Veteran KZN racing journalist Richard McMillan is probably going to be labelled a party pooper stick-in-the-mud for his brave observations about Anton Marcus’ technically rule flouting show of emotion with a group of the Turffontein on-course public after the pull-up of the Premier’s Champions Challenge on Saturday.
Legal Eagle storms home under Anton Marcus
Marcus had just ridden his usual cracking race on South Africa’s highest rated galloper Legal Eagle to win the R4 million Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge, when, on his return to the winner’s enclosure, he was met by a group of chanting and clapping supporters – said to be Grooms.
But watch the clip for yourself before reading on – courtesy of Andrew Bon.
McMillan, who has been in newpapers for over a half century, with three decades in racing, and knows his oats, had this to say in the Racegoer’s Independent Titles on Wednesday:
As expected, Legal Eagle won the Premier’s Champion Challenge as he liked under a confident ride by Anton Marcus but the late Jock Sproulle, for many years chief stipendiary steward in KwaZulu-Natal, would probably done a double flip in his grave after the running of the race.
Could anyone imagine what this outstanding protector of the Jockey Club rules would have done had a rider hopped off his mount out on the track to be engulfed by a host of grooms before weighing in after winning the Vodacom Durban July?
Well, that’s what happened at Turffontein when the country’s top jockey jumped off Legal Eagle. Yes, of course everyone knows Marcus is as honest as they come and obviously weighed in at the right weight afterwards, but the rules are specific – unless they have been changed in recent times.
Rule 66.1 in my rule book, although pretty ancient, states: “Every rider whose horse is placed by the judge shall, immediately after pulling up, ride his horse to the place of weighing in and without coming into contact with any other person or thing (excluding his own equipment), except by accident, he shall present himself to be weighed in by the clerk of scales; ….”
It is quite obvious that Marcus was overwhelmed by the reception he received on the track and with all the hype and emotion just lost his head for a moment – I guess we all do it from time to time. But one cannot forget that this was a R4-million race.
I have been unable to establish whether the Turffontein stipes took any action after the race but quite frankly, had that happened anywhere else, the owner of the second horse could have lodged an objection or worse still, the horse could have been disqualified as there had been no evidence of what Marcus’s weight was when he crossed the line.
Sure, I am going to be slapped down from many quarters, but this is just another example of how things have changed in the control of racing in this country and in some ways it has not been for the better.
Anton Marcus
There is no reference to the matter in the Stipes Report and the NHA Racing Control Executive Arnold Hyde was approached for a comment on the incident.
He said that the weigh-in facility and processes had been reviewed around the country and at Fairview, for example, this had already been relocated closer to the dismount.
“A Stipe is always on hand to monitor the jockey and horse for weigh-in and specimen collection. We are aware that the jockey in this instance interacted with the reception group that were on the track to meet horse and rider. While strictly in terms of the rules, the jockey is required to proceed after dismounting directly to the weigh-in, it is a difficult one and a measure of discretion was applied given the emotion and adrenalin in the context of the enormity of the day and the extraordinary atmosphere that prevailed. That said, we work within the facility’s constraints and the area may need to be secured to prohibit any public access in future.”
There are many that will say that Marcus’ actions promoted horseracing more than any big money ad campaign or the usual cheap talk by racing executives.
