20 Years Ago: Sands Of Time – November 1991
NOVEMBER 3 – 9 The ranks of the old guard are thinned further as twenty-three-year-old Elevation dies of a heart attack. Felix Coetzee is spotted
31st October 2011
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A look back in time at horse racing in South Africa. We provide a historical account of events that shaped the industry in South Africa. Useful, informative and unique content not previously available on the internet.
NOVEMBER 3 – 9 The ranks of the old guard are thinned further as twenty-three-year-old Elevation dies of a heart attack. Felix Coetzee is spotted
The Cape Tote attempts to defy South Africa’s strict gambling laws, by offering odds on the World Cup rugby final. After local police threatens to arrest Tote staff, because of complaints received, the Tote unceremonially drops its sports betting options.
Averof dies in the middle of the covering season. He’s the sire of champion sire Foveros, and …
A quiet month and not a great deal to report
Parisian Affair, in foal to Foveros, fetches top price of R400.000 at the Highdown dispersal sale. The buyer is Norman Tilley. Sixty six lots at the sale average R41.000.
Cynics would say “I could have told you that”, when the odds-on favourite gets run over in the bookmaker sponsored Pip James Stakes (WFA).
June 30 – July 6: Pick Six betting hits a new high when Natal punters push the gross pool at Scottsville to a record R2.3 million. Later that week Mighty Crystal and Fast Gun fight out the finish in the Administrator’s Champion Futurity over a mile at Greyville. The outcome of the race is greatly influenced by
June 2 – 8: Interviewed before the Epsom Derby, an unusually confident Michael Roberts bites the dust on Mystiko in the race itself. The grey 2000 Guineas winner is in the lead for about 1800m, simply cantering, then goes out like a light for lack of staying power. The important Derby victory goes to
APRIL 28th – MAY 4th: Daily News racing editor Stewart Ramsay scoops news of South African interest in racing on Madagascar. A group of Natal business people, including Greyville chairman
MARCH 31 -APRIL 6: A full page photograph of Northern Guest and Mick Goss grace the pages of Style magazine’s April issue. The article
Jockey Sutherland weighs in underweight when riding Topica at the Vaal, and gets suspended for three weeks (in May this sentence will on appeal be altered to a fine).
The TAB operations in the Transvaal and Free State are rationalised, and Free State management is taken over by the Transvaal as of this month.
Was the last galloper to win a race on SA soil with a seriously hefty impost Buddy Maroun’s champion Golden Loom, aka ‘Goofy’, who lumbered 65 kgs under Anton Marcus to beat Fov’s Favourite 26 years ago?
The Ndoro Stud-bred son of Wilgerbosdrift’s War Front stallion Fire Away, Alec Laird-trained Fire Attack dominated the 2025 Highveld Feature Season Awards
In the late 80s, South African breeders were highly skeptical of sons of Mr Prospector. The main criticism was that he was ‘a dirt stallion’ and we race on turf
The businessman was served with an interim suspension of his Assistant Trainer licence on Friday afternoon and has spoken out about what appears to be mostly a misunderstanding based on a potential lack of communication and bureaucratic red-tape challenges
