Silly Sunday: Gold Circle Responds

Gold Circle regrets the abandonment of today’s Clairwood racing following the running of Race 6, the Kings Pact Stakes for two year old fillies.
 
The odds-on favourite, My Sanctuary, was impeded at the start by her gate opening slowly but nontheless finished in third place and in terms of the rules of the National Horseracing Authority, the result stood.
 
The relevant rule (61.5.10.1) reads as follows:- “Should the starter consider that through any faulty action of the starting gates or from any other cause, a fair start has not been effected, the starter may declare a “no-start” (false start). Should the starter not declare a “no-start” (false start), the Stipendiary Board may, after a hearing, declare any horse which was impeded at the start by a front gate not opening a non-runner, provided that a horse which is ultimately declared first, second, third or fourth in a race by the judge, shall not be declared a non-runner.
 
Gold Circle races under the rules and regulations of the NHA and is bound by the rule. Unfortunately, members of the public at Clairwood staged a protest and, despite the presence of members of the South African Police Services, neither the NHA nor Gold Circle could guarantee the safety of the riders and horses scheduled to participate in races 7, 8 and 9 and, as a consequence, it was decided to abandon these races.
 
It is intended that both The Kings Cup (Grade 3) and Pinnacle 1200m (Races 7 & 8 respectively) be postponed to Clairwood on Sunday, 24 March.