THE ELEVATION STORY ON "INSIDE RACING" NEXT MONDAY

Next Monday night's National Yearling Sales edition of "Inside Racing" will feature another excerpt from the forthcoming "Legends of the Turf" series, this one on Elevation, the King of Turffontein.

It features a great interview with Michael Azzie, who has a passion for racing history, and excellent recall of the events of that time. Also featured are interviews with Garth Puller, who was aboard the horse the last time he won the Holiday Inns, in 1974, and the late Peggy Mosenthal, his co-owner. She was in her late 80's when we interviewed her, a few years before her death and her memory was failing her, which made the interview all the more poignant (she couldn't remember Garth Puller's name, poor soul).

There's also a fascinating interview with James Maree, who was aboard Mast Ahoy when he locked horns with Martie Schoeman, on Elevation, in the SA Derby of 1972, which resulted in a Stipes objection (which placed Elevation first) and a supension for Maree.

As things stand (and I know Scotia is working on having this situation rectified) it is the turn of "Winnnig Ways" to go out first next Monday, with "Inside Racing" to follow, just after 9:00 p.m.

I agree that it is a pity to feature the week's two major magazine shows back to back but there is overseas racing on most other nights, so it makes it difficult to reorganise the programming.

Funnily enough, it was just a couple of weeks ago when we are in Cape Town for the sales that James Maree told me about the Elevation/Mast Ahoy incident. The real story, as he called it. It was interesting, to say the least.

Great stuff(tu)

Another winner for the Lithgow's, it was excellent including the James Maree/Mike Azzie take on the race with Mast Ahoy.

World Class production (tu)

Excellent. However I must question whether Schoeman chose to ride Riboville. I had a conversation with Ray Curling, Roy's son, a couple of years or so back and he told me the reason Curling rode Elevation in the July was that Azzie and Schoeman had had a fallout. They made up just before the July but in the meantime Curling had ridden Elevation two or three times including a Grade 2 win and Grade 1 shorthead 2nd. Apparently Azzie felt that it would be unfair for Schoeman to just automatically get the ride back so he was only given the spare ride on Riboville. Ray did add that Riboville had worked like a bomb the week before the July and improved lengths while Elevation had gone over the top, so the result came as no surprise to the yard.