Annual Charity Mile gets R1m injection

The big race, which will also have a stake of R1 million, will be run on October 31 at Turffontein Racecourse. The proportion of the R1 million that each charity receives will be decided by the finishing position of the horse that is representing them.

The PEPCM Barrier Draw ceremony to be held on Wednesday 21 October at the Peermont Emperor’s Palace is therefore going to be particularly exciting, while the race itself is likely to be accompanied by much nail-biting and followed by joyous celebrations from the representatives of the winning charity.

The split per finishing position will be as follows: The winning charity will collect R150 000, the 2nd prize is worth R100 000, 3rd R80 000, 4th R70 000 and then R50 000 from 5th position all the way to 16th spot therefore every charity goes home a winner.

On the day, as usual, each runner in the PEPCM will be publicly represented by a celebrity and a media partner.

The latter tradition has made this race day one of the most popular on the calendar as it adds a lot of glitz and glamour and also gives ordinary members of the public a chance to rub shoulders with famous people whom they usually only ever see on television screens.

The day will also feature two lucrative Sales races, the R2,500,000 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup over 1400m (Cape Thoroughbred Sales) and the R2,015,000 Bloodstock SA Ready To Run Cup over 1400m.

There will also be top class horses appearing on the day in races like the Grade 3 R250,000 Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m, the Grade 3 250,000 Yellowwood Handicap over 1800m, the Grade 3 R250,000 Starling Stakes over 1400m, the Listed R150,000 Golden Loom Handicap over 1000m and the Listed R150,000 Java Handicap over 2450m.

The Maidens will also be a part of a big payday as HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco has once again donated some of the prize money for what has become the richest Maiden Plates in the country, the R250 000 Maiden Plate over 1160m and the R250 000 Maiden Plate over 1600m.