Sectional Timing was tested in KZN during the GTH series last year and data is now available for Hollywoodbets Greyville and Hollywoodbets Scottsville meetings (Picture: gthracing.co.za).

Sectional Timing Gurus Can Now Get An Edge In SA

An important scientific complimentary tool of the trade for punters and racing enthusiasts, sectional timing data can enhance both the form study and horseracing viewing experience and is currently being phased in on both KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape race meetings.

Sectional timing data, which has been produced by the internationally acclaimed French company McLloyd, who also provide the service to French and Hong Kong horseracing, is currently available on the Winning Form website (www.winningform.co.za) for Hollywoodbets Greyville and Hollywoodbets Scottsville race meetings.

The tracking of races from Hollywoodbets Kenilworth has commenced and once the data has been reviewed, it will also be made available. Data from Hollywoodbets Durbanville will be added once racing resumes there.

In a game that is subject to multi-faceted variables from weather to human judgement, timing information is a scientific beacon of light that will not only enhance the Gallop TV race-viewing experience, but easy-to-interpret data can also highlight exceptions, like an individual standout performance that suggests the horse may be one to follow.

Each race is after all, an individual event, with sectional timing data allowing the form student to ascertain how efficiently the particular heat was run – something that is often subject to perception and is not always evident to the naked eye.

Easy-to-read data also provides one with the opportunity to highlight the pace of the race, when a horse is going faster or slower than the rest of the field, and when some riders may have made race-winning or losing moves, by possibly going too fast, or being forced to give ground away.

Face value form assessment can be misleading in instances, and this is another area where sectional timing can be a valuable filter.

Just as the time taken by a horse which ran an efficient race by not going too fast and maintaining a good finish to the line, could be an accurate depiction of that horse’s ability, another on the same day might have run inefficiently, cantering early on and sprinting for home, and thus the actual time recorded might be an unfair reflection of that horse’s true ability and worth putting a line through.

For the astute form student, an accurate assessment of the pace from the data provided could also produce a valuable ‘black-book’ of horses to follow, which can increase the chances of winning the exotics, or even the Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge!

The ‘raw data’ on Winning Form is currently available to download by exporting all races, or race-by-race, to Excel or CSV files. Thereafter, the data may be utilised and tailored by individual users to generate their own reports.

The Winning Form website will also house standard ‘Sectional Reports’, which may also be downloaded to Excel and CSV.

These reports include:

Time Per Sector – this gives the time per horse per sector as adjusted to the official winning time. This also shows the data for the 800m-400m and 400m-Finish splits.

Position & Lengths Behind – this gives each horses’ position per sector and the lengths behind the lead horse and will be followed by:

Position Per Sector – this gives each horse’s position per sector

Kph Per Horse Per Sector – this gives the average speed of each horse per sector

Data from the Winning Form database will be supplemented into these reports, to provide details of the trainer, jockey and weight carried as part of the ongoing development.

This sectional timing project is intended as a customer friendly value-add to boost the enjoyment, understanding and ultimately the rewards that punters and fans gain from watching the world’s most exciting ‘brain game’.

The project is a work-in-progress and the public are invited to comment and make suggestions, including providing personal recommendations of other standard reports that we could create and implement and that may prove beneficial.

Please click here using your Hollywoodbets account number and login password to have your say – Tracking@winningform.co.za – all ideas are welcome!

They’re off at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth (Cape Racing).

Hollywoodbets Official Owners Of Kenilworth Racing (Pty) Ltd

Media release by Hollywood Sportsbook (Pty) Ltd on Tuesday 25 April 2023.

A brand new chapter was written in the history of Cape horseracing on Monday with the approval by the Competition Commission of Hollywood Sportsbook Holdings (Pty) Ltd acquisition of Kenilworth Racing (Pty) Ltd.

The approval is a sequel to agreements concluded in a R330 million deal in July 2022 at a time when Kenilworth Racing was experiencing severe liquidity and cash flow constraints, and effectively facing the prospect of ceasing operations at an enormous cost to jobs, and with collateral reputational damage to South African racing.

Hollywoodbets is now the proud owners of Cape horseracing and in addition to initial loan funding of R64 million, will now, immediately be injecting R200 million into a number of capital projects in order to uplift and improve facilities. In a show of good faith for all stakeholders, and a vote of confidence in the future of the sport, Cape Racing’s crown jewel, Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse, has been ringfenced.

South Africa’s leading betting operator has declared both the passion and financial capacity to ensure the long-term viability and health of racing in the Western Cape for the years and decades ahead.

Hollywoodbets’ ownership will ensure that thousands of jobs in and around the horseracing industry are maintained and secured. Hollywoodbets holds a Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Level 3 status.

Hollywood Chief Executive, Suren Rampersadh said that this was a significant shift in Hollywood’s commitment to the horse racing industry. “The transition from our safe space of sponsorship to the responsibility and accountability of ownership is somewhat daunting, and we are fully committed to playing this role.

“But we are not in this alone. We have an incredible relationship with Greg Bortz, who has admirably and selflessly steered the Cape Racing ship during the pre-implementation phase of this transaction. We are delighted that Greg will continue to chair the Board and also become our equity partner. Perhaps, the most rewarding aspect of all will be the restoration of confidence in the future of an industry that has been living in the doldrums for some time. We will be taking our responsibilities very seriously.”

Greg Bortz of GMB Investments (Pty) Ltd has been a key player in the transaction and provided R130 million of liquidity to Kenilworth Racing in the form of a R50 million working capital facility and attended to the repayment of the approximately R80 million of Kenilworth Racing debt at the time of the signing of the agreements.

Bortz, who has acted as Executive Chairman of Kenilworth Racing, has proven to be a livewire and a gamechanger of some stellar proportions and his energy and presence in the hallways of power looks assured.

GMB are likely to convert their loans to equity, in terms of an option written into the original transaction.

“I am delighted with the Competition Tribunal’s final approval of the Hollywoodbets / Kenilworth transaction. This is a massive boost not only for the future of horseracing in the Cape, but for the industry nationwide. Now that I know the Tribunal has approved this transaction, I fully intend to exercise my option and convert my loan to equity. I look forward to partnering with Hollywoodbets and will continue working tirelessly with our respective teams to accelerate the exceptional momentum we have built at Cape Racing over recent months. Onward and upward!” added a thrilled Bortz.

The impact in just nine months on Cape Racing of innovation, restructuring and adjustments to the racing programme, has delivered the most successful Summer Season in years, with field sizes and betting turnovers showing encouraging upturns.

Hollywoodbets and Bortz are looking forward to an even brighter future.

Watch this space!

Expressionless (right) handed Dylan Cunha and Kyle Strydom a first win at Epsom (Credit: Alan Crowhurst)

Strydom And Cunha Score At Epsom

Kyle Strydom has had only four rides in the UK to date, all of them for Dylan Cunha, and he now has a 50% strike rate after winning on the Intello three-year-old gelding Expressionless in a one-mile-and-half-a-furlong class 4 handicap at Epsom today.

Expressionless has won both of his starts this season and was ridden by Strydom both times.

At Epsom in rainy weather the ground would logically be better on the outside of the straight because of the severe camber which slopes from the outside down to the inside.

Strydom from last place in the straight followed the horses to the outside but had to check his mount when he was squeezed out in the scrum on the outside.

He the switched to the middle of the track for a clear run and the gelding took off.

The commentator said, “Expressionless is staying on in fourth, might get second by the looks of things.”

That gave an inkling of how fast Expressionless finished because in the end he caught the likely looking winner about 50 yards from home and won by 1,75 lengths.

More than £15,000 was matched on the Gary Moore-trained Alpha Crucis at odds of 1.01 (1/100) in the closing stages as he appeared to have the race at his mercy under Jason Watson.

It’s a dream come true,” said Cunha, after sending out his first winner at the track. “I kissed the winner’s enclosure turf as he came in.

“My dad Luiz picked him out for 5,000 guineas and he was the first yearling we bought. He’s now won at Epsom and you couldn’t ask for more than that.

“When he got bunched up on the rail I thought that was the end of it, but once he switched and kicked I knew he would get there as he loves that ground.

“I’ve done a lot of crazy things, but nothing compares to this and I don’t think any winner would. I stood here in 2021 before I started training when I came to the Oaks and I just looked around and couldn’t imagine having a winner here. We were really confident with the ground but you couldn’t imagine it.”

The U.K. is a notoriously difficult place for a jockey to break through in and this is illustrated by the statistics of Strydom and his compatriot Greg Cheyne.

Strydom had his first ride on March 31 and nearly a month later has only had four rides and all for one trainer with whom he has family ties.

One would think the 50% strike rate he is riding to would garner some attention and score him some more mounts, but a look at Greg Cheyne’s experience quickly puts that notion to bed.

Cheyne won on both of his first two mounts in the UK for a 100% strike rate but the ride he had today was his first ride for a week and he his number of booked rides is zero.

Cunha provided him with a ride today at Yarmouth on the yard’s soldier Mr Fayez, who started 85/40 favourite in a five furlong handicap but could only manage a 2,50 lengths fourth.

Strydom has two booked rides, one for Cunha on Expressionless at Haydock on Saturday and one for his official guv’nor Roger Varian at Doncaster on Friday.

Meanwhile. Collen Storey finished second on the John and Thady Gosden-trained second favourite in a four runner race at Wolverhampton.

He has now had eight wins in 88 rides overall.

Cunha’s statistics increased to five wins in 39 runs and hopefully the momentum he has built this season can snowball.

Ricky Maingard Has Shares Available In Seven Quality Yearlings

Charl Pretorius.

Charl Pretorius Scores A Third Punters Challenge Victory

There is no substitute for experience in racing analysis and this has been proved by the Hollywoodbets SA Racing Stars Challenge which has generally been dominated by the veteran pundits.

Charl Pretorius has written several books, on top of writing or editing daily for several concerns over the years, and he revealed recently his probable most successful book from a selling point of view was The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Horseplayers.

He must practice what he preaches, because he scooped the R500 prize for being the best daily tipster in the Hollywoodbets SA Racing Stars Punters Challenge for the third time today.

Charl was lying just off the pace with two races to go and thought he was out of contention when his horse ran last in the penultimate race.

However, he produced a late rattle by selecting Tizona in the last and the 16.57 points he gathered were enough to pip MJ Byleveld on the line.

MJ was on the favourite Quandary, who ran sixth.

Charl thus leads this week’s weekly competition.

Click here to view the top 10 finishers on the daily log.

Street Outlaw runs in the last race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Wednesday. (Wayne Marks)

Cape Racing Preview for Wednesday 26 April 2023

Quick Trip is primed for the first win of what should be a productive career. The Trippi filly out of Quick Brown Fox is making rapid progress and is set to go one better after a game second behind Distant Winter two weeks ago. With proven fitness and an asset on soft ground, the Brett Crawford trained filly looks like the solution in Race 2, though a market watch is advised on the seven filters.

Captain Arrow can win the following race and kickstart the P6 sequence. Again, there are seven unknown quantities making their debuts, but they will need to be way above average to menace the Candice Bass-trained, Captain of All colt, who has run two consecutive solid races recently. Icy Blast and Blue Holly proved too good then, but Captain Arrow may find this assignment more manageable. Silver Crown and likely big improver, Speed Racer are the dangers.

The rest of the card comprises tightly banded Class 3,4 and 5 handicaps. For the most part, wide spreads will be needed to survive the exotics, but Race 7 over 1200m might be safely navigated going short with just Benjamin and Dance Variety.

Benjamin has a good record on wet going, fits just right at this Class 4 level, and a replay of either his course and distance runs to King Regent in November or Bluff on Bluff 15 days ago could get the job done. Dance Variety got within spitting distance of Benjamin in Winter ’22 under similar circumstances so should be right there again. The well-bred, improving 3-year-old, Gimmie’s Laddie, and maybe Swift Action, who comes off a career-best, are worth using underneath in vertical exotics.

Race 8 is a real brainteaser. It’s a potent Class 3 over 1200, with several horses showing the capability of moving into higher divisions through the Winter. Off-pace, strong finishing types like Beerenberg, Wyag, Veldskoen, and Tchaikovsky will be dashing home while pace-presser Transact also has persuasive claims. Add recently gelded youngsters, Wecangoallnight, Street Outlaw and Champion Warrior into the equation (all showed up well late last year,) and it becomes an even more inscrutable puzzle to solve.

Facile Vega shrugs off Il Etait Temps to win the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle (Picture: Sky Sports)

Gallant Effort By Il Etait Temps In Punchestown Grade 1

The Hollywood Syndicate/Barnane Stud-owned Il Etait Temps was in contention in today’s Grade 1 KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown all the way until the last jump before his odds-on Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Facile Vega exerted his authority.

Sky Sports wrote the following report:

Punchestown Festival: Facile Vega romps to Champion Novice Hurdle victory as Willie Mullins eyes chasing switch

Facile Vega (4/6 favourite) beat Il Etait Temps by seven-and-a-half lengths to win the Grade One KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle on day one of the Punchestown Festival; the winner is set to switch to novice chasing campaign next season for Willie Mullins.

Willie Mullins is excited to see what Facile Vega can achieve over fences next season after surviving a scare to get back on the winning trail in the KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.

The six-year-old had plenty to live up to from day one as a son of the great racemare Quevega, who won six times at Punchestown to go with her six victories in the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Facile Vega has largely upheld family honour, winning four bumpers and his first two starts over hurdles, but lost his unbeaten record when well held at Leopardstown in February and was ultimately no match for Marine Nationale when favourite to bounce back in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last month.

Despite those successive defeats, the Walk In The Park gelding was unsurprisingly short odds to end his season on a high back on home soil at 4/6 – and while a mistake three flights from home would have have had his supporters sweating, Paul Townend’s mount soon came back on the bridle and coasted clear in the straight.

Facile Vega’s stablemate Il Etait Temps was seven and a half lengths adrift in second at the line, while another Mullins runner, Diverge – third in the Supreme – weakened tamely after making much of the running and finished a tailed off last of five.

Mullins said: “I’ve always thought the world of him, he has huge ability and I’m looking forward to him going over fences next year.

“Paul thinks he doesn’t have much respect for hurdles and he could always do that type of thing even schooling at home. He thinks he’ll have far more respect for fences.

“I said to Paul to be very positive on him because he has a huge, long stride. He gallops and is able to quicken off that.

“His pedigree would suggest he can go out to three miles any day of the week and I know he has enough pace to go two miles so we will let the horse tell us as he learns the game in the autumn.”

Townend said: “We got a bit of a fright at the third-last, but he lengthened well down the straight for me again. We got it right today and he showed the true horse.”