No room for CT in KZN?

I understand all that. I just think it's wrong, especially when you bring owners into the equation. They can and do race horses outside of their home province all the time. Indeed, even I as an owner (either in my individual capacity or as part of Hollywood) have at some time had horses trained in every province including Zimbabwe and now defunct Bloemfontein - while living in Durban the whole time.

I don't agree with protectionism in any form in any business, but if we have to have it let's make it about the trainers only. Some owners change trainers (and provinces) faster than you can change shoes, so I repeat that in this instance they amount to an unneccessary complication in defining who supports what.

However, I am once again with Pirates on this. Give the visiting trainers X boxes (it's not like there's hundreds of empty stables) and leave it to their common sense to decide what belongs in KZN and what doesn't. KZN is becoming a hot property again after years in the relative doldrums. The Western Cape is very hard to win races in and for now at least the stakes are shit, while more and more people would rather live outside of Gauteng (where racing is going backwards, if you ask me) than in it, which leaves us.

That makes it tough to be competitive in KZN at any time of year, but that's how free markets work. Maybe we should just have more meetings in Durban, especially in the winter - or is that being too obvious?

i remember not long ago when aparthate was accepted by all. all whites. so this i am ok jack because i race horse in natal is bullshit

Why did MDK & CL leave Phum for GC, they were both successful in Gauteng. The 'money' is in Gauteng so they must have been very disillusioned with Phum because GC also has its warts, just like CT.

Ok Hibs - cleared. no attacks on anyone(tu)

fuck sake (td)

Flash Harry Wrote:

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> i remember not long ago when aparthate was
> accepted by all. all whites. so this i am ok jack
> because i race horse in natal is bullshit

so as you see it giving natal based trainers preference in a maiden plate race in their domiciled province is akin to the apartheid system?? interesting....completely off the wall but interesting

Right Prerogative got into the race at the expence of Silver Tally who Millard really rated as his better July 3yr old candidate....co-owner of the winner- Brian Sylvester lost his shoes on the soggy track when leading him in....

Maybe GC should raise the merit rating allowed straight into a race here to 86 to help keep their races going there in CT?

No one from CT is going to take a mediocre horse to Durban knowing it will battle....it's expensive to travel and they charge more for "away" keep.....trainers fly up and down ,grooms get paid an extra allowance etc.....it still sure seems that Durban aren't too excited to welcome visiting trainers with open arms!

We do enjoy them with their good horses Hotline.Just like VDR and a few other raiders really made the Cape season so will the Cape top horses make ours. The raiders from Jhb and Ct for the feature races here are a huge part of making it the biggest and best season in the country.

Noted....from Jhb way easier...jump on a truck...race...go home....from CT a very different ballgame......seen many a horse go to Durban and never aclimatise......seen many go and love the change.....
I think the big problem is the way in which the allocations are handled,all we hear is "they wont give us boxes" or "now there are restrictions on who we can take up to dbn".....if all the cape trainers have a clear idea upfront then it should run a lot smoother.

They do know that they can bring what they want but it will be more dificult to get runs for horses with a merit rating of 78 or under. We would rather have more trainers from CT here with all the better horses rather than less.Some horses have been coming for a holiday out of your Cape winter and maybe race once or twice in some ordinary race just to earn some stakes and were not really coming to run in the big features.