Upturn in Cape Town's horse racing industry

As Kenilworth prepares to host its most prestigious horse-racing event, the annual Cape Met on 29 January, there has been an upturn in the Mother City's horse racing industry.

Peter Wrensch, a racing aficionado with Life Colours and membership of Cape Racing and the NHA (National Horseracing Authority), says, "It has been difficult competing with all sports for the leisure rand and other forms for the gambling rand.

"It has created a monumental task for the new racing promotional teams, but they have inspired confidence.

"It's commendable that the priority is to get faces back on course to enjoy a spectacle in an ambience of a worthy occasion out," continues Wrensch, "Better facilities, broadcast and coverage in a quality environment has attracted favourable comment."

"We are fully supportive of the present initiatives to offer quality entertainment, which showed encouraging signs at the recent Cape Guineas and L'Ormarins Queen's Plate.

"If this improves the supply of racing stock, we can simultaneously focus on the demand side, being the betting market.

"It is no easy task but optimistic in light of the brave team making progress."

Mark Bass, the Racing Manager and head of Marketing of the famous Bass Racing, says, "The industry has a reputation of surviving the harshest of times."

Bass is the son of the legendary Mike Bass, one of the country's leading racehorse trainers for almost four decades. He has been at the coalface of the industry for many years.

"Let me start by saying racing is a very resilient sport," said Bass. "It's been through depressions, wars and many highs and lows since then.

"With the recent pandemic, there is no doubt we are sitting at the lower end of the graph, but as trainers in the industry, we are confident that we are now going in the right direction under 4Racing (South African horse racing's new operator).

"We know that 4Racing have not been able to say or do much until getting all the regulatory approvals and their purchase of the racing assets over the line. Having now had the chance to meet people like Fundi Sithebe (4Racing's CEO) and hear about some of the thinking about the future, we are hopeful that better times lie ahead.

"Stakes have also received a much-needed boost and our facilities have been modernized to lure the crowds back at Kenilworth despite the obvious financial pressures.

"There also seems to be a focus on getting the little things right and the on-course experience is much improved," ended off Bass.