Phumelela advise that after having assessed the barrier draws trial on the Highveld after the first three race meetings, there has been no discernible differences in field sizes.
Turffontein
Further, feedback received from Trainers is that the process presents an issue with regards to scratching couplings with good draws immediately after draws being announced.
Highveld Racing advised in April that they would be conducting a trial for barrier draw allocation after declarations for 3 months from the race meetings of 4 May to 31 July.
This was due to field size challenges, which are likely to be exacerbated in the winter months.
They said that the process is successfully applied in the Western Cape, as well as other racing jurisdictions around the world, including the UK.
The trial for draws after declarations was implemented as from entries of 4 May 2021 to declarations closing 31 July 2021.
However, after feedback, Phumelela has decided to terminate this trial with effect from Wednesday 5 May, when barrier draws will revert to being conducted after Entry stage – as in the past.
