Adventures at the 2011 J&B Met (30th January)

This was it! The Big Kahuna of Cape Town Horseracingand the Scene of many a fashionista's bold style... Though, personally, I think that the Khanyi Twins were a fashion disaster! I mean those to dresses conflicted more than Helen Zille and Julius Malema... But as is ever the case, Jo-anne Strauss was her normal dazzling "belle of the ball" with her colourful and tasteful gown and "ladybug hat"... Only shame was that she was judging the competition and not one of the competitors, as she would have won it hands down. Ms Jeanie D could definately use some of her fashion tips for big events and that way not look like Josephina & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamdress crossed with California-Barbie...

The women and I really enjoyed watching the races leading up to the Main race and Brianna and Shimbavi placed a couple of bets on a couple of the horses. However, I was saving my money for a big bet on Past Master with Mei-Li, who had got a tip from a Chinese friend at Canal Walk on Thursday. She seemed certain that the tip was a good one, but I was somewhat uncertain, as Mother Russia was still a strong favorite. In the end, Mei-Li coerced me with offers of an Illicit Encounter if Past Master wins and I replied that she would have to do something amazing to make up if the horse lost. For some reason, Torquay and Brianna placed bets that Mother Russia would win, while Shimbavi was betting on Run For It...

When the Main Race started, you could hear the bated breath of all of the spectators watching the track and with all of the arguing between the ladies, Shimbavi put off going to find the Loos, because of her anxiousness to beat Mei-Li at the Tout-windows.

When the Gates opened all four women screamed like maniacs for their respective horses to win and looked like a bunch a soccer hooligans at an English Premier League match. There's nothing like the sound of racehorses thundering around the track in a mad pursuit of glory (though I wonder how many horses actually give a fig about whether they win). As the horses headed around the far side, Mei-Li started screaming, as she thought she could see Past master jockeying for the lead, but I couldn't tell... Torquay was screaming her head off for Mother Russia to fight off Run for It and keep up with Past Master (though I could barely see the individual horses through the binoculars, nevermind, identify a specific one). Shimbavi was bouncing up and down, as she thought that Run for It was going to win.

As the horses thundered around the last bend and sprinted for the finishline, we all went crazy, as it really seemed so close that we couldn't say who would ultimately win. The final dash brought an exultant scream from Mei-Li, as Past Master flew passed the post. At the odds, we bet on, I figured that we had scored a small fortune from the R10,000 bet!

That started a wild round of celebrations, as we toasted Past Master's skill and our beating our rivals at the Bookie's Window. I don't recall getting as many kisses from a woman before even in jubilant celebration! I knew that tonight was going to be a really special night with Mei-Li and I wasn't disappointed...