Flamingo Park to close 9 December

PHUMELELA MEDIA RELEASE
SUBJECT: Flamingo Park to close in December
DATE: Thursday 29 August 2019
RELEASED BY: Phumelela Gaming


Flamingo Park Racecourse will stage its last meeting on Monday 9 December.
“The decision is based purely on commercial factors,” explained Phumelela Racing Executive Patrick Davis on Thursday.
“A financial analysis conducted on Kimberley Racing in isolation from the other racecourses, indicated it was losing around R23.5 million a year. It has the lowest TAB turnover of any of local race meeting at around R3 million.
“It is also one of the least cost-effective meetings to stage as we have to bring in people like stipes, judges etc from other centres.
“The last race meeting will take place on Monday 9 December after which Flamingo Park will close as both a training facility and a racecourse.”
Davis and Racing Association CEO Larry Wainstein went to Kimberley to discuss the move with the Kimberley trainers and their staff, also assuring them they would not be left in the lurch.
“Phumelela will support the trainers and all their grooms to relocate to another venue. Over the next month or so we will be in discussions as to where they wish to move. The options are the Vaal, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town,” said Davis.
“The general consensus is that they will go in different directions.”
As a result of the closure, the 2020 fixture list has been rejuggled to accommodate 20 of those 36 meetings. The plan is they will be held at either the Vaal or Port Elizabeth and will be programmed with Kimberley-level stakes and race programmes.
“We will also include some kind of protection clause for former Kimberley-based trainers at those extra meetings,” said Davis.

With that news there will be a few on here tonight who will get a raging hard on.

Another one bites the dust...… will be missed, like Arlington, Bloemfontein, Clairwood etc.

Prepare yourselves for bombs and Pick 6 carryovers galore!!

Devastating news for those who derive their livelihoods from Kimberley. Sorry guys.

It’s quite sad for the people of Kimberly, even though it did cost money getting people up there etc, I still think more could have been done for turnovers.When a pick 6 was a carryover it should have gone to the next weeks meeting ,the full carryover.Kimberly lost out on things like that which would make a big difference.

This is very sad news. Sorry guys I feel for you even if I did say its bush racing it was only said with tongue in the cheek

Also shows how Abc members gets the news months before official announcements and post them. It’s the best information site by far.

mikesack wrote: Another one bites the dust...… will be missed, like Arlington, Bloemfontein, Clairwood etc.

I loved Newmarket and Gosforh Park


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I am not sure its a question who had the news first.
Its another sad situation for racing and I hope that as many people and jobs can be relocated as possible during these difficult financial times racing finds itself in.

Would love to see the Flamingo Park horses winning in Cape Town

so few thoughts here
1. i was under the impression P has to present local content 7 days week to their international viewers or risk losing their access to the international market. if that is the case, are they planning to add Monday meetings to other venues.? if yes then we are truly Fcuked,. The track conditions are already a train wreck and now they gonna close a track but keep the number of race meetings. Would like clarity on that please.

2. What role did Larry Wineberg of the RA actually play in assisting the Owners interests here? Again probably FCUK ALL. Disband the RA ASAP

3. Any pie in the sky Dreamer who thinks the Kimberly trainers will have a chance at the bigger centers is nuts. Those horses are in Kimberley for the reason. The trainers no doubt can hold their own against the best but they dont have the quality stock. Moving them to the other centers will just cut those smaller trainers throats, in what is not a growing market of young fresh owners.

THX