Who can race where? Moodley explains the rules

Operators like Cape Racing can make their own rules about who they allow to race in their jurisdictions – as long as those rules don’t conflict with rules of South Africa’s National Horseracing Authority (NHA) or are based on existing NHA rules.

That’s what NHA CEO Vee Moodley said this week in clarification of an earlier press release in response to the recent controversial speech of Cape Racing executive chairman Greg Bortz.

Bortz intimated his organisation might consider barring people, stables and horses from racing at its Kenilworth and Durbanville courses if it considered them dodgy in terms of veterinary procedures and medication.

‘Doping problem’

In his speech, Bortz sensationally declared that South African racing had “a doping problem” and revealed he had been the motivating force behind a recently begun, in-depth, NHA investigation into vet procedures – and also behind a new rule banning injections into horses’ joints so that they could race pain-free.

Operators had the right to make their own rules about who could or who couldn’t race in their jurisdiction, Moodley told Turf Talk.

But they were not allowed to use NHA rules to make these rules, nor could they make rules in conflict with NHA rules.

“For argument’s sake they won’t be allowed to bar a jockey who has struck his horse more than 12 times in a race from riding in their jurisidction, because that jockey has already been punished under NHA rules, so the barring would be double punishment. Neither would they be allowed to bar a jockey who has struck his horse more than 10 times in a recent race from riding in their jurisdiction, because that would be in conflict with NHA rules (which allows a jockey to strike his mount a maximum of 12 times).”

NHA powerless

Another example Moodley mentioned was KwaZulu-Natal operator Gold Circle restricting satellite training yards to a maximum of 20 stables and no maidens or horses with a sub 77 merit rating being allowed in the yards.

Those rules do not relate to any NHA rule, so the NHA was powerless to oppose them, he explained.

Moodley said clarification was required because some stakeholders were not clear about the meaning of the earlier recent press release.