My memories of SA racing

I have forgotten many a horse name that has raced in SA, but 2 names I will never forget as they are the reason I still punt is Space Walk and Classic Flag. Maybe not the best to have graced our shores, but the 2 that ill never forget...

Lovely thread, and I will also add my 5c worth... Incidentally, its a story I was reminding my dad off last night.

Back in the early 90s, Clairwood racecourse was my home every Saturday. I was 6 years old at the time. Dad would drop me off at the childrens play den area where I eventually became a master of the coin fed video games and colour in competitions.

Now back then, we were still under the apartheid regime, so the owners and trainers were kept very far away from the general public punters. However, in the childrens play pen, it was another story. We were all buddies and played together, flying off jungle jims and going crazy!

I am indian, and was a master at the Video Games back then. I made a friend, whose name I cannot remember. He was a white boytjie, and every saturday his dad dropped him off at the play room, just like mine. We waited for each other, teamed up and then won all the kiddies competitions for the day. One day though, he asked me why I dont ever go to watch the horses race. I replied that I have no interest in it what so ever. He then started telling me about his dads horses, and was bragging that he would run up against all his fathers horses and he would beat them all! ....But one horse he just couldnt beat, and that was Spanish Galliard. I took little interest and just listened... The name stuck with me though.

I remember my dad coming over around midday to bring me a Pork Banger roll (Wow, those banger rolls were the best ever at Clairwood!!!!). I told him about what my friend had said and his eyes lit up. Apparently, in the next week or two, Spanish Galliard was due to run in the Rothmans July Handicap.

I remember that Saturday of the 1992 July; Dad and my grandfather made killing, and I got a whole bunch of new toys and games as a reward, specifically a Golden China TV game set with lots of cartridges.

I wish I could go back to those days, carefree, fun, and above all, safe... All neatly wrapped up in the sport of Horse Racing, a bond that I shared with my late grandfather, and father... Nobody will ever understand it, besides some of the gents on this forum. Some people say that a father/son bond is cemented by love, in my case though, it is cemented by the LOVE for horseracing, and as a result, has made my old man and I buddies, best mates and then only, father and son!

Overtheair, I too must be getting old.

till u reminded us I had forgotten about parking in the Gumtree's about 1km from the parade ring if u arrived late. This was right next to the railwayline...... If I'm not mistaken I'm sure a friend and I took at least 1 train ride from Kempton Park station TO Gosforth park so we could Dop & punt all day.

Who can remember at GOSFORTH PARK that good looking woman showing off her TITS to the camera in the parade ring stand....... & all Martin Locke could say was " oh lala "

those were the days when BOOKMAKERS WERE BOOKMAKERS, not what we've got today..... put a grand or 2 on a horse & it SHORTENS.

Lovely story, Press ..... I learned about racing from my dad ... a small but regular punter.

Now my son is 12 years old and he often joins me on a Saturday afternoon watching racing, rugby (for some reason he is a Sharks fan ) and cricket.

During the past school holidays he said "let's take a Pick 6" - and together we selected some horses - I think it came to R100 for 20% - and I made him contribute his R50 for 10% - by some fluke we won and each collected about R1400 for our 10%. Of course the next meeting he was keen to take one again - which of course we missed.

Some times we each pick a horse in a race and wager R5 on it between ourselves - closest to the winner wins the R5 - and we carry on with 'double or quits' - but we stop when the loser owes R20 - then it's settling time - and I had to pay up more times than not.

Besides spending time with my son, I also hope to teach him something about the game - and life - enjoy the wins, but take the losses on the chin - 'winners know when to stop' etc.

Perhaps one day we will have a share in a champion (or a dud) together - and that's one of the reasons why I get so upset seeing this game (especially locally) spiralling forever downwards - because I'd really love to lead in that winner with my son one day .... :huh:

Frodo, of all the stories, yours does hit home most (with no disrespect to any of the stories, all a great read) of how I got in the game... My dad and his best mate either used to go to Clairwood, in which (much like press, I used to get chucked in the play area), but more than not, they used to spend the weekend punting from my house. I was about 10 when I was taught to cook (very simple things, like bar snacks lol). Anyway, my dads mate would come around and I would play waiter, bring the beer or make the tea, and fry an egg or make snacks when the hunger struck. And for my hard work I would be allowed to have R5 places on a race. Until one day, my days mate won a big bet....the next race he said I could have a huge bet, R5 wins R10 places. Being as old as I was, I knew nothing about price etc (actually nothing at all, it was just fun), I chose my fancy and I ended up collecting over R340. Now you can imagine a 10 year old back then walking into school on Monday saying they had R340... I was a hero lol.... o, the memories....

Love it Frodo!

My first memory was in 1985 when my dad punted a horse called Gondolier in the Rothmans July. I was only 8 years old. 32 years later and my dad and I still have a punt every day. Paid plenty of school fees over the years but have no regrets. Once a punter always a punter........

my last July winner...Gondolier when he was entered...I knew I had the winner...
and those pork bangers were great at Greyville too...
Clairwood was my favourite course...Johnny Mac winning the jackpot...Weichong as an appie winning the last race of the day...5th or 6th in the pouring rain racing was abandoned...start to finish...with my R10 wins on it...
Johnny MacReady on Trocadero...also in the rain...in fact Clairwood and rain always were used in the same sentence...
The Passmores and their 10 yr old geldings winning all the sprint events...

ElvisisKing wrote: Overtheair, I too must be getting old.

till u reminded us I had forgotten about parking in the Gumtree's about 1km from the parade ring if u arrived late. This was right next to the railwayline...... If I'm not mistaken I'm sure a friend and I took at least 1 train ride from Kempton Park station TO Gosforth park so we could Dop & punt all day.

Who can remember at GOSFORTH PARK that good looking woman showing off her TITS to the camera in the parade ring stand....... & all Martin Locke could say was " oh lala "

those were the days when BOOKMAKERS WERE BOOKMAKERS, not what we've got today..... put a grand or 2 on a horse & it SHORTENS.

That was the day empress club won cruising by 6-8 lengths and I think fine regent ran 2nd , I think it was called the topsport bloodline million . Robin Brussels and Martin Locke were discussing and they showed the crowd ... TR he camera stopped on this lovely lady and she flipped open that little black jacket top.... Most amazing pair of boobs I seen as a 13 year old lol.... We still have that on tape at my parents home. Watched that race and preview a 1000x hahahaha

A friend of mine said to me when clairwood closed that the racetrack was responsible for thousands of punters and owners entering the game and now reading some of these threads i understand how much the garden course did for racing in natal and how much much it meant to the community nearby

My first memory of horse racing was being taken by my father to a Cape Hunt meeting.

For those of you who might not know what that was it was 'amateur racing'. They staged about four meetings a year and were very popular because children under the age of 16 were allowed on to the course and a blind eye was turned if they had a bet. Which they usually did.

The meeting was conducted in precisely the same manner as a professional meeting except that all trainers & riders were amateurs.

Back then the 'hero' of the Cape Hunt was a horse called Sandy. Apparently there had been a huge mix up with his registration as a foal resulting in the horse being disqualified from performing as a bona fide thoroughbred.

Sandy habitually used to perform TWICE at each meeting; usually at distances between 1200m - 1600m. In most instances he won both races despite carrying progressively bigger weights. We all loved Sandy because he made it so easy to win the Jackpot - you simply banked Sandy in two legs x two fields. Amazingly the Jackpot usually paid quite well despite being a glorified double; largely because the 'bombs' that inevitably arrived in the remaining two legs took care of the form studiers!

Huchergh wrote: I could write a book,but seeing Empress Club beat Taban and Marie Galante in course record time over 1000m @ Durbanville tops many great memories.

The other two were really good sprinters,and she just blew them away.What a champ she was.

I was there that day...and she did it at a good price too