Horse racing has been a part of South African history since the mid 1600 where there was an influx of imported horses which were being brought by Jan van Riebeek to South Africa. Ever since then, horse racing has become one of the most followed sports in South Africa and over the years, there has been some impressive horse racing tracks which were built in South Africas main provinces namely:
Fairview, Port Elizabeth
Flamingo Park, Kimberly
Turffontein, Johannesburg
Greyville, Durban
The Vaal, Johannesburg
Kenilworth, Cape Town
Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg
South Africa hosts some of the best and glamorous horse racing events which receive worldwide attention like the Durban July, Sun Met and Triple Crown, and this shows just how big the sport is in South Africa. The most fascinating thing about horse racing in South Africa is that people follow this sport for various reasons, some follow the sport because they are race enthusiasts whilst others are just stylish socialites who go to popular events like the Durban July because of the glitz and glamour associated with the event. Yet with all the good history of this sport, there seems to be a decline in the popularity of Horse Racing in South Africa, and this is the main reason behind the creation of ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’
What is ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’?
The creation of ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’ was brought about when some of the major players in South African horse racing decided to join forces to launch a campaign which is aimed at marketing horse racing and to promote its core values because there has been a noticeable decline of the sport. According to the information on their website, the main reason behind the creation of ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’ is ”to reinvigorate the sport and bring back the glamour, thrill and excitement of horse racing.” The main target for this campaign is the youths who clearly do not have an appreciation of the sport and ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’ is there to instill the horse racing culture in the youth’s minds by removing stigmas, educating people, mostly the youths about horse racing and promoting a number of event experiences across South Africa. The ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’ website provides valuable horse racing information and we are going to be looking at each section of the site.
New to Betting
Everything is always complicated if you are looking at it from the outside and there are a lot of people who feel that horse racing is complicated, this section aims to take you through the basics of horse racing by explaining some of the popular bet types namely Win. Place, Each Way, Swinger, Exacta,Trifecta, Quartet, Double, Pick 6, Jackpot, Place Accumulator and Bipot. You also get information on how to place a horse racing bet and where to place that bet. So the ‘New to Betting’ section is a very important section for those punters who want to learn more about horse racing.
Events
It is not an easy thing to keep track of all the horse racing events schedules but do not worry because you won’t miss one if you take advantage of the Events section of the ‘Racing, It’s a Rush’ website as you get schedules for all the upcoming events at racecourses in South Africa so that you don’t miss out on the fun.
Gallery
‘Racing, It’s a Rush’ has a collection of images from the previous horse racing events from 2018 onwards. This gives a chance to the people who were at those events to relive the moments and for people who were not there to see what they missed out on. Currently the events which are featured on this section are;
Charity Mile Sun Met EC Derby
LQP Royal Raceday Gins ‘n Roses
Gauteng Guineas Race 4 Fashion JHB Prawn Fest
Cape Guineas Cirque Royale WSB Cape Fillies Guineas CT Prawn Fest
Gauteng Summer Cup Matchem Stakes G-Bets Summer Cup
July in Jozi RA Awards
Racecourses
South Africa boasts some of the finest racecourses in the world and you get to learn about these racecourses on this section and get more information about where they are situated, the size of the course and the facilities on each and every course. The racecourses featured here are;
Turffontein Racecourse
Vaal Racecourse
Kenilworth Racecourse
Durbanville Racecourse
Greyville Racecourse
Scottsville Racecourse
Fairview Racecourse
Flamingo Park Racecourse
Hall of Fame
Get yourself information about the rich history of the horse racing sport by getting to know champion horses which have graced the South African racecourses over the centuries. In this section of the website, you will get to know the amazing stories of phenomenal horses like Horse Chestnut, Wolf Power and Louis the King. There has been some great horses throughout the history of the sports in South Africa but you have an opportunity to get an in depth story of the most outstanding ones from different generations.
Press Room
Stay in touch with all the happenings in the world of horse racing in the ‘Press Room’ as you get all the latest horse racing news, press releases, Award Ceremonies and many other exciting horse racing related activities in South Africa.
Video Library
This section features a collection of horse racing videos from a number of events in South Africa. The video library has it all, the races, the fashion and everything you can think of.