As Kenilworth prepares to host its most prestigious horse-racing event, the annual Cape Met on 29 January, there has been an upturn in the Mother City's horse racing industry.

The news of RAINBOW BRIDGE’s sudden retirement from racing invoked a flood of emotions and tributes, writes Gary Lemke for GG Gaming.

The Cape Met info:

Race type: Grade 1
Venue: Kenilworth
Surface: Turf
Date: Saturday, 29 January 2022

The 160th running of the R2 million Grade 1 Cape Town Met at Kenilworth on Saturday, 29 January 2022 has a new sponsor. The great event will now be sponsored by World Sports Betting. This is great news for racing and for the now famous Cape Met.

JET DARK wins L'ORMARINS QUEEN'S PLATE.

Three in a row for Justin Snaith with JET DARK and S'Manga Khumalo who burst clear to claim back-to-back Queen's Plate victories!

CAPTAIN'S RANSOM had to dig deep to hold off some very classy fillies to win the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes, but Justin Snaith does it again teaming up with Richard Fourie - two races in a row!

Justin Snaith's HOEDSPRUIT wins the Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy (Grade 2) with Richard Fourie in the saddle.

There are 18 races contested over two days on Friday and Saturday at Kenilworth.

Friday’s eight-card meeting is an appetite for what’s to come on Saturday, although there is no shortage of high-class action, writes Gary Lemke for GG Gaming.

The running of the 161st Queen's Plate and the 6th year of the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate racing festival takes place on Friday, 7 and Saturday, 8 January.

The public holiday meeting unusually at a KZN track opened with the original favourites ABBACADABRA drifting from a very unrealistic opening price of 9/20 to a more realistic price of about 2/1 as a result of support for LADIES DAY. The original favourite got up to win under Anton Marcus beating RASPBERRY BERET and LADIES DAY. I would like to know why Anton Marcus hardly returns for the interviews, this isn't good as his comments on rides for the rest of day could increase turnover and also he's not giving his sponsors milage!

Candice Bass-Robinson has never won the Cape Guineas, one of the most prestigious three-year-old events for colts in the country. Mind you, her father, Mike Bass, won almost every major race himself, but the Guineas eluded him as well. But history might well be created on Saturday, writes Gary Lemke for GG Gaming.

Tuesdays meeting opened with an upset in a workriders race IMPERIOUS LIGHT won for Thomas Ncume and Mike de Kock to beat INDIAN WAR DANCE under Tshepiso Matsoele who ran on from last to get second.

The second saw the favourite FULL ROYALTY winning for inform combination of Ryan Munger and Ashley Fortune. The next saw DANCING DORA winning well for Muzi Yeni and Fanie Bronkhorst with the favourite SING GIRL SING clearly needing the run after 20 weeks off.

Racing Round Up With 'The Racing Guy'

Monday's Greyville meeting started with a good win for VEGAS GOLD under Warren Kennedy with the market rival LA FILLE only 3rd.

Race 1 a maiden juvenile plate was won in a record time by CRUISE CONTROL trained by Gavin Smith, owned by Vicky Veeramooto who would win a much bigger race on Saturday. It comfortably beat the odds on favourite and is definitely a horse to follow. The next race worth mentioning is race 4 where LINE OF POWER got up on the post again to beat TIMKAT.

The debate being whether the ride was a good one as if the result went the other way it would have had people calling for the jockeys head. Race 6 saw a very good win from ABIA overcoming bad wide draw of 12 going off at 12/1 it easily beat stable companion VISION ON ICE. Race 7 saw CARIOCA under Richard Fourie run on well to win going away from the stable companion and favourite MARMARA SEA who ran another honest race.

Just as we were salivating of the prospect of watching 26 horses thunder down the Vaal straight, a cavalry charge to the line from 1475m away, the news came of some scratchings, writes Gary Lemke for GG Gaming

Racing Round Up With 'The Racing Guy'

Thursdays racing saw a meeting on the Turffontein standside track! A workriders race started the day with a bomb! TWOSIDESTOASTORY giving Tony Nassif a well deserved win.

Racing Round Up With 'The Racing Guy'

Yesterday Zac Purdon joined Douglas Whyte and Frankie Dettorri as a 3 time winner of this event. He achieved this with 3 seconds and a third place enough to beat the winners of the 4 challenge races. Tom Marquand, Hollie Doyle, James Macdonald and Mikael Barzalona who tied for second.

The winner collected HK$ 500 000 while the runners up got HK$ 75 000 each.

CHANSONETTE won the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas under Grant Van Niekerk

Maestro trainer Mike de Kock has been around long enough to know that there’s no such thing as a racing certainty, but he will be bullish about his chances of landing another Grade One win on Saturday, writes Gary Lemke for GG Gaming.