Smith takes Eastern Cape Trainer title

Danie Toerien

WITH only two more race meetings scheduled at Fairview this season, trainer Gavin Smith finds himself in an unassailable position at the top of the Eastern Cape Champion Trainer log.

With a quartet of winners on Friday at Fairview, he now boasts 130 winners for the current season, which ends on 31 July, compared to Alan Greeff’s 110.

With only 16 races to be run at Fairview in the current campaign, Smith is assured that he will be crowned Champion Trainer.

“It feels good, very good,” said Smith after Raisetheredlantern gave him his fourth winner in the penultimate race on the card.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this season.

“It wasn’t necessarily my goal to be champion trainer. Every race meeting, we just try and get as many winners as we can. This season everything just fell into place. But it is the result of lots of hard work from my entire team.”

Smith was also adamant that there would be no immediate celebrations.

“Not at all,” was his reply when asked if he had any special plans. “We are working tomorrow, four-o’-clock.”

While the Eastern Cape trainer title is determined by the number of winners, the national trainer title goes to the conditioner who wins the most stakes money.

Here Smith is currently in fifth position behind Paul Peter, Justin Snaith, Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry – a remarkable feat considering that not only are the stakes in the Eastern Cape slimmer than that offered at the big race centres, but there are also fewer meetings in Gqeberha.

Greeff did score a double on Friday, most notably winning the feature event on the day, the Listed Port Elizabeth Gold Cup over 3 200m, with Barak. Unsurprisingly, Greg Cheyne was in the saddle.

It was only Barak’s second run since moving to Greeff’s yard from Mike de Kock, and the addition of blinkers and a tongue tie did the trick.

Sharon Kotzen also scored a double earlier on the day to take her tally of winners for the season to 37.