THE Sansui Summer Cup hosted by Gauteng and the J&B Met will be run a week later than previously from the 2012-13 racing season, which begins on 1 August.

The dates of both races have been changed in order to accommodate the needs of sponsors.

The Summer Cup, previously run on the last Saturday in November, will in future take place on the first Saturday in December. Thus this year’s event will be run on Saturday 1 December.

The Met has traditionally been run on the last Saturday in January, but going forward will be held on the fifth Saturday of the year. Consequently the 2013 race will be run on 2 February.

“Gauteng Provincial Government had several reasons for wanting to run the Sansui Summer Cup a week later, notably that on its traditional date it clashed with the Metro FM awards,” said Phumelela Sales Executive Clyde Basel. “Simultaneously we received a request from J&B Met sponsors Brandhouse to run the race a week later.

“The sponsors’ requests were put before the National Fixtures Committee, which agreed to run both races a week later. It was decided that as a result of the later dates for the Summer Cup and Met, the entire Cape Summer Season should be a week later than previously in order to maintain existing intervals between feature races,” added Basel.

It is planned to programme 12 races on Met day with the meeting likely to start at 11.45am and the last race at 7.15pm. The expanded programme should enhance the entire experience of Met day.

Several other changes have been made as a result of changing the dates of two of South Africa’s major races:

* The 1600m Ipi Tombe Stakes (Grade 2) and the 1160m Magnolia Handicap (Grade 3) will be run on Sansui Summer Cup day on 1 December, instead of the following weekend as previously. These two races will strengthen the big-race menu at Summer Cup and enhance the day.

* The Tony Ruffel Stakes and the Three Troikas Stakes (the trial races for the Gauteng Guineas and Gauteng Fillies Guineas respectively) will be run on the second Saturday in February instead of the first as previously. In 2013 this will be three weeks before Guineas Day on 2 March.

* The Betting World Cape Flying Championship and the Laisserfaire Stakes will be run on the Saturday before the Met in 2013 instead of including them on Met day as planned.