With his string having grown to 25 and some nineteen months down the line, the coronavirus pandemic has shown that in life one can’t always plan for absolutely everything!
“I’m more nervous when running my first 2yo’s of the season than saddling the odds-on favourite for the Queen’s Plate! You know in 70 odd seconds if it’s going to be all duck or no dinner for the next 12 months – or worse!”
While Justin Snaith says that his runner in the first is a ‘smart colt and if not too green, he will go close…’
The 41 year old Piet Botha who made a comeback to the saddle in April 2017 after a five year absence, rode his last winner as a professional jockey at Kenilworth on Saturday
Piet Botha made a return to Greyville on Saturday and found himself unceremoniously dumped on the turf in another race that was scrappy in the final stages
An inspired moment at Christmas lunch last year with his family led to 40 year old retired Cape jockey Piet Botha launching a comeback to the saddle
“After knowing little else and riding for years, one tends to accept the jockey’s lifestyle of relative freedom and days off as a reality. Things like sitting in rush-hour traffic, business meetings, budgets and cash-flows don’t really matter.”
Cape racegoers of an older generation will remember the fine racemare Boland Pride, who counted what is now the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas amongst her eight victories
