PHUMELELA MEDIA RELEASE.

PHUMELELA MEDIA RELEASE
SUBJECT: 5-year plan to enhance facilities for horses and horsemen
DATE: Tuesday 15 September 2009
RELEASED BY: Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited

Horseracing and tote betting company Phumelela will spend more than R10 million on special projects during the first year of a five-year plan to upgrade facilities for horses and horsemen.
For year one (1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010) the bulk of this special project budget, which excludes normal maintenance and operating costs, and night racing expenditure, has been allocated to Turffontein and Vaal racecourses, which also double as training centres.
The big-ticket items at the two venues are the replacement of the beach training track at Turffontein at a cost of R3.1 million and renewing the sand racing surface at the Vaal, which will cost R3 million.
Other projects include upgrading the wooden stables at Turffontein and the refurbishment of grooms’ quarters at both venues.
Nearly R1 million will be spent at the Randjesfontein training centre near Midrand, where the purchase of a new water tanker to irrigate the training tracks will consume most of the budget.
“A total of just on R13 million was approved for the first year of our five-year plan for horseracing. The bulk of the money – R10.4 million – will be spent for the direct benefit of the horse and horsemen, while the remainder will go towards upgrading other racecourse facilities,” said Phumelela’s Horseracing Executive Patrick Davis, who was chief executive of Plumpton Racecourse for eight years before returning to South Africa to take up his current post.
“It should be noted that the comparatively low spend at Randjesfontein this year is due to the Red Track at the venue having being renewed last year at a cost of nearly R2 million,” he added.
Improvements at Kimberley and the Eastern Cape will include refurbishing the grooms’ quarters at Flamingo Park and enhancing the sewerage systems and storm water drains at the training centre at Fairview Racecourse.
“Phumelela’s horseracing team spent months compiling the five-year plan, which will ensure that facilities for horses and horsemen are satisfactorily maintained and renewed where necessary over the next five years,” said Davis.

where are the lights.

I dont know why the lights are such a big issue. We have a night racecourse which does not get used in KZN. Easier and cheaper to stream in UK racing Im sure.

I must admit to be happy to see that money is being reinvested

AL don`t you think night racing will be a help attract new racegoers? combine the sport with the social aspect?

Well they had a perfectly good race course with lighting in a good suburb of Johannesburg and they sold it for 26 million and are now re investing 55 million into the lighting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope I have my figures right but if I do and this is really what happened, then it must be the ultimate, all time bone head decision by Phumelela to get rid of Newmarket.

Keep turrfontien as a training centre and Main track and have at least two midweek race meetings in Jhb, one Vaal and one Newmarket......

I must be looking at life through crap covered glasses coz this whole thing with the lights and turffontein makes NO sense!!!

Hibs of course - comments I made had a handy dose of sarcasm included. There has been very little in the way of night racing from Greyville for some time. I do understand that they are busy with some or other treatment on the track at the moment. I still believe that night racing is being underutilised and is probably directly linked to turnover of course.

I would loathe to be the punter that has to travel to turfies at night to watch racing. Soft target if you ask me. The course and the punter at night>

Tommy Hotspur...Perfect answer...

Phumelela makes no sense...will never...

Hope they got a 50year plan how to get people to turffies after dark...Even if i have a freak champ that was to win a R3m race at night i'll rather watch it on tellycrap...

Rather they make a "QUICK" plan how to get over 400 maiden 3yolds out of the maidens and introduce more maiden and low merit rated races in more midweek racemeetings than a 5year plan to improve crap that should have been done right from day one.

No wonder Mike de Kock said on an interview the vaal sand track is attrocious and he wont run his horses there cause of the kickback. First they sell the best course - Newmarket - waste the money just to spend more in fixing there initial flop!

But us owners are not important - as long as people play the exotics they pocket and spend...&^*$% the owner, we [phumelela] want lights in ghost valley and there will be light...no maiden races, no extra midweek races, no extra PE races...only lights. Show the world lights with mine damps as a spectacular view...

Newmarket was perfect...close to higway, nice setting, close to airport, great looking course, lush grass...spectacular at night!!!!!! %&*$# the lights...save the owners and racing!!!!!!!!!!!

To be fair, this 'more that R10 million upgrade 'excludes normal maintenance and operating costs, and night racing expenditure' so in general I think the money is being well spent - especially as this includes R3 million to 'renew the sand racing surface at the Vaal'.

Yes, closing down and selling Newmarket was a monumental mistake imo (and I have not seen the motivation / defence for this decision yet), and I am not too enthusiastic about going to Turffies at night, but let's give credit where credit is due.