Bass defends PE raiders
WESTERN Cape trainers have hit back at suggestions that they are swamping their Port Elizabeth counterparts with their better class horses and so providing unfair competition.
The Sporting Post website led on Saturday with a piece headlined “Should PE Be Closed To Cape Town Raiders?” and cited an unnamed local trainer commenting on Facebook: “What’s on my mind? They don’t run their horses in Cape Town yet they come to PE by the truckload and steal honey from our pot. Just have a look at the PE nominations. My argument is that they race four-horse fields in Cape Town – they don’t run their horses but will send three trucks to PE.”
Cape Town trainers have increased their raiding parties since the Met, largely because there is an average of only one meeting a week in the mother city during February and March, but last Friday’s Fairview fixture was the final straw for the Facebook writer. Justin Snaith and Candice Bass-Robinson each had two winners and Vaughan Marshall one. Alan Greeff (3) and Jacques Strydom were the only locals to get a look in.
However, Bass-Robinson hit back at the criticism, saying: “In the UK and in Australia trainers travel their horses all over the place. Indeed they do this in countries round the world so why should we be confined to our own back yard? In any case a little bit of competition is healthy.
“Also it’s not just a matter of putting a horse on a float. It costs R6 000 just for the transport of the horse and then there is the flight for the assistant trainer.”
Justin Snaith fully agreed and pointed to the positive effect Cape Town runners have on Fairview Tote turnover. But the Facebook writer will no doubt be tempted to add further comment by the nominations for two of this Saturday’s Durbanville races.
The Fillies Maiden Juvenile has just six entries and the Fillies Maiden only nine. The National Racing Bureau has warned that these races may be cancelled if the numbers declared fall below six and eight respectively.
Before last Saturday Keagan de Melo’s problem with Durbanville was getting his mount’s head in front where it matters. “I’d only ridden here once before,” he related. “And that was last October when I had three seconds who were beaten by a total of less than a length.”
He made up for it this time, firing of a quick-fire treble on Waldorf Astoria for Joey Ramsden, After Glow (Adam Marcus) and the Dean K anne meyer trained Sacred Story.
It was quite a day for 20-year-old Liam Tarentaal. He rode his 30th winner on Eric Sands’ Capacity Crowd and doubled up in the last on the Mike Robinson-trained Fateful.
Both Vaughan Marshall andMJ Byleveld seem to think that Tutorial will step up on his narrow win in the first but the jockey was also impressed by runnerup Mister Various, saying: “We were flying at the finish but the second horse kept coming at me. He must be a nice sort.” –