14,000 - THROUGH THE GATE

Fair enough Mr H. Potential Addicts need an introduction. The more I think about it the more my smoking analogy makes sense. I am an ex smoker. I remember how many of my mates and I tried to inhale smoke. Only a few went on with it. the tobacco industry pulled a whole bunch of newbies in std 7 in and a few persisted and went on to become smokers. Apply this thinking to racing is the point I am trying to make.

I will never forget how daunting it was for me to hit the totes and be faced with a mountain of info Jockeys; draws; merit ratings; owners; form; tracks; trainers; weights; distance; form guides; telly track; telly track prices; intote experts...... you get the picture

I made the most money at this time. I would go for the horses witth green prices in the begining. LOL!!! My other fav was to look at the formguides plasted on the wall, the coloured ones yellow for KZN, blue for WC, Green for Gau. I won a few rand on the tips block. I would never choose the top tip I would always go a few lines down, check if the price was good 10/1 ish and green and then I would fire. R10.00 a time was firing for me!

Point is, it took a long time to start "inhaling" horse racing without coughing.

Jack - the punting game has not become harder, lol, the probabilities are just more. With more information readily available than 20years ago it should be easier even in the face of differing structural bets and weightings. Where racing in SAF and UK (its the only two countries I can offer a comment on) are having a problem is the fact that they have not marketed their product effectively over the last 30-20-10-5 years. Nada. Nil. Zilch strategy to appeal to the new generation on different platforms - not just ownership and punting.

They have relied on existing punter populations to carry the sport, and existing ways of ownership. There are so many ways that money can be made on different platforms by engaging different segments of the market. This includes fans, academics, social visitors, soft punters, hard punters, seasonal punters, festival goers, sectional owners, full owners, children, you name it. Gotta think outside the box!

Racing cannot be made the 'in-thing' because nobody knows it exists. Until the local industries start investing in a collective strategy to build awareness, it will remain this way.

The trouble is Don, do the operators want to make racing popular?
They have to upkeep tracks, listen to complaints etc it costs plenty in massive overheads on local racing.
They can generate the same gambling rand via overseas racing and soccer pools with virtually no overheads and improve the bottom line.

Agreed Don, its almost like a dirty subculture in the minds of most. It's like the hobo uncle that no one wants to be seen with or your wife spotting your car in the Teazers parking lot.

Scotia, I was thinking economies of scale here - surely if you have a following that equates to money this warrants the upkeep of those facilities? Think in terms of national heritage sites - i.e. Table Mountain, or The National History Museum in London. It draws the crowds. Some of them are once-off visitors, others come again, fewer come back time and time again. But every single one of them will tell their family and friends what a fantastic visit they had. And possibly those 7 people will tell 28 others.

Right now, racing has only two market segments. Existing punters, and existing owners.

Mr Hawaii - I'm not sure addicts are the way to go. An addict usually has no love for their addiction, just a need for a hit to ease the craving.

I think we need enthusiasts. An enthusiast has a love and a commitment to their pastime that makes their enthusiasm enduring. With apologies to the punters out there, a mere gambler (and I don't count very many of you as mere gamblers or you wouldn't be on the ABC) will be able to get a hit off betting on anything and will as happily bet on a horse race as they will on paint drying.

An enthusiast gives to their interest, because they feel it gives back in some way - fun, satisfaction, enjoyment, whatever.

The thing that keeps people betting, buying, owning, or whatever guise they choose in racing is simple - it's the horse.

There is, plain and simple, nothing else like it.

But for some reason the biggest attraction in our industry remains the most neglected (and several other things I'd rather not mention).

As a good example, it's coming up to Kentucky Derby time and the Americans may lack in some areas, but they do know how to tell stories and market horses (not racing, HORSES). I hope Barry will not mind, but as an example, attached in a little background on Team Valor's candidate for this year, Went The Day Well:-

www.forbes.com/sites/teresagenaro/2012/0...-the-kentucky-derby/

What fun !

Now there's a horse I'd support, purely on it's back story. It's interesting, it's compelling, it's connected to someone we know and hey, it's got a cool name. With apologies to Tellytrack and American racing enthusiasts, I might not have given much of a crap about the Derby before because I didn't have any interest or any connection. With one simple, single article now I do. I'd certainly buy a ticket to the Derby (or at least make sure I turned on the TV) to watch that run because now I'm connected and now I'm INTERESTED. Why? Because of the HORSE!

Why is it so impossible for people to see that that's all it takes?

super Suzanna, i'm posting this link to the Derby discussion if you don't mind. I think we're on the same page.

Susanna I know there are millions of girls and women that ride/show/love the animal etc Now when i venture into a betting hall I do not see them punting (perhaps they are too intelligent to do so) but i see loads of old gnarly male punters(addicts) standing in line - Trying to sanitize racing into a sport with enthusiasts will not do as it is not a reality - You need punters who are addicted because you need them to punt as often as they can - Racing is completely dependent on the Gambling rand - Racing is FREE to attend and I'm sure more people pay to watch the Lipizzaners per week than attend a Race meeting - If you venture into a tote you will see the same faces every day now my mind tells me they are addicts not enthusiasts - The punter is the fool that thinks he can outwit everyone else with his selections and earn a quick buck - It is this dream that keeps them taking bets not the romantic concept of seeing the next Sea Biscuit or Wolf Power - Racing is really just about Money and addicts need the thrill of winning to keep them coming back.

Jack - I understand your angle but I differ slightly. My experience was as follows :

I took to UK racing like a duck to water when it was first introduced on Tellytrack. I preferred the jumps but also thoroughly enjoyed the flat as well.

I made a lot more money ( cynics can interpret that as I lost less money! ) for the folllowing reasons :

1.) I was able to use Betfair and laid horses I didn't rate.

2.) I found form assessments far more helpful and studio guests on Timeform radio highly knowledgeable. Many even predicted where horses ( based on previous performances ) would be placed during races. This allowed one to also get involved in 'in running' betting.

3.) I quickly reduced and then discontinued SA racing based on results I often could not begin to fathom. As a native of the Western Cape I found local racing the most inconsistent with the added negative of Durbanville; which I just happen to detest.

4.) Things went quite well for awhile until a new trend developed - the selected airing of the scheduled UK meetings. I found the races were being shunted to the sidelines to a greater and greater degree. Half screens quickly became one third screens, then quarter screens. Then often races were not shown at all or reduced to a sideshow while we watched a handler picking his nose in PE. Furthermore Tellytrack seemed to specialise in screening mainly the lesser quality racing on days where strong meeting were often available.

5.) Then in running scrolling was introduced on UK racing - which cut off the legs of the runners in may instances. By this time I was starting to get really irritated as I like to see my selection run without body parts obscured. regrettably 'full screen' was only for local racing.

6.) Lastly the in studio producer decided it was not necessary to show an entire jump race. Which is a pity as jumping is about....well, jumping!. So not seeing parts of the race only left one with a 'what happened?' feeling if a fancied runner fell at the early obstacles whilst Cyril or someone was waffling away in the studio about Trifecta payouts.

7.) Betfair was eventually outlawed but I had already discontinued my activities there due to concerns about the uncertainty regarding foreign exchange activities. I continued to use Interbet thereafter but it is punitively expensive by comparison and almost impossible to get a decent bet on anything other than an odds on favourite.

8.) I had already migrated largely to sport by then where I found profit oppportunities childishly easy compared to the myriad of risks associated in backing horses.

9.) I have not had a bet on a horse in any form for a number of months. I am surprised how little I miss it. In fact my last activity was putting up the R10,000 Cheltenham prize and then watching in amazement as 75 hopefuls were all gone after 2 legs of a 4 leg challenge.

I do understand Mr H - my point is simply that trying to squeeze someone's last Rand out of them is not a very sustainable business model. If those people are true addicts, they will be betting on anything and everything - not just racing. If the thrill is the monetary reward, well then that can be obtained in a number of ways and on any number of sports or other gambling activities.

Our job then becomes to make them want to spend their money on racing.

How do we do that?

We can only do that by identifying how we are different / more attractive than any other sport / gambling option out there and capitalising on that. It's certainly not the friendliest or easiest game to understand is it?

So what's the attraction?

I maintain that it's the horse that sets us apart.

Take away the horse and you might as well be feeding coins into a slot machine. I don't know about you, but that doesn't interest me a great deal.

Oh - and as for women not being punters, it would be interesting to have a look at how many female owners there are in the game. Bridget Oppenheimer, Mary Slack, Gaynor Rupert, Kirsten Rausing, Sabine Plattner, April Glaspie, Lady Laidlaw, Veronica Foulkes, Pat Devine, and Ingrid Jooste is certainly a named owner on a lot of horses. And those are just a few of the bigger names. There are plenty smaller ones as well.

And there are plenty women who are not named owners who got their male counter-parts into horses in the first place (I know that's how my dad got into the industry and how I, for my sins, inherited the bug).

So don't be fooled, there are a lot of women in racing. And whether we punt by breeding horses, buying horses, by paying training fees or by putting money on the tote, we do contribute.

The attraction is winning money without breaking a sweat:D - I don't wish to promote problem gambling but without it the industry would be in real trouble -

ANY OF THOSE 14000 at turfontein today ?