HOW CAN THIS CONTINUE WITHOUT SELF ANALYSIS?

Whenever I have dared to publicly express concern regarding the overall quality of KwaZulu- Natal racing in the past few years I have been accused of being a 'hater'. If 'hating' the seemingly disproportionate quantity of moderate betting fodder that resides in that province is 'hating' then I plead guilty on all counts.

Apologists for Kwazulu-Natal have tended to deflect attention away from the glaring shortcomings in the quality & overall performance of their racing population by drawing attention to problems that certainly do exist in other provinces.

Yet somehow there is a thunderous silence surrounding the unpalatable reality that this once proud & mighty centre ranks a distant third insofar as top level performance is concerned when compared to Gauteng & Cape Town.

Sadly this season is not proving to be much different.

I can think of few other centres where one has to go back to the early 90's to find a local winner of their flagship race; the Durban July.

Take out the names Drier, Howells & Van Zyl & the centre would barely be able to provide worthy runners in a big Grade 1 event........

Yet nobody appears to feel that this unhappy state of affairs merits any serious self examination or the introduction of a programme designed to uplift performance standards.

Many column inches have been dedicated to any number of issues pertinent to racing in this province. Yet some of the glaring reasons why hometown horses habitually don't cut it seem to be overlooked.

I am, frankly, amazed at the following :

1.) A polytrack ( with its well documented share of controversy ) was built which does not extend beyond 2000m.

2.) Staying races which identify & nurture horses with stamina can only be run on two surviving grass tracks. Given that grass racing has diminished dramatically in recent years one can only assume that there is no intention (let alone opportunity) to nurture horses in Kwazulu-Natal able to perform over 2200m or beyond. Which one would feel is a pre-requisite for a July hopeful.

3.) Races between 2400m - 3200m are rare curiosities. Without a vibrant ongoing programme over these distances we can forget about ever producing truly globally competitive horses capable of winning the really big international classics on a world stage. Closer to home (for those without international ambitions) the prospect of developing a July winner must remain a forlorn fantasy for local owners.

Sadly the real issue seems to be this :

Despite having training facilities commonly accepted as being amongst the best in the country the majority of KwaZulu trainers would appear to rank as the leading underachievers.

Whereas an impending 'raid' from a David Payne, Herman Brown Snr, Syd Laird and many, many others would historically have struck fear into local trainers nowadays the quality on tap does not merit a trip. This has created a vacuum which satellite yards understandably wish to fill (often with more moderate horses) despite 'local conditions' which attempt to obstruct normal market forces.

I get concerned when I have to view post race interviews where a horse has shed its maiden tag after 20+ attempts and two years in the maidens. Why is this horse still in training in a major centre, people?

I also don't buy the excuse about buying power. It is a mathematical impossibility to have a horse population as large as that in KwaZulu-Natal which DOESN'T throw up its share of champions. And there are plenty of people with sufficient buying power to buy Silvano or Dynasty yearlings who are locally based in Durban or wish to race there. Or would you with a R1 million+ Silvano colt?

At the very least this needs dramatic action from the local operator. I would enjoy nothing more than seeing Durban horses achieve the results and prestige they enjoyed when I first came into racing.

Are you suggesting a national skills improvement programme for continuous development such as which is in place for professionals such as barristers? Whereby the professional has to attend modules of learning before their yearly licence is renewed?

It must be the aliens fault.

I think that pound for pound or rand for rand spent that some of the KZN trainers are the best in the country....but you raise very valid points Garrick

Tigershark wrote: I think that pound for pound or rand for rand spent that some of the KZN trainers are the best in the country....but you raise very valid points Garrick

There are no stats to prove your viewpoint unless you conveniently adopt the raiders with satellite yards as your own. I say this with absolutely no disrespect. Drier, Howells and Lafferty excluded, its pretty murky and average when performances are measured. The proof of the pudding is in achievements and there are precious few that come close to making the grade. I would wager that if a powerful stable from PE such as Greeff relocated lock stock and barrel, he would be top 3 within 2 seasons.

Was it last year that we posted the stats and more group 1's etc were won by KZN trainers than outside? I did post the results but not sure in which thread. Have the KZN trainers like Van Zyl, Lunn,Rivalland,Gordon etc who have all won multiple group races when they had the right horses forgotten how to train? Dennis/ Duncan and some the rest have had some top seasons in the past few years but very little this year. What have they forgotten how to train in a year? No top horse no Group winner. That is it. No more and no less.

Why is there no top horse Craig?

Could it be that you guys have the majority of your horses that are KZN bred? Now to get a graded winner out of a KZN horse takes plenty of skill. Or luck. Take your pick.

We do need a top stallion for the breeders. That is true but lets hope Noble tune, Crusade etc can change things. Kahal, Visionaire etc are big losses.

what do you think of the race program that has just come out form august to December craig?

Honestly I got it yesterday and put it in my folder but haven't had a chance to go through it. I know one thing that to nominate on raceday and accept the next morning is not clever.

Craig Eudey wrote: We do need a top stallion for the breeders. That is true but lets hope Noble tune, Crusade etc can change things. Kahal, Visionaire etc are big lo
sses.

i see that the new drakenstein stallion duke of marmalade sired a gr2 winner at newarket in the uk.this sire must be a huge boost for the the rsa breeding ranks especially the classic distance horses.