RACING vs PADEL ??

Not much less than 2 years ago, I was invited by a friend—who has since become a very close friend, DALE STONEBRIDGE—to join him for a game of PADEL (W-F is PADEL). I accepted because my body was not in the greatest shape, and any exercise would make me feel better about the 4–6 alcoholic beverages I was going to consume post “ workout “.

It all began around March 2023 when we played mixed social a couple of times with DALE, LEONIE, and another dear friend, ROZZIE, who is well-known in the racing industry. However, ROZZIE decided to pursue other sports (the kind only adults play behind closed doors) and is now in foal and out for a few months. With ROZZIE’s absence, we started playing men’s-only games. Since I have a bit of a tennis background, I quickly got the hang of it, and what began as a simple interest has turned into a love—or obsession—for the sport, whatever one might call something they enjoy these days. Other than a few sexy blondes who could not handle me putting my horses’ needs before theirs, I don’t use those words much.😂😂

Around June 2023 I was on the PADEL court 5 nights a week and losing buckets of weight. But then as we play we started looking for stronger opponents and so I met a whole bunch of decent players at HUDDLE and RIETVLEI. And as soon as you know it our PADEL games turned into socialising gatherings post play and those buckets of weight I lost—were quickly put back on. However, weight was not my only gain – I gained some really, really good friends over the last two years, and at one of our social events post-PADEL we decided to buy a racehorse. We thought the best way to get new players in the game (racing game I’m referring to now) was to buy in training. We spotted a horse named YAMADORI, from the mighty SNAITH yard, and knowing how well his stock gets looked after, we were happy to gamble the chance knowing YAMADORI will arrive in super shape if we happen to get him.

A few minutes before YAMADORI’s sale time, I had a Discovery Health assessment—which, by the way, I failed for the first time in my life. My BMI ❌ suggested I was consuming more calories after PADEL than I burned during the game—especially when they run a 10-tequila special for R250 all year round. And no one to blame but me—cause who in their right mind, books a health assessment already on a caffeine high and now knowing we are supposed to buy a horse. Anyway, the doctor kept asking if I was okay, his concern matching my own excitement about getting YAMADORI, while I ended up with an inflatable blow-up thing on my arm. Needless to say, my blood pressure was a fail❌.

So we missed platinum status on Discovery Health, but more importantly, we got YAMADORI, and he delivered for us under a scintillating ride from young MXOLI over the past weekend. I would like to thank all the owners, A Joannides, C Gordon, D & C Schutte, D C Stonebridge, D Goosen, D van Tonder, F C De Beer, F Osmallari, J, S, A  & T Ferreira, J Arnolds, J Martino, JP Lubbe, K Hickey, M Da Silva, MGAS Bloodstock, Mr & Mrs C R Stonebridge, P Benzinger, and W Stevens, not only for the hours on the PADEL courts but also for investing in our wonderful sport of Horse Racing. I hope you will fall in love with racing as I did many years ago.

So, RACING vs PADEL?

In both games, you win some and lose some. You can be good one day and rather moderate the next, and your last performance is often the one you remember. But as true horsie people would know and agree, very little can compare to the wonderful sport of horse racing—it definitely wins in a tight three-setter,
6-❤️
6-7
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Excuse the pun.