Zapatillas................the scratching

You have to feel for the connections of this entire, Ravi Naidoo and Pamela Isdell. I think I've seen a snippet of a very excited owner enthusing about the butterflies that goes with having a runner in the biggest 5 Bar race in Africa and the owners must surely be devastated.

That owner Ravi Naidoo had a winner on the day may be small consolation, however it was magnanimous of him to share the moment with his friends the Isdells who had no interest as owners in Cousin Casey.

Months of preparation and having a horse at it's peak on the big days is what separates the wheat from the chaff when comparing trainers, so without sounding like a conspiracy theorist, the record does show that Zapatillas was able to take his place in the 2 Guineas without any roadblocks.

And it is a given that barring any injury Zapatillas will take his place in The Met where he will probably do battle with one Airways Law, the reserve runner that took his place in The Durban July

Of course stranger things do happen in racing and having been confined to all his racing at Greyville, it remains to be seen whether the said Airways Law may yet take his place in a faraway Kenilworth track.
Or whether Zapatillas will take his place but under the care of another conditioner like Grant Kotzen perhaps?

Interesting times ahead.