Brett Crawford and Eric Sands are to have a conference call with Phumelela racing executive Clyde Basel early this week about how to respond to the demand for more runners at Cape Town meetings.

Cape trainers’ committee member Crawford said: “We are going to put to Clyde a few suggestions that the trainers have and then we will discuss the matter again among ourselves.”

There now seems more of a determination than there was initially to take measures to increase the average runners per race from ten to 12 and so avoid the stakes cut threatened by Phumelela.

> Andre Nel, who had his first runner five days ago and three more on Saturday, has a team of 60 to go to war with in his new role as private trainer to Sabine Plattner. Thirteen of them are two-year-olds who are not expected to race until next season.

> Shadlee Fortune, nephew of Andrew, has moved from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. The 19-year-old has ridden 13 winners.

– Michael Clower