The Gold Cup Festival of Racing, a first for South Africa, takes place over two days, Saturday and Sunday next week, July 29-30. The Saturday sees the running of the Grade 1 World Sports Betting Champions Cup and eight other races and Sunday the running of the Grade 3 eLAN Gold Cup supported by two Grade 1 juvenile features, the Premiers Champion Juvenile Stakes and the Thekwini Stakes on a 10-race card. All of these races could influence the outcome of the Equus Awards, horseracing’s equivalent of the Oscars that will be announced on Tuesday, August 15.

The two-day festival of racing is the grand finale to the current horseracing season that officially ends on Monday, July 31.

The festival kicks off with an exciting Gala Dinner in the Silver Ring Room at Greyville Racecourse on Thursday evening ,27 July 2017.

“The Gala Dinner launches the inaugural Racing Festival in style,” says Gold Circle’s Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins. “The evening promises to be a great mix of good food; good wine, excellent entertainment and a wonderful opportunity for guests to mingle with Celebrities and sporting heroes across the spectrum,” he added.

Guest speakers will be former Springbok and Springbok coach Nick Mallett, former Bafana Bafana star Delron Buckley and current Comrades Marathan Champion Bongmusa Mthembu while celebrated artist Aaron McIlroy will provide the entertainment.

The 3-course buffet dinner will include wine and malt and additional entertainment will be provided by the Break-Thru Dance Company, with horseracing’s  own “funny man” Paul Lafferty acting as MC.

For bookings and further information please contact Nosipho Hadebe on 031 573 2682 or nhadebe@prosportinternational.com

By Andrew Harrison