They’re off! Horseracing gets go-ahead
Horseracing will resume in South Africa from Monday – throwing a lifeline to a multibillion-rand industry in a state of near-collapse.
No spectators will be allowed on racecourses – only workers essential to staging eight races per meeting, such as grooms, jockeys and stewards. Race fields will be restricted to 12 horses, with 14 horses allowed in “pattern” (graded feature) races.
The live televised action on DStv will allow online and telephone betting to take place.
The first race meeting after nine weeks of lockdown will be at Greyville in Durban, on the Polytrack surface. On Tuesday, the venue will be the Vaal racecourse near Vereeniging, with Cape Town’s Kenilworth hosting on Wednesday.
Jockeys will not be allowed to travel from province to province to ride – as is the norm. They will be allowed one journey to the province of their choice prior to Monday. Horses cannot travel outside home provinces.
Racing officials have pleaded with government for restart permission, arguing racing is a non-contact sport with the action totalling just 15 minutes a day.
SA’s most famous race, the Durban July, has been set down for 25 July – three weeks later than its traditional slot, to allow time for qualifying races countrywide.
The announcement of the restart was made by National Horseracing Authority CEO Vee Moodley last night. The news was greeted with relief in an industry that employs at least 60 000 people and is estimated to have an annual impact on the economy of at least R3-billion – thanks to thoroughbred breeding, feed manufacture, transport, betting turnover and horse sales, along with substantial foreign earnings from horse exports and income from global television rights.
SA racing has been brought to its knees by the lockdown, which delivered a devastating blow to an industry already struggling from revenue decline over some years.
Major operator Phumelela Gaming and Leisure, based in Johannesburg, went into voluntary business rescue on 8 May – putting the future of six of SA’s eight racecourses in jeopardy.
The Oppenheimer family – heavily involved in racing for generations – put up a R100-million emergency rescue package to keep the Phumelela ship afloat until the business rescue process is completed.
A restructuring task team of prominent racing individuals is charting a way forward – possibly in consultation with the government, which has previously had little involvement.
A unified structure to run racing – including KwaZulu-Natal’s Gold Circle operator and Kenilworth Racing in Cape Town – is said to be the preferred option.