Greg Bortz takes the next step on the Cape Racing renaissance road as he takes over from Brad Ralph as Chairman of Kenilworth Racing.
To ensure a seamless transition to build the momentum created in the Western Cape, Ralph will step down as Chairman of Kenilworth Racing and hand over the reins to Bortz.
Greg Bortz – making things happen
A media release published on Tuesday by Kenilworth Racing states that Ralph has committed more than just his time and emotional energy to ensuring the survival of KR and that they wanted to thank him for his service on the board and thankless devotion and effort over the past four years, of which the last two were as Chair.
Added Bortz: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Brad over the past few months. His calm demeanour, comprehensive knowledge and love of racing are just some of the reasons why KR was able to survive the last few years, despite the most challenging of environments. KR as a whole, and myself personally, look forward to maintaining our deep ties and friendship with Brad.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s return to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, Bortz told the Sporting Post that they are in the stages of a year-long project to upgrade the historic Southern Suburbs venue.
“Most things will be completely indiscernible to the public, but were nonetheless critical fixes. There were some really massive projects, included repairing the entire roof of the Grandstand and next door buildings, which were all leaking terribly. We have changed most of the windows, which were housed in broken frames and a future potential health hazard,” said Bortz, who added that upgrading the broken escalators was a massive repair job.
“We have also painted the entire building, installed perimeter fencing and overhauled all the bathrooms. The carpets were replaced and we have redone the floors throughout the building. Then there are the staff break areas, as well as a new jockey’s room.”
He said that the KR team was working with third parties to add some exciting new entertainment features to help drive traffic to the venue all year round. These will be announced in due course.
“The capex budget is extensive and the project is a work-in-progress. The scaffolding for the roof and window maintenance will be removed for Saturday’s raceday and put back up afterwards,” said Bortz, who suggested we should watch the news for major new non-racing initiatives (entertainment, food & beverage) that would be announced in the upcoming months.
The first race at Kenilworth on Saturday starts at 12h35.
