Fairview Racecourse Profile
Fairview racecourse is located in Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Thoroughbred horse racing in Port Elizabeth goes back as least as far as the early 1800s. With the formation of the Port Elizabeth Turf Club, official race meetings commenced at the original Fairview racecourse in 1857. The original course is now long gone and a shopping mall is currently located on the site. The current Fairview racecourse was opened in 1977. An inner polytrack course was added to the existing turf course in 2013.
The outer turf course is a 2700m (1 mile, five and a half furlongs) near oval. It has a straight chute for races of up to 1200m (6 furlongs). The straight is mostly downhill. Horses drawn high may have an advantage. Races over 1200m go clockwise around the circuit, with a run in of 800m (4 furlongs). Horses drawn low tend to have an advantage in races run around the turn, notably in races of 1400m (7f) and 1600m (1mile). The turf course is known to drain slowly and it remains soft or heavy following rain.
The inner course is a polytrack (wax-coated mixture of silica sand and recycled synthetic fibres and rubber/pvc) all-weather surface. It is an 1800m (9 furlong) near oval. All races are run right-handed and the course has a run in of 400m (2 furlongs). Low number draws are preferred in races of up to 1600m (1 mile).
Principle races at the course are:
Algoa Cup 2000m
East Cape Derby 2400m
Champion Juvenile Cup 1400m
Fairview Mile 2010, won by Vangelis:
