It is not every weekend in Nelson Mandela Bay when top-class horse racing combines with charity, soccer, fabulous fashion, and lots of family fun.
It will happen this weekend with the Algoa Festival. The highlight will be the running of the East Cape’s biggest horse race, the Jonsson Workwear Algoa Cup, at the Fairview track in Greenbushes, on Sunday.
On Friday it is the Charity Race Day of the Sunshine Coast Eventing Club. The main race at this meeting is the Racehorse Owners’ Association Stakes.
Soccer joins the party on Saturday, with the finals of the Grooms’ Soccer Tournament. Prize money of R9 000 will be up for grabs at the Fairview Soccer Field. There will be polocrosse and fashion, while the kids can enjoy themselves in a special entertainment area.
It will be more of the same, and more, when the gates open at 10:00 for Sunday’s big meeting.
Nine races will be run, but all eyes will be on the big one, the Algoa Cup, over 2 000m. This prestigious race was last won by a local horse way back in 2009.
Jacques Strydom is the last local trainer to have won the Algoa Cup. Since that win by Surfin’ USA, the Western Cape visitors have dominated the premier race of the province.
The local stables are desperate to break the drought of victories and it should be a fascinating race.
For the punters, the Pick Six bet will be the main attraction. The pool for this bet, in which the winners of six consecutive races must be picked, is expected to reach R3 million.
This weekend’s action will get the second quarter of the racing season underway. The first three months of the season have been very interesting and it is no surprise that the top stables of trainers Gavin Smith and Alan Greeff have already made a huge impact.
They have saddled the most winners of any trainers countrywide, and if they keep up this form it will be a truly great season for the two Fairview giants.
Another stable that is catching the eye is that of Strydom. His stable seems to have turned the corner and will be aiming to be in the top five when the East Cape season ends next year, at the end of July.
Fairview in November
- 3: Turf – ROA Stakes
- 5: Turf – Algoa Cup
- 10: Poly
- 17: Poly
- 24: Poly
