Another big owner gone sour?

Michael’s first horse was Sabina Park, a Sportsworld filly out of Batimamselle, which he bought for R55k from Varsfontein’s 2002 National Yearling Sales draft. “I had started playing golf and had become friendly with Alec Hogg. I approached him and said I wanted to buy a horse and what was the best way to go about it. He said ‘go to David Ferraris, he is the best trainer in my opinion.’ I bid on quite a few that I got knocked out on and it got to a point in the day where I was thinking ‘this is silly and I’m going to end up losing’, but I carried on, probably just because my mom and Alec were there. Ormond was sitting behind his son when Sabina Park was led in and he said ‘Here’s one to go for. Sportsworlds are early types, they run early which is good for a first time owner.’ And that was it. I bid on her, did my job and off I went. From costing R55k, once she started running, she won R600k in about a three week spell, winning her first three races. It was so exciting.”

Countrymember, at first I thought you were talking about yourself

This is going to become one of the biggest threads on ABC over the next year or two.

Hi neigh

what will be your breaking point ?

when you just decide to walk away

MR ARROGANT wrote: Hi neigh

what will be your breaking point ?

when you just decide to walk away

Not going to happen. Neigh not the quitting type.

....I don't believe that De Brolio is sour to the game....he is getting liquid to get out of dodge ....back in 2009 while he was building his firm and his racing and breeding enterprise was on a high....he and his family were victims of an armed robbery in the driveway of their secure gated community.....he was interviewed by Alec Hogg on his financial blog about the incident about chucking it in then....he said no way he is here to stay....his mom was also robbed in an earlier incident and yet it did not deter them to look to emigrate then but he had researched the USA and found he would have to start with the real ambulance chasing..... while here, he was at least top of the heap......however his kids ( a set of twins and an older sibling )were babes at the time of the robbery incident and now are of school going age..... he has obviously had a good look at their futures and this is not a place for them.....

Don wrote: why is that? economics? tax law change?

Surely the Syndicate ownership will reduce the numbers of new owners coming into the game..i am sure the new syndicates formed are regarded as only 1 new owner...

It is not easy being an owner here in SA, there are zero benefits from the Racing Clubs, all the effort goes into racing from the Trainers and Jocks to keep you in which must be very hard on them, stakes (and I don't care which country you compare them to) are not great, Vet charging is ridiculous and there is no way you can make any money back on betting with all the bookies cutting bet sizes. You even have to pay for your own photographs if your horse by chance wins!

says 'individual owners', I was thinking it counts heads instead of syndicates?

Oscar, as an owner, what changes would you like to see take place that would make it better?
1. Stakes, 2. (please continue)

Don, owners are considered/counted as the colour holders and you cannot count individual heads with one set of colours, in partnerships & syndicates only one set of colours are counted, i.e. one head

thanks - my point. Perhaps economics nowadays doesn't allow individual owners as much as in the past, better to spread the cost and go in on a syndicate. Figures that show that would be interesting. If so, it means it's a cost of living trend and not a lack of owners out there...?