The R1 million Grand Parade Cape Guineas (Grade 1) to be run at Kenilworth Racecourse on 20 December has become firmly entrenched as the most prestigious three-year-old thoroughbred event on the South African sporting calendar and the meeting is not only anticipated by the racing purist but has also become an important charity fund raising day as well as an extravaganza for families, socialites and holidaymakers.
Kenilworth Racecourse, which dates back to 1883 and is home to such races as the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J&B Met, is the oldest racecourse in the country and is famous for its quality and fairness as a racetrack and also for its spectacularly beautiful setting.
The spaciousness of the lawns in front of the grandstand makes it the perfect venue for blending the Sport of Kings with entertainment.
There will be no shortage of the latter at this year’s Grand Parade Cape Guineas meeting, which has the theme “Colour Rush.”
There will be a pristinely decorated entertainment lounge on the lawn in front of the race track that will provide a wide variety of live music as well as a relaxing location from which to socialize and have a front seat view of the racing. It will be made up of a Bubble Lounge, a Whisky Bar and a Vodka Lounge.
The Burger King Marquee will house “Santa’s Workshop” and the festive season theme, including a giant Christmas tree, will be appealing to kids. Santa will welcome all kids and the fun activities will include family entertainment, arts and crafts, giveaways, face paintings, jumping castles, train rides, games and more. Proceeds will go to charity.
The hospitality area will be in the Peninsula Room, which has a magnificent view of the racetrack and where both the decor and the flavourful food will be bursting with colour. This outlet will provide a perfect platform for entertaining clients and will enable VIP guests to mingle with celebrities or network with other corporates. Unique items will also be auctioned on the day. A three course meal will be part of the package and there will also be freshly prepared sushi from a live sushi station as well as a chocolate station and a cheese station. Each guest will also receive a R100 coupon booklet for the entertainment lounge. Tables can be booked at R10,000 per table (drinks will be charged separately). Another hospitality option is to reserve a table in the Somerset Room for a three course buffet menu at R220 pp. For hospitality bookings contact Micaela (021) 700 1600
As part of the Grand Parade Cape Guineas fun family day of giving four hundred children from disadvantaged schools in Cape Town will be invited to Santa’s Workshop early in the day where they will enjoy all the activities for free. They will leave with full tummies courtesy of Burger King plus goodie bags, Christmas crafts and a photo and a gift from Santa.
There will be nine races on the day in total and a cheque will be presented to a charity after each one of them.
Besides the R1 million Grand Parade Cape Guineas there will be two other feature races on the card, the Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers Handicap (Grade 3) over 2500m and the Non-Black Type Cape Premier Sales Stakes over 1600m.
This year the Grand Parade Cape Guineas will form one of two first leg opportunities for the SASCOC Triple Crown, which carries total prize money of R7 million.
The Cape Guineas’ list of winners reads like a who’s who of the greatest horses in South African turf history and the like of In Full Flight and Sentinel, who dead-heated in 1972, Colorado King, Hawaii, Gatecrasher, Politician, Empress Club, Jet Master, Horse Chestnut, Jay Peg and Variety Club are among them.
Last year’s running was a thriller as the Brett Crawford-trained Elusive Gold caught his more fancied stablemate Captain America on the line with the highly touted Red Ray in third.
This year’s renewal, with the like of Act of War, Kingvoldt, Light The Lights, MLJet, Afrikaburn and out of province raiders like Harry’s Son, being possible contenders, promises to be just as intriguing.
Patrons are encouraged to dress in colourful clothing to match the day’s theme.
The gates open at 12h00 and entry is free.
Reserve a table in the Somerset Room for a three course buffet lunch at R220 pp. To book your table contact Micaela (021) 700 1600
