Coetzee/Strydom/Marcus/Delpech

Everytime I watch a replays package Felix is being interviewed, must have more voyager miles than Zuma

He is riding very well and should continue today, well done Felix.

Strydom is on his way to Dubai and then Hong Kong and will be missed, look forward to him winning on JJ.

Marcus sick the other day, hope he is feeling better.

Anthony fell of a winner on his birthday.

Must say SA produces great jocks

don't stress, just another bunch of millionaires, riding their way to the next million, win or lose.

All of them top jocks, but it is amazing, how they often drop the punters. Makes me wonder if there is an unknown link between jockey and bookie.

Felix is really riding well, I started punting about 14 years ago and never got to really watch felix when he rode for the master T MIllard snr, but everybody tells me he was even better back then, I'd say currently we have a few nice jocks but whaen my dad talks bot roberts, puller, coetzee, leisher, macaskill, lloyd, sutherland, riding in the same meetings during the natal seasons made me wonder how close the finishes were with all these top jocks, does anybody have a nice story to tell us when racing was run by people who loved the game

Badcompany

here is a little story. Many years ago a jockey rode in Natal against all those mentioned, of course those mentioned some were quite young then. He had the hand of a master, the brain of a genius and the will power of a gnat. This guy would arrives on track with a dumpie in his hand the remaining 5 empty on the front seat. Even in his drunk state he would often steal the show and ride masters like puller and rhodes to sleep. He would have 2 /3 winners per meet and celebrate with a dop or 40. His talent for riding racehorses was only surpassed by his talent to drink beer. Sadly as funny as this is it also has a sad part because he could really have been the greatest ever had he not had a drinking problem. BUT then again had he ridden sober he would not have been himself and himself was a pretty cool person. I met him only in later years when he stopped riding but i will never forget him as a jockey and as a party animal In both cases Jimmy Anderson was a legend.

Good post easy, sure he won the July on Big Charles and still has a ride in the harness races in Durban.

scotia Wrote:

---

> Good post easy, sure he won the July on Big
> Charles and still has a ride in the harness races
> in Durban.

So he still drinks and drives....:)o

nice one Greg.................lol

Thanks for your lovely story Bad Company and it took me back to the 70ts when Jimmy Anderson was in his heyday.One of the most balanced riders,he never went for his stick unless it was absolutely neccesary and one of the
best judges of horseflesh you could ever find.If you were a trainer and you had a horse who you thought had potential and you wanted a pointer as to wether you could back it or not just get Jimmy to gallop it for you.Of course you had to weigh your options because Jimmy liked to punt and sadly loved drinking.Alegend he certainly was,he was also champion jockey in Rhodesia for a few yrs

Iknew Jimmy very well and enjoyed many pints with him and had the pleasure of riding with him way back then and heres one story i would like to share with you guys about this legend.When Big Charles won the July for Dr Naude i was riding work at Clairwood and this is where King Charles was stabled and Jimmy was working him on the tracks there.Already a few weeks before the race he told Dr Naude that King Charles who was 33/1 at the time would win the July as he was working like a train and he must go and back the horse and not forget about his present.Iremember having a little bet on him as well.As we all know he went on to win the July at longish odds and on Monday Jimmy turned up for his present and here it gets a bit fuzzy and this is what i heard happened and here i must say i am not altogether sure of my facts but here goes he was handed a cheque for R20000 or so and Jimmy apparently said whats this,i told you to back the horse and tore the cheque up.It was said that he was given a more acceptable present later.Ihope you have enjoyed this little racing tale

really top rider jimmy and i saw him bring home plenty of winners for another great guy in ivan pickering who also enjoyed the occasional drink...the tragedy with jimmy and a lot of these great racing personalities of the past is that once they leave the racing scene they are soon forgotten and they live their lives in poverty much like many great boxers of the past...

pirates,

yes and not only limited to riders. recently in the UK one of the UK's fav sons Ricky Hatton quit boxing and was quickly purchasing more powder than a new born childs mother does. Booze also came into it and a once hero became a zero. Thankfully he has his life back on track now.

This also happens to footballers and other professionals both in sport in in business. Too much time and too much money , when this combination is part of a human with a bit of a self destruct personality coupled with genius and boredom.

Gazza is another example and there are many more. One could even say that Rhys had his problems once he stopped riding.

The phrase "own worst enemy" could have been coined for Jimmy Anderson. He was almost freakishky gifted, imagine if he'd had the work ethic of a Felix Coetzee or a Basil Marcus. He would have been sought after from here to Jupiter.

magic

100% but would he have been the same had he chosen a different path, was the madness of cutting off ones own ear linked to the genius of painting? I am only asking, not condoning his actions , would Jimmy have been Jimmy had he been seeing pastor Mcauley every week and singing kumbaya?

For me growing up, Jimmy was my introduction to racing, he was special and one of the best jocks i have ever seen. His life is a carbon copy of another great jockey, one that has the same ammount of talent , poise and self destruct. Patrick Valenzuela is something to see, but sadly he too has demons.