‘Test runs’ ahead of Heritage

AS part of the initiative to ensure the readiness of the Vaal racing surface for The Grand Heritage on 1 October, the last two races at the race meeting at the course this Tuesday, September 20, will both have bigger fields than normal.

Race 7, a MR73 Divided Handicap over 1 200m, has 17 runners while the final race on the programme, a FM64 over 1 400m, has 18 runners carded.

To accommodate the bigger fields, the middle rail that usually separates the Outside and Inside tracks will be removed and there will be a 5m spur at the 500m mark on the inside running rail.

The starting stalls for these races will be placed in the centre of the track.

Supplementary entries for The Grand Heritage close on September 19 with the final field set to be announced on Tellytrack two days later.

As part of the testing phase for Grand Heritage Day, the Vaal’s outside track (a 1 600m straight course) was widened for last Tuesday’s meeting (September 13) by moving the running rails – from the 1 600m to 500m marks and then further widened from that point with a 12m false rail to allow the fields to fan out in the closing stages.

While the track set-up for the meeting was made known to trainers before the meeting and the information disseminated on a number of platforms including the Tabonline website as well as www.sahorseracing.co.za under the Track Information Report section, some punters may not have been aware of the track set-up for which Phumelela apologises.

It should be noted that the “middle rail”, which divides the 30m-wide straight course into the Inside and Outside tracks, is not always in the middle of the straight. It is moved nearer the outside or inside from meeting to meeting in order to spread wear and tear and facilitate maintenance.

Going forward Phumelela will inform horseracing fans of the precise position of this “middle rail” before each meeting, as well as where the starting stalls will be positioned.