Kenilworth Racing and Phumelela are to adopt a more flexible approach to race programming in a bid to meet trainers’ concerns about the shortfalls of the present system.

Phumelela boss Clyde Basel said: “We are going to review the programme every two months, see which races are filling, which are not and why they are not. We can then tinker with the programme and make the necessary changes.

“Cape racing is fantastic and we want to keep it that way. The trainers are keen to increase the number of runners per race and we want to put things in place to enable them to do this.”

Eric Sands, one of those at the forefront of the call for change, said: “This will help – and we certainly can’t afford to give away any more of our racemeetings to another centre – but it can’t be done without also having an up-to-date horse census each time.

“Derek Brugman has suggested to me that we should go to each trainer each month, ask him or her what horses they have to run, the type of horse and the distances they are looking for – and that is a good suggestion.”

By Michael Clower 

Picture: Eric Sands (hamish NIVEN Photography)