@Sebastianchabal

Got these two tips for today's Vaal meeting.

Look it's just a laugh, I'm not even sure how good the tips are even though I ventured some small bets.

R6 - #7

R8 - #5

GL if u having a go.

Denny, I do not follow and have bets on regular race meetings any more...only feature races like the July, Met, Gold Cup and other occassional feature races.

But thanks nevertheless. Many years ago I had interest as I'm very fond of horses and grew up with them and rode them on the farm and mixed in horsy circles but over the years my interest has faded. A have a friend Paddy (Patrick) Wynne, a great guy who used to ride but now has retired and teaches young jockeys at the Summerveld Academy in Shongweni who was a reasonable jock...his claim to fame was a Durban July in 1987 (Jamaican Rumba) and at one stage I knew Kevin Shea and his wife Kim and socialised a bit with them but jockeys on the whole are a strange bunch.

Once I was a fanatic and devoured books on great horses and the breeders periodicals.

But racing today has somewhat lost it's class and style. Gone are the Politicans, Sea Cottages,Wolf Powers, In Full Flights and Hawaiis.

Horses are my favourite animal and I guess it lead me into racing. I'm not a big punter and I only punt on horse racing, it gives me a buzz and takes up most of my Saturdays. Love the G1 races and I see  a challenge in picking the winner. A few years ago wifey and I sat in a marquis at Flemington racecourse on Melbourne Cup day......that was special. We'll definitely do it again.

There's a race on this Saturday named after super mare Winx, the Winx Cup, she'll be racing in it, if she wins she'll eclipse super mare Black Caviar's unbeaten record.....Mike's family friend is riding the hot colt Kementari.....he has a blistering turn of foot over 1200 meters, the race is over 1400 metres and with weight advantage it's hard to go past Winx. That said silly me will have a buck or two on Kementari. Please try and watch the race if you can.

BTW I was a still a snot nose living in Cape Town when the great Sea Cottage dead heated with a horse called Jollify in the July Handicap. There was a plot to put Sea Cottage out of the race by someone who shot him in the thigh 6 weeks prior to the race. I remember the great jockey Bertie Hayden as well who rode for super trainer Syd Laird. Another great horse was Colorado King.

Interesting Denny...thoroughbreds are beautiful athletes and things of beauty although I also admire Arabs and Boereperde ...a lovely SA cross that makes a good riding horse, very strong on it's legs with endurance power, lovely to ride in the mountain terrains of the Drakensberg...a friend of ours breeds them in the Rhodes/Barkly East district.

The most perfect racehorse was Secretariat (still holds the fastest time on sand/dirt tracts in USA)

His brother too also sired Sir Ivor which was one of the best Irish horse and way up there.

And the best looker too also Man of War although some say Sea Biscuit but it's hard to judge...Sea Biscuit was phenominal for his size with an incredible burst of speed.

Yes in the SA context Colorado King was one of the best and there must be a little confusion in selecting the best.

There have been so many..R ed Rum springs to mind but so does War Admiral, although Secretariat took him to the cleaners in the Triple Crown.

The best SA sire was Persian Wonder...his progeny was excellent and produced many winners and he was still siring good horses when he was 21 years old.

Talking about Australian racing is David Payne still training there...he was a good trainer here in SA and a very good jockey before he got overweight.

David Payne is a  trainer in my hometown, Sydney. He is not having a great deal of success, however, he had a G1 win last year with a horse called Criterion. 

SAFFA Jockeys currently riding in Oz

Jeff Lloyd - Queensland champion jockey.

Robbie Fraad and Mark Du Plessis - both up in QLD

Glynn Schofield - Sydney

his son  served his apprenticeship in Oz but is riding over in Hong Kong