Mostly true,, corporate bullying as we all know is alive and well in racing structures and it resides in Telly Track too so I will chat to racing the executives via ABC so they can account to the industry without cover. ABC is seems to be one of the only "non censored" or totally controlled industry publications, we are in what seems like SA Racing's cold war era in 2017, ask yourself why ?
Formgrids is a world class product, this is not only my opinion but the testimonials on the website from racing's biggest names confirm this, yet we have not had one showing on the industry Horse racing channel Telly Track in our 14 years since inception, Formgrids provides one of the worlds most comprehensive form guides given and is given to the South African Racing community free of charge logic being that if you look after the customer then the game will pull itself right, all other aspects benefit if turnovers go up.
Formgrids show cases South African racing, Formgrids is non competitive to any South African industry structure, Formgrids adds greatly to the racing experience, Formgrids was put on to the internet when the call was to help rebuild racing, Formgrids has greatly served this industry and has contributed big time to turnovers which have added to the stakes pot, Formgrids has contributed to Phumelelas running costs.
The relentless resistance to Formgrids by racing executives has been phenomenal to say the least, if they put the same amount of energy into their scope of work racing would have been thriving by now.
Formgrids is free, I carry most of the costs, had I known what awaited me for doing my bit for racing I would never have done it, I don't regret the assistance and educating I have done for the industry at large, but I deeply regret having to deal with either short sighted or greedy self serving executives.
Formgrids get treated as racing's enemy number one, why? although it is undisputed and even admitted by executives that Formgrids is good for racing and greatly boosts turnover. Please think which true racing executive whom has racing's interest solely at heart would not trade his left arm to have a system promoting his product on a massive scale continually at a rate of 2.1 visits per minute 24/7, and all this to racing's direct market players, the punters, its customers who drive the game with the takeout from betting, let alone the assistance it gives to Breeders, Jockeys, Owners and the Trainers who advise their Owners on the chances of their horse in the races they compete in, and to most of the Telly Track Presenters are using the information gained from Formgrids to advise racing's customers daily on Telly Track, yet the presenters are warned and punished for the mentioning of the name Formgrids, WHY? we are not your competition, we do your tasks, we enhance the racing experience, we do YOUR business, that is of course if racing's interests are your main objectives.
Double standards are the order of the day.
Just to clear things up for the readers Joe Soma arranged a meeting with Rob Scott and myself to combine Formgrids and Computaform, Rob Scott asked me to send a business plan, I then went to Computaform office to see how their system works in order to work out how to go forward with a plan only to be denied access, Joe Soma then arranged with Clyde who agreed to assist with the business proposal, I forwarded what Clydes people sent my office to Rob Scott yet never heard from Rob Scott, he NEVER once took or returned my calls, or messages, I needed to get guidelines for the proposal so I wouldn't waste much needed time and money, both are in short supply at Formgrids in our quest to help the industry. One day at the sales i saw Rob Scott talking to Joe Soma, on his way he walked to my table and said the deal is on, yet i never heard from him again, No answer and no reply, then the Andrew Bon incident occurs. I now hear Rob Scott claims that when we proposed the joining of Formgrids and Computaform I asked for "to much" but he is referring to the figure of the value I placed on Formgrids, why did he not long ago tell me this or request other options?, was the meeting just a show and a waste of time, however he and others make far reaching decisions concerning our industry and whether the decision is correct and fair or not there is nothing anyone is willing to do about it, whats the point of the Formgrids team putting in all this effort if we are being blackballed by those that manage racing's controlling structure referred to as the "clique" by Shane Shaw and others who have been through the corporate bulling machine and been fired or oppressed by the power certain individuals misuse, a power given to them by racing boards. many of racing's sons have fallen foul of these power hungry individuals who work as a pack backed up by others, some may owe the existence of their jobs or their promotions to this "clique" and loyalty is absolute among them, how do we the outsiders with passion and love for racing help rebuild the game when there is nowhere one can go to report and flush out self serving executives.
Spite, jealously and self interest reigns supreme in the South African Horse Racing industry, now that Formgrids has opened your eyes and educated you on the way forward you will set up a similar system under the guise of "the industry must be self sufficient" and it has a "right to use and its own its information" but what about fair practice ? does this not exist in the corporate world, I have carried and filled the gap for 14 years while you have stalled and watched for 14 years, all you've done is neglected your duty to racing by finding ways to overcome Formgrids, however the sad truth is that you will be rewarded and Formgrids will be victimized, the Racing clique may yet rise even higher in the industry by getting more yes men in place but all you are doing is restricting racing's growth, racing needs input from a large selection of people and not only the opinion of of one or two people, done their way, under their control.
If it is possible, with time you may make it your mission to find ways to destroy my work using the very industry money that Formgrids has helped grow and people will applaud you and sing your praises but I and others know what you are all about, ask Shane Shaw, Advocate Joubert, Robin Bruss and a host of others about the truth of the incestuous destructive self interest force that runs OUR industry, you use racing's support and resources to carry out your objectives, You misuse the cloak of respectability that the boards carry, you skate on the back of the illusion of members names whom the public believe control the game, however these board members are either clueless or unfortunately gutless and the ones who see don't comment because they don't want to go against the flow or be associated with any controversy, what the point of boards with people of integrity if they wont get involved and do something decisive when needed, so you are safe for now but the rest of us live in hope that one day real integrity will reshape racing and then it will prosper, i know its hard to make a stand and make change because misinformation is used and backed up by the clique, the only way for this abuse to continue is for those that can do something about to sit back silently and in doing so you only support the perpetrators and the cycle continues, how many racing people and families must they destroy before something is done, they somehow manage to flush out all the hardworking individuals, can racing afford this ?, YOU DECIDE.
