THERE must be horse racing in Nelson Mandela Bay on every public holiday.
That’s the wish of everyone attending last Friday’s Women’s Day meeting at the Fairview track in Greenbushes.
Racing at Fairview takes place every Friday afternoon, but it is not often that it coincides with a public holiday.
Women’s Day gave the Fairview ladies, Gail Rieder and Marilyn Smith, the opportunity to create a great racing experience for everyone, but especially for the women.
Champion trainer, Alan Greeff, enjoyed a wonderful meeting, winning four of the eight races, but he was even more impressed by the vibrant atmosphere at Fairview.
“It was lovely to see so many people at the track. The Bold Silvano Room was packed and I’m sure everyone had an enjoyable day,” Greeff said.
It will probably be a little quieter at the next Fairview meeting this coming Friday. Racing will be on the turf this time, after this past Friday’s meeting on the poly surface.
The action will return to the poly on Friday the 23rd, and it won’t just be any poly meeting. That will be the start of the annual Poly Challenge which is run over three legs.
The first leg is over 1200m and the Western Cape stables of trainers, Justin Snaith and Glen Kotzen, have indicated they are interested in contesting this battle.
Racing fans love the Poly Challenge, and that first leg should not be missed.
August is a fantastic month for racing in the Bay, and there are still four meetings to go. The last August meeting will be on the 30th when the Jockey Club Stakes top the bill.
Those are important dates for local racing fans to jot down, and another one is September 7.
The annual East Cape Awards evening will then be held, and the big discussion will be around which equine star will be named the Horse of the Year.
This past season was yet another successful one for the stables of Greeff and Gavin Smith, and their horses should bag most of the awards.
To name the Horse of the Year won’t be easy. There is no standout, but there are a handful of horses who would be worthy winners.
Let the discussion begin!
