ALGOA Cup Day at the Fairview racecourse in Greenbushes has restored its status as one of the best racing days in the country.
After COVID-19, horse racing in South Africa, including the Eastern Cape, had to rebuild but is clearly back in full flight.
Nelson Mandela Bay Racing produced a gem last Friday, when the biggest crowd in many years was at Fairview to enjoy a festive occasion.
Racing was the main reason the crowd was there but even the racing purists would be forgiven if they missed one or two of the nine races because of all the other entertainment.
It was a vibrant, festive carnival atmosphere as racing combined with stunning fashion, a strong charity drive and lots of fun.
The racing did not disappoint, as many of the fancied horses put their best foot forward to ensure that most punters went home with some pocket money.
The big race was the Algoa Cup over 2 000m and it was indeed the thriller it was expected to be.
It was in 2009 that a local Fairview stable last won this prestigious race. Since then, the Western Cape visitors have dominated the race and it was so very close this time.
The East Cape champion trainer, Gavin Smith, must have thought the Cup was coming his way when Jaeger Moon took the lead in the Fairview straight and went for glory, with jockey, Keagan de Melo, in the saddle.
Behind Jaeger Moon, the consistent Cape Town horse, Han Solo, was delivering a strong late run and jockey, Calvin Habib, was waiting patiently for a gap to emerge.
That gap opened up very late but it was in time for Han Solo to slip through near the inside rail to win the Cup for the Glen Kotzen-stable.
Afterwards, Habib said it felt as if he had won the biggest race in the country, as there was such a wonderful vibe at Fairview.
Although just missing out on the big prize, Smith was undoubtedly the star of the day with an absolutely stunning training feat.
He won seven of the nine races on the day, a performance you don’t often see at any race track in the world.
Smith said he arrived at the track thinking he had good winning chances in two of the races but that it was going to be a tough, competitive meeting for his stable.
It turned out to be the best day ever for the stable, and yes, it was almost even bigger.
It might be a bit quieter than the previous meeting when the action resumes this coming
Friday’s action will be on the Fairview Polytrack but the racing will be just as exciting.
I wonder how many races the Smith stable will win.
