Muddied Workrider Callum Dixon – carded to ride Head Girl in opener on Saturday (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The South African Weather Service has issued warnings for disruptive rain, damaging waves and snow in the Western and Northern Cape provinces over the weekend.
The opening meeting of the Hollywoodbets Durbanville season is scheduled for Saturday, with the first of ten races, a Workriders Maiden Plate, being carded to run at 12h15.
Recently a victim of the weatherman’s less than pinpoint predictions, Cape Racing Executive Justin Vermaak told the Sporting Post that horses would be galloped ‘bright and early’ on Saturday morning to assess the Hollywoodbets Durbanville track conditions.
“Looking locally, we have 20mm forecast overnight, and sun during the day on Saturday. So in order to optimise our chances of racing we will rather delay any decision today (Friday), and assess the situation and get gallops out on track on Saturday morning,” added Vermaak.
An intense cut off low pressure system is expected to affect the Western and Northern Cape from Friday evening into Sunday, resulting in thundershowers throughout the provinces. Rainfall accumulations are expected to be 30-40mm over the City of Cape Town district between Friday evening and Saturday, and 40-60mm over the Cape Winelands, Overberg and Garden Route districts from Saturday morning, persisting throughout the day.
