Author: GC

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Horse Racing in South Africa

In the last post we touched on the love that they have for horse racing in Australia, and namely the racing excitement that can routinely be witnessed on racecourses such as Flemington. In a parallel made before, there are some that enjoy the best online casinos au, and there others who want a real world gambling or sporting experience. The same applies to all nations; and I’d say that one nation that doesn’t get enough love as far as its passion for horse racing goes, is South Africa.

There are in fact several race course in South Africa, which surely speaks to the popularity of the sport of horse racing in the country. Racing has a history in the country going back 200+ years and there are several tracks that are known to draw in the crowds. It’s not a country I’ve visited, the closet I’ve been is in playing the best online slots south africa, but it’s certainly a country I’d love to go. If I can watch top quality horse racing action while I’m there, all the better.

There’s the 2600m Turffontein, a right handed track with a straight. It’s home of multiple group one races including the prestigious Champion’s Challenge in April, which has impressive prize money of £170,000. There’s also Kenilworth, a  left handed track where stamina often plays a deciding role in victory. The  5,000,000 Rand Sun Met takes place it each year, bringing with it crowds of 50,000+. It’s the richest race in South African racing and attracts the cream of the crop of racing talent.

Another track, which some will have heard of is Greyville. It’s pear shaped and so often the case that if a horse gets to the front of the pack, the other have their work cut out to take the lead. The big money Group race ‘The Durban’ takes place here. The race is steeped in over 100 years of history and so is a much sough after win for jockeys, trainer and owners alike.

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Top Racecourse: Australia vs United States

It’s surely clear to most visitors of the site that there is something of a UK bias around these parts. Can you blame us really, when there is such a wealth of history to British racing and so very many legends to highlight and reel off? Not wanting others to feel left out though, let’s today concentrate on a racecourse in each one or two other great horse racing nations, namely the United States and Australia.

Stateside, there is an awful lot of competition for best racecourse. Courses like Santa Anita Park on the West Coast and Saratoga in New York are crowd favourites, but for me there is no surpassing Churchill Downs. Set in Lexington, Kentucky, USA and home to the Kentucky Derby the racecourse is second to none and a real thrill to see in person. Opened in 1875 (quite something for such a comparatively young country) and with a turf track within a dirt track, Churchill Downs is synonymous with top class racing and draws in the best of the best in terms of racing talent.  The real cherry on the cake though is that it hosts the aforementioned Kentucky Derby (the first race of the US Triple Crown). While some gamblers head to the states for Vegas (basically an offline version of the best US online casino) for lovers of horse racing who can blame them for heading straight to Kentucky!

Not to be outdone, Australia too is home to great weather and amazing racecourses. Outside of the top au online casinos and offline equivalents, those interested in a flutter look to horse racing, and head to the course. One of the racecourses in the country that any race fan worth their salt knows about is Flemington. Home to the world renowned Melbourne Cup day and situated in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia this racecourse opened way back in 1840 and the track has seen many a history making race play out over the decades.  As well as November’s Melbourne Cup (one of the biggest money flat races in the worldwide racing calendar), the course also hosts Black Caviar Lightning and the LKS Mackinnon Stakes. The track almost routinely features group one action and so it’s no wonder it’s held in such high regard.

So it just goes to show that when it comes to horse racing; history and prestige  are worldwide attributes, not just specific to the UK.

 

 

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Addeybb

Owned by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and trained by William Haggas in Newmarket, Addeybb is a 7-year-old gelding, by former high-class sprinter Pivotal, who has the distinction of having won back-to-back renewals of the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in Sydney, Australia in 2020 and 2021.

Many would no doubt like to bottle and take that kind of skill to the best australia online casino sites when they’re in a gambling mood.    Aside from his exploits at the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, Addeybb is also a multiple Group race winner on home soil. In April, 2018, he opened his Pattern race account with a quite impressive 2¾-length victory over Stormy Antarctic in the Group 2 bet365 Mile at Sandown. In August, 2019, he added the Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock to his winning tally and, in October, 2020, recorded his first and, so far, only domestic Group 1 victory in the Champion Stakes at Ascot on British Champions Day.

Foaled on February 9, 2014, Addeybb did not race as a juvenile, but quickly made up for lost time, winning three of his five starts in his 3-year-old campaign. He won the Lincoln at Doncaster on his reappearance, as a 4-year-old, in 2018, followed by the aformentioned bet365 Mile and has since been campaigned exclusively at Listed and Pattern level. He failed to make much of an impact on his first two attempts at the highest level, in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, that season, but was only beaten threequarters of a length by Magical in the Champion Stakes in 2019. The rest, as they say, is history. Now, machines à sous , anyone?