Easter racing … with rain and Shakespeare

When William Shakespeare wrote, “For the rain it raineth every day”, he wasn’t thinking about racing fans and the way their fun is spoiled by persistent precipitation. But his message that life isn’t all sunshine and roses has been well absorbed by punters in South Africa in recent weeks.

And just as we were looking forward to a break in the weather – hopefully over the long weekend – we got the news that grey skies still lurk and Gold Circle, for one, has had to juggle its Easter programme.

The shower-shy operator was taking no chances with its Greyville fixture on Good Friday evening. Days ahead of the meeting, officials took the decision to move it to Sunday, with the scheduled Sunday meeting at Scottsville shunted to Wednesday next week.

By now, punters are used to recalibrating their brains.

There is still local racing action on Friday – at Fairview, with the usual Eastern Cape puzzle made a lot easier. One leg of the Pick 6 presents the surest of surefire bankers – in the shape of Direct Hit.

Trainer Allan Greeff raided Cape Town very successfully with this filly on Derby day and she will have way too many guns for her rivals in the Listed East Cape Nursery.

Fairview can strike fear into the hearts of banker bettors but, in this case, more words of Shakespeare should be remembered: “…out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.”

Turffontein and Greyville

There are no such gifts at Turffontein on Saturday, where an apprentice day makes the usual conundrum even conundrummer.

TAB’s resident tipster advises us to go wide in most exotic legs but offers crumbs of comfort by suggesting just two horses for Leg 1 – Read All About It and Crystal Grove – and two in Leg 6 – Bourbon Reserve and Richard The First.

At Sunday’s transplanted Greyville gig, it might pay to closely follow comeback sensation Andrew Fortune.

The veteran former champion jockey won’t be indulging in any Easter eggs this year. He shed shedloads of kilos in his bid to reclaim a riding licence – a huge effort, vindicated by hot form since he returned to the saddle about a month ago.

He has a number of promising rides in Durban and could quite easily repeat – or even better – his triple at Kenilworth on Wednesday.

As The Bard wrote: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to Fortune…”