Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

A bit confused 😕

So who appointed Justin Vermaak ?

Was it 4RACING or Hollywood/Bortz?

Thanks

.....I believe Bortz & co....as they need to manage themselves pronto....a fast smart promising start....

Dave

Neither. Kenilworth Racing have brought Justin on board. Not sure why you think 4Racing?

As it relates to "me" employing Justin, I am not an owner at Kenilworth Racing, and not involved in management thereof, until the transaction is approved.

Bottom line it appears a good proactive move.🤞👍

.....cards to the chest....Mr Bortz is way smarter than he is letting on.....but whoever and however these guys are definitely going to shake up this game.....I have always had a soft spot for Cape Racing and really want them to pull it off ....as if they fail ....racing here is doomed....:blink:

......have taken the liberty of c&p from another old thread .....

Have Betfred just out bid MOD?
Category: South African Horse Racing

....maybe MOD should let Fred get ahead.....and try take a smaller piece of the pie....why not nourish Cape racing and help it stand alone with a bespoke Dubanville training centre and not get embroiled with the mess that Phum created.... best Let Fred sort that out by building a better tote that can generate viable income streams to support the other assets that suck all the potential profits....if Fred gets the lot those Cape boys are going to get a shorter end of the very short stick....and with all our eggs in their basket nothing will remain unscrambled....then Humpty may never ever be fixed....:dry: .

....looks like they still got the stick from 4Q....:whistle:

......more recently caught the interview of Justin Vermaak by Grant Knowles......and still very impressed with how Justin has planned to hit the ground running....which is not only positive for Cape Racing but seems to be very positive for racing in general....

Good interview and sounds positive going forward 🤞👍

“The patient wasn’t critical. The patient was dead!” says Bortz of the state of the game beneath Table Mountain.

Mike Moon (The Citizen)

Cynics on social media accused Greg Bortz of having got himself a “sweetheart deal” when he and partner Hollywoodbets acquired Kenilworth Racing. He responded by posting his cellphone number and inviting all and sundry to join him in the business – “so they can share in this sweetheart deal”.
There were no takers, which says everything about what a tough job horse owner Bortz and Hollywoodbets boss Owen Heffer have taken on – no less a task than saving Cape Town horse racing from extinction.

“Without intervention, Cape racing would have fallen over,” says Bortz in a recent interview with Cape Racing, which deserves a far wider audience than it has had.

“The patient wasn’t critical. The patient was dead!” he says of the state of the game beneath Table Mountain.

“It’s no sweetheart deal, it’s a rescue package. If all goes well and to plan, some time in the future we may get back some, or even all, our money. But making lots of money on our money is not going to happen!” he declares.

Why bother, then? “Owen and I are doing it for the best of reasons. We are both just sick for horse racing.”

Increased stakes

On 5 July, the Thoroughbred Horseracing Trust and Kenilworth Racing (KR) announced a deal was being done to sell KR to Bortz’s GMB Investments and Durban-based international bookmaking firm Hollywoodbets. The complex deal is worth R330-million, with much of the cash injection going to pay off debt and save KR from financial collapse.

Bortz is now executive chairman of KR, which manages racing in Western Cape, while well-known former bloodstock agent Justin Vermaak has been appointed director of racing operations.

In the Cape Racing interview, Bortz says his priority is to take all steps possible to grow the local horse population. From this, other improvements will flow.

The first of these steps will be to raise the prize money on offer.

“Hollywoodbets and I are dipping into our pockets to increase stakes – not just a little bit, but materially. We want to make it attractive for owners around the country to come and race their horses in the Cape,” he explains.

A next step will be to “get a lot smarter with our programme”. Bortz agrees with the long-held view of trainers that there are not enough opportunities for horses of all calibres in Western Cape. “We are going to be holding lots more races for lower-rated horses, widening the appeal, adding to the programme – without taking anything away from our offering for the best horses.”

‘Festivalising’ the calendar

Bortz says the horse population in the Cape has fallen significantly in recent years and this has had negative knock-on effects. Fewer fixtures and smaller field sizes means smaller betting turnover, which in turn means less money available for stakes, less for owners and trainers and so on.

In a separate interview last week, Vermaak said he had planned a package of incentives to “weaponise” Cape trainers to draw in more owners and grow the size of their yards.

Apart from improved stakes, part of this weapons package is dramatically improving the racing “experience” for owners. This will involve “festivalising” the racing calendar, among other things.

Bortz says rescuing a failing business requires two things: cutting costs and growing revenue.

On the cost-cutting front, he says KR has “too many properties and facilities” and he is currently working with the likes of property companies on a smarter arrangement of assets.

In addition to selling off some properties, the company will be spending money on improving others – including the “tired old lady” Kenilworth Racecourse.

Bortz addressed a packed meeting of Cape Town trainers (a couple of weeks ago), outlining his vision, and the response was universally positive and enthusiastic.

But the man who fell in love with racing while growing up in Durban – before making his fortune in private equity investment in the US –is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead.


“Talk is cheap. But Hollywood and my commitment is significant. Failing is something we cannot and will not contemplate.”

www.turftalk.co.za

.....also posted by Bob on the other thread about increased Cape Stakes.....

The biggest challenge that has been with Cape Racing over the years is a punting population that is not great in supporting it's racing.

Therein lies the problem and I have suggested some time back that Cape Town gets the highest tourist trade of all the cities in SA.
So at the Airport maybe flyers and a kiosk to all visitors could be a start as well as roping in the Hotels, Airbnb, Hopon hopoff
V A and Uber and Taxi operators to " bring in" the numbers.

Or perhaps a Shuttle from Table Mountain to the racecourse on Racedays leaving at noon in the Spring /Summer /Autumn
months?

As for Khayelitsha, Mitchell Plains, the Holly team will have to go in( hopefully without getting mugged) to build up a punter base.:whistle:

Increasing stakes is always great for owners but at what expense, to the detriment of other provinces?

Or will there be many more new owners in the likes of Adams, Reynolds, Naidoo to become owners in CT and increase the horse population and fill up the fields?

Punter numbers is a big concern and not just in the Cape. Our operators have had a very passive approach to the marketing of racing and this will get the sport nowhere in terms of the growth that is actually needed to start making a difference.

IMHO racing has very little to sell at the moment which makes the marketing of the sport very challenging and unlikely to have the desired impact.

The sport needs to embark on an active marketing drive but this can only be done if a more entertaining and rewarding product could be offered that provides a specific lever that would make it more interesting and compelling to get involved.

I have been working on a few very marketable ideas for years but the powers that be seem to have other plans that are yet to be revealed. I hope they succeed but I don't get a sense that they realise the enormity of the task and where racing is specifically lacking which is why we keep seeing rehashing of past efforts.

Maybe Cape Town could become the new powerhouse in creating new ideas and opportunities for racing that will eventually set a benchmark for others to follow.

Racing definitely needs a more innovative approach if it is to thrive again.