Kotzen Strikes Quickly
After a patient twelve year wait to open a satellite yard in Port Elizabeth, Glen Kotzen was quickly off the mark last Friday at Fairview read more
Greeff Looks Good
Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview on Friday
Alan Greeff looks capable of stemming the visiting tide as he saddles Winter Fantasy in Friday’s Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview. read more
Very Smart. Winter Fantasy (inside) looks set to keep the silverware at home in the face of a strong visiting contingent
The Dark Side
There was major success but also major disappointment for South African racing at the Super Saturday meeting at Meydan in Dubai this weekend read more
Into The Lion’s Den
Champion Miler For Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes
There will be some intriguing outside opposition for the local milers in the Gr1 Horse Chestnut Stakes to be run at Turffontein at the end of March read more
The Academy Cat
“I can’t emphasise enough that the course of my entire career was decided on that visit,” Felix explained read more
Double Your Money
Listed Drum Star Handicap at Turffontein on Saturday
The Listed Drum Star Handicap heads the Turffontein programme after a fortnight that has seen SA racing fans starved of local action. read more
AP Indy effect at Nationals
A P Indy’s growing influence can be seen at the 2014 National Yearling Sale. His half brother, Tiger Ridge has 11 yearlings while no fewer than 40 yearlings on the sale are by sons of A P Indy, while another 15 are by A P Indy’s champion grandson, Jay Peg. read more
Information The Key
Provision of Information could be key to our survival?
Will horseracing wake up and smell the roses and start providing information to try and power the interest of existing and prospective new customers? read more
SIA Cup and KrisFlyer Attract Stars
Two Big Singapore International Gr1's Draw The Stars
Mike De Kock’s unbeaten Vercingetorix and Oratorio’s champion Military Attack will ensure plenty of interest from SA racegoers read more
Were Stipes Hasty?
D Day for Bling as he faces Appeal Panel
Lawyer and trainer ‘confident’ as leading SA Jockey faces appeal panel today as indications are that NHA officials acted hastily and ‘made a scene’ read more
Cape AHS Outbreak
State Vet issues AHS outbreak advice following positives between Saron and Porterville in the W.Cape
read more
Newsflash : Horse Movement Restricted
Eastern Cape AHS lockdown after suspect horse deaths in Kirkwood area read more
Newsflash: Clairwood Abandoned
Another racemeeting falls prey to the weather read more
Business As Usual
MR80 Handicap on the Polytrack at Fairview on Monday
After a frustrating spate of lost meetings, Phumelela’s R40 million Fairview Polytrack is looking like a very astute investment right now. read more
Vercingetorix Victorious
Vercingetorix wins Jebel Hatta to end a Super Saturday for Mike De Kock
Mike De Kock is SA’s Saturday Superman as Silvano’s brilliant son Vercingetorix maintains his six race unbeaten record and looks set for World Cup glory in three weeks read more
Opinion
The Academy Cat
“I can’t emphasise enough that the course of my entire career was decided on that visit,” Felix explained read more
Provision of Information could be key to our survival?
Information The Key
Will horseracing wake up and smell the roses and start providing information to try and power the interest of existing and prospective new customers? read more
Problems In The South African Horseracing Industry
A week is a long time in politics…
A week is a long time in politics, they say. Well, it’s been a busy one for racing and we’ve been dealt a series of rather hefty body blows read more
Joey Ramsden in Dubai and a thought on jockey weights
Upping The Waits
Every few years the National Horseracing Authority decides to put the minimum weights of jockeys up. It has been quite a while since this has happened and maybe it is time it happens again. read more
An Audience with Ashaawes
Poor James Armitage must have lost count of the number of times I’ve threatened to come and visit Sandown Stud’s Ashaawes. read more
Profiles
Gift Funeka
GIFT FUNEKA (34) wrote his name into the record books of the South African Horseracing Industry when he became the first black jockey to ride in the prestigious Durban July. However, he will forever be remembered for his courage and bravery as Funeka recently returned to the saddle after a four and a half year […] read more
Lucky Houdalakis
MICHAEL ‘LUCKY’ HOUDALAKIS is yet another former professional jockey that has made the successful transition to training racehorses. Initially, training was not part of his plans but thanks to persuasion from his wife and owner Coenie Strydom, he obtained his licence in 2006. His new career then took off at full tilt, when just over […] read more
Sands of Time
Sands Of Time: March 1994
February 27 – March 5 Turf club officials in Zimbabwe confirm that South African Jockey Club officials are in the country, but decline to comment on the reason. This after The Herald (Zim’s daily newspaper) reports the presence in Harare of JC “roving banker” George Morrison and Dr (vet) Duncan MacDonald. Rumour has it that […] read more
Sands Of Time: February 1994
JANUARY 30 – FEBRUARY 5 The average price at Goodwood, venue for the first yearling sale of the season, increases by 10% – following the world-wide trend of a recovery in bloodstock prices. Optimism must be held in check, though, as the 1994 average of R17.700 is merely on par with that of 1992 and […] read more
Sands of Time: January 1994
Just 23 horses accept at the second last entry stage for the J&B Met. Raymond Koedyk is believed to be the first South African to be taxed on Pick Six winnings. Windy conditions make for an upset in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship. The untimely death of champion sire Foveros comes as a severe blow to the beleaguered South African breeding industry. No less than seven of the runners in the Gr1 Arc-en-Ciel Paddock Stakes are by Elliodor or his son Model Man. The Gr1 J&B Met is won in fairytale fashion by 20/1 shot Pas de Quoi, a seven-year-old who comes in from the cold after standing a season at stud in ’92. read more
Sands of Time: December 1993
1993 blows out with Volume 4 of the Racing Record, a new chairman for Durban Turf Club and a proposal to merge Milnerton and Kenilworth approved unopposed. A Little Ballerina wins the Cape Guineas, Marla causes an upset in the Sceptre Stakes and Jean Heming is shot in a vicious attack. TAB Transvaal introduces the Superfecta and Take A Walk wins the Queen’s Plate for David Payne, pushing him R1 million ahead of his nearest rival on the trainers’ log.
Abroad, absent-minded jockey Desormeaux costs Kotashaan the Japan Cup, Basil Marcus extends his lead on the Hong Kong jockey table by winning the first leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown aboard River Verdon, while Robbie Fradd is crowned Mauritius champion jockey. Coolmore announce that Sadler’s Wells stud fee has increased to IR100.000 guineas. The British Jockey Association launches the first Jockey Championship and Wolverhampton stages the first race meeting under lights. read more
Sands of Time: November 1993
October 31 – November 6 Stakes in the Western Cape return to “normal”, after they had been decreased earlier in the year when the local raceclubs found themselves under extreme financial pressure. PE’s “official racecard” Computaform joins the disgraceful confusion of the missing Grooms Race (see diary entry of August 8-14), when the winning formline is […] read more
Popular Posts
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Information The Key
Provision of Information could be key to our survival?
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Were Stipes Hasty?
D Day for Bling as he faces Appeal Panel
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Vercingetorix Victorious
Vercingetorix wins Jebel Hatta to end a Super Saturday for Mike De Kock
