A horse that likes pizza, beer and crisps – good enough for a big race winner

You’d not dream of it as dinner for a horse, though, would you?

But that’s what happens in Australia – as revealed when a race mare called Nettoyer blew expectations to the wind at Randwick racecourse on Saturday by winning the Grade 1 Doncaster Mile at odds of 40-1.

In the winner’s circle, triumphant trainer Wendy Roche declared: “She’s going to get pizza tonight, I can tell you! She eats supreme pizza with capsicum sauce. She normally has some chicken schnitzel, too, she eats everything.”

Nettoyer had already made headlines in November 2019 when she appeared on Aussie TV slurping down a mug of beer after another race. Roche revealed then that the mare was also partial to champagne, fish and chips, ice blocks and bacon and egg toasted sandwiches – with two sauces.

Before the animal rights brigade gets upset, let’s hasten to add that such things, in moderation, are not bad for horses.

Legendary Irish steeplechaser Arkle was famous for enjoying a pint or two of Guinness with his daily dinner – and he was and is rated by many as the all-time greatest jumps racer.

Search the internet for info on horses’ diets and you might come across scientific research by Dr Sarah Ralston of Rutgers University in the US which lists what horses can and cannot eat.

Under “perfectly acceptable treats” (in limited quantities), Dr Ralston lists: Hot dogs, hamburgers, tuna fish, ham, roast-beef sandwiches, dog and cat foods, pasta, potato chips, dried beans, squash and fruit juices, among other more usual items such as apples, carrots and bananas.

The doctor points out that horses are adapted “to a diet based primarily of forages”, with their digestive system geared toward processing high roughage feeds. However, she says equine feeding practises around the world differ widely, with US horses getting grains, European ones eating more silage and Arabians munching happily on dried flava beans.

Horses spending time in farm pastures get to choose what they chow and Dr Ralston advises that dandelion, thistle, sunflowers, raspberries, blackberries and tree bark are rather yummy.

South Africa’s 10-time champion stud Summerhill at Mooi River actively encourages blackjacks and khakibos to grow in its hedgerows as those “weeds” are effective equine de-wormers. They are a sort of organic herbal side salad to the main course of pasture grass.

Some wild species are no-nos, though. Tomato plants, potato plants, rhubarb, mustards, foxgloves, larkspur, lily of the valley, privet and (would you believe it?) horse chestnut have lethal or severe toxicity potential.

Back to pizza-loving Nettoyer: Trainer Roche describes the mare as “such a sod”, meaning she’s ornery.

“All week I couldn’t ride her … she’s bit the strapper (groom) in the head and he had to get stitches … but I’ve told everyone she would win today and she’s won.”

It wasn’t without a struggle to get the shrewish mare down to the starting point and loaded into the stalls. Usually the jockey carries some potato crisps in his pocket to get her to co-operate, but at the weekend even that didn’t help. The course handlers eventually managed the task and Nettoyer romped home full of cheek.

• South African jockey Grant van Niekerk was sacked by the Hong Kong Jockey Club on Monday due to “a conduct-related matter which does not pertain to any race riding or integrity-related matter”. The South China Morning Post reported that cancellation of the 28-year-old’s riding licence followed “a domestic dispute”. Cape Town-born Van Niekerk was enjoying a very successful season and was lying fifth on the jockeys’ championship log with 37 winners.

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