Henk Steenkamp
The stables of top East Cape trainers Alan Greeff and Gavin Smith are set to make a solid start to a very busy month of September at the Fairview track.
The first of seven September meetings takes place at the Turf track on Monday and the two top dogs should have a huge say.
Greeff started the new season in spectacular fashion by saddling 15 winners in the first month. The Smith stable was a little more quiet but was unlucky not to have more than the four winners on the log.
A competitive looking Nelson Mandela Bay Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1000m will get the show on the road at 12:35.
This is the first leg of the Bipot and it should be interesting to see if the Canford Cliffs filly Tanzanite can follow up on her promising debut for the Smith yard.
Smith and Greeff should fight it out for the win in the second race at 13:10. Pop Chart is regarded as “a massive runner” by the Smith stable after his excellent debut 185 days ago.
He looks like a banker in the first leg of the Place Accumulator but watch out for the Greeff first timer Diamond Jim.
“He is a wellbred, big horse with a nice action. He should be running on,” Greeff commented.
The Pick Six starts in race three at 13:45 where El Capitan will make his Fairview debut for the Cliffie Miller stable.
His form is good enough to win here but there are others to consider like Pibe The Oro (Zietsman Oosthuizen) and Action America (Juan Nel).
Greeff and Smith are back in race four, the first leg of Jackpot One at 14:20, with huge winning chances.
Imaginable has a chance at a hat-trick for the Smith yard. He won his last two races very easily and will enjoy only carrying 54.5kgs this time.
In this MR 96 Handicap over 1400m, Strathclyde makes his Fairview debut for the Greeff stable. He could find the winners’ box straight away on his KZN form.
The filly Star Of Elena could return to winning ways for the Smith stable in the fifth race which starts Jackpot Two at 14:55.
Greeff should challenge with Courageous but Chroniclesofnania from the Tara Laing stable could be the biggest danger to the Smith favourite.
The consistent Golden Grey is another who will be aiming at a hat-trick of wins on Monday. He could make it a third win in a row for Greeff in race six, a MR 68 Handicap over 1600m.
North Star was an impressive winner for Greeff on debut. The three-year-old Erik The Red filly has to carry 61kgs taking on the boys but can follow up in this MR66 Handicap over 1200m, race seven.
The three-year-old gelding Buffalo Bill, trained by Laing, looks the only danger to the filly.
Greeff with Exquisite and Smith with Igugulethu are in it to win it in the eighth and last race but back of the turf the Sharon Kotzen trained Sweet And True looks good value.
Although Greeff and Smith look very strong on Monday, the Kelly Mitchley runners must not be overlooked. Mitchley also had a great August with nine winners.
So let’s see if Greeff and Smith will have it their own way on Monday or will the stables of Mitchley, Laing, Nel and others give them more than a run for the money.
As always, let’s give it a go!
This article was originally published on TAB and is reposted here with permission.
Henk Steenkamp is a seasoned sports journalist based in Gqeberha, with over 40 years of experience covering rugby, cricket, and horse racing. A true expert on racing at Fairview in the Eastern Cape, Henk is a regular presence at this venue, rarely missing a meeting. He has been a judge for the East Cape Racing Awards since 2007 and served as the convenor of the panel since 2021. Known for his sharp insights, Henk has won numerous horse racing tipping competitions, famously under the alias "Henk Se Wenk." A former Media24 Sports and Racing Editor, he now contributes weekly columns on racing and school sports for community publications. With a passion for watching sport live or on television, his favourite bet remains the Place Accumulator - at Fairview of course!
