One of horseracing’s most strategically important stakeholder sectors, grooms, will be recognized and rewarded with over R1.3 million (excluding stakes incentives) during the upcoming Cape Summer Festival of Racing. This season has been extended to eight festival race meetings, celebrating nearly five months of non-stop, high-quality horseracing in the Cape.
As the unsung heroes of the industry, grooms play a vital role in delivering a world-class product. Their hard work in the engine room will not go unnoticed, following Cape Racing’s recent announcement of increased incentives from various sponsors for every raceday. This begins with the return to Hollywoodbets Kenilworth for the Gr 3 Cape Classic on Saturday, 2 November.
The groundbreaking Grooms Reward Initiative, launched by Hollywoodbets in KZN in 2019, has inspired similar programs nationwide. Cape Racing will elevate these rewards and incentives during the Cape Summer Festival of Racing, extended to 16 March for the inaugural Cape Racing Sales Day —an unprecedented celebration of horseracing and thoroughbred sales.
Highlighting the festival raceday will be the R5 million Big Cap, a new ‘slot’ race modelled after the successful The Everest concept. In a first for racing in the Cape, each groom of a Big Cap runner will receive R12,500, regardless of their horse’s finishing position, while the groom of the winning horse will earn R30,000.
The payment to winning grooms on general race days, funded by Hollywoodbets and Cape Racing, will double to R2,000 starting 2 November, coinciding with the Gr 3 Cape Classic at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. This increased basic win incentive will remain in effect until the Cape Summer Festival of Racing concludes on 16 March 2025.
Leading South African breeders, Maine Chance Farms, will acknowledge grooms through their Best Turned Out Horse Campaign on all festival race days, except the L’Ormarins King’s Plate day. A prize of R3,000 will be awarded to the groom of the horse deemed best turned out. On the L’Ormarins King’s Plate day, which marks the first Gr 1 racemeeting of 2025, Drakenstein Stud will replicate this initiative, offering R3,000 to the groom of the best-turned-out horse in each race.
Successful international owners and breeders Khaya Stables will again showcase their popular Star Grooms Campaign, rewarding the top five grooms in all 30 graded and listed races with cash incentives throughout the Cape Feature season. The Khaya Stables Star Grooms Campaign runs from Saturday, 23 November to Saturday, 16 March 2025, with the winner receiving a trophy and R5,000, followed by R2,000, R1,500, R1,000, and R500 down to the fifth-place finisher.
The World Sports Betting Cape Town Met day on 25 January is a highlight of the summer, where big-race sponsors will reward the winning groom of all races not under the Khaya Stables Star Grooms umbrella with R5,000. Similarly, on World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on 7 December 2024, the sponsors will reward the winning groom of all races not under the Star Grooms umbrella with R2,000.
Exciting and rewarding racing lies ahead for all stakeholders as the Cape Summer Festival of Racing approaches. We can’t wait!
For more information on the Cape Summer Festival of Racing, visit www.caperacing.co.za or www.capeturfclub.co.za.
