The various senior executives of all three Racing Operators and The National Horseracing Authority have had their remuneration significantly reduced (by up to 50%) even though their workloads have remained unchanged and even enhanced in most cases
Changes in provincial government legislation and other well-publicised issues have destroyed the industry’s funding model and the virus-enforced lockdown has now put the future of the entire sport at risk
The National Horseracing Authority have suspended Sectional Timing in Phumelela regions
‘There is more to this case than the MEC cares to reveal, starting with the fact that we’ve had to deal with three MEC’s in the last year following reshufflings in the Gauteng government’ – John Stuart
Government, and to a lesser extent lawyers, have become beneficial stakeholders in the horseracing industry in recent times.
It took more than a spoonful of confidence on the part of the Kenilworth Racing board to issue a public invitation for all stakeholders and interested parties to attend a meeting
Phumelela advises that its various websites are in the process of being reactivated
The Kenilworth Racing Chairman says he is confident that the Cape racing operator had cut their cloth as best they could in the best interests of their stakeholders
The other major impact on prize money is that the stakes pool will not benefit as no Phumelela share dividends will be paid this year
This is not a new phenomenon and is most commonly as a result of either an increase in interest from a foreign territory/customer or an additional high turnover territory that is added to the group of countries commingling on that specific day or race.
I see that we no longer have the weekly quartet carryovers to the last race of local Sunday meetings…
The number of entries compares favourably in quantum with recent years, with 58 first entries received in 2024, 60 in 2023, 68 in 2022, 53 in 2021, 52 in 2020, 49 in 2019, and 69 in 2018
Ironically, it was a colt which provided Alan with a first Gr1 success, this being Alec and Gillian Foster’s homebred Cereus, who landed the 2001 Gold Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville, his victory completing a momentous double on the day, with the Gr2 Golden Slipper having gone the way of juvenile filly Tatler, a great-great-great grandaughter of Sun Lass!
JP van der Merwe is not the only guilty party in the matter. In simple terms, he is the only rider to have exercised the NHA’s offer of an Acknowledgement Of Guilt and moved on with his life
Andrew Fortune made it three winners on the Family Day public holiday as Tenango breezed home to win the Gr3 feature
