Cape Town handicapper Ken Nicol, handed the retrenchment red card by the National Horseracing Authority, aims to stay in racing either as a handicapper overseas or as a journalist.

Ken Nicol (hamish NIVEN Photography)

He said yesterday: “I’ve been in racing for quite a while, firstly in computers and as a jockey’s agent. I also owned a couple of horses and spent five years with the Sporting Post before becoming a handicapper in 2010. Now I want to continue my involvement with the game.”

Nicol, 55, will be a serious loss to the local handicapping scene. He made a point of going into the parade ring before each race to study the horses, see which were fit and which weren’t, and which were playing up, showing signs of nerves or anything else that might stop them running up to their best. Those taking over his job from TV screens in their offices in Johannesburg and Durban won’t find this so easy.

By Michael Clower