On Saturday morning the racing media was laughing at trainer Yogas Govender when he said he would see them after he had won the R2.5 million JB Met.
Govender did indeed win the Met at Kenilworth in Cape Town with the seven-year-old gelding Martial Eagle, ridden by Aldo Domeyer. It was the biggest upset (on Saturday morning the price at some agencies was 100/1) in the history of the Met.
Early on Saturday the polite as ever Govender came over to say hi to the members of the media. One asked him to quickly pose for a photo as Govender was the only trainer in the Met he hadn’t had a picture of.
The camera shy Govender quickly ran away but before he went he said: “You can have as many pictures as you like of me in the winner’s box after I have won the Met.”
Every member of the media had a good laugh about this prediction and Yogas smiled with us. Later that day we all smiled with him again but Yogas’s smile was the biggest of all – especially when I referred to his prediction in the morning.
Yes, it was a huge upset but a deserving victory. The day was also a victory for the long-time sponsors (record 36 years) and the racing operators.
Betting turnovers was up by at least 11% with the two Place Accumulators playing a huge part in that no doubt.
There was a prominent international media interest in the event. Live broadcasts were done by at least 21 radio stations and 17 television shows were represented.
On television the action was seen live on SABC3 and Tellytrack on DStv.
Of course the media was well looked after by Gold Circle’s PR manager Gill Simpkins who yet again did a great job!
Remember to read Henk’s Hint.
