Piet Steyn’s dire predictions about the future – or rather lack of it – for the Western Cape’s small trainers had already come home to roost for Riaan van Reenen when Steyn issued his heartfelt plea for support of others like him.
The Philippi trainer quietly handed in his licence eight days before Steyn’s Tellytrack interview sent shock waves through the South African racing industry, warning that there would only be a handful of trainers left in Cape Town in a couple of years.
The general public knew nothing about Van Reenen’s surprise decision until he appeared alongside Glen Puller for Fee Ramsden’s interview and explained his position after the Robert Khathi-ridden Celestial Storm had defied top weight in the Interbet.co.za Handicap at Durbanville on Saturday.
Shortly before the race he said to the writer: “I only had ten horses at the end and it just wasn’t financially viable to continue but the writing was on the wall a long time ago. The market has gone to the big trainers.
“I have joined Glen as his assistant so I am no longer in the Premier division but my clients moved over to him. Really, I don’t mind because my health was being affected by the strain. I felt it was either join Glen or get a heart attack and die.”
Van Reenen had been training for almost 15 years and he met with immediate success, winning the Winter Classic, Winter Derby and Final Fling with Sweet Virginia. A Daughters Legacy won the Final Fling twice, the Victress and Ladies Mile and he trained Diana’s Choice to win a string of races including the Olympic Duel before she was sold to race in Dubai. At one stage he had over 35 horses but more recently he went into a training partnership with Carl Burger in an abortive effort to rebuild the numbers.
He said: “I was doing well and I was competitive for a long time yet I couldn’t survive. I ask myself how are those who are not doing well going to manage?”
But back to Saturday’s racing. Surely one of the most informative performances came from Helen’s Ideal who followed up her fifth in the Cape Derby with a convincing win under Aldo Domeyer in the 1 250m Rugby Handicap. “This was prep run for the (fillies) Winter Series,” said Paul Reeves. “The first leg is over 1 400m so I wanted to sharpen her up a bit.”
Unusually the last four races were all won by favourites but for those who believe in following the money the day began disastrously with 13-20 shot Rio Querari run out of it close home by the completely unconsidered 50-1 stable companion Marco Polo who was well handled by Louis Mxothwa.
“This was a big surprise,” said Justin Snaith. “The race didn’t quite go Rio Querari’s way and Richard Fourie found himself in front too soon, while the winner really wants further.”
But the five owners of Marco Polo were understandably delighted. The Pathfork gelding races in the blue, shocking pink diamonds colours of Kimberley-based Suzette Viljoen who has recently gone into horses in a big way and has 22 of them split between yearlings and two-year-olds. This was her first success while the winner is the first horse that farrier Robbie Miller has part-owned.
Eric Sands and Greg Cheyne took the other two-year-old race with 6-1 shot Driving Miss Daisy but it was the performance of runner-up Sanskrift that went into the notebook. The R800 000 newcomer, a full sister to Santa Clara, unexpectedly made the running and was only caught on the line.
Candice Bass-Robinson said: “She is not the biggest but she is strong and the family has quite a lot of speed considering their stout pedigrees. I was pleased.”
By Michael Clower
