Greg Bortz – determined to enforce level playing fields (Pic – Wayne Marks)
Cape Racing Chairman Greg Bortz’s ‘wind of change’ speech at the region’s recent local awards has continued to set the pace on SA horseracing news platforms.
The straight talk has now been converted to early action with the announcement on Saturday that the progressive operator will be implementing a new local race condition.
The new rule has been lodged with the National Racing Bureau and will become effective from Monday 18 September.
The rule reads:
“Any horse, which is the subject of a pending or ongoing NHA investigation or inquiry at the time of final declarations, SHALL be precluded from accepting.”
This effectively means that a horse under investigation, or the subject of an inquiry, as notified by the National Horseracing Authority to the National Racing Bureau (NRB), will be blocked for acceptance to race by the NRB.
The NRB control the process of producing entries, nominations, declarations and jockey confirmations for the production of racecards countrywide.
Cape Racing Chairman Greg Bortz said:
“As stated publicly on numerous occasions, Cape Racing is committed to upholding and preserving the reputation of horse racing in our country, and we believe that this local condition will contribute meaningfully in this regard. Cape Racing will continuously seek new avenues to protect our horses and enhance the sport of horse racing in South Africa. We will lead by example.”
There was some confusion amongst stakeholders after a rather puzzling media release on 6 September 2023 by 4Racing, which was published in response to Bortz’ 1 September speech.
Charles Savage (photo: supplied)
In the statement, Charles Savage, Chairman of 4Racing, advised that that their ‘Executive management, senior leadership and stakeholders have received numerous enquiries regarding the veracity of Mr. Bortz’s statement.’
It seems that particular issue was taken in the debate around Bortz’ authority in regard to the legislating of rules that would raise standards of fairness and enforce equal competition in the Cape.
The current innovative move by Cape Racing endorses the reality that a racing operator does in fact have a material role to play, thus effectively making their own contribution to upholding, and enforcing, the integrity of the sport.
Bortz said recently that as a racing operator and a funder of the sport, he was concerned about integrity, and was committed to ensuring that competition at Cape racetracks, at the very least. would be conducted in a fair and honest fashion.
He has declared his intention to see that Cape Racing imposes whatever racing operator conditions they legally can to ensure the integrity of the sport, within the framework allowed by the National Horseracing Authority, and this momentum is clearly now seeing the light of day.
It is worth noting that NHA rule 49.1 states:
All entries, scratchings, and the declaration of HORSES, RIDERS, grooms, compression masks, blinkers, pacifiers, tongue ties, tongue straps, sheepskin cheek pieces, earmuffs and racing plates shall be made in terms of the RULES and the RACING OPERATOR’S conditions, as published from time to time.
The implementation of the new local condition will keep the subject horse out of competition until such time as clearance is provided by the NHA.
While it can be reasonably presumed that given developments in KZN that Gold Circle will follow the Cape Racing example in this case, 4Racing’s response will be watched closely.
