Horse racing in South Africa
Horse racing is a hugely popular sport in South Africa, and enjoys a long and rich history that can be traced back to 1797. There are a number of horse racing events and international horse races that take place in South Africa on an annual basis. The major ones that stand out above the rest include the Sansui Summer Cup, the J & B Met and the Durban July Handicap.
The Sansui Summer Cup is the premier horseracing event with its style and opulence. It is held at the Turffontein Race Course where participants lavishly display their wealth, affluence, high fashion and glamour as South Africa’s top jockeys go into this prestigious horse racing event. The Summer Cup is a Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds and older horses. It is a competitive race and is held on an annual basis in November. The Steinhoff International is the main sponsor of the Summer Cup. Due to this reason, it is now known as the Steinhoff International Summer Cup.
The J & B Met is one of South Africa's most prestigious horserace. The J&B Met is a huge social event in Cape Town which takes place in January each year. The race typically attracts the best horses in the country and has been won in the past by genuine superstars, most notably, ‘Chestnut’ who demolished his rivals by a distance in the Met of 1999. The J&B Met is run at Kenilworth racecourse over a distance of 10 furlongs (2000m). Huge crowds gather at the Capetonians to cheer up their favourites.
Durban July Handicap is South Africa's greatest horse race, both in terms of the quality of past winners and the excitement that surrounds the race. It is an annual event held on the first Saturday of every July that is guaranteed to capture the attention of the entire nation. One unique fact about this race is that the horses that have won the July Handicap have gone on to gather international success. An example of this is the legendary ‘Colorado King’, who set a world record for nine furlongs and won the Hollywood Gold Cup. The Durban July Handicap is run at the Greyville Racecourse over a distance of 11 furlongs or 2200 meters.
Let us now talk about the racecourses in South Africa. Few of the great racecourses which successfully attract the big stars include the Arlington Race Course, Fairview Race Course, Bloemfontein Race Course and Turffontein Race Course.
The other less prominent racetracks include the Vaal Race Course, Clairwood Turf Club, Greyville Turf Club, Scottsville Race Course, Flamingo Park Race Course, Durbanville Race Course and Kenilworth Race Course.
Arlington Race Course is located in a Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. The first thoroughbred horse race was held here in 1981, for prize money of US$ 100 million. In 2002, the Arlington Race Course hosted the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. The physical attributes of the track include a one mile track which has one-eighth of the track covered with dirt and a one mile on turf. It has a total capacity for 50,000 spectators who can watch the game with a lot of comfort. There is also a facility of stabling on the backstretch of the racetrack for over 2,000 horses.
Another prominent racecourse is the Fairview Race Course. The Fairview Race Course is located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is a right-handed horse racing track that is about 2,700 meters in circumference with an 800 meter run-in. This track is known for having slow drainage and therefore it remains soft after heavy showers. The Fairview Race Course also has a 1,200 meter straight course than runs into the round course at about the 800 meter mark.
The Third most prominent and widely known racecourse is the Turffontein Racecourse. It is situated in the suburb of Turffontein in Johannesburg, South Africa. This racecourse was founded in 1887 by the Johannesburg Turf club. Turffontein Racecourse runs over a distance of 10 furlongs or 2000 meters. It features some of the richest races that are held in South Africa. Turffontein is widely acknowledged to be one of the most difficult tracks in South Africa due to the relentless climb from the 1200 meter mark to the final turn. The straight, however, is long and gives good horses the chance to win from any position.
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