Durban July at Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on 1 July 2023. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
How do you start trying to unravel the events at Greyville horse racecourse in Durban on Saturday, when an angry crowd caused a race meeting to be abandoned midway?
Are the virtues of respect for law, dignity and good behaviour so degraded in South African society that the mob gets its way? How can a strictly rules-based game like racing survive when this sort of thing happens?
After hearing threats that racehorses would be injured in the ruckus, operator Gold Circle called off the last five of 10 races. They included the Drill Hall Stakes, the WSB Guineas and the Fillies Guineas – three Grade 2 contests to highlight the launch of the KwaZulu-Natal champions season, the seasonal climax of South African racing that includes the Durban July.
Trouble erupted when the horse Main Defender was scratched minutes before the start of Race 6, the famous Drill Hall Stakes.
This was due to blood tests showing the gelding to have levels of total carbon dioxide (TCO2) above the legal limit. (Prerace TCO2 or “milkshake” testing was introduced to local racing a few months back). Main Defender was the oddson favourite for the race and was an exotic bet banker for many punters – not to mention a heavily backed runner with bookmakers.
Outrage followed the scratching. Irate racegoers gathered in the Greyville parade ring and refused to allow horses to pass along the chute to the course. According to reports, trainers Mike de Kock, Tony Rivalland and Garth Puller, with prominent owner Suzette Viljoen and National Horseracing Authority (NHA) CEO Vee Moodley, tried to engage the disrupters and get them to disperse.
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But officials weren’t waiting around indefinitely for tempers to cool and called a disgraceful end to a promising day’s action. The three features will now be staged at Wednesday’s Greyville meeting with the support card recalled for rearranging.
Gold Circle vowed to “sanction those responsible”, which some say means banning orders. But these questions remain:
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