Dean Kannemeyer – ‘It’s one of those things’
The decision to postpone the Gold Cup a week is the right one in the circumstances and Gold Circle should be lauded for acting timeously and decisively. So says Vodacom Durban July winning trainer Dean Kannemeyer, who has three runners in South Africa’s premier staying event.
With heavy rain having fallen over the region, and with more rain forecast for the weekend, the racing operator announced earlier today that the meeting has been postponed in its entirety to Saturday 1 August 2015.
Hot Ticket – Kannemeyer kingpin
Kannemeyer, who has enjoyed a terrific season, has a strong trio of longhaulers in the Gold Cup and said that the postponement would have little impact on his runners.
“These are staying horses and they will just tick over for the next week. Frankly, I think the decision to postpone is a blessing in disguise and the fact that it has been made in good time, means that the inevitable inconveniences can be kept to a minimum.The organisers are often damned if they do and damned if they don’t in these situations. But the rains should be welcomed and these are things beyond their control.”
He added that the duration and testing nature of the Gold Cup made it a difficult race to hold on a bad surface.
“Nobody wants to race in dangerous and adverse conditions. We want the best horse to win on the day. The track would also be cut up and dangerous and the safety of horse and rider has always got to come before all other considerations – including the likes of social arrangements and technicalities such as the stats falling into a different season. We are all in the same boat, so let’s row together and make it work.”
