The Summer Cup Story

  1. 1886

    Where It All Began

    Johannesburg was founded in 1886 following the discovery of gold — and horse racing was not far behind.

    On 30 December 1886, the first horse race in Johannesburg, the Witwatersrand Handicap, was held.

    Its success helped prompt the establishment of the Johannesburg Turf Club, which held its inaugural meeting on 15 June 1887.

    Among the races on that first programme was the Johannesburg Handicap — the forerunner of today's Summer Cup.

  2. 1887

    The First Johannesburg Handicap

    The first running of the Johannesburg Handicap was contested over two miles, with a stake of £250 to a capacity crowd.

    It was won ‘in a canter by three lengths’ by Capt A T Allison and A B Chauncey's five-year-old horse, Second (Black Knight – Galatea).

    From these beginnings, a race would go on to become one of Johannesburg's most enduring sporting traditions.

  3. 1902

    A New Name

    The Johannesburg Summer Handicap name was established in 1902.

    The race's distance would evolve over the years, including a period over 1800m from 1906 to 1909, before becoming a 2000m contest in 1910.

  4. 1972

    The Sponsors Arrive

    In 1972, the race entered a new era when hotel chain Holiday Inn took up the title sponsorship — and the race took on the Holiday Inns name.

    Over the following decades, the race would continue to evolve alongside Johannesburg itself, with a succession of title sponsors becoming part of its story.

  5. 1984–1987

    Sun International

    The Holiday Inns era gave way to Sun International, which held the title between 1984 and 1987.

  6. 1988–1991

    The Administrator's Champion Stakes

    From 1988 to 1991, the race was known as the Administrator's Champion Stakes.

  7. 1992–1996

    The Administrator's Cup

    The name changed again in 1992, becoming the Administrator's Cup, a title it carried through to 1996.

  8. 1997–1998

    The Premier's Cup

    For two years, in 1997 and 1998, the race was staged as the Premier's Cup.

  9. 1999

    The Summer Handicap

    In 1999, the race was staged as the Summer Handicap.

    It was the final step before the name that has become synonymous with the great Johannesburg race arrived.

  10. 2001

    The Summer Cup

    In 2001, the race officially became the Summer Cup.

    And the name stuck.

  11. 2001–2021

    A New Era

    Over the next two decades, a succession of major sponsors helped build the Summer Cup into one of South Africa's biggest sporting and social occasions.

    The race became more than a contest for some of the country's finest horses. It became a fixture on Johannesburg's social calendar — bringing together racing, fashion, entertainment and hospitality.

  12. 2022

    Betway Joins the Story

    In 2022, Betway became the title sponsor of the race, beginning a new chapter in the Summer Cup story.

    The partnership has helped take the event into a new era, combining the tradition of one of South Africa's oldest major races with a contemporary sporting and entertainment experience.

  13. 2026

    Celebrate Summer

    Today, the Betway Summer Cup remains one of the biggest days on Johannesburg's sporting and social calendar.

    More than a century after the first Johannesburg Handicap, the race continues to bring together the things that make the city special: sport, style, entertainment and people.

    The names may have changed. The sponsors may have changed. Johannesburg itself has changed.

    But the race keeps coming back.

    The Summer Cup story continues.

How to Bet

Register an Account

  1. Create an account

    Visit the TAB website & select ‘Register’

    Register on TAB - Step 1

  2. Fill in personal details

    Fill in your personal details on the registration page.

    Important to note:

    • Your name, surname and ID number must match your ID / Passport Document.

    • A password must have between 8 to 13 characters and must contain at least 1 small letter (lower case) 1 capital letter (uppercase), 1 number and 1 special character. e.g. Horse@123.

    If you follow this, the red block with a X will turn into a green block with a tick.

    Register on TAB - Step 2

  3. Read and accept terms and conditions

    Register on TAB - Step 3

  4. Submit the form and verify your account

    After completion of your personal details, submit the form.

    A One Time Pin (OTP) will be sent to you via SMS, email or both, whichever ‘Contact Type’ was selected, to verify that it was you who completed the registration. Enter the OTP received.

  5. Confirm your registration

    A notification will be sent via SMS, email or both, whichever ‘Contact Type’ was selected, to confirm that you have successfully registered, with your new account number.

  6. Start transacting now! Here's how:

    • Login using your account number and password.

    • Select the Wallet icon and select the most suitable method to deposit money into your TAB betting account.

    • Once the deposit is successful, the funds will show on your account.

    Deposit funds into your account
  7. Get ready to bet

    You are now in the starting gate and ready to bet on horseracing, sport and numbers.

  8. Keep your account details secure

    For security reasons, we urge you to keep your account details and password confidential and in a safe place.

They say it's a difference of opinion that makes a horse race! And once you have an opinion, you can put your money where your mouth is by having a bet.

Different Bet Types

TAB offers a wide variety of different bet types for you to choose from.

NOTE: The unit of all TAB horseracing bets is R1. Dividends displayed are the total return for a R1 bet.

Tab's one-stop horseracing betting form

Bet a horse to WIN.

Bet a horse to finish in the placings. The number of horses qualifying for PLACE payouts depends on the number of runners.

Five runners or less: NO PLACE BETTING
Six to seven runners: FIRST, SECOND
Eight to 15 runners: FIRST, SECOND, THIRD
16 or more runners: FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH

Combines a Win and Place bet. You collect the Win and Place payouts if the horse bet on finishes FIRST. You get the Place payout if the horse finishes SECOND or THIRD (the number of PLACE payouts varies according to the number of runners, see above). The same amount is always bet for the Win and the Place.

Example:

An Eachway bet taken 3 times is a R3 Win & R3 Place = R6.

This is your chance to win big for a small amount. The bet enables Win or Place bets on horses in different races at the SAME race meeting to be combined into one accumulative bet. From time to time TAB offers an All To Come bet into a major race from any one of a selection of race meetings in the days before.

A great bet! Pick 2 horses in a race and couple them in a Swinger. You win if the 2 horses chosen fill 2 of the first 3 places. There are 3 winning combinations 1st & 2nd (or 2nd & 1st); 1st & 3rd (or 3rd & 1st); 2nd & 3rd (or 3rd & 2nd). No payout 3rd & 3rd if deadheat for THIRD.

The minimum bet on the Swinger is R2.

Bet on the horses to finish FIRST and SECOND in the exact order. Bet 3 different ways:

  • Single: Choose 1 horse for FIRST and 1 horse for SECOND.
  • Perm: Choose any number of horses for FIRST and for SECOND.
  • Box: Choose 2 or more horses. You collect if the horses chosen include the FIRST and SECOND finishers.

Choose the winners of the 2 consecutive races that comprise the Double (the first of the 2 races in a Double is termed Leg 1; the second is Leg 2).

A Double can be taken on all consecutive races – i.e. Races 1 & 2; 2 & 3; 3 & 4 etc.

  1. Mark VENUE oval. TURF for Turffontein Racecourse, VAAL for Vaal Racecourse, WEST CAPE for Kenilworth and Durbanville Racecourses, EAST CAPE for Fairview Racecourse and KZN for Clairwood, Greyville & Scottsville Racecourses.
  2. Mark RACE number (for Double bets, mark race number that is Leg 1 of the Double).
  3. Mark TIMES TAKEN. This is the number of times the bet is to be taken. Examples: For R10 Win bet, mark 10. For a 4-horse Swinger Box (6 combinations at R1 each = R6), mark 1 to spend R6. If you mark 10, bet is taken 10 times at a cost of R60.
  4. Mark BET TYPE.
  5. Mark the number/s of the horse/s chosen. R6 MINIMUM each bet (excluding Swinger R2). For example: Single Exacta or Double must be taken minimum 6 times, but 4-horse Swinger Box can be bet once at total cost of R6.

Bet on the horses to finish FIRST, SECOND and THIRD in the exact order.

Bet on the horses to finish FIRST, SECOND, THIRD and FOURTH in the exact order.

There are 4 different ways to bet the Trifecta & Quartet: Single, Multi, Float (Rove) & Box.

A popular Trifecta option is Multi, choosing one horse for FIRST with three or more other horses for SECOND and THIRD.

Cost of betting 1 horse for FIRST with:

  • 3 other horses for SECOND & same 3 horses for THIRD: R6
  • 4 other horses for SECOND & same 4 horses for THIRD: R12
  • 5 other horses for SECOND & same 5 horses for THIRD: R20

Choose the winners of any 3 consecutive races. One horse or more can be chosen in each of the three races.

Fractional betting may not be used.

Choose a horse, or horses, to finish FIRST or SECOND in each of the 6 races that comprise the BiPot (Legs 1 to 6). You can win the bet many times.

Example:

You choose one horse in each of Legs 1 to 3 and two horses in each of Legs 4, 5 and 6. If all choices finish in the first 2, payout is won eight times (1x1x1x2x2x2 = 8).

Choose a horse, or horses, to finish FIRST, SECOND or THIRD in each of the 7 races that comprise the Place Accumulator (Legs 1 to 7). You can win the bet many times.

Example:

You choose one horse in each of Legs 1 to 4 and two horses in each of Legs 5, 6 and 7. If all choices finish in the first 3, payout is won eight times (1x1x1x1x2x2x2 = 8).

Choose the winners of all 4 races that comprise the Jackpot (Legs 1 to 4). One horse or more can be chosen in each of the 4 races.

Choose the winners of all 6 races that comprise the Pick 6 (Legs 1 to 6) and you can win a fortune!

One horse or more can be chosen in each of the 6 races.

Multiply out the total number of choices made for each leg.

Example:

In a Pick 6 you choose four horses in Leg 1; three horses in Leg 2; one horse in Leg 3; two horses in Leg 4; two horses in Leg 5 and one horse in Leg 6. This is 48 combinations x R1 each (4x3x1x2x2x1) = R48.

Fractional betting can be used to reduce the cost of all Trifecta, Quartet, Jackpot, Pick 6, Place Accumulator and BiPot bets. In the Pick 6 example above, the Pick 6 can be played for R24 (half or 50% of the full amount). If you win, you collect half the payout.

  1. Mark VENUE oval. TURF for Turffontein Racecourse, VAAL for Vaal Racecourse, WEST CAPE for Kenilworth and Durbanville Racecourses, EAST CAPE for Fairview Racecourse and KZN for Clairwood, Greyville & Scottsville Racecourses.
  2. Mark RACE number (for Pick 6, Jackpot & Place Accumulator mark race number of Leg 1).
  3. Mark BET TYPE.
  4. Mark the number/s of the horse/s chosen.
  5. Mark AMOUNT SPENT or TIMES TAKEN. R6 MINIMUM each bet, except SWINGER, R2 MINIMUM.