RECALLING THE PAST

Today - being the first Saturday after the Met - is my personal anniversary of the first occasion that I stepped onto a race course with intent. It was 1972 and Force Ten, trained by the late Theo De Klerk, had won the big race a week earlier.

I had my first punt in the first race on that fateful day. It was a horse called Lunar Landing ridden by Tom Rattley ( later to achieve immortality by falling off Jamaican Music in the July ) who beat home another called Bouquet Garni. Interestingly both names have popped up again in recent years. It's a sure sign you have been in racing too long.

In the second race I backed another winner. A filly called Andromeda, trained by one T Millard and ridden by the late Bert Abercrombie in the colours of Hilda Kramer. She later sired a Grade 1 horse whose name I now cannot recall. But I do remember that she shared her sire Oligarchy with Politician.

To cut a long story short I managed to go home broke after playing up the lot on a filly in the last race called Marijuana........but it was the first chapter in an association that has lasted 40 years, 50+ horses and millions of rands!

I have no recollection of the losers over a period of 45 years, but remember most of the winners, pity they were few and far between, plus yes cost plenty.
I did go to GA at one stage but Betfair at the time took me in another direction.
Look forward to the last 10? Yrs

@garrick:

'in the colours of Hilda Kramer. She later sired a Grade 1 horse whose name I now cannot recall. But I do remember that she shared her sire Oligarchy with Politician.'

LOL!!!!

Puts you a few years behind meself! Started circa 1960 and amongst my first winning bet was West Point!

My association with horse racing started when as a lightie, when I learnt to study the racecard and tipped my first winner for my uncle. The name of the horse was Gurkha Chief. Anyone remember that one.

Around the same time (i think), tipped a horse called Homeguard. From that moment a racecard was thrown at me and I was expected to choose horses for them. I followed every horse that David Payne and Marty Schoeman rode.

I never really punted until around 1974, the year after I completed matric.

My first introduction to live racing was at the now closed Bulawayo track, but I'd been taking a bit of an interest since a few months earlier, when Chesterfield (surely Zimbabwe's best horse ever pre-Ipi Tolmbe) won the Castle Tankard at Borrowdale and I listed to the commentary on the wireless, which for you tots out there meant radio in 1972 and not what it means in the computer age today...

Andromeda was the dam of COOLSTAR.....stood as a Sire in Zimbabwe...

Hi Garrick,

Strangely that was my first attendance at the Met.Remember it so well after your vivid descriptions.Went home for a change with a few rand profit....(never repeated since...). Had a lot of places on IFF that day , actually paid R2.20 A place on the tote although it was odds on.......Also had many places on a big Syd Laird outsider that paid R8 a place.in one of the latter races.

I went to the Met with my best friend, whose name was Garrick.(sadly killed in a plane he was piloting a few months later..!!).
Often think about him when I see your name come up on the threads................

Garrick, many would never admitt it, but the game is a lot poorer in losing many a big FISH...

I remember my first winning bet to be Supreme Charger with Garth Puller up. Going to try and find the date. Before the race, my best friends father told me I had no chance and I had thrown my wages away. Was very small bet, been hooked ever since and I still think I'm not the type to get addicted...who am I fooling.

I was teething in 1972 ()

ANDROMEDA was by OLIGARCHY ~ ANADYOMENE (a french mare)

hibernia Wrote:

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> I was teething in 1972 ()


Hope you were a "bottle" baby.................