A RACE horse owner will tell you there is no better feeling than leading your horse to the winner’s enclosure.
For some time, the owners weren’t able to that, due to COVID-19 regulations, but they are allowed back now at race tracks around the country.
With the owners back to watch their beloved animals run their hearts out, the noise levels picked up quite a bit at the Fairview track this past Friday.
The frantic support of the owners seemed to lift the spirits of everyone involved and pundits witnessed some fine racing. A few close finishes made certain of a very exciting day’s racing.
The fillies stole the limelight, with some young ones delivering eye-catching performances.
The two-year-old Miss Nibbles made a fine winning debut and is one to keep an eye on in future.
Santa Therese and Colorado Springs are three-year-old fillies with bright futures. Santa Therese was very impressive in winning the Breeders’ Guineas Plate and you don’t want to miss her next race.
She is poetry in motion.
With the jockeys allowed to travel all over the country to participate in race meetings again, the winning chances for the local Port Elizabeth jockeys will start getting less.
One wants to see the country’s best riders in action at Fairview but you also want to see the locals getting their fair share of the pie.
Kendall Minnie is one of the local jockeys who were in top form on Friday.
He rode like a man possessed and was rewarded with two victories and two second places.
It is encouraging to see that Minnie is lifting his game when he gets his chances and the guidance of Gavin Venter, in this regard, can’t be underestimated.
Minnie did duty for the stable of trainer Tara Laing where Venter is the assistant trainer.
As a former champion jockey, Venter is the ideal man to help Minnie to develop his skills even further.
Let’s just hope Minnie will still get enough opportunities to show his mettle when more and more jockeys from outside the province descend on Fairview.
There is still a lot of action waiting at Fairview this month, with four meetings left.
Two big races to look forward to are the Lady’s Pendant (February 19) and the Ibhayi Stakes (February 26).
The chances are good that horses from Cape Town will be visiting for those races, to take on the best in the Bay.
The provincial rivalry always adds a bit more spice to the battle for first place.
Betting on the Fairview meetings, via the internet, has become very popular during the lockdown periods, so open an account and make sure you are not left behind.
