Whilst big things are happening in the Northern Hemisphere at York (witness wins by stars Enable, Bataash and Japan), Saratoga in the US and in France, August is typically a low-key month in South African racing. This follows the end of season awards and with horses having an easier time of it upon receiving their
Top trainer Sean Tarry sent out Culture Trip to be second on Thursday earning a figure of 90 behind The Sands. The Pomodoro gelding ran just two days later on Saturday at Turffontein and won a good race over Bien Venue, boosting his speed figure to 96. Punters are not used to handicapping runners
Class droppers have a higher probability of winning than those rising in grade. Punters following that angle honed in on Saturday entries, Prince of Kahal and Wonderwall who were dropping into Pinnacle Stakes after previously competing in much stronger races. The son of Kahal ran two lengths off Pacific Trader and Chimichuri Run in
The 18/10 favourite, Seattle Skyline (s/s 95) won the Flamingo Park mile quite comfortably from Happy Pills (s/s 90) and Phil’s Power (s/s 89). Formerly from Durban, Seattle Skyline has taken readily to the red Kimberley dirt, winning three of four starts there whilst trained by Sarel von Willingh Smit. The universal stat for
With so many fantastic performances from Greyville’s Champions Season Super Saturday meeting, it’s hard to know where to start the highlights reel! Fans saw many of the best horses from around the country competing in the various divisions. Some of the results confirmed the existing thoroughbred hierarchy in South Africa, whilst the pecking order
Kenilworth hosted two Grade 3 races on Saturday. Platinum Class (s/s 96 +, has run over 100 a couple of times) sauntered to a predictably easy win in the Final Fling Stakes. The Silvano filly has won seven of 19 starts with most of her successes coming between 1400 and 1600m but she had
The racing scene was low key this weekend compared to what fans enjoyed at the recent Durban July. International sport was instead where awesome action unfolded with two of the greatest tennis players of all time clashing in another epic. Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 13/12 after the first ever fifth set tiebreaker @
In a dramatic Durban July, Do It Again quickened best from midfield under a perfectly timed ride to snare rival Rainbow Bridge. The son of Twice Over made his move down the centre of the course, just as he did last year when downing Made to Conquer. It was a sterling performance under top
Every now and then a race throws up a result so implausible that punters are left shaking their heads in bewilderment. Dharma’s 50/1 upset victory in the G3 Winter Derby was one such outcome that caught most horseplayers unawares. Beaten nearly four lengths by Nexus in a Maiden contest in January, this one time
Lucky Houdalakis has made a successful transition from jockey to trainer, something that is not simple to accomplish even though both jobs obviously require working with racehorses. Different skills are needed, which the bubbly and jovial but serious- about- his- job, Houdalakis evidently possesses. Based on the Highveld, and only a rare participant in