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There is no time to rest at the Fairview race track, as the brand new season starts with a bang on Friday.
Two prestigious races will be part of the first race meeting, and should be an exciting way to get things started.
The focus will be on the Memorial Mile and the East Cape Paddock Stakes, both run over 1 600m.
The Paddock Stakes is the second of three races in the East Cape Challenge, and competition is fierce.
The Breeders Stakes was the first leg of the challenge, and was won by Pedra. The third and final leg will be the Jockey Club Stakes.
August will be a very busy one at Fairview, packed with entertaining meetings. Charity will also be part of the action.
The meeting on Friday, August 11, is the Nomads Charity Race Day in aid of Yokhuselo Haven.
Any business or individual wanting to get involved with the charity drive on the day can contact the Nomads at vc@easterncapenomads.co.za
There is lots to look forward to in the new season, and the 2022/’23 season closed with a wonderful meeting last Friday.
It was the first meeting on the turf track in quite a while after the recent rains forced the action to be kept on the poly surface.
This was just what the doctor ordered, and a good crowd secured that some classy racing would take place in a vibrant atmosphere.
What made things even more interesting and exciting, was that some Cape Town horses made the trip to challenge the local stars, and that the East Cape trainers championship was still in the balance.
Before the start of the meeting, reigning champion, Gavin Smith, was two winners ahead of longtime rival, Alan Greeff.
It looked as though the title race could go right down to the final race of the season, but the Greeff stable had a rare winless afternoon.
Smith took the opportunity to saddle a treble and made sure he is still the champion trainer.
Young trainer, Kelly Mitchey, also enjoyed a very good day and saddled the first treble of her career.
In the two big races on the day the score was one-all, between the Western and Eastern Cape.
The Gold Cup over the challenging distance of 3 200m was won by the Cape Town raider, Top Quality, in emphatic fashion.
In the Champion Juvenile Cup, the same visiting stable of Cape Town conditioner, Justin Snaith, who won the Gold Cup, looked very strong with the promising Underworld aiming at a third win in a row.
That was when Smith and Greeff hit back by filling the first three positions, with Underworld back in fourth.
Smith won with Questor, and the stablemate, Vision Of Wonder, took the third spot. The Greeff-trained, Fairy Knight, ran second.
It will be very interesting to see what Questor, Fairy Knight and Vision Of Wonder can do as three-year-old’s in the new season.
