First staged in 1883 as the Metropolitan Mile, The Cape Town Met is the oldest of the three major G1s in South Africa (The Cape Town Met, The Durban July and the Summer Cup) and is now regarded as one of the most notable and distinguished social events in Cape Town.

These days it is run over 2000m at Kenilworth Racecourse traditionally on the last Saturday in January. Unlike the rest of the country that traditionally has summer rainfall, the Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate which means its summer days are filled with sunshine and dry conditions. 

Some of the best horses produced in the country have won this race, including LONDON NEWS in 1997. It was ridden by Douglas Whyte who later that year travelled to Hong Kong with the horse which went on to win the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. That event was probably the catalyst for him to start riding in Hong Kong.  It is also a race won five times by Felix Coetzee.