With bright sunny skies over Cape Town and a clear day predicted for Saturday, Cape Racing returns at Hollywoodbets Durbanville for a ten-race programme.
It’s difficult to see Mother Nature or even Eskom stopping the show from going ahead for what is a highlighly anticipated local standalone fixture.
Only the fourth racemeeting at the sparsely used scenic track since November 2023 – the meeting on 24 July was abandoned after 3 races – the programme has attracted 110 runners and promises some competitive racing, with the regional awards being held between races. The racenames on the day, salute the local stars.
Following enquiries, we can advise thay the Cape Breeders awards will be held at a date to be decided. Watch this space for news on that.
Flashback to November ’23! (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
It’s been a very wet time in the Cape!
Observatory, the oldest weather station in southern Africa, with data since 1850, recorded the wettest July on record and the third wettest month overall after June 1905 and May 1877 in the Cape.
The Cape Town International Airport station recorded the highest monthly rainfall total since the station’s inception in July 1956, exceeding three times the average for July.
To understand the difference between last year’s winter rainfall, which was already a wet winter, and this year’s winter rainfall, the Cape Town City (Oranjezicht) station recorded 317.6 mm of rain in July 2024, whereas in July 2023 it recorded only 81.8 mm of rain.
The SA Weather Services reported that 2024 was the highest monthly rainfall recorded for July since comprehensive records began in 1960.
The Newlands station, a notoriously wet region in Cape Town, received more than 500 mm of rain for July 2024, making it the wettest month on record for this station since 1999.
The stations in Franschhoek, Kenilworth and Villiersdorp set new records since their inception in the late 2000s, surpassing the total monthly rainfall recorded during the September storm of 2023.
The Cape Winelands stations, including Paarl, Worcester, and Jonkershoek also broke long-term monthly records in July.
The going on Saturday should be good, with a pen reading on Friday of 23.
- The first race is off at 12h15
- The Bipot starts in the second race at 12h47
- The Place Accumulator starts in the third race at 13h22
- The Pick 6 starts in the fourth race at 13h55
- The first Jackpot starts in the fifth race at 14h30
- The second Jackpot starts in the seventh race at 15h42
