Competitive! Last year’s Durban July produced a humdinger with Pomodoro prevailing narrowly
With the curtain coming down on the Cape’s Sizzling Summer Season, the focus switches to Champions Season in KwaZulu Natal, where a handsome increase in stakes is bound to add to the competition and quality.
The stakes pot for the Champions Season feature races in KwaZulu-Natal has been given a R6 million cash injection which represents a 28% increase on current levels.
Announcing the increases, Gold Circle’s Racing and Marketing Executive, Graeme Hawkins, said: “This is another step towards ensuring KwaZulu-Natal remains the racing capital of the country and is consistent with Gold Circle’s vision of a new era of growth for owners, trainers and the sport of horseracing in this province.”
“These increases will hopefully ensure that all the country’s top horses will be seen in action during Champions Season and we are looking forward to one of our best winter seasons ever.”
This news follows hot on the heels of Gold Circle’s announcement last week of an across the board stakes increase of between 10 and 11% for all minor races in the province and the news that this year’s Vodacom Durban July will be run for a stake of R3,5 million, making it the richest horserace on the continent.
The biggest Champion Season increases are the R500 000 added to the Vodacom Durban July stake, while the Daily News 2000 also gets a half-million rand cash injection and this year will be run for a stake of R1,5 million.
Capital Of SA Racing. Gold Circle’s Graeme Hawkins is looking forward to the season ahead
The stake for the Woolavington 2000, run on the same afternoon as the Daily News 2000, has been increased to R750 000. The stake for the Gold Cup, the country’s most important race for stayers and final feature of the season, also goes up by R250 000 and will carry a stake of R1,25 million.
Other significant increases for the Grade 1 races include the Golden Horse Sprint and Mercury Sprint, now both worth R750 000, the SA Fillies Sprint, up R100 000 to R600 000 and the Garden Province Stakes, up R250 000 to R750 000.
Added to Champions Season this year is the KwaZulu-Natal Breeders’ day scheduled for the Saturday before the July when the KZN Breeders Million Mile worth R1 million will hold centre stage. The Million Mile will be backed up by seven other races, all with a stake of R200 000.
