HORSERACING and tote betting company Phumelela will spend more than R10 million on special projects during the first year of a five-year plan to upgrade facilities for horses and horsemen.For Year 1 (1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010) the bulk of this special project budget, which excludes normal maintenance and operating costs and night racing expenditure, has been allocated to Turffontein and Vaal racecourses, which also double as training centres.
The big-ticket items at the two venues will be the replacement of the beach training track at Turffontein at a cost of R3.1 million and the renewal of the sand racing surface at the Vaal, which will cost R3 million.
Other projects include upgrading the wooden stables at Turffontein and the refurbishment of grooms’ quarters at both venues.
Nearly R1 million will be spent at the Randjesfontein Training Centre near Midrand, where the purchase of a new water tanker to irrigate the training tracks will consume most of the budget.
"A total of just on R13 million was approved for the first year of our five-year plan for horseracing. The bulk of the money - R10.4 million - will be spent for the direct benefit of the horse and horsemen, while the remainder will go towards upgrading other racecourse facilities,’’ said Phumelela’s Horseracing Executive Patrick Davis, who was chief executive of Plumpton Racecourse for eight years before returning to South Africa to take up his current post. "It should be noted that the comparatively low spend at Randjesfontein this year is due to the Red Track at the venue having being renewed last year at a cost of nearly R2 million.’’
Improvements in Kimberley and the Eastern Cape will include refurbishing the grooms’ quarters at Flamingo Park and enhancing the sewerage systems and storm water drains at the training centre at Fairview Racecourse.
"Phumelela’s horseracing team spent months compiling the five-year plan, which will ensure that facilities for horses and horsemen are satisfactorily maintained and renewed where necessary over the next five years,’’ said Davis.