Clairwood Track

Wal-Mart looking to aqcuire Clairwood Track and open a massive Makro and close down teh one on Edwin Swales.

They purchased my friends store Haneef Fresh in the BLUFF for R30 bar.

Definitely no truth in that RS I can assure you.(regarding Clairwood)

I thought there was already a buyer in place?

Rumors abound...wont happen in the foreseeable future

Good news

Can't anyone persuade them to buy Flamingo instead.

Unlucky_Dube Wrote:

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> Can't anyone persuade them to buy Flamingo
> instead.

Throw in the BIG T @ 10 Bar ... Probably what its worth considering Newmarket was GIVEN AWAY for 20 Bar...()

all three Turfies/Vaal/Kimberley straight swap for Newmarket

Thx titch,clairwood is my fav track,would not want to c it go.

Thought some of you may find this 2006 article interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


May 2 2006 at 11:35pm
By Barbara Cole

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The controversial sale of Clairwood racecourse took a new twist on Monday with the man who has mounted a "no sale" campaign claiming victory.

"And that means the proposed sale of Clairwood cannot go ahead," said a very excited George Rowles on Monday night.

However, earlier in the day Gold Circle - the R1,7-billion-a-year racing and betting company which operates racing in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape - cancelled Wednesday's all-important special meeting which was to vote on the sale to allow time for members to get more information about the plan.

The additional consultative process would enable members to question and debate aspects of the strategy, Gold Circle said in a statement on Monday.

"A number of members who were unable to attend (previous) meetings and/or members who have received misleading information which has been circulated to them by third parties have contacted Gold Circle for additional information," the statement added.

Gold Circle plans to sell some major assets, including Clairwood, as well as spending R110-million on modernising and upgrading other facilities, including adding a second track at Greyville.

Rowles, a Gold Circle member, claims that the only reason the meeting was cancelled was because Gold Circle would have got a thrashing over the plan to sell Clairwood.

"A special resolution involving the sale of Clairwood needed an 80 percent majority vote in favour, and the 632 'no' votes that he alone had delivered to Gold Circle on Monday meant that Gold Circle could not possibly get the required 80 percent," he said.

"I put in enough votes notwithstanding anyone else's. They can't possibly win. They have been beaten. Now, they have no mandate to sell Clairwood."

Rowles said that if Gold Circle went ahead and held more consultative meetings as it now intended - when enough "no" votes were already in - they were looking for problems. He also demanded to see the votes that had already been cast.

Referring to Gold Circle's statement, he said he had not given out any misinformation.

"As to Gold Circle's other rationalisation plans, all those things are fine." He was mainly against the sale of Clairwood, which he said in a recent letter to members would be the greatest mistake ever made in the history of horseracing.

Asked for a reaction to Rowles's comments, particularly his claim of a victory, a spokesman for Gold Circle said last night that a lot of time had been spent deliberating on the earlier statement. Another would be issued on Tuesday.

Gold Circle said in its statement that the closing date for proxy votes from members was close of business on Monday.

"By 1pm, the percentage of members who had voted was exceptionally low for the magnitude of the decision to be taken. While the votes received to date are significantly in the majority, supporting the proposals and the directors are confident that the special majority resolutions will be approved by the required number of members, the board of the company, supported by the boards of the Regional Racing Chapters, has taken the decision to cancel the special general meeting scheduled for May 3 and to reschedule it for a later date."

"The low percentage participation in the voting process had possibly been exacerbated by the number of public holidays in April and the timing of the National Yearling Sales," the statement said.

Gold Circle says it cost R10,5m a year to maintain Clairwood, which cannot be developed because of environmental reasons.

eThekwini Municipality plans to expropriate part of the land to extend a road to link with the M4 and N2, and also wants to use a part for low cost housing.

According to property experts, the racecourse is expected to fetch a minimum of R120m, but Gold Circle is committed to getting the highest price it can. Rowles argues that the replacement value would be R500m.

rolands song Wrote:

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> Thx titch,clairwood is my fav track,would not want
> to c it go.


You and me RS