Duel Gr1 winning sprinter Bull Valley was last night voted Horse of the Season at the annual KZN Racing Awards. The awards ceremony was held at a glittering function at the Elangeni. The awards honour the performances of KZN based and trained horses during South Africa’s Champion Season, the exception being Horse of the Season was open to all comers.

The full list of awards were:

Best performance by a Two-Year Old Filly: Lady In Black

Best performance by a Two-Year Old Colt/Gelding: Sand And Sea

Best performance by a Three-Year Old Filly: Sail

Best performance by a Three-Year Old Colt/Gelding: Secret Captain

Best performance by an Older Horse: Ten Gun Salute

Best performance by a Sprinter: Sand And Sea

Best performance over Middle Distance: Ten Gun Salute

Best performance by a Stayer: Mr Winsome

Horse Of The Season: Bull Valley

Groom of the Season: Mandilakhe Mtwesi

KZN Champion owner by stakes: Mayfair Speculators

KZNOTA Owner of the Year (KZN-based by stakes earned): Roy Moodley

KZN Champion Jockey (Most wins in KZN): Anthony Delpech

KZN Champion Apprentice (Most wins in KZN): Eric Ngwane

KZN Campion Breeder of the Year (Most stake won in KZN): Klawervlei)

KZN Champion Trainer (Number of wins trained in KZN): Duncan Howells

Anita Akal Special Award: Doug and Di Campbell

KZN Racing Personality Of The Year: Deez Dayanand

NHRA Long Service Award: Julie Wilson

Ride of the Season

Bernard Fayd’Herbe – Marinaresco (Vodacom Durban July)

Objections in horseracing are a hoary chestnut and have been for time and memorial. But just how objections are ruled on will always be subjective no matter the rules as inevitably it is a situation that will have grey areas. Over the years these rules have been revised and changed depending on the flavour of the day but in the final analysis no hard-and-fast rules can apply and as the current rules stand, it is up to the Objection Board to make a judgement call.

Needless to say, each incident will be viewed in a different light by different people but the final say lies with the Objection Board constituted to view the incident and make a ruling.

The issue raised its head again at Scottsville on Sunday where Keagan de Melo’s (Silent Obsession) protest against Warren Kennedy (Ideal Winter) was over ruled by the Objection Board although not all were happy with the decision to over-rule.

The official Stipendiary Stewards report read as follows:

1. SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo) was hanging in over the final 500 metres.
2. IDEAL WINTER (W Kennedy) was hanging out in the final straight, shifted out near the 150 metre mark inconveniencing SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo). Thereafter IDEAL WINTER (W Kennedy) shifted out near the 100 metre mark brushing SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo). IDEAL WINTER (W Kennedy) and SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo) brushed shortly before the finish.
3. A race review was called by Mr D Howells, trainer of SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo) which was followed by an Objection lodged by Jockey K de Melo, rider of the second placed horse SILENT OBSESSION against the winner IDEAL WINTER (W Kennedy) on the grounds of interference in the latter stages. The Objection Board after hearing all the evidence including the distance of an increasing half a length between these two horses at the finish was of the opinion that despite the incident complained of, SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo) would not have beaten IDEAL WINTER (W Kennedy) and therefore over-ruled the Objection, refunded the deposit and allowed the Judge’s result to stand.
4. Jockey W Kennedy signed an admission of guilt for a contravention of Rule 62.2.7 in that as the rider of IDEAL WINTER he failed to ensure that he did not cause interference to SILENT OBSESSION (K de Melo) in the closing stages. A warning was imposed.

The current rules concerning to interference reads as follows; the pertinent clause highlighted in bold:

68.2.6     bumping, boring, crossing, jostling or other interference, intimidation or any other action on the part of the HORSE or its RIDER during the running of the RACE;

69.3     When an OBJECTION is lodged in terms of RULE 68.2.6. the OBJECTION shall not be upheld unless the OBJECTION BOARD is satisfied that:-

69.3.1     a placed HORSE was interfered with by another placed HORSE and/or its RIDER during a RACE and the HORSE which was interfered with would, but for the interference, have finished ahead of the HORSE which caused the interference, in which event, the OBJECTION BOARD shall place the HORSE which caused the interference behind the HORSE which was interfered with or it may disqualify the HORSE which caused the interference;

69.3.2     any HORSE in the RACE was interfered with by any other HORSE and/or its RIDER and as a result of which the chances of the HORSE interfered with were jeopardised, the OBJECTION BOARD may, if it believes that the nature of the interference warrants such action, disqualify the HORSE which caused the interference.

69.4     For the purposes of RULE 69.3, a placed HORSE shall mean any of the HORSES placed in the first five to finish the RACE by the judge.

In other words, if the Objection Board feels that no matter the severity of the interference, they feel that the offender would have won no matter the interference, the result stands. They have to make a judgement call.

By Andrew Harrison

Tyrandeus can get punters off to a winning start in the opening Itsarush.co.za Maiden at Kenilworth tomorrow after running so well on debut earlier in the month.

Starting an unconsidered 20-1, he ran on well in the closing stages like a certain future winner to beat all except Captain Falcon in a field of 14. Maybe it wasn’t a strong maiden but it was an eye-catching performance.

“I hadn’t galloped him – I just chucked him in but he ran very well,” recalls Candice Bass-Robinson who cautions: “He is going to need ground.”

A bigger problem could be the colt’s 19 draw. The going on the outside and middle of the sprint course has been slower than the inside in recent weeks and last Saturday the penetrometer showed a 2% advantage for those racing on the inside. In terms of lengths that amounts to a lot over 1 200m but over half the field are newcomers so the in-form Aldo Domeyer may be able to take advantage of their inexperience and tack across without too much difficulty.

Many of the old faithfuls go again in the Tab Telebet Handicap but Strathdon is the youngest horse in the race and is improving so he may be able to defy the three points the handicappers gave him for last month’s win over a furlong further. The bookmakers certainly think so and World Sports Betting opened him 12-10 favourite yesterday with Domeyer’s mount Waiting For Rain next best at 2-1.

In race three, the Tabonline.co.za Maiden, Domeyer may win again on Poetry. This one has a reasonable draw and showed plenty of promise first time in a good race. She was just over three lengths third but the second, third and eighth have all won since.

She is favourite at 33-10 with her main market rival being 7-2 shot Township Melody who drops back from her second over 1 400m a fortnight ago. “I felt that was a bit far for her,” explains Justin Snaith. “She is doing very well at home. It’s just the 18 draw – she is going to have to come across.”

Also worth considering is Fresnaye (4-1) even though the Joey Ramsden filly has been off for over four months. She ran well against older horses on debut that day and is well drawn.

At Long Last has been off the course for more than six months but he might be worth a few rand each way at 14-1 in the last as Andre Nel explains: “He was relocated from Durban and had to spend 40 days in quarantine in George. He might find the trip a bit short but he is doing well and he could run a big race.”

By Michael Clower

The new Durbanville surface was given a unanimous thumbs-up by the jockeys yesterday but the course’s reopening has been put back a fortnight to September 23 when it will stage the Settlers Trophy.

Phumelela boss Clyde Basel, after having a lengthy meeting with trainers, jockeys, owner representatives and officials, said: “There is now a wonderful future for Durbanville but the consensus is that we should give the grass two more weeks and return to racing here on September 23.

“We will then stage seven consecutive meetings at Durbanville while the three scheduled fixtures prior to September 23 will now be run on the winter course at Kenilworth.”

Justin Snaith provided six horses for the testing of the resurfacing and Bernard Fayd’Herbe, after partnering The Barry Burn in a 1 300m spin with Fake News (Anthony Andrews), said: “The course is awesome and is probably now one of the better tracks in the country.

“You would be able to stage big races on it and going through the first corner with its camber I felt that it is going to be so much better than it was.”

Snaith incidentally, said that the social media-hyped Fake News will make his long-awaited debut next month.

Aldo Domeyer, after riding Talitha Borealis in a similar spin with Lightning Trail (Grant van Niekerk), said: “At this point in time the course feels a bit superior to Kenilworth. The surface is smooth, it turns well and in the straight you can put your horse anywhere.

“It should make for fairer racing but it feels very firm and how tough it is I don’t know.”

Dean Diedricks, who has master-minded the resurfacing programme, was adamant that there is no question of opening up the course for weekly gallops in the immediate future. Most of the trainers agreed with this but some of them felt that the recommencement of racing should also be deferred.

Greg Ennion, speaking in advance of the meeting and its decision, said: “The course really needs the whole of September with the sun on it. It would be OK to race once a fortnight but we would be back where we started if we staged all ten scheduled meetings.”

The trial was much better attended than most people expected – although the racecourse thoughtfully laid on plenty of refreshments – and other trainers present included Candice Bass-Robinson, Vaughan Marshall, Glen Kotzen, Andre Nel, Paddy Kruyer, Riaaan van Reenen, Mike Robinson, Andries Steyn and Dan Katz.

Richard Fourie rode in the trial and Racing Association boss Larry Wainstein took an early flight from Johannesburg to watch it. Others present included senior stipe Ernie Rodrigues (“In time it will be magnificent”), Derek Brugman, Darryl Hodgson, Karl Neisius and NHA vet Lauren Brewis while the media representation included a Tellytrack broadcasting team.

The new-look racing surface has taken ten months to complete and involved removing the original turf, levelling out the old ridge and furrow, cambering or cross-falling the bends and replanting with a kikuyu-grass sod purchased already fully grown.

By Michael Clower

An ”absolute gentleman” was the common thread when the shocked racing community reminisced about the late Alec Forbes, who passed away in hospital of pneumonia in the early hours of the morning last Thursday having ridden a winner at Scottsville just hours earlier.

The hearts of all in the industry are with his wife Lezeanne and their young son Zac and also with his older offspring Jordan and Savannah.

Summerveld trainer Lezeanne sent out the Querari gelding Warfarer to win on Sunday at Scottsville and in an emotional moment in the winner’s enclosure jockey Tristan Godden spoke for many when pointing skywards and saying, “This one is for Alec.”

Forbes was clearly a dedicated horseman with a strong work ethic and will be a big loss to racing.

He would have made it in any walk of life as an enquiring mind who was an avid reader and his books and periodicals were his regular companions between races in the jockey’s room.

His riding agent of eleven years Rob Champion was particularly hard hit by the news, especially as he had spoken to him the previous evening and congratulated him on his winner. He said, “We have always been close friends, he was more like a son to me. He was always very honourable and straight shooting, the nicest guy you will ever meet, a total gentleman, the quieter type of gentleman, and an absolute pleasure to work for.”

Forbes had fine associations with the two leading KZN yards, Summerveld’s Dennis Drier and Ashburton’s Duncan Howells.

Drier said, “We had a great partnership over the years. He was an absolute gentleman, he wasn’t scared of work and did me proud with both Beach Beauty and Val De Ra. It is very sad and he is a big loss to the jockey ranks and to racing.”

Forbes rode the champion Beach Beauty to victory in two Grade 2s and a Grade 3 and to two seconds in Grade 1s.

He rode the champion sprinter Val De Ra to victory in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint, the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship and the Grade 2 Southern Cross Stakes.

Jockey Karl Neisius recalled that Cape Flying Championships, “I was drawn wider on What A Winter and dropped in behind Val DE Ra, but she kicked again and was too good. Alec was a fantastic guy, a total gentleman and down to earth, you couldn’t meet a nicer guy, it is very sad for the family.”

Howells said, “I knew Alec more on a professional level than a personal one and he was very workmanlike and I had a great amount of respect for him. He was always on time, he put a lot of effort into the work. He performed very well for us.”

Forbes also formed a good partnership at one stage with veteran Summerveld trainer Alistair Gordon.

Gordon said, “It was a huge shock too all of us. I had an awful lot of time for Alec, he was an exceptionally hardworking guy, a true gentleman of the sport and a really good guy, he was top-class.”

Jockey great Anton Marcus also spoke highly of his KZN-based colleague. “He was a great guy, a gentleman of the jockey room and is sorely missed.”

Greg Cheyne was in the same year as Forbes at the South African Jockeys Academy and said, “I am also good friends with his step-brother Paul Devlin, so am lost for words. Alec was a top bloke, quiet and humble and he would just go about his business. I don’t think he had any enemies, he was one of the good guys. I have fond memories of him in our time at the Academy. He was an accomplished rider. When he rode good horses he rode them well and took the chances which came his way. He was still under achieved. But this is more about him as a person. He will be absolutely missed, I can’t say enough about him. He was greatly respected by all of his colleagues.”

By David Thiselton