Someone let a band of busking bagpipers into our hospitality box in the befuddled aftermath of the Durban July at Greyville last Saturday. My ears are still ringing. OK, it might have a little to do with the generous refreshment on offer. But, come to think of it, the whining noise in the head also has to do with a chorus of post-July bitching.The remarkable victory of The Conglomerate in the big race - courtesy of canny preparation by Cape Town trainer Joey Ramsden, many years of patient, pricey investment from owner Markus Jooste and a stupendously good ride by Joburg jockey Piere Strydom - should be receiving a lot more acclamation.Ramsden has long considered the Australian import an ideal July horse and his decision to administer the unkindest cut of all paid dividends. After the gelding in January, The Conglomerate had run promisingly three times, never with an ideal passage.In hindsight, and given the Strydom genius, the son of Lonhro should have been bleeping much more loudly on our punditry radar.But that's the July for you: Ups, downs, mysteries, enigmas, glories and hard-luck stories.Few hard-luck stories beat that of Adriaan van Vuuren, a mega-wealthy computer-chip guy who burst on the racing scene a couple of years ago, bought dozens of horses and landed the Triple Crown champion Abashiri.Of course, it's every owner's dream to have a runner, and dare we say a winner, in our premier race. So, against opinion that three-year-old Abashiri needed a rest after his Turffontein triumphs and would struggle under a hefty 59kg in the July, Van Vuuren took his chances at Greyville.Abashiri put up a spirited show, challenging for the lead at the top of the stretch, but it was always going to be tough for the youngster. He finished 13th of 18 and was limping afterwards.Van Vuuren lashed out bitterly on Facebook, railing against "evil eyes" in the media and said he was quitting racing. He described the game as "a dishonest hijacked two-man circus where I am described and labelled as the main clown. This clown is done and signing out for duty."Goodness knows, there's plenty wrong in racing. But, sadly, this rant came across as sour grapes. The manifest problems in the game didn't cause Abashiri to fail in the July.Racing tames tigers. Cowboys don't cry. You need a thick skin. Pick a cliché.Victory celebrations, rowdy complaints and skirling bagpipes blare away, but quiet horses gallop resolutely on and on.Another weekend, another puzzle. It's back to bread-and-butter fare, with Fairview carding juvenile and staying features today, Turffontein staging two Pinnacle Plate showdowns tomorrow and Scottsville hosting the Interprovincial Rider Cup.Scottsville should provide excitement as top jockeys vie for the provincial crown. The let-down is that Strydom the Magnificent is not joining the fray.The final leg of the contest looks a tricky affair, but if we're making a choice based on riding acumen we must opt for the Quartet bet of S'manga Khumalo, Anthony Delpech, Anton Marcus and Andrew Fortune. Champion jockeys all.For the inter-prov bet, KwaZulu-Natal looks warm. ..