When I resided in the Cape i really looked forward after a weeks work to spend my Saturdays at either Kenilworth or Milnerton tracks. Those days one tried to get to the course at least an hour before the first race. The reasons been to play the Durban or Joburg races, which always went off before the Cape and to find parking. If you went to Kenilworth you could park in the sideroads or in the course. I opted for the course. You had to enter via Racecourse road and you were always greeted with a smile and a hello from the gatekeeper. Then it would be out a side gate and a short walk along Rosemead Avenue, grab a racecard and pay through the turnstile. Most times it would seem that i was one of only a handful there at that time. Most days were just pure joy even if i did not make a profit. So many bookies and the crowds were both knowledgable and enthusastic. The roar of the crowd as the horses entered the straight sent shivers down my back. Everybody would be jumping up and down and if you were one of those who hung around near the bookie stalls you often did not know what won the race. The hustle and bustle was part of the joy of gambling. Everybody heard of this horse or that horse and it is still like that today. After a couple of races i would buy myself a coke and a burger for about r2.oo which was a lot of money. As the day wore on the crowds began to dwindle and all around the bookies stalls just lay torn up losing bets. To get a seat around the parade ring was a fight on its own. The parade ring prior to the next race was a hive of activity. We all used to clamber to get a look at the horses as they paraded around. We looked up at the jockeys as they mounted hoping that one of them would give us a clue to see what would win, We we obviously standing on the wrong side of the parade ring as privilaged information like taht would never be shared with us plebs. And what horseman. Bertie Hayden, Bert Abercrombie, Dana Signaberg, Johnny Cawcutt, Stanly Amos and so many more. Terrance Millard and Ralph Rixon were the ace trainers. How I sorely miss those days at Kenilworth racecourse. And when the day was over I would trudge back to the car, which was easy to get to as most had already left. I would take the drive home and curse myself for not taking this horse or that horse. Later in the evening i would buy the Late Final Argus and read over the results and look forward to the next Saturday when i and many thousands could do it all over again.
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