Cape Town's summer horse racing season kicks off with the Cape Punters Cup

It’s off to the races for many Capetonians now that the summer horse racing season has officially kicked off. Many took advantage of the warm weather to attend the Cape Punters Cup at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. 

As an early-season pointer to the Cape classics, the Punters Cup offers crucial form insight and signals the start of Cape Racing’s Summer Festival of Racing.

Race Coast Chief Operating Officer, Donovan Everitt, said that they have essentially combined the Western Cape with Kenilworth Racecourse, and KwaZulu-Natal with Greyville Racecourse.

“We are bringing innovation to racing, and we are reinventing racing. The facilities have been upgraded here, and at KwaZulu-Natal, they're busy upgrading the facilities there. We're just really focusing on making racing all-inclusive, as for far too long, racing had this stigma of being elitist, and not accessible to the men and women in the street. 

“Our vision is to make racing accessible, to create a feature race season like we've, like we've created now for December and January, and for it to cater for everybody and all different demographics.

“On the racing side of it as well, when I say we want to make it accessible, we want people to be able to invest in racing. We've got a new product, a syndicate product, where people can buy shares in a horse, for the first time at a nominal once-off fee, and then all of a sudden, you become a horse owner. 

“So, whether you own a 1% share in a horse or whether you own a 100%, nobody asks you what percentage share you own. You become a horse owner. They're able to have an opportunity to own a part of a horse, and to come down to the racecourse and enjoy the thrill of racing along with all the other entertainment,” Everitt said.

“Along with the on-course experience being uplifted, the facilities being uplifted, we have put together programmes of entertainment. We’ve introduced clothing markets, food stalls, and massive kids zones, making it affordable and entertaining for everyone to enjoy a great time,” Everitt said.

“Even if you're not interested in racing, come down to enjoy the music and entertainment for a great day out.”

One of the attendees, Tony Mahon, came out to attend the Cape Punters Cup while on his three-week vacation from around Manchester, England. Mahon said that they came out as they are big horse racing fans. 

“It's just been something that you paid attention to quite closely. We try and go to different places… My father used to bet on horses all the time when I was little. I used to sit and watch the racing with him. That was kind of the start of it.

“When my father died, he wanted to have his ashes on the racecourse in England, a place called Haydock Park Racecourse,” Mahon said.

“The racecourses in South Africa are fantastic. In England, when you go, it costs you a lot of money to get in; here, it doesn't cost you anything to get in. In England, 80 pounds (R1,820) to get in before you have a bet, and the drinks.”

Everitt encouraged everyone to come out for the other racing events set to get under way, with the next being the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas on December 6, and Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas on December 13.

In January, it will be the L'Ormarins King's Plate and the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met.

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za