Information and transparency is key to raising the image of the sport and maintaining and growing racing’s customer base.
The news that the Kenilworth Racing board have taken the decision to implement a compulsory trainer comment requirement for first-timers and horses rested for longer than 120 days is to be welcomed.
Following a board meeting held on Friday 20 September, it was agreed to implement a local condition that with effect from the racemeeting at Durbanville on Saturday 5 October 2019, it will be compulsory for all trainers to supply the National Racing Bureau with comments for horses that are running for the first time or are coming off a rest of longer than 120 days.
Two Cape trainers canvassed by the Sporting Post agreed that it was a great initiative and a proactive step in the right direction.
“Racing is far too often reacting to criticism and loaded with negativity that tends to grab the headlines. Making pre-race comments a requirement means that we are all on the same page and the punter must never feel it’s a game of insider trading and exclusivity.”
The move makes the Cape a leader on the South African horseracing landscape in the quest to encourage transparency and it is hoped that other jurisdictions will follow suit.
