In the extremely hot and humid conditions we have been experiencing in Nelson Mandela Bay, it was even more noticeable how much race horse trainers care for their beloved animals.
It was terribly hot at the Fairview Race Track last Friday and all the stable employees had to work extra hard to keep the horses comfortable.
Although it was sweaty work, all were up to the task, because love of those thoroughbreds is what got them involved in the sport of horse racing. Some of the more experienced jockeys described it as the “hottest day ever at Fairview” and it was hard work for everyone involved with the meeting.
It was a job well done, if you consider that strict COVID-19 protocols also had to be followed, under the guidance of Doctor Jan Lapere.
One almost never spots champion trainer Alan Greeff without a jacket and tie at a race meeting, even in the hottest of conditions.
And yes, last Friday that rare moment was witnessed when Greeff moved around without his jacket (just for a while), the bright yellow tie still around the neck.
With more and more ex-Kimberley trainers joining the ranks at Fairview after the closure of the racing centre in the Northern Cape, it was interesting to hear that the Fairview heat was, at least last Friday, even more challenging than the conditions in the Diamond City.
Trainer Jarett Rugg said that the humidity in the Bay, or Kimberley by the sea as he calls it, makes it more difficult to deal with the conditions.
The racing was just as hot with both Fairview tracks, turf and poly, in great shape and running very fast at the moment.
With the jockeys allowed to travel to any meeting in the country, the local Port Elizabeth jockeys have to pull out all the stops to get the lucrative rides and get to the winners’ box.
They showed that they are up to the task with local boy, Teaque Gould, the only rider to bring home more than one winner on the day.
Some of the top Cape Town stables are eyeing the prize money in the big PE races and will be descending on Fairview to take the spoils.
This Friday sees the running of the Lady’s Pendant, a race over 1 200m for fillies and mares.
On February 26 and March 5, the focus will be on the best three-year-olds, when the Ibhayi Stakes and Breeders Guineas will be the respective feature races.
Meetings are still taking place behind closed doors (owners of the competing horses may attend) but racing fans can follow the action on DStv channel 249.
