Henk Steenkamp
SINCE Dean Smith became a trainer, it has been wise to keep the horse-racing record books close at hand.
The 26-year-old, who officially took out his trainer’s licence at the end of October last year, is enjoying an extraordinary run at Fairview.
This past Friday he saddled six winners from eight races for the first time in his short career at the Greenbushes track.
Smith has been dominating East Cape racing in recent weeks, winning an astonishing 13 races at the last three Fairview meetings.
His six winners is just one short of the provincial record shared by his late dad Gavin, Alan Greeff and Justin Snaith.
“I couldn’t have wished for a better day,” Smith said after Asinantanga won the eighth and final race, ridden by national champion jockey Craig Zackey.
Smith was full of praise for Zackey, who partnered five of his six winners and narrowly missed the opportunity to equal Gavin Venter’s provincial record of six winners at a meeting.
But Smith was quick to stress that Friday’s fantastic haul was a team effort.
Zackey, meanwhile, had his own praise for the young trainer, saying Smith had done “fabulous work” with his horses.
The Smith stable’s remarkable run has come during an equally memorable period off the track.
At the recent annual East Cape Racing Awards, the stable collected the most prestigious prize of all - Horse of the Season.
This award went to brilliant sprinter Kingdundee, who gave Smith his first Grade 1 victory in the Cape Flying Championship in Cape Town in January this year.
That triumph came less than three months after Smith officially became a trainer.
The next Fairview meeting takes place this coming Friday and all eyes will be on the runners of a certain stable.
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