Guest Column: Close But No Cigar 21 February, 2013 – Lisa Barrett It was a night of mixed fortunes at Meydan for South Africa’s champion trainer Mike de Kock. Await The Dawn got the stable off to winning ways when he galloped away to an impressive win in the night’s opening race, a 2000m turf…
Val De Ra To Stud 03 May, 2012 – Lisa Barrett In a sad ending to an otherwise glorious racing career, KZN champion mare Val De Ra has been retired from racing. Val De Ra was well below her best in Saturday’s running of the Group One Computaform Sprint, and she began bleeding from her…
Sparkling Jewel: Igugu(AUS) Ready To Take On The World 21 February, 2013 – Lisa Barrett Igugu, the Australian bred super mare who set the South African racing scene alight is now aiming for international fame and glory as she sets her sights on the 2013 Dubai Racing Carnival. Bred by Kia Ora Stud New South…
Its Raining Queens 29 April, 2012 – Lisa Barrett Champion’s day at Turffontein certainly threw racegoers and punters a few curve balls on Saturday…. One of the biggest upsets was in Race 2, the SA Fillies Nursery (Gr.2), where the unraced King’s Temptress going off at odds of 150-1, beat a stellar field of fillies,…
Guest Column: It’s Black Magic! 17 February, 2013 – Lisa Barrett It was all too easy for the super mare from Down Under yesterday, as Black Caviar made it 23 straight wins, when she took the Lightning Stakes (Gr.1) at Flemington on Saturday in commanding fashion, becoming the first mare since 1955 to win it…
Guest Column: ‘Tis The Season Of Love 13 February, 2013 – Lisa Barrett Tomorrow marks two momentous events; firstly it’s Valentine’s Day, and secondly it’s the start of the stallion career of one of the greatest horses of our time, Frankel. In his first season at stud, Frankel will be bursting out of the starting…
Black Caviar Rewrites The Record Books 28 April, 2012 – Lisa Barrett Australia’s wonder mare rewrote the history books today with a breathtaking display in front of a capacity 30 000 plus crowd at Morphettville in Adelaide earlier today. The five year old mare made easy work of the field for the Group One Robert…
Guest Column: Flying To Victory 4 February, 2013 – Lisa Barrett Kenilworth racecourse was witness on Saturday to one of the biggest upsets in racing history, when the overlooked and rank outsider Martial Eagle swooped down to grab the laurels in the Grade One R2.5 million J&B Met. Sent off at odds of 80-1, the…
Lameness Evaluation And Diagnostics 26 April, 2012 – Dr John Hodsdon General lameness evaluation hasn’t changed over the last 100 years, it still requires a thorough and methodical approach with careful palpation and observation being the essence. Modern improvement has come through diagnostic analgesia and imaging which has expanded treatment options. This has allowed us…
The Devil and Val Aiming For The Skies 26 April, 2012 – Lisa Barrett Saturday 28th April will witness one of the most exciting and richest days of racing on the South African calendar. With prize money of over R7 million on offer, it promises to be a thrilling days racing. Two of KZN’s top…