Power in your pocket! How can anybody not love this race?
Close on 50 000 people will descend on Kenilworth on Saturday for one of South Africa’s greatest racing events. If you love horseracing, you will have a Met memory.
And no matter whether you have never backed a winner and once threw your name away – and maybe even lost a shirt or two over the years – the fifth Saturday of every year always presents an opportunity to change that.
We asked a quintet of seasoned racing men with some 180 track years between them to reflect back.
Here’s what they said – unedited and straight from the heart.
Commentator Nico Kritsiotis – Agony And The Ecstacy
Nico Kritsiotis – painful experience
The year is 2009. I have been told by my kidney specialist before Christmas that my kidney function is deteriorating rapidly and that most likely I will have to start dialysis very soon. I am gutted!
Fast forward to Met week of 2010. I am scheduled to do a panel discussion in Cape Town on the Tuesday evening of Met week and I arrived on the Monday evening in Cape Town, feeling just awful.
But I strongly fancy River Jetez to win – she is Pocket Power’s full sister!
My doctor advises me not to go to Cape Town and now I know why!
The pain is unbearable. I stay in Cape Town for the whole week and am scheduled to do the TV presentation at Kenilworth on Saturday and deliberately wear a bright yellow tie to match the Amm silks to be worn by Glen Hatt who rides River Jetez. I preach to all and she wins at 16/1.
I take my wife out to celebrate and then I know that I am in trouble. Sunday, we have booked the day in Franschoek and my wife drives us there. I am nowhere. Back home on Sunday night and started dialysis on Monday. The rest is history.
The Met has probably been my favourite race day experience in South Africa, as much as I enjoy the July and Summer Cup – it just has that touch of class and gets my vote in a photo finish.
I fancy Jet Explorer for a value place bet on Saturday.
TV Producer Andrew Bon – Parochialism Sucks
Andrew Bon – hail the great horses
The 1995 running was one of my most memorable J&B Mets ever.
The first three to finish all travelled on the same plane – but even more remarkable was the fact that the first 6 horses past the post hailed from the Transvaal, as it was then known, and also Natal.
All of Surfing Home, Waitara (both trained by Tony Millard) as well as Imperial Despatch and Rusty Pelican came from Johannesburg.
The first four Jocks past the post are all legends in their own right, with the Governor Jeff LLoyd denying Muis Roberts, Piere Strydom and Anton Marcus victory. Two up the inside and the 3rd and 4th placed horses down the outside.
I find that the Met is often cast by the Cape trainers as a completely locally dominated race, but at least 1995 was a year when the scales were balanced.
This year, I believe that we have a fairly equitable representation, with all of Louis The King, Killua Castle, Tellina and Gold Onyx, representing Gauteng and Futura, Legislate, Jet Explorer and a few others representing the might of the Cape.
The message is clear – cut the parochialism and hail the great horses – from wherever they come.
Tipster Philip Goldberg – On The Map With A Met Rush
Philip Goldberg – lifetime of passion
In the 1970’s I was in Primary school and fondly remember the likes of Yataghan, Sledgehammer and Politician.
I started attending the race from 1984.The late Martin Futeran was a man that loved life,racing and a good party – and his picnic site was an occasion for all.
If the favourite arrived, Martin would give us a wry smile and quietly indicate that he’d ‘got the lot.’
Mark Anthony and Empress Club were great romping victories to watch.
In 1994 my good friend Alan Amler had Eli’s Truth running. At a stable function the night before Peter Kannemeyer said he would win the race.
Unfortunately I was blinded and didn’t even consider the stablemate, Pas De Quoi, the eventual winner. In 1999 I saw Horse Chestnut. He was possibly the best.
In 2001 I went as a guest of Sambou Bank. The day before, the late Jannie Roos moved house for me. At the end of the day he gave me R100 back from the R400 I paid him and begged me to put it on Bunter Barlow.
I sobered up quickly as Bunter passed the post the winner,and I never placed the bet.
In 2005 Alastor won for Sean Tarry – to quote a household name in Jockey Garth Puller: “When the bookies saw the age of the horse, they priced him 25-1.When they saw the age of the jockey, they doubled it to 50-1!”
The year 2006 saw a plan come together for Bruss and Zebra Crossing.Then we had the Pocket Power era.
In 2011 my friend from nursery school, Dan Katz, assistant to Darryl Hodgson, preached Past Master from November. The horse let us down badly in the Queen’s Plate, so we never touched him. He landed up winning the Met at 20 – 1, as he liked.
Personally I was happy to win R10 000 in all-ons for small money with Punta Arenas placing last year.
For Saturday, I feel the top horses are better than the rest and would be surprised to see the likes of Louis the King,Futura and if he runs, Legislate, being challenged at all.Tellina is my roughie.
WCBA GM Dean Finder – “I Can’t Believe It!”
Dean Finder – running commentary!
I go back about 4-5 years when I stood at the Met as an on-course Bookmaker.
Tellytrack had been beaming Mauritius racing for a few years and at the time we were ‘privileged’ to listen to the commentaries of the charismatic Shan Ip – surely one of the most colourful and opinionated commentators on earth!
He walked up to my cubicle to place a bet and I recall giving him very good odds for his bet. As I issued his ticket, the jovial atmosphere and festive spirit saw the large crowd around my cubicle break out into a loud rendition of Ip’s familiar commentaries, including his standard phrases – eg ‘I can’t believe it!”
The crowd, obviously die-hard regulars enjoyed the banter and fun and raucous laughter could be heard above the din.
But I guess Shan didn’t enjoy the South African humour as that was the last we saw of him on Met day!
My selection for Saturday: 1. Louis The King 2. Futura 3. Arion 4.Legislate
ABC’s Dave Scott – Sobriety And Service
Dave Scott – sobering politics
My memories of the race are a bit vague and admit I had to google a Sporting Post article to shake the old brain cells – but will never forget Politician winning his second Met in 1979.
His finishing burst of speed was something to behold!
Pocket Power’s treble was also something special and will possibly never be matched especially with the doors opening on the International front.
Other winners that stick out for me would be Wolf Power in ‘84, Model Man in ‘87, Empress Club in‘93, Horse Chestnut in ‘99 (Wow!) and of course my biggest win on Igugu in 2012.
My only bad memory was trying to get served in the owners and trainers when I almost finished the day sober – I can’t remember the year but service has improved since then.
On Saturday, I am with Strydom and Louis the King!
