Time to kick BUTTS(:P)

This Aussie journalist Terry Butts is a real clown....................obvious he's never heard of the Durban July.(td)

Here's the Cape Met report............................ www.letsgohorseracing.com.au/index.php/c...ce-from-south-africa

" Respected writer " my foot............................more of a thumb-sucker!!!!

This is a ripper................................" Jeff LLoyd also has a proud record in the race but the one they talk about most is a Natal horse named Sentinel who won three J&b Mets with Michael[Muis] Roberts aboard."

For your info yob, the horse Sentinel did not WIN a single Met.

At the very least he's given some news of ex- jockey George Davies who rode here in the 70's for trainer Herman Brown sen. It appears the New Zealander is now a trainer in Perth, Western Australia, however he appears to be a battling trainer as the statistics are poor.

The Cape boys won`t be arguing with them,and not far away

No mention of Pocket Power or Politician......................

There's more from Terry Butts, who is also a trainer in Queensland about the state of S.African racing in this report.........................

.............................DOWNSIDE OF RACING IN SOUTH AFRICA IS TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE BETTING. www.letsgohorseracing.com.au/index.php/c...to-racing-wilderness

DOWNSIDE OF RACING IN SOUTH AFRICA IS TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE BETTING

THE downside of the racing industry in South Africa, apart from pathetic prizemoney for run of the mill races, is its totally ineffective on and off course betting.

Amazingly, the off course tote is run by a listed company named Phumelela. It also runs an off course fixed price betting arm called Betting World. Phumelela also runs the two biggest race clubs in the country, Turffontein nd Kenilworth – and the TV station that covers all the racing, both local and overseas – Swan Hill trots included.

Yet I found the hardest thing to do in Capetown was not to find a winner but to find a betting shop. The conseirge at my hotel didn’t know what I was talking about and nor did four of the five taxi drivers I asked.

Apparently Ladbrokes tried and failed to find the number of punters they needed for viability. So after a short stint packed up and left.

What a pity they don’t do the same in Oz!

But in a country that wagers more on soccer on a Saturday than horses, the power-brokers face a tough task to get the punters back to the track.

South Africa has the horses, and world class jockeys, but has been sadly let down by what matters most – and off-course betting system run by the industry for the industry.

There is a faint whisper that the French-owned pari mutuel that runs the all tote racing in that country is looking at a possible takeover. There are many concerned stakeholders hoping that happens.

For Cape trainer Stephen Page it is just all too late. The former jockey, who later trained for the famously influential Oppenheimer family, is packing up, at age 50+, and heading for Sydney to take up a foreman role for Warwick Farm trainer Rick Worthington who apparently does a lot of pre-training for Chris Waller.

Also heading to Australia is another ‘evergreen’ jockey Robbie Fradd who has suddenly declared he is to become a Gold Coast-based rider,

The internationally-acclaimed jockey, who has been riding for more than 30 years, intends to settle on the Coast in March after long and careful consideration.

COLUMN COURTESY OF TERRY BUTTS AND THE NORTH QUEENSLAND REGISTER, one of Australia's leading rural newspapers.

TERRY BUTTS can be contacted by e-mailing: butts@beyond.net.au