This season’s Sun Met gallops have been scrapped – much to the relief of several of the trainers.
The R5 million race closes on 10 January and the published conditions contain the usual stipulation that “all runners participate in public gallops scheduled for Thursday, 18 January, failing which the horse may be declared ineligible to run.”
But Kenilworth duty manager Teresa Esplin said yesterday: “The trainers don’t want these gallops which are a bit close to the race but also we are doing this in the best interests of the horses. Every time you travel them to the racecourse you are putting them at risk and some of them can get stirred up.”
More and more trainers have been working horses on their own so that they do not over-exert themselves. And, although these gallops have become increasingly popular with the public, the performances have been more and more difficult to assess with no second horse with which to make comparisons.
Justin Snaith, one of the biggest critics of the gallops, said: “This is the best news I’ve heard all year. Apart from anything else nine days beforehand was too close to the race. Indeed if people want to see the horses gallop they can see them in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate as many of them also take part in that.
“Making the gallops mandatory was a bit like saying to everyone in the Comrades Marathon ‘we also want to see you run nine days beforehand.’”
The draws, normally done straight after the gallops, will now be done at a function later on 18 January during the Kenilworth racemeeting which has been transferred from the previous day.
The meeting on Wednesday 29 November will also be run on a Thursday. France Galop, a significant contributor to Tote turnover in South Africa, requested the switch to the 30th and for the card to be increased in size so that French punters have something to watch and bet on early in the afternoon and in the evening. There will now be 11 races (assuming they can all be filled!) on the card.
* Snaith ended a run of 40 consecutive Cape Town losers when Richard Fourie got 13-2 chance Sassy Lady up in the last two strides of the Play Soccer Handicap at Kenilworth.
He said: “We are still high on the trainers’ log but it was all getting a bit annoying because it’s been hard finding races for a lot of our horses.
“Nothing in training horses is ever plain-sailing. There is a lot of hard work involved and you need things to go your way.”
Sassy Lady cost only R30 000 and is owned by a syndicate headed by long-term stable patron Eddie Powell. She will now be aimed at the $500 000 CTS 1200 on Met day.
By Michael Clower
