It has emerged that the innovative inaugural Grand Heritage meeting to be run at the Vaal on Saturday hit a few speed wobbles at final acceptance on Tuesday, with some trainers angry about the confusion and moving of goalposts by the racing operator.
The Sporting Post has learnt from trainers that the National Horseracing Authority handicappers refused to budge after the WSB Heritage Fillies & Mares Handicap conditions omitted the clause ‘subject to a minimum weight of 50kg’.
The corresponding race for all horses has this clause incorporated.
This means that the fillies and mares race has the bottom weight set at the standard 52kgs, with the result that certain horses at the bottom end of the scale could find themselves running at an additional 2kgs under sufferance.
The error was apparently acknowledged as such by Phumelela, but the National Horseracing Authority played it to the letter of the law.
Further confusion arose when after the programme showed only the top 4 of the 10 races on the day to host a capacity of 28 runners each, that the balance of the six races were then summararily opened up to 28 runners – after final declaration cut-off time.
Besides the potential logistical implications for the operator in terms of transporting and accommodating 280 horses, how was this extraordinary variation allowed – yet the minimum weight error could not have discretion exercised in the best interests of racing?
An anomaly also arises when we note that the declarations for the meeting closed at 11h00 on Tuesday, yet the sms advising the opening up of the whole card for 28 runners was apparently only despatched after 12h00.
“This amounts to a gross movement of the goalposts on their part,” said one angry trainer.
“We make decisions on whether to run on a variety of factors – the possible opposition being one. Now after the noms and weights they open up all the races to 28 horses in a bloody free for all! Why could they not simply override the obvious error with the minimum weights if it was so easy to just change rules?” he asked.
