What Would Happen If..........?

Sorry, guys (& Don!) but I hadn't returned to this topic since I posted it.......

To address your points raised:

I wasn't alluding to or attempting to address any specific problem. I was just reflecting on the Hong Kong model & wondered whether it was an application which might have merit for us.

But it does seem to have prompted some comment which, I suppose, is really the whole object of this site.

.........and happily without it getting into a slanging match.

......although the Hong Kong model works well, as does Singapore and Macau with regards to horse numbers limited to trainers.... MT is on the money.....we breed race horses and with no way of exporting them in numbers like that of Ozzie and Kiwi breeders...... we have to push them into our shrinking market....with less owners, fewer, race courses and now trainers are on the decline....our model is on a tipping point and needs some out of the box solutions.....we need those that are in control to stop this slide before we slip into the abyss ..... :whistle:

I don't know if it falls into this topic but how is an owner who is not 1 of the big boys supposed to get into the market without being lucky? You can go to the sales armed with what you think is a fair price for a horse, only to have the bigger owners outbid you by lengths purely based on they have the ability to do so. So in effect you have the same owners in your big races and your little owners having to fight to stay alive.

I do not think there is any way to stop this and I don't even think it is unfair but it is a reality.


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A great thing about horseracing is that Joe Commoner can still take on the Jooste's, Oppenheimers and Rupert's and beat them.

Mac wrote: A great thing about horseracing is that Joe Commoner can still take on the Jooste's, Oppenheimers and Rupert's and beat them.

Indeed - and the saying that 'horses don't know their odds / sale price' is one consistent factor that has held true over the years imo - lots of examples - JJ, Talktothestars etc. etc.

Restricting owners in HK has nothing to do with their success. Both Singapore and Hong Kong are island-states with no space so restrictions would be as if Durban was an island and Greyville could only accomodate xx horses in the middle.

Just for fun and to get some perspective between racing in Africa vs the penthous: to become a member of the Hong Kong Jockey Club one would need two nominations from the 200 "voting" members, and a further 3 from the 23,000 ordinary members.

(note 23,000 members and about 1400 horses, so there is an annual ballot to have a race horse. Having a whole horse must be a thing)

Once accepted, which could take a few years, one would make out your cheque for R800,000 to join as a full member and a stop order for R4,000pm.

And don't think you hand-langers can get a table or use a box if the member is not there in person. And there's a dress code depending on the type of member and age. Not sure about where you park the helicopter or where the pilot can sit while he waits.