 Expert - Jack Milner | |
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| Veteran journalist Jack Milner has been involved in horseracing since 1972. From then on he followed the sport closely so in 2006 when he was offered the position with Phumelela Gaming & Leisure as Managing Editor of their Publishing Department, he jumped at the chance. He is also instrumental in sending tips and previews to international customers who subscribe to South African racing. Milner is known to be an astute studier of form who reads a race very well. He is one of the leading tipsters in the country where he has a big following. He has attended international events such as the English Derby and Oaks, Royal Ascot and the Melbourne Cup. | |
Kenilworth Racecourse – Track Analysis (Cape Town Met Day):
Kenilworth is the principal racecourse in Cape Town and all races are run on Turf. The Summer Track is used for the Cape Town Met Day and is 2800m in circumference with a 600m run-in. Races from 1000m to 1200m are run on a testing straight course which runs diagonally through the track. Races around the turn are run anti-clockwise.
This year, ten turf races from the Cape Town Met Day will be simulcast to Hong Kong.
The feature race, The G1 Cape Town Met, is over 2000m. There is a 600m back straight before reaching the turn. Jockeys tend to rush early to get a position going to the bend and from the 1200m, it seems to settle. The track is pretty level, but they do hit a bit of a dip between the 1800m to the 1600m. After that there is a fractional climb until it levels out at the 1200m, then it flattens out as they reach the finish. The only bend is 600m long and it is a gradual, wide turn. Draws are not that important over this distance, as horses drawn between gate 1 and gate 5 do not have a great advantage over the other barrier positions.
For 1400m Cape A Stakes, there is a slight decline heading towards the turn of 600m from where it is quite even throughout. However, as there is just around 150m to 200m before they reach the turn, low number draws are a huge advantage. The route for 1800m G3 Politician Stakes and the two 1600m contests - G1 Majorca Stakes and Gold Rush are similar to 1400m.
The other four races – the 1100m Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes, the 1200m Cape Slipper and Listed Olympic Duel Stakes, as well as the 1000m G1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship – are all run on the straight course which is undulating, rising and falling quite strongly, especially for the first 200m. After that it flattens out as they reach the finish.
For 2800m G3 Western Cape Stayers, the starting gate is at the finishing post and they only have the short pull-up area before going into the first bend. Although it starts on the turn, because of the length of the race, barrier positions are not of huge importance.
As Cape Town stands on a peninsula, wind is often a massive factor in the Western Cape where Kenilworth located. However, its effect on racing depends on the direction from which it comes. If the wind is a southeaster, the jockeys tend to go to the inside but when it comes from the northwest, the outside is better.
Cape Town usually has a dry summer so the chances of rain affecting the going is highly unlikely.
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