Saturday’s meeting at Durbanville has fallen victim to the African Horse Sickness outbreak in the Paarl area and has been switched to Kenilworth.

There are no further Durbanville meetings until June 29 but the course’s Thursday gallop sessions have been cancelled until further notice and this will hit Cape Town trainers hard.

Racing administrator Teresa Esplin said yesterday: “Durbanville racecourse falls within the containment zone, quarantine is in place for 40 days from the last reported death and so gallops there will cease with immediate effect.”

She ruled out suggestions of opening up Kenilworth for extra gallops to compensate, saying: “The track has been under pressure with the extreme heat that we have been having and it cannot take any extra traffic.

“However horses which have been nominated for features will be allowed to gallop on the morning of a raceday as per normal.”

By Michael Clower