Racing rescheduled to suit the French

Two Western Cape race meetings rescheduled
The Kenilworth race meeting marked down for Wednesday 29 November has been moved to Thursday 30 November at the request of France Galop, who will bet on South African racing that day.

NOVEMBER 13, 2017
France commingles with TAB and is a significant contributor to TAB turnover in South Africa so “it is in the best interests of South African racing to accommodate their request”, a press release from National Racing Bureau manager Aveen Sewpersad read.

Eight races were to be run at the meeting, However, France has requested the number be increased so they can take South African racing early in the afternoon and in the evening. Eleven races will now be held at the meeting.

The Vaal Classic meeting due to take place on the Thursday will now be staged on Wednesday 29 November.

The other date change at the Cape is the 17 January Kenilworth meeting, which has been delayed a day.

Sewpersad’s release said: “While it was intended to stage a function to conduct the barrier draws of the 2018 Sun Met and other feature races on the day of Wednesday 17 January, it was decided to move the Kenilworth race meeting to Thursday 18 January to ensure all stakeholders are able to join us at the event.”

Declarations fall due on Monday 15 January and the 24-hour reprieve “will afford the sponsors enough time to invite the connections of the six declared feature races on the day to the afternoon (draw) function”.

If you ever had any doubt about where priorities lie, this should finally lay it to bed. Never mind the change of date that interferes with the schedule, we sommer get additional races for the French to bet upon nogal. Imagine what the response would have been if local owners had asked for additional races on the day without the French connection? - not a snowballs chance in hell

What a load of BS.
The NHRA must be the weakest regulator of horse racing in the world.
The people at the NHRA are the laughing stock of horse racing.
Does the NHRA not know that the Operator has to get its permission before it can change race meetings and inconvenience everyone for the Operator to make a quick additional buck.
The press release says nothing about permission being granted and the Vaal trainers and owners being consulted.
After all, this is during the Highveld season and not the Cape season.
We need to face facts. South Africa has a supine and poor regulator that is more interested in saving the operators costs, keeping jobs has no independent voice.
What will be the tactic of Phumelela to incentivise Cape Trainers to nominate?

Retract Comment

Not sure that this is a bad thing, perhaps we should look at the positives.

Informed early enough not to influence the preparation of runners so no harm done there.

Punters will get the benefit of larger pools to bet into which is a plus for tote punters.

More exposure for SA racing and hopefully goodwill for future and continued involvement from a large international player (PMU) which is good for a struggling local race book.

The only contentious thing is probably the extra races with the WC battling to attract decent fields as it is and this is very short notice to fill a few more races. Depending on the race types this might yet not prove an issue.

All in all perhaps we are too quick on the negative rhetoric as everything the operator does somehow attracts criticism. They more often than not deserve it but every now and then I just wonder about our predictable go to reaction.

one should ask why the french don't want to bet on a vaal meeting and rather opt for a W Cape meeting?
it doesn't bother me as i mainly bet on w cape racing.

LSU wrote: Not sure that this is a bad thing, perhaps we should look at the positives.

Informed early enough not to influence the preparation of runners so no harm done there.

Punters will get the benefit of larger pools to bet into which is a plus for tote punters.

More exposure for SA racing and hopefully goodwill for future and continued involvement from a large international player (PMU) which is good for a struggling local race book.

The only contentious thing is probably the extra races with the WC battling to attract decent fields as it is and this is very short notice to fill a few more races. Depending on the race types this might yet not prove an issue.

All in all perhaps we are too quick on the negative rhetoric as everything the operator does somehow attracts criticism. They more often than not deserve it but every now and then I just wonder about our predictable go to reaction.

True and I apologize for my negativity , just very difficult to be positive at the moment and a very thin line one can slip into either side.