I believe it was Roald Dahl who said ‘Those who do not believe in magic will never find it.’ An interesting racecourse encounter made those words ring all sorts of bells in my head last Saturday afternoon, but first there was some racing to be done.
It’s always something of a pleasant shock to drive through the Kenilworth entrance and have the gate staff try and usher you into the infield as it means there’s a bit of a crowd on course. We managed to grab a spot in our usual area, but it was fun to see the colour and activity inside the track. Stand side there were food stalls, face paints for the kids, a Grand West bar area for the grown-ups and cheery bunches of flowers brightening up the tables under the trees.
Inside HQ, Charles Faull and the Thoroughpedia team have set up a mini version of his Heroes project and the history of the Queen’s Plate has been beautifully recreated on the first floor. It’s well worth a visit and deservedly received many admirers during the course of the afternoon.
Another of the Thoroughpedia projects, the Garrett Bar (also on the first floor) has become a firm race day favourite and was buzzing with activity.
Festive atmosphere
Downstairs, the weighing room was swelled with all the extra traffic of visiting jockeys, trainers and assistants and there was a bit of a first day of school air as people exchanged waves and snatches of conversation while rushing from one spot to the next.
One seldom spares much thought for the time and effort it takes to travel horses and raid other centres, so huge thanks to all the visitors who came from near and far to support Cape Guineas day. On course we had big race trainers such as reigning SA champion Sean Tarry, Gavin van Zyl and Mathew de Kock (deputising very ably for his dad and turned out immaculately in a suit and tie). Johan Janse van Vuuren in his blue suit had a wonderfully successful raid with Brazuca and big race stalwart Weichong Marwing, and Duncan Howells’ Garden Province winner, Same Jurisdiction seems to be finding her feet in the Cape. I think some of our jockeys spend more time on aeroplanes than they do in the saddle, and there are seldom any thanks or acknowledgements for the long hours on the road, living out of suitcases and the time away from friends and family. While a number took home cheques and trophies, I just wanted to say thanks to all the jocks (local and visitors) for providing some great racing.
The racing
Sporting – Silver Mountain (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
By the time I bumped into my acquaintance, I’d seen Tar Heel bounce back to best in the Need for Speed Stakes, watched Jackson’s full-brother Heartland stamp his Queen’s Plate entry with victory in the Jet Master Stakes and an epic finish in the Guineas. There was even a bit of a South-easter to hark back to Milnerton days, when the Guineas just wasn’t the Guineas without the Cape Doctor baring its teeth down the Cape Turf Club straight. While I yelled Silver Mountain home as loudly as anyone, she was magnificent in defeat, particularly as the Stipes report noted that she’d been cut into. A courageous effort all round and if it’s not out of turn to say, it was very sporting of the Silver Mountain team to have a go at the colts when they could so easily have chosen to play safe. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, the credit belongs to he who “does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” While there may have been regrets that the filly didn’t quite get there on the day, perhaps we’ve not so much lost a filly as gained a few new favourites to follow for the Cape feature season.
Guineas winner
Top class (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
Noah From Goa could not be described as an imposing individual on parade, but watching him canter down gave an inkling as to what was to come – he clearly does his best work on the move. Post race Anthony Delpech was full of praise for the gangly chestnut, saying “He’s becoming a little star. When he hits the front, he just doesn’t know how to lose.” He was certainly very workmanlike in putting away the opposition, ensuring he had the best part of length to spare over Brazuca and the melee for the minor placings. Having been led into the winner’s enclosure to unsaddle and complete the post-race formalities, Anthony Delpech made me a fan for life by leaving the victory party to run back onto the track and pet ‘Noah’ one more time before he was led back to the stables. Very classy indeed.
When is a big day a big day?
I had two favourites in the Cape Stayers Handicap that I wanted to check on and as I made my way to the rail, I bumped into an acquaintance enjoying some of the day’s hospitality beneath the blue gums. He’s not what one might call a regular race-goer and wore a somewhat bewildered look to prove it. We exchanged pleasantries and he kindly proffered some of his lunch as we chatted. When I asked what had brought him racing, he explained that he’d heard Hassen Adams on the radio on Saturday morning saying that it was supposed to be a big race day and so he’d come down to have a look. As someone used to the crowds and razzmatazz of the big flagship days, he was clearly struggling to reconcile the ‘big’ race day moniker with the scenes in front of him and feeling a little perplexed. “This is a big race day?” he asked uncertainly.
It was an interesting exercise to try and explain that yes, it was a big race day. Huge in fact, in terms of the importance of the result and what happened in the parade ring and out on the track – not necessarily in the stands and hospitality areas. I felt a little sorry for him explaining that there had been grand theatre, more or less from start to finish and that, despite being close enough to touch it, he seemed to have missed it.
Of course, with racing, you need to be in on the secret to fully understand what you’re seeing – you need to know the stories to see the magic. My friend had come down to the track in good faith to enjoy a ‘big race day’, but no-one had explained to him what ‘big’ really meant in a racing context. We’d had grand theatre taking place right under his nose and he’s missed it for lack of information and someone to help him along. It’s a shame really, as here was someone who was genuinely interested and had actually taken the trouble to make their way to the track on one of the most important race days of the year. It seemed rather a pity to have dropped him right at the final hurdle.
Narnia
I was reminded of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series and a scene from The Last Battle where a group of dwarves are thrown through the stable door and on into the magical realm of the real Narnia, but the dwarves could not see it. Despite being in the promised land, all they could see was the dark stable and even Aslan, with the gifts he was willing to bestow upon them, could not convince them otherwise.
All there in one golden afternoon, sandwiched between the pages of the race card were the back-breaking, heart-breaking, wallet-shaking days, months and years it takes to get a horse to the track, the fun of Nassa the grooms’ consortium horse, Andrew Fortune and his amazing story as well as son Aldo Domeyer following in his footsteps and sharing a jockey room and racetrack with him. There were several years’ worth of champion trainers all sharing a parade ring, several champion jockeys, horses that are sons, daughters and half brothers and sisters to past champions, some of which are on their way to becoming champions of the future. All the fun touches of Pocket Power’s Boy Boy Jevu leading out Silver Mountain, that bastion of Cape racing, Mike Bass and the little knot of people that ebbed and flowed around him all afternoon as people came to exchange a few words, touch him on the shoulder or simply draw reassurance from the fact that if he was there, then all’s well with the world.
These are little bits of magic that we take for granted, firstly because we’re surrounded by them every day and secondly because well, people seem to enjoy giving racing a hard time and it’s been a particularly tough year on the PR front. While I was musing on how to get the public to see the good stuff again, it occurred that perhaps simply believing in ourselves before we can start selling it to anyone else might be a good place to start. Because we are magic. And it’s not a question of soft selling or rose-tinting anything, it’s just a question of knowing where to look.
It is good to be reminded of that from time to time. And also to say it.
Merry (insert preferred terminology for the holiday season)
Merry Christmas
As it’s nearing the end of what has been a very long year for some, it seems as good a time as any to say thanks to everyone for all the ups, downs, highs, lows and high drama of the past year. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes considerably more to run racing. To all the guys and girls at the track, the training centres, spelling farms, stud farms, sales staff, grooms, work riders, appies, jockeys, trainers, owners, operators, regulators, vets, farriers, dentists, physios, chiros, transporters, safety crews, camera crews, photographers, media folk and of course each and every punter and person who comes racing and trusts us with your hard earned cash every week. Whether you are celebrating the holiday or not, may I wish all our readers a happy, safe and magical festive season.
