After three consecutive racemeetings lost due to weather impacted racing surfaces, the Cape Racing team are determined to give Wednesday’s Hollywoodbets Kenilworth fixture every chance of going ahead.
Justin Vermaak and Greg Bortz – playing the waiting game and hoping for some sunshine! (Pic – Troy Finch)
“We had a sunny and dry, albeit cold, day on Monday which allowed for some good improvement in the racing surface,” said Justin Vermaak, Cape Racing Executive: Racing & Bloodstock, early this morning.
“Unfortunately, another 17mm fell overnight. Due to the rain forecast for Thursday and Friday, we need to give this meeting every opportunity of happening. We will monitor the weather today which is clearing and have gallops early on Wednesday morning. Of course, if we receive further rain today we will not take it to the ‘gallops stage’, and will make a decision,” lamented Vermaak.
An extra meeting has already been rostered at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth for Monday 22 July, to make up for the loss of fixtures.
IOL reported late on Monday that mopping-up operations are under way in the City of Cape Town as the storm that has been battering the Western Cape has calmed.
Reports of flooding, uprooted trees, power outages, and roofs blown off by gale-force winds have been reported over the last week.
The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell said multiple briefings were conducted over the weekend.
“The Disaster Coordinating Team has been conducting multiple briefings over the weekend to assess the impacts and monitor the efforts to address service challenges like residential flooding, flooding of roads and infrastructure, the removal of obstructions like trees from roadways, electricity outages, as well as responses to emergency incidents,” Powell said.
She said since 3 July, approximately 158 097 people have been affected and 47 663 structures have flooded or damaged.
