Feature race stakes boost
February 24, 2014Champions Challenge entries
February 25, 2014GOLD Circle has announced that the Betting World Derby and the Betting World Oak will henceforth be open to all ages at weight-for-age terms.
“With the main focus of the three year olds during Champions Season being the KRA Guineas’, The Daily News 2000, the Woolavington Stakes and obviously the Vodacom Durban July, the Derby and Oaks have been downgraded over the years and have struggled to find a consistent place in the programme,” said Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins.
Graeme Hawkins, Gold Circle.
“There is International precedent, such as the Irish St Leger and the Yorkshire Oaks, to vary the terms and conditions of some of the “traditional” Classics and we are of the firm view that the quality and depth of both races will be enhanced by throwing them open to all ages,” said Hawkins.
“In addition, there are no weight-for-age races in South Africa over the distance and the overall programme for stayers will benefit from the change. The Graded Races sub-committee had no reservations about endorsing the move,” he added.
The R400 000 Betting World Derby and R300 000 Betting World Oaks will be run over 2500m at Clairwood on Sunday, 15 June 2014
1 Comment
I have been following the South African horseracing since 1976 and this is an shock in my eyes. What have ever happened to tradition!.
Why not renaming the races and exclude the words Derby and Oaks from the name.
Previously KZN downgraded the South African Guineas to Grade 2 status and change the name to read KZN Guineas and it is just not the same. Great races of the past like the Champion Stakes, Concord Stakes, Chairman Stakes, South African Invitation Stakes and Frank Lambert Stakes just to name a few were all either removed from the racing calendar or renamed 1999 and in my eyes that was a mistake., races that has been won by great champions of the past.
Personally I also feel there is too much feature races between May and July and they are not spread evenly through the months, in the 1970’s and 1980 there were always big future races run during the months of September, October and November and it played a big role that KZN horses could have won big races such as The Holiday ins (Gigantic 1976) Benoni Guineas (Rock Star 1978) just to think of 2 horses of the past, these days the KZN horses are battling to win big features in Gauteng