THERE should have been a sign at the Fairview horse racing track at the start of last Friday’s meeting.
No, I am not referring to a sign that would have warned us against the extreme heat on the day but rather a sign to indicate there is a genius at work.
If that sign were put out there, more people would have noticed who the genius at work was.
It was the East Cape champion trainer, Gavin Smith, with the help of his team of course, that did incredible work on a tremendously hot afternoon.
There have been even bigger days for Smith this season but this past Friday was another special meeting for the champion stable.
To win four out of the eight races at that meeting, including the feature on the day, took a huge effort in the heat.
It was a real masterclass in horsemanship to watch Smith and his team operate. In extreme conditions like that, the welfare of the horses requires extra care.
Even in those conditions, Smith’s horses looked the part, most of the time looking much better than the stable employees who were soaked in sweat while putting in the hard yards to keep the stable ticking over. The cherry on the cake for Smith was winning the feature race and in the process he reached yet another milestone.
The feature was the race for the Founders Trophy in which Ferrari Ice got the better of some very strong opposition.
This was not only the fourth win for Smith at the meeting but it was also the stable’s 50th winner of the season.
Smith certainly wasted no time in getting to 50 winners since the start of the current season in August.
Only one other trainer in the country, Cape Town conditioner Justin Snaith, has managed to saddle 50 winners in the season.
While Smith is dominating proceedings in the Fairview training ranks, the race for the jockey title is wide open at this stage of the season.
It will be worth keeping an eye on this battle as the season progresses.
For now, Luyolo Mxothwa (29), S’manga Khumalo (24) and Richard Fourie (23) are well positioned to challenge for the crown.
While Smith and co were slugging it out in the heat last Friday, the festive activities were in full flow upstairs in the Bold Silvano Room.
It is that time of the year when some companies take time out to combine horse racing with year-end partying, although last Friday’s meeting wasn’t an easy day for punters to make some money.
This coming Friday is a public holiday and we should see another festive afternoon (entry is free) at the races.
The meeting of eight races starts at 12:40.
