It is no secret that the Greyville turf track is not in pristine condition. The owners of Abashiri went into the race with their eyes wide open despite having 59,5kgs to shoulder as a 3yo which gave him an exceedingly remote chance that even a person with only a smattering of handicapping knowledge would have known, writes Humpty Dumpty in the Sporting Post mailbag.
This was completely the wrong race for him.
The connections of Legal Eagle scratched their horse for exactly that reason and he only had 1lb more to carry than Abashiri.
For background – read the comments on the Abashiri post July story
Michael Azzie – saddles Easy Lover
Michael Azzie knew this better than anyone, but was clearly pressurised into running a horse through an owner’s desire that “the orange and black will paint Greyville for King Abashiri to make his speech” and “can not (sic) wait for King Abashiri to claim his Greyville kingdom.”
As for a “new July on a new course” pray tell me where is that going to be held?
Right now KZN have two racecourse options viz Greyville and Scottsville and somehow I doubt that the latter mentioned is a viable alternative.
Maybe Adriaan can repurchase Clairwood?
Abashiri – July was the wrong race for him
If Vodacom withdraw their sponsorship through the egotistical bleating of an hysterical owner, then I will be more than a tad surprised.
Does the requirement of 20 horses perhaps have anything to do with the fact that Deputy Jud was number 20 as 2nd reserve?
Deputy Jud finished eighth in Consolation July
As a point of interest he could only finish 8th beaten 7.6L in the consolation race.
At the end of the day, the conditions were the same for all as the Azzman has conceded and racing always has ‘hard luck’ stories – which are part and parcel of the game.
Sometimes though, it is more advisable to be gracious in defeat and to congratulate the victors.
Ingrid & Markus Jooste – deserve the success
Markus and Ingrid Jooste have more than paid their dues to the sport and then some – so all kudos to them, the Brit and to Striker for a great ride.
The July will continue with or without Adriaan and will never be boycotted as it is every owner’s dream to win the coveted prize.
That apart, you need the right horse correctly weighted and that doesn’t include any of the numerous horses-in-training costing mega millions that Adriaan has purchased to date – none of whom have yet won a solitary race between them.
