The Western Cape Equine Trust is to be given a second charity raceday in February to raise much-needed funds for retraining and rehousing ex-racehorses.

Ken Truter

Ken Truter, who took over as chairman earlier in the season, said: “I found I had inherited a fantastic committee of really dedicated people and it was amazing to see the work that Newton Phillips puts in at the Philippi centre where the horses are reschooled for their second life.

“But I was concerned about the financial situation. In the past the Trust benefitted from Rodney Dunn’s pre-Met cocktail party to the tune of a considerable amount of money. When that was discontinued the Trust suffered a huge loss of income, was not generating sufficient funds to cover expenses and was having to dip into reserves.”

Truter’s solution is to link up with the Horses For Causes day at Kenilworth on February 11 and expand it into a money-making operation that will benefit both the charity and the Trust.

He explained: “I’m going to create an elite stallion auction that day. I still have to take my plans to the breeders but I want them all to attend the racemeeting and have nominations to top stallions for them to bid for.”

Owners now have – or soon will have – a responsibility under NHA rules to ensure their horses are properly looked after when they finish racing. Nobody is more aware of this than the man who bred Jay Peg. He calculates that he now has 50 horses including his mares and their foals.

The Trust’s normal fund-raising raceday is this Saturday when it will benefit from the sponsorships of all ten races plus lunch tickets, raffles etc while Grade 1 winner Real Princess will try to thwart star sprinter Carry On Alice in the latter’s bid to win the CTS Southern Cross Stakes for the second successive year.

By Michael Clower