Durbanville racecourse gets tested today

Today is D-Day for Durbanville when the racecourse will be used for the first time since it was closed for resurfacing 10 months ago.

General manager Dean Diedericks said: “We are going to put horses on the track and see if the jockeys are happy with the surface.

“If they, and everybody else, are satisfied then we will race there on 9 September. I am pretty confident that we will be fine but it’s a case of being safe rather than sorry - and if people are not happy with it then we are going to be in crisis management.”

Durbanville is scheduled to stage 10 meetings inside six weeks and “crisis management” would mean a devil’s alternative between no racing and stretching Kenilworth beyond its limits, probably a combination of the two.

The situation is further aggravated by the drought.

Diedericks wants to keep Kenilworth for the summer season and said: “We are under pressure from a weather perspective and I am really concerned for the summer when shortage of water is going to be a real test.”

The Kenilworth dam used for watering the course is in a better position than most dams in the Cape Town area but the level is way below normal.

However Durbanville now finds itself in the fortunate position of having surplus grass as it was decided to buy in turf rather than put back the old sod after the ridge and furrow beneath it had been levelled out.

In addition a grass nursery was set up on the inside of the racecourse.

Diedericks said: “Nothing has yet been decided about what we will do with this nursery grass, whether we build a grass gallop at Philippi or extend the grass track at Milnerton.”

Apparently, though, the original plan to extend the Milnerton grass gallop into an oval is likely to be dropped because of the restrictions imposed by the conservation area. -