Greg Bortz has delivered on his promises at lightning speed and after the upliftment of Hollywoodbets Durbanville, which saw spin off effects, Hollywoodbets Kenilworth is now also being refurbished.
In his capacity as the newly appointed Kenilworth Racing chairman, Bortz told the Sporting Post Kenilworth Racing were in the stages of a year-long project to upgrade the historic Southern Suburbs venue.
He added, “Most things will be completely indiscernible to the public, but were nonetheless critical fixes. There were some really massive projects, included repairing the entire roof of the Grandstand and next door buildings, which were all leaking terribly. We have changed most of the windows, which were housed in broken frames and a future potential health hazard,” said Bortz, who added that upgrading the broken escalators was a massive repair job.
“We have also painted the entire building, installed perimeter fencing and overhauled all the bathrooms. The carpets were replaced and we have redone the floors throughout the building. Then there are the staff break areas, as well as a new jockey’s room.”
He said that the KR team was working with third parties to add some exciting new entertainment features to help drive traffic to the venue all year round. These will be announced in due course.
“The capex budget is extensive and the project is a work-in-progress. The scaffolding for the roof and window maintenance will be removed for Saturday’s race day and put back up afterwards,” said Bortz, who suggested the public should watch the news for major new non-racing initiatives (entertainment, food & beverage) that would be announced in the upcoming months.
Saturday’s meeting features the Grade 3 Cape Classic and the first race is off at 12H35.
