Joburg’s July race day a horse of a different stripe
Highveld event draws only 1 000 punters
WHILE Durbanites enjoyed the Vodacom Durban July last week, Johannesburg also had some fun at the races — minus the horses, warm East Coast weather and, of course, the glitz and glamour.
Jozi July, organised by Pink Punter on Saturday last week, paled in comparison to the real event — but it gets an A for effort. The event was held at the Zoo Lake sports fields.
By noon, people had started to arrive. Not much effort was made to get dressed up. It was windy and the women struggled to hold on to their skirts as most, including myself, rocked the dishevelled look.
Jodie Howarth, spokeswoman for Pink Punter, said 1 000 people attended — although the organisers had hoped for an attendance of 2 000.
Howarth said the turnout was “disappointing”, but next year the event would be more of a family day out to draw a larger crowd.
Jozi July has been running for 12 years and usually attracts a crowd between the ages of 25 and 35.
One of the earliest guests, Mark Calderwood, looked dashing in pink. He said he would put his money on Captain America — which lost. Legislate came in first.
Another disappointed hopeful was Marizca du Plessis, who placed her bet on Rake’s Chestnut.
There were a few food stands around and a huge bar area — hopefully, by the time the guests left at 10pm, they were still able to make their way home safely.
It was not the most thrilling day at the makebelieve races.
As for those Gautengers who love the Durban July and left work early on Friday to make their way to Durban — brilliant idea.