Durbanville Racecourse. A summer view!
With the 2012/13 South African racing season two weeks old already, long-suffering Cape-based owners, trainers and jockeys are yet to see a race meeting. And with a nasty grey blanket enshrouding the Mother City, one would not want to bet on the nine-race programme going ahead on Wednesday.
The Durbanville track has been posted as soft with an average penetrometer reading of 29 with just under 24 hours to go before tomorrow’s racemeeting. For now, racing remains on.
While only 2mm of rain has fallen over the past 24 hours, a total of 46mm has been recorded in the past seven days.
Gold Circle track management have installed a spur of 6m at approximately the 600m marker.
With solid rain forecast for today and tomorrow, Durbanville must realistically be at risk, and possibly even the already delayed Gr3 Champagne Stakes feature scheduled for Kenilworth on Saturday.
The conditions are nothing new to the old salts and local specialists who all have their own theories and principles to find the long-priced winners.
Against The Tide. Cape owners, trainers and jockeys have been swimming against the current this season.
These include following Larry’s Theorem, which applies to the Kenilworth old course, when it’s really wet. No rocket science really – just follow the very low draws in 1400m and 1600m races when boxing trifectas and swingers.
Certain yards also seem to produce the goods in the wet. That includes Mike Stewart, who is based out in Noordhoek at The Dunes, and who is known as something of a specialist with the sick, lame and lazy equines – who benefit from his patience and sea-water therapy. Out at Milnerton, the veteran horseman Piet Steyn often has long-priced winners after rain has interrupted normal training routines.
We will post an updated track report by 09h00 Wednesday and by then it will be clearer whether we are racing or not.
