Massive stake increases totalling more than R13-million
will be paid out by Gold Circle this season, pushing the company’s
total stake bill from R82 165 560 to R95 368 000.
For racing in KwaZulu-Natal, the increase of 10,77% will boost
the bill by R5 192 440 to R53 420 000 while in the Western Cape
the stakes payout will rocket by 23,59%, or R8 007 000, to R41 948
000, as the region had lost racemeetings in the previous year due
to outbreaks of Equine Flu and African Horse Sickness.
The total increase is a result of higher stakes in selected feature
events and “bread and butter” races in both regions as well as the
staging of an additional 11 race meetings – six in KwaZulu-Natal
and five in the Western Cape.
In KwaZulu-Natal the minor race stake increases will cover maiden
plates up to the C/D Division and in the Western Cape the categories
affected will be from maiden plates to graduation plates as well
as the D division, C division and B division.
Just short of R2-million is to be added to stakes of 11 of the
races run under the Gold Circle banner in KwaZulu-Natal which form
part of the exciting new SA All Stars Series and R1,2-million will
be added to the stakes of the Western Cape races included in the
Series.
The Series comprises eight separate sets of races with total stakes
of R17,4-million and bonuses totalling R10,5-million for horses
that make clean sweeps of the Series in which they race.
The Series is run jointly by Gold Circle and Phumelela and is aimed
at stimulating greater public interest in racing and to encourage
owners to continue running their horses in this country.
The eight Series cut across the spectrum of racing categories in
South Africa, catering for the juveniles, three-year-olds, sprinters,
stayers and the "big-time" handicappers.
The two Series for juveniles will be contested over the major two-year-old
feature events in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal with the other six series
including the major races in the Western Cape as well.
The feature races in KwaZulu-Natal now offer outstanding stakes
with nearly R1-million being added to the stakes of the five races
in the two series for juveniles and the stake for the two events
in the three-year-old Series are being boosted by a total of R600
000.
The increases to the SA All Stars Series races in both regions
are:
KwaZulu-Natal
Gold Medallion up R250 000 to R500 000
Golden Horseshoe up R100 000 to R500 000
Premier’s Champion Stakes up R200 000 to R500 000
Daily News 2200 up R350 000 to R750 000
Woolavington 2200 up R250 000 to R500 000
Mercury Sprint up R100 000 to R400 000
Gold Challenge up R200 000 to R600 000
Garden Province Stakes up R100 000 to R350 000.
Western Cape
Cape Guineas up R350 000 to R750 000
Cape Fillies Guineas up R300 000 to R500 000
Graham Beck Wines Cape Flying Championship up R150 000 to R400
000
Queen’s Plate up R100 000 to R600 000
Fancourt Majorca Stakes up R150 000 to R350 000.
Minor Race Stakes Policy
Gold Circle’s policy is to offer the highest possible stakes with
the lowest possible expenses for owners , says Mr Wayne Simpson,
Regional Executive Manager for KwaZulu-Natal.
This policy is apparent in the latest round of stake increases
announced by the company with more than R10-million being added
to the “pot” for non-feature events.
“What we are doing now is increasing the stakes where the majority
of the owners are racing, as well as those of the main feature races
to encourage the horses to stay.
“Future stake increases will probably be directed towards the
minor races. The ideal that we are striving for is that owners who
win a race, particularly a maiden event, get a year’s keep in stakes.”
He said that maiden races in KwaZulu-Natal also carried an additional
stake of R5 000 for the winner which is drawn from the KwaZulu-Natal
Breeders Premium Scheme. And, if the winner is a KwaZulu-Natal-bred
horse, another R5 000 on top of that is paid to the owner from the
Scheme.
The new non-feature race stakes for the two regions, with old stake
in brackets, are:
KwaZulu-Natal
Maiden Plates R42 000 (R40 000) plus R5 000 from Breeders Premium
Scheme and a further R5 000 to the winner if it was bred in KwaZulu-Natal
Maiden Juvenile Plates R42 000 (R40 000)
Novice Plates R44 000 (R40 000)
Juvenile races for winners R44 000 (R40 000)
Graduation Plates R46 000 (R42 000)
E Division races R42 000 (R40 000)
D/E Division races R44 000 (R42 000)
D Division races R46 000 (R44 000)
C/D Division races R48 000 (R46 000)
Western Cape
Maiden Plates R42 000 (R40 000)
Maiden Juvenile Plates R42 000 (R40 000)
Novice Plates R42 000 (R40 000)
Juvenile Races for winners R48 000 (R47 000)
Graduation Plates R44 000 (R42 000)
D Division R46 000 (R44 000)
C Division R54 000 (R52 000)
B Division R62 000 (R61 000)
Nomination Fees Scrapped in KwaZulu-Natal
Gold Circle has decided to scrap nomination fees for non-feature
races run in the province.
Owners will now pay an acceptance fee of R200 for races from the
C Division to the A Division and R150 for races from maidens to
the C/D Division. Both amounts are exclusive of vat.
“By doing away with the nomination fees, it means that owners
only pay if their horse runs. It simplifies matters for trainers
who will no longer have to keep track of their nominations in order
to bill the owner,” Mr Simpson said.
Statistics show that, on average, horses are nominated 2.2 times
per race run and, in many cases, with horses being unlucky and drawing
badly, the ratio of nominations to races run is considerably higher.
Gold Circle is also to increase the automatic trainer percentage
deducted from stakes from 7% to 10% in KwaZulu-Natal to simplify
administration and accounting for owners and trainers.
At present, virtually all trainers charge a minimum of 10% and
bill the owner for the difference between the 7% deducted automatically
by Gold Circle and the amount they charge their owners. This additional
charge will now fall away.
Entrance fees scrapped in KwaZulu-Natal
Entry to all racecourses in KwaZulu-Natal will now be free, except
for major feature events like the Vodacom Durban July and the Canon
Gold Cup.
This mean that patrons, particularly newcomers who want to experience
the thrill of attending their first race meeting at Greyville and
Clairwood racecourses in Durban, will now have the same free access
as racegoers at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg, where entrance
fees were scrapped when the Golden Horse Casino opened at the racecourse
a few years ago.