South African Racing Glitters Again
Glen Kotzen sent out some of his string to stretch their legs at Kenilworth Racecourse, including last season’s promising Gold Standard, last seen out in the Gr.1 Sun Met where he finished two and a half lengths behind Whisky Baron. Chrigor Stud’s 2016 Gr.2 Selangor Cup winner was ridden by Richard Fourie, who galloped from the 1400m mark alongside the speedy two-time winner Quickfire. By Champion Sire Trippi out of Olympic Dam (Model Man), Gold Standard racked up three wins, three places and over R600,000 in earnings from his first six starts, prompting Drakenstein Stud to buy into him just before his tilt at the Met. A small set-back saw the colt benched for the rest of the season, but with him fully recovered and back in work – as well as the Cape season just around the corner – the stable decided to use the opportunity of giving him a grass gallop to invite the press to come and take a look.
Given the tireless efforts of Charles Faull, the legendary boss of Form Bloodstock, over the last two decades to get the SA racing Industry to introduce barrier trials for unraced horses and those coming back from layoffs, this was a refreshing approach by one of the leading training operations in the country and word has it there is a serious groundswell in support of what is taken for granted in other parts of the world. With turnovers in decline, improving transparency would appear to be a logical way forward for the industry and it is hoped that this matter will be addressed in due course.