Fairview Racecourse hit with tragedy
Residents look at the damaged Horse Memorial in the southern South African city of Port Elizabeth on April 7, 2015.
What you need to know:
- We reported recently that Hugh, 40, had just been banned for 42 days after his actions caused Andrew Adkins to be seriously impaired, and his horse, Hot 'n' Hazy to be fatally wounded.
- Farnan won the Golden Slipper with Hugh in March, for Phoenix Thoroughbred, whose reputation for being fraudsters also caused suspension from various places.
A labour dispute caused utter disruption at South Africa's Fairview racecourse, in Port Elizabeth, on Thursday.
It was enough to summon Public Order Riot police who tried to restore order. Protests initiated by grooms turned violent. These grooms were originally employed by trainer, Yvette Bremner.
Many of her horses were set free from their stables, then chased out of the yard by angry mobsters. One of her steeds, Mark the Doorman, died after running fast into a fence. He broke his neck.
Two other horses have received injuries, but will recover in due time. Phumelela is said to be liaising with the Labour Department to resolve this issue. Phumelela is the totalisator operator at Fairview. They are fully committed to seeking justice by prosecuting all those involved in this disturbance.
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Hugh Bowman, Winx's celebrated jockey, has been banned for three weeks by Australian Stewards, after he failed to give 7-5 Farnan, a decent chance of winning or placing at Rosehill.
Hugh was riding Farnan for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bolt in the De Bertoli Wine Sprint. Stewards noticed Hugh racing along at top speed which would automatically result in Farnan growing exhausted.
We reported recently that Hugh, 40, had just been banned for 42 days after his actions caused Andrew Adkins to be seriously impaired, and his horse, Hot 'n' Hazy to be fatally wounded.
Farnan won the Golden Slipper with Hugh in March, for Phoenix Thoroughbred, whose reputation for being fraudsters also caused suspension from various places.
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The best part about racing is its unpredictability. There is a funny horse called River Crossroad RVF, who thinks it is really amusing if he runs away in a race. He has repeated this scenario twice in two months, whenever he is leading.
His ability is unquestionable, but punters should be wary of him as he enjoys taking off with the jockey, takes a turn around, heads straight for his stable, leaving everyone gasping.
Charles Town Stewards have actually barred him indefinitely, from competing at West Virginia. Probably make him happy, but not connections.
