Peter contemplates taking large string to Cape Town
MAGNET: LARGER STAKES AND ADDED INCENTIVES IS THE MAIN ATTRACTION
The supply of enough boxes could be the main obstacle.
The recent announcement by Cape Racing, that stakes in the Western Cape will increase by about R20-million this season to around R75-million, has not gone unnoticed by recently crowned Champion Trainer Paul Peter.
Considering that Peter finished around R1,5-million in stakes won ahead of Cape Town-based Justin Snaith to clinch the title, the extra R20-million is a massive incentive for Highveld trainers, especially Peter, to raid the Cape during their Summer Season.
“What they’re basically doing is dangling a carrot in front of us,” said Peter this week when discussing the increase in stakes across the feature and minor races in Cape Town.
Asked if he plans to send a string to Cape Town for their Summer Season, Peter was adamant: “We have to consider it, even if just for the feature race season.”
But Peter, being a highly competitive trainer, is not looking at sending a handful of raiders down to the Mother City.
“It won’t help me to take 10 or 12 or 15 horses. If I go, I have to take a decent size string, because I will be dedicating a lot of my time. I will definitely have to go myself.
“It helps that I’m hyperactive. I have to keep busy and work a lot, so if it’s worth my while and I get the right number of boxes, I will be there.
“I would like to take a decent number of about 50 horses because we could then take a variety.
“We don’t only have to take the Group horses. We can take a nice string of babies and let them run there.
“I also have a lot of good threeyear-olds, which we don’t want to bump each other up here in the Joburg season.
“We can split them up and send half of them to the Cape and leave the other half here.
“There’s also the BSA bonus which, if you win one of those, it’s like winning a feature race every time you win a baby race. Most of my young ones come from the BSA sales.”
According to Peter, he has already started doing the groundwork for a Cape Town expedition.
“I’ve spoken to a few owners and they’re fully behind me. Now I just have to finalise it with the guys in the Cape.
“We have enough horses to take down.
“Being the competitive stable that we are, we don’t want to let Group 1s and decent stakes go by. We want to offer our clients the best service. If they have a Group 1 horse that will be best suited to the Fillies Guineas in the Cape, for example, we want to give it a full chance.
“I’ve got some good sprinters that can go for the Cape Flying, and still be back in time to race in the Computaform Sprint. I really have a nice bunch of sprinters. We have a lot of options if it materialises.
“All we need is confirmation that they can supply us with the number of boxes we need, as well as the grooms’ accommodation. There’s a lot of logistics going with it. It’s not straightforward.”
Cape Racing’s announcement that no race will be run for less than R100,000 during the Summer Season (1 November to 28 February) means that Cape Townbased trainers will definitely have the competitive advantage this season in the race for the Champion Trainer title.
Cape Racing’s executive chairman designate, Greg Bortz, explained in a press release the rationale behind the move, made possible mostly thanks to the sponsorship by Hollywoodbets.
“It has been very apparent that prize money levels in the Cape have not been of the required standard for some time,” he said.
“No Cape owner should be racing for R55,000 or R60,000 as we have been in the last few months.
“This has played a major role in the drop of ownership and the corresponding reduction in horse population in the Cape. Cape Racing has moved to immediately address this by implementing these new increased stakes levels. Thanks to the unparalleled commitment of Hollywoodbets, the Cape will rapidly regain its former racing lustre.”
While Peter is preparing his Cape Town raiding party, he also reiterated that he does not consider a satellite yard in Cape Town for the time being.
“I would like to go for the season, three or four months, but a satellite is going to be very difficult. I do miss home when I’m away and I must be honest, I love Highveld racing.
“We have true courses, they’re fair, and the straights are mostly long and I really enjoy racing on the Highveld.
“I’m born and bred here. It’s my backyard.”