Met Gallops Abandoned
This season’s Sun Met gallops have been scrapped - much to the
relief of several of the trainers, writes Michael Clower.
The R5 million race closes on 10 January and the published conditions
contain the usual stipulation that “all runners participate in public
gallops scheduled for Thursday, 18 January, failing which the horse may
be declared ineligible to run.”
But Kenilworth duty manager Teresa Esplin said yesterday: “The
trainers don’t want these gallops which are a bit close to the race but
also we are doing this in the best interests of the horses. Every time
you travel them to the racecourse you are putting them at risk and
some of them can get stirred up.”
More and more trainers have been working horses on their own so
that they do not over-exert themselves. And, although these gallops
have become increasingly popular with the public, the performances
have been more and more difficult to assess with no second horse with
which to make comparisons.
Justin Snaith, one of the biggest critics of the gallops, said: “This is
the best news I’ve heard all year. Apart from anything else nine days
beforehand was too close to the race. Indeed if people want to see
the horses gallop they can see them in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate as
many of them also take part in that.
“Making the gallops mandatory was a bit like saying to everyone in
the Comrades Marathon ‘we also want to see you run nine days beforehand.’”
The draws, normally done straight after the gallops, will now be done
at a function later on 18 January during the Kenilworth racemeeting
which has been transferred from the previous day. -
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