L’Ormarins King’s Plate prize money boosted to R3 million

The running of the 164th L’Ormarins King’s Plate is set to take place on Saturday, 4 January 2025, promising a spectacular day of racing at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth racecourse in Cape Town.

Country’s premier weight-for-age mile

According to the Sporting Post website, adding to the excitement was the announcement of a significant increase in prize money for the main event.

Runners in the Grade 1 feature over 1 600m, hailed as the country’s premier weight-for-age mile, will compete for R3 million in stakes next year.

That represents a 50% increase on the R2 million that was on offer this year.

Despite the prize money hike, it’s still significantly lower than the R5 million on offer for both the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met and Hollywoodbets Durban July and the R6 million for the Betway Summer Cup.

This year’s race

As a reminder, Gaynor Rupert’s Charles Dickens staged an electrifying late burst from midfield to take the 2024 edition of the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, giving trainer Candice Bass-Robinson and jockey Aldo Domeyer their first win in the race.

Known for its strict white and blue dress code, the Grade 1 event dates back to 1861 and holds a special place in equestrian history as South Africa’s oldest continuous horse race.

As excitement builds towards the event, further race card and hospitality packages will be announced in the coming weeks, including Stud Club and Style Village tickets, which are set to go on sale at the end of November.

Stay tuned to The South African website for the build-up to the 2025 L’Ormarins King’s Plate.