Charity Mile: Racing for charity makes big strides at Turffontein Racecourse

THE Charity Mile has since its inception made big strides to become one of the most popular racing events on the horse racing calendar.

The Charity Mile draw took place on Wednesday October 22 at Emperors Palace, in which the 16 Charities and 16 Horses are matched with their 16 Celebrities.

The Charities Mile will take place on Saturday November 1 and mark the start of the summer racing season on the Highveld.

The gates open at 11:00. Lots of fun and entertainment available for the entire family with ample parking for each and everyone.

The National Horse Trust is one of the 16 charities which will benefit from the Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile.

The R600 000 Grade 2 events over 1 600m is a normal race in terms of the stake distribution for the horses’ owners, trainers and jockeys. However, each of the 16 horses in the field will also run for a charity. A total of R550 000 is shared between the charities affiliated to the runners, whose finishing positions determine how much each will take home. The charity tied to the winner will receive R100 000 down to R20 000 for the charities represented by the last five horses past the post. Some of the most touching moments of the year in racing can be seen at Turffontein on the first Saturday in November every year.

Caxton South’s three newspapers, Alberton RECORD, Comaro CHRONICLE and Southern COURIER, will see some of the best runners out on the field representing their charities.

As You Like will be out for Alberton RECORD and Charity, Reahile Primary After Care Centre, but was drawn wide at 18. On the inside of Alberton’s horse in 17 will be the highly rated Louis The King, from the Geoff Woodruff stable, to make it through for charity, Fortune Kunene Primary After Care Centre. Umkhathize Primary After Care Centre will have media partner, Southern COURIER, and drawn in the middle of the field at four will see Sovereign Mint taking advantage of this position.

Trainers Geoff Woodruff and Alec Laird aim to bring out some of their top runners to contest the R600 000 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile (Grade 2) at Turffontein.

Woodruff will be responsible for saddling five runners – Vodacom Durban July third-placed Tellina, Triple Crown champion Louis The King, Killua Castle, who ran third in this race last year, Rake’s Chestnut, who was narrowly beaten by Legislate in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000, and Lockheed Jetstar, winner of the Listed Thukela Handicap over this distance at Greyville on Durban July day.

One would imagine both Louis The King, who will be ridden by Piere Strydom from Alberton, and Rake’s Chestnut, the mount of Anton Marcus, will be aiming for the Sansui Summer Cup as their main missions.

Laird sends out Bouclette Top, who is likely to be close to the top of the bookmakers’ boards, As You Like and Bezanova.

The other charities chosen as beneficiaries are nine after-care centres, run by the Peermont Children’s Trust, which are safe havens for school children in some of the poorest areas in Gauteng, providing meals, following a menu provided by the Department of Health and Social Development, holiday food parcels, uniforms and help with homework as well as libraries and play areas for school children in some of the poorest areas in Gauteng; the Peermont Education Trust – Lesedi Programme; the Peermont School Support Programme; Star Schools; the Animal Anti-Cruelty League; San Michele Home and Izanokhanyo Community Based Project.

The National Horse Trust was established by the horseracing industry in 1989 to take care of thoroughbreds once their racing careers were over. It has established four Horse Care Units around the country, and these have evolved to include the care of all breeds of horses as well as donkeys. The Trust has also evolved and is now the fundraising body for these Horse Care Units.

The nine Peermont Children’s Trust after-care centres are:

Welamlambo in Tembisa which caters to 70 children aged 6 to 14 from Welamlambo, Nyiko, Sphiwe and Isiziba Primary Schools;

Maphanzela in Thokoza (93 children from Maphanzela, Umkhathize, Mzamo, Mtingati and Umkhanyize Primary Schools);

Reahile in Katlehong (88 children from Reahile, Zibuko, Tamaho, Monde and Mokgobeng Primary Schools);

Umkhathize in Thokoza (99 children from Umkhathize Primary School);

Fortune Kunene in Vosloorus (60 children from Fortune Kunene Primary School);

Jongifundo in Vosloorus (86 children from Jongimfundo and Thembakazi Primary Schools);

Nageng in Vosloorus (95 children from Nageng Primary School);

Khangezile in KwaThema (100 children from Masimini Primary School);

Thembakazi in Vosloorus (86 children from Thembakazi and Jongimfundo Primary Schools).

The Animal Anti-Cruelty League, which has taken the R100 000 cheque three times since 2008, is the second-largest independent animal welfare organisation in SA, providing shelter for abandoned animals, promoting an efficient adoption programme, prosecuting animal cruelty cases and running welfare hospitals for pets in lower-income areas.

San Michele Home for the physically and intellectually disabled has been in existence since 1945. It provides professional care and a family environment for 200 permanent resident’s aged 18 to 75, many of whom have been abandoned by their families and day-care for another ten.

Izanokhanyo Community Based Project is a registered NGO started in 2012 by Helen Musumpa. It looks after 150 vulnerable children in Kliptown, Soweto, and the nearby squatter camp. Its mission is to provide a protected environment to nurture less-privileged children, providing them with food, shelter, health care, recreational facilities and clothing to ease their suffering.

The breakdown of the R550 000 is as follows:

1st – R100 000

2nd – R70 000

3rd – R50 000

4th – R40 000

5th – R30 000

6th – R29 000

7th – R28 000

8th – R27 000

9th – R26 000

10th – R25 000

11th – R25 000

12th – R20 000

13th – R20 000

14th – R20 000

15th – R20 000

16th – R20 000