Cape Racing’s surprises set an encouraging trend!

I was so pleasantly surprised during my visit to Kenilworth last Saturday I felt it warranted a short blog posting, writes MIKE DE KOCK.

The revamped Racing Association Room at the track is really impressive. I hadn’t set foot here since the Sun Met earlier this year, and the difference is quite remarkable.

The new RA room, which is accessible from the front of the grandstand, is bright and fresh with an excellent view and the service was excellent. The menu needs a tweak, understandable in its early days and I’m already looking forward to race back here on Guineas Day.

Congratulations are due to the Racing Association and Kenilworth Racing’s boss, Bradley Ralph, Jono Snaith and their team. Their energy here is tangible and if this is their opening base to build from, we can expect some wonderful innovations in future. This is just simply good for racing in the region.

I’d like to see the same kind of vibe at Turffontein during next year’s Autumn Feature Season. Kenilworth, with their rejuvenated leadership, will undoubtedly be the trendsetters.

I’d also like to mention Cape Racing’s Star Grooms campaign, launched on Saturday as a gesture of appreciation for the people who work so tirelessly behind the scenes. For the duration of the 2020/21 Summer Season, Lady Christine Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables will be rewarding the Top 5 grooms in all feature events with cash prizes, a total of 29 races until the end of February 2021.

This is a show of good will, not window-dressing, and a great help for grooms. They are the first up in the morning and the last to leave the stables at night, taking care of our horses. Well done and thank you to Khaya Stables.