see the race.”
Roberts went on to say it had not only been a stepping stone race for the Summer Cup, but once again the punter had suffered because the favourite had been taken out and the new favourite had then run unplaced, so it had put a lot of tickets out of the exotics.
He continued, “See It Again has been jumping out of his skin and was 10kg over his racing weight and the race would have tightened him up nicely for his next start (a race over the same course and distance on November 7). Rachel galloped him back from the start, but the stampers were already on the course, so she had to stop two furlongs from home. So he only got about a five furlong gallop.”
The stipendiary steward report said, “SEE IT AGAIN (R A Venniker) refused to load. Trainer M L Roberts will be advised to reschool this gelding.”
He added that more than one of the jockeys had told him his horse had not been given a fair chance, which was unusual for a jockey to say about an opposition runner, and Craig Zackey had even mentioned it in the winner’s interview and so did Frank Robinson.
Roberts said he also been inundated with messages and phonecalls from around the country from friends and colleagues who had disagreed with the decision made by the starter, who on the day was KZN’s official assistant starter, Sean Leslie.
He emphasised, “Gill Drier phoned me from Cape Town and said it was ‘a disgrace’ what had happened there.”
Roberts concluded, “I might just take See It Again to Greyville for a gallop before November 7. But the race on Sunday was planned three weeks from his next start and then three weeks into the Summer Cup and he was pretty there for this race, everything was working out so nice.”
He concluded, “But the horse is well and, don’t worry, he is looking magnificent and we will be back!”
