Time to breathe after hectic Sun Met weekend

RACING fans can take a little bit of a breather after the hectic Sun Met weekend in Cape Town.

It was the first Met for the new sponsor and the Kenilworth race course had a slightly different look this time.

The attendance figures might be slightly down from last year as the new sponsor finds its feet, but it was still a wonderful day enjoyed by all.

The racing was of a very high quality and Whisky Baron deserved to win the main race for the Brett Crawford stable.

Many Port Elizabeth cricket fans would have recognised one of Whisky Baron’s owners.

Craig Kieswetter had a stint as wicketkeeperbatsman with the Warriors before retiring from the sport recently.

The South African-born Kieswetter played cricket for England, but said winning the Met meant much more to him than playing international cricket.

He owns the horse that secured the winners’ cheque of R2.85-million in partnership with his brother Ross.

Of course, as always, Fairview in Port Elizabeth started off the big weekend and there were some rough results for punters.

Trainer Tara Laing took the first two places in the Merchants. It was the fourth year in a row that she had won this race and the stable is no doubt a huge factor in sprint races in the Eastern Cape.

After the great weekend everything looked very rosy for South African racing early on Monday morning, until we heard that the Kimberley meeting had been cancelled.

The bus that was supposed to transport some of the officials, jockeys, trainers and owners from Johannesburg to Flamingo Park was not arranged this time.

This was a poor show, something that PE jockey Teaque Gould did not appreciate. He drove from PE to Kimberley for the meeting and had to make his way back home without getting to sit on a horse.

Gould will be in action in today’s main race, the Fairview Mile, when he rides Kiss Me Hardy.

The Cape Town visitor It Is Written looks hard to beat in this race (race 8 of 9).

The filly Victoria Lavelle (race 6) is another visitor that looks like a banker.

Punters’ Pal tips for Fairview: PA R288

7/1-2-3/1-7-8/1/1-2-3-6/2-3/1-5-10-11

PICK6 R1 512 1-2-3/1-3-4-5-6-7-8/1/1-2-3-6-7-8/2-3/1-4-5-7-10-11