Be in a rush to congratulate trainer Smith

IF you have not done so yet and you are at the Arlington race course today, be in a rush to congratulate Eastern Cape champion trainer Gavin Smith.

Smith won Africa’s richest race on sand, the Emerald Cup, last Saturday at the Vaal. This was a tremendous feat for the Port Elizabeth stable to travel to Gauteng with the gelding In A Rush and to beat the best horses on sand in the country. It was the first time In A Rush had run on this surface in 23 outings, a truly great job by the Smith stable.

Earlier in the season we also saw trainer Jacques Strydom winning a big race in Kimberley.

There is even a red-light district at the Fairview stables these days to add to the excitement. But before some of you get in a rush to get to this, it is not the district you might be thinking of. The Strydom stable has installed a solarium with red lights and an equine hydrotherapy spa which treats and prevents all sorts of injuries to the horses. This will probably make sure we see the stable star Key Castle on the track for another 10 years!

Turning to today’s action, we have a wonderful meeting to look forward to. The Arlington 1 800 is the main race and the recently crowned East Cape horse of the year, Blaze Of Fire, will be in action. Top horses Astro News (Smith) and Silent Partner (Mitch Wiese) have joined Port Elizabeth stables and are also in the race.

Well done to the jockeys who stuck it out last week in the windy conditions. Hopefully it will be a smoother ride today. Punters’ Pal tips for Arlington: PA R432 3-7-14/2-4-8/4-5/2-6-7/1-2/1-2/9-10 Pick 6 R1350 2-4-8/4-5-10/2-4-6-7-14/1-2-8/1-2/1-5-9-10-14