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The R600 000 Emerald Cup will now be run on Thursday after heavy rain prevented the rich G2 sand race from taking place at the Vaal racecourse last Saturday.

As a result the Emerald Cup and two other postponed races have been added to Thursday’s Vaal race card on the sand track.

The two Emerald Cup reserve runners – Caryl’s Law and Kiss Again – have been reinstated and will take their places in the final field should there be any withdrawals from the race.

Saturday’s card had to be called off after mid-afternoon bouts of lightning, hail and rain were forcing delays.

The Emerald Cup field was in the parade ring when a lightning warning sent the runners back to the holding boxes.

Conditions improved enough to allow the horses to go to the 1450m start but as they started to load the heavens opened and the participants headed back to safety.

The downpour waterlogged the track and an inspection team, including representatives of the jockeys, trainers, owners and operators, agreed that racing would be dangerous.

The Emerald Cup is Africa’s richest race on sand.

Features that were run last Saturday included the Listed Hampton Handicap with trainer Kom Naidoo achieving a memorable big-race trifecta.

All the talk on the course was for Naidoo’s Cape Winter, though there was also support for stablemate Furious Dancer, who had not been beaten in four runs over the course and distance.

However, it was Naidoo’s third charge, Be Assured, who came with a sustained run up the centre of the track to nab Cape Winter on the line. Furious Dancer made up ground in the closing stages to snatch third.