There is a saying Ladies and Gentlemen which goes: Horse Racing is a game of Kings and C##ts, the Kings own the horses and the c##ts put money on the horses.
This might sound like a very crass description of a beautiful sport, but any person who knows a thing or two about the game will know that although crass, it is the best description available.
However, this does not deter people from frequenting the track and if I had just one Rand from every single member of the South African Lebanese community who have told me this saying, Id be writing this post from a villa in Belize as opposed to my 4 M x 2 M partitioned off desk in Bedfordview Johannesburg.
Just to tell you how unpredictable this whole game is, my best mate and myself attended Champions Day at the Turffontien Race Course, known popularly to the South African Lebanese community purely as 'The Course', and we liked a few horses in a few races. I am a firm beleiver in the philosophy of life that if you believe in a saying live by it, and I truly believe in the description of the racing game which I gave in the opening paragraph of this post so I never placed so much as a cent on any of the races.
Anyway, we digress. Prior to making our grand entrance at 'The Course' my mate Micheal marked his form guide as to who he liked on the day. In the fifth he fancied a horse by the name of Shea Shea.
Standing at the parade ring just before the fifth race of the day where the horses are paraded before the public prior to their athletic abilities being put to the test, much like the sharmootos in Holland are paraded before the public before their athletic abilities are put to the test, Michael reaffirmed his like for Shea Shea, but asked me what I thought of Val De Ra, What a Winter and Magico.
I wont profess that I am an expert in racing, but I am by no means a mug. I know my fair share about the game and suggested that I cant pick between the four and that the best bet would be a quartet. The horses went down to their markers and the four horses we liked came in.
Neither of us placed the said quartet bet and when the payout result came up on the big screen we worked out that if we had put R100 wins on the said quartet we would have won R7 000! But guaranteed that if I had put a cent on that quartet it would never have arrived.
Another big winner on the day was a filly by the name of Igugu who on the day completed the third leg of the Triple Crown making her one of the best horses, if not the best horse, in the country. It was announced straight after the race that Igugu is being primed for the Durban July. At this news a few of the punters at 'The Course' suggested that it would be race over and that Igugu cant possibly loose the race, but while talking with one of the biggest bullshitting Lebs in the south of Johannesburg last night by his reckoning Igugu will proverbially 'die in the plants' at the final turn at Greyville Race Course come July 2.
Now if I had a single Rand for every time this particular individual told me that his favorite would win a race, not only would I be able to afford a villa in Belize, but also in Cozumel, Nassau and Majorca Spain.
I have always had a fascination with racing. I can remember joining Michael at the course when Horse Chesnut won his Triple Crown, when Pocket Power crushed all hope within the Lebanese community and when the same Lebanese people almost caused a riot at 'The Course' when Wolfs Whistle had a race taken away from him because of an objection.
I also have fond memories of my grandfather telling me about the exploits of July winners Sea Cottage and Tiger Fish and about the epic battle between American racers War Admiral and Sea Biscuit. But by far my fondest memory was attending the 2006 Dubai World Cup where I saw Electrocutionist come from behind on the sand at Nad Al Sheba to record a famous victory.
At the end of the day, the words of Michael's brother Daniel ring very true. After the bullshitter tried to con me into thinking that his horse was going to win this years July Handicap, Daniel said the only way to pick a winner in racing is to look at the horses in the parade ring, watch them go down to the start and then place your bet. But at the end of the day, its all down to luck.
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