‘Why Change Woolavington Conditions?’ – Owner
It came as a total shock not only to me but to every trainer and racing expert I spoke to this week when the news broke that the premium KZN Gr1 Woolavington for 3 year old fillies was no longer restricted to the younger generation but an open race to older fillies and mares under ‘weight for age’ conditions.
Owner Mark Campbell writes in the Sporting Post mailbag that he quickly grabbed the program to check that the 3-year-old stallion equivalent, The Daily News, had also been slaughtered. Thankfully, common sense prevails and at this stage it remains a 3 year old only race! But how long?
Gold Circle recently announced that the terms of the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 have changed, effective immediately.
The Woolavington 2000, previously reserved for three-year-old mares only, is now open to all fillies and mares at Weight-for-Age.
The change in conditions was approved by the Asian Pattern Committee (APC) and the Gold Circle Racing Committee and the race retains its Grade 1 status.
“The Woolavington 2000 has struggled to maintain the levels required by the APC for a Class 1 3-year-old mare to race and we are confident that the quality will improve significantly now that it is open to all mares and mares said Gold Circle Racing Managing Director Raf Sheik.
“In addition, the change in conditions provides a significant opportunity for older and middle-distance mares and fills a gap in our Champions Season program.”
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Mark Campbell writes that the fact that no notice was issued prior to this change left the majority of the racing community confused and confused.
KZN has one, yes a 3-year-old filly class 1 race in the Champions season.
This race offers a unique opportunity for the top 3 year old fillies from our three main racing courts to compete for the undisputed title of the best 3 year old filly in the country over 2000m.
Certainly it’s one of the big draws of the KZN ChampionS season with previous winners including Promisefrommyheart, Igugu, Smart Call, Bela-Bela, Summer Pudding and War Of Athena to name a few!
The new weight for the late May age conditions clearly matches the top rated older mares and mares and there is no doubt that any 3-year-old filly who takes his place in this race will do so under condonation when his Winning or placing, in what I’m already implying should have been a race to present the best 3-year-old, fairer sex plants of this generation.
The KZN feature racing program was set and released at the end of the 2022 racing season about eight months ago, so it is certainly unacceptable for this change to come at the eleventh hour.
Trainers and owners have been meticulously planning and preparing horses for this race for many months. And breeders are racing over each other to snag a 3-year-old filly placed or lucky enough to win this famous race!
Who has the right to hack and change Gr1 races in the eleventh hour without consulting with trainers, owners and breeders in a transparent forum. Definitely makes me think something much more sinister is going on!
Unfortunately, in the face of the doldrums and the struggle to stay afloat, massive decisions made without consulting stakeholders are nothing short of a disgrace.
We, the owners, go on sale and spend tons of money to dream of winning a Gr1 race. Yet a select few in this racing dictatorship feel they can make these big decisions without openly consulting the people who matter – the owners, trainers and breeders!
The bar is clearly set, decisions are made without obligation and without the people who give racing a heartbeat. Unfortunately, no lessons have been learned from the previous racing leaders who have brought our beloved sport to the brink of failure. Racing is and will be in intensive care for a very long time.
Keep making big decisions like this with complete disregard for owners, trainers and breeders and I have no doubt you will all be looking for your UIF applications sooner rather than later!
I’m amused and confused!