Horse Racing South Africa 2020 Season

Watershed year.. the owners and punters that keep this industry alive for all those people who suck money out of the game.. I put money on it .. this is the season that makes or breaks racing SA.. breeders are selling horses at a loss.. top trainers are all making plans to move out of the country.. owners have had enough.. why should owners pay for the horses that allow the management of horse racing to collect fat salaries off the takeouts from punters ( who the management don’t even know what their requirements are) to continue.. agree or disagree.. I welcome your comments please

Oscar I agree with most of what you say however I don't think much will change this coming year. Horse racing will never fold as the Govt cannot afford to let it disappear it makes far too much money for their coffers and employs far too many people for it to collapse. So yes a few more commissions will be set up and it will just be more of the same with different faces imho. And of course us as punters will continue to punt which will keep it all going in the long run. Wouldn't it be great to see all punters just stop for an entire month to voice their dissatisfaction. Of course its unlikely to happen but would certainly make the powers that be sit up and take notice. Unfortunately the racing gravy train will continue to chug along with whoever runs it happily bleeding it along the way. I for one cannot blame jocks and trainers for moving out. The business of horse racing is much better run and controlled in so many other countries. I know you have been an owner for a long time but not sure why to be honest. Just my opinion.

Yep Miss T 100% with that.. Govt cannot afford to lose the business. .. however my watershed year I should have said.. there will be a lot of people sucking money out “shed” from the industry..

Yes Oscar, its certainly make or break year, we have many threads and discussions on the subject and we have probably reached the crossroads and 2020 is a crucial year.
The question has to be, what will change?
Will the working committee be established?
What is their agenda ?
Many unanswered questions but 2012 is NOW!

Oscar, I have to agree with you.
I see that small owners, trainers and punters will be leaving the game in their droves over the next year. Race meetings/stakes will be cut in all centers.
The big breeders will end up "propping up" the big trainers with horses in the hope of "killing" time until the protocols are sorted out. (when and if this will ever happen) The smaller breeders wont be able to follow this route but will try for a period of time until their finances run out. Breeding for our stake money wont be sustainable.
Gov cant make an owner buy a horse ! Without owners our industry folds.
Punters have for years been put on the "back-burner" and been "abused" as a given by management,trainers,owners and jockeys alike. One or two companies have given the punter what they want but unfortunately they don't give anything meaningful back to improve stakes. Maybe they wont miss racing when its gone ?
Sadly this industry has "mostly" been built on, not with, uneducated people. Very little has and is being done to change this situation and I feel it might be too late.
Management are now trying to see what they can salvage for themselves before the ship goes down. Instead of being in the background doing their work they are in the forefront for all the wrong reasons.
NHRA, our controlling body, who seem to be more out of control.
I can go on and on, as we are dealing with a very "sick puppy" that doesn't want to change its "medicine".
To moan and moan all the time doesn't resolve anything but when it falls on deaf ears why even bother. Just maybe we love the game and want it to work.
My solution would be to build a new ship with the right people that will put the industries needs above their own, accountable to all role players not just the chosen few.

Neigh very well put mate. Its going to be very unfortunate for those whose living depend on horse racing especially because it could have been stopped from getting to this point. I cannot see the rich breeders taking over the role of managing horse racing in SA...the political parties will stop that.

I suppose as you say just carry on hoping for an opening on the AHS international saga, but I must say good news travels fast and the silence on that front is deafening to say the least.

i previously asked a question about AHI and how/why the lifting/changing of export protocols would benefit SA racing in General.

i get that breeders will benefit.
i get that certain trainers may be exposed to big patrons.
What i dont get is how Stakes and betting pools would improve if AHI restrictions are lifted.

The changes needed in racing SA are foundational(new word) and structural.

if they cant increase stakes racing dies.

Correct Sly and how do you increase stakes? Get the punters to spend more!! And to do that treat them as your priority along with owners. Currently they have their priorities back to front. They the operators and boetie brigade treat themselves as the priority . A lot needs to change for sure like removing the current circus acts and treating those that come to your circus and fund it with some genuine respect.

Shane you correct however what it would do is increase the income to breeders and owners of good horses but thats it, as regards horse racing and the punters it would have the opposite effect as all the best horses will be gone...but as I say, to me the lifting of that ban is a dream and if things were really happening in a positive light we would all know how far they are with it for now.

How I see it right now is, stakes will reduce, number of races will reduce and people are going to lose their jobs. Racing won't be on the Eskom bailout system. Miss T yep we all know what happened but we now also know how it happened.

Just thought I'd share one of my posts from 10 years ago .....

Interesting suggestions, Mike, perhaps I can just repeat what seems to be the main stumbling blocks here; firstly I am sure the open bet is causing P a lot of headaches because it eats into their profits, but as Magic points out, there does not seem to be a lot that they can do about it; secondly your point about the racing experience and the contribution by the RA have been debated at length on several threads on the site; unfortunately P does not seem to care a lot about the racing experience (it does not affect the bottom line) or whether one has to venture off across the Orange River on occasion to see your horse run at a venue that is shall we say is not really customer friendly.

So I'm afraid I don't have any positive suggestions to contribute; the situation is unlikely to get better imo until a new organisation dedicated to improve the racing experience is born to live alongside P. So we have a choice, get on with the business of owning and racing horses, or get out; I for one still love the game enough to be looking for that one special horse at the sales next week. Yes, I know, I'm probably a sucker for punishment.

Okay so here's a poser for Clanners - and in no way am I trying to be "funny"; or "patronising" or "defensive" or anything of the sort. As a person who simply loves horse racing, I ask this most sincerely and honestly. "If you had absolute power, what 5 changes would you immediately introduce to ensure the sustainability and growth of Horse Racing in South Africa?"

A start could be to offer the bookies a deal for all exotics to be played on the TOTE , Sure they would all jump at 8% or so risk free