What have we done to South African Racing?

I watch the Hong Kong international race meeting with much sadness. Over 20 years ago we won the cup with London News and subsequently had success all over the world. England, USA, UAE and many other countries have seen our horses and trainers succeed on the biggest stages. So where are we now?
Nowhere is the answer! Raped and pillaged by Phumelela and the bookmakers, our industry is in tatters. Horse population, owners, jockeys ,trainers and breeding numbers are in decline. Stakes are lower than any one could ever imagined
What has been achieved in all those years past? Nothing except major decline!
But we have the new shining light in Bortz and Hollywood, or do we?
The new facilities in the Cape, fantastic! The programmes and vision look good. Trainers and owners will go in their numbers to race there.
But the real question is can this make money on the bottom line? Never, unless the 3 major setbacks be attacked and rectified.
1. Proper control by the NHRA which should instil confidence in racing. This is priority!
2. All money generated by tote bets going through a national tote.
3. Export of horses is sorted. This has taken so many years and so much money and nothing has been achieved. So the problem must be those who are in charge are incompetent and should be replaced.

James Goodman

Good questions James

NHRA appears to be doing more damage than good to the game.

Maybe Bookies and tote can consider a higher % on commission.

Export of SA horses has been a shocker and many high profile well paid people have really done basically nothing to improve the situation.

We live to fight another day and what about Hong Kong yesterday WOW 👌

....on the button again James....but the rot at Phumelela started long before Jooste got his grubby hands on it.. and it was rarher ripe for the taking.. .and I will now tell you all a tale how some influences from those at P had much pull outside their positions... I see Clyde Basel's come clean piece in the SP and vouch for its accuracy.. he was not a major P player but a pawn. ...my beef is aimed at the man that pulled many more strings behind the scenes...as in 2010 I was between jobs and was afflicted with a medical condition that affected my good looks,speech and eyesight.... the cure was radical steriodal medication that turned me into a raving lunatic.... and I was not able to take up my new job...the treatment worked and I was restored to my former self but unemployed.... and hung out in betting lounges most days after applying for many jobs in my field of expertise....one Saturday I get to Sheiks Palace early to get my laptop fired up at the only power source and check the early betting action at the in house bookie ...there is one other oke there positioned close to the bookies counter.. .a stockey portly balding oke with a baby face .. never ever seen him before...he engages with the bookie and says that he is just there as he is meeting a Pumelela big shot later.....the regulars start fillng in and one oke comes over to me and asks me if this guy is Mike De Kock.....he'll no MDK is better looking and would never be caught in a dive like this.........later in walks John Stuart and greets the not MDK lookalike....they move to a table behind me order some beers and start chatting about gr8 times and places in Singapore.....later the spot becomes noisy with racing comnencing and John suggests to leave and go to the bowling club.... I see this oke one more time there taking a few bets... and an acquaintance tells me that the oke is often at the bowling club with John Stuart.....
Shortly afterwards there is a vacancy for the CEO of the TBA.....and I jump to it.. .buff up my CV and start networking with my breeder connections to find out who will I be up against...go to the interview at the agency armed with all the right answers and mortivation for the position.. smoozed the staff and bedazzled the head hunter.. ..l call back for feedback and get told I am at the top of the pile....in fact no 2 and only 2 candidates will go forward for a final interview with the TBA board. but I'm also told that there is a particular candidate that is being promoted strongly for the position and drops me his name.....I Google and find his LinkedIn profile with picture and it's the oke that is chums with John Stuart a saffer that had worked in Singapore for a German luxury car dealership...a f@cking car salesman... yet besides me and many more highly suitable candidates like Kevin Sommerville... David Allen...and I could name a handful more....this oke goes forward to the final interview with another oke picked to make him look the better..... this oke actually gets the job but turns it down realizing that he is going to be exposed... and we then land up with Major Tom
Now what many may not know is that I had a major ace in the hole... but did not play it .. as some years earlier I pitch up at the TBA sales and a long time employee there greets me and says I did not know that you were still in the game and now we are family.... was rather perplexed did not know her nor recall her....so after the day I pop around to my sister who lives down the drag... and ask her how am I related to the TBA lady.....she's my sister in law... don't you remember her from the wedding....my sister had remarried many years earlier and I may have been sh1tfaced there...and not paying attention.....but then got really close to my new family member and know of every thing that happened at TBA/BSA who did what when and why....every nook and cranny.. every spook and crook... :ohmy:

Muhit, have you started the xmas merriment early this year

Forget about exports. Europe has much bigger fish to fry. We just get rounded out in the decimals.


Sent from my Ferrari using Tapatalk

Bob Brogan wrote:

Muhit, have you started the xmas merriment early this year

Not at all....sober as a judge... but very difficult to do a tell all on such a small device.... when I tell you how close and connected I am to this game.. it's rather scary.. have nothing to lose in exposing the sorded truth
and truely hope that all is cleaned up with the new boys soon on our block....

. ...we need to fix our racing 1st. ..our product has become rather distasteful.. as a fair indicator is the offshore Maltese bookmaker Zeturf that has more recently started dropping much of our local racing venues and one has got to ask why is our racing not being on par with other international venues that seem to be better than what we now can offer.. FFS Chile is on the menu but we are now not... :oops:

Muhtiman wrote:

. ...we need to fix our racing 1st. ..our product has become rather distasteful.. as a fair indicator is the offshore Maltese bookmaker Zeturf that has more recently started dropping much of our local racing venues and one has got to ask why is our racing not being on par with other international venues that seem to be better than what we now can offer.. FFS Chile is on the menu but we are now not... :oops:

Pmu.fr is the French Official Tote. That and many other Tote International agencies offer South African racing. How many foreign punters playing into it is another story but they do get rebates.

There is a poster "anandbasappa" from India and I think he works for a racing agency. If he has an interest in South African racing maybe they are plenty other foreigners as well. He could give insight.

naresh wrote:

Muhtiman wrote:

. ...we need to fix our racing 1st. ..our product has become rather distasteful.. as a fair indicator is the offshore Maltese bookmaker Zeturf that has more recently started dropping much of our local racing venues and one has got to ask why is our racing not being on par with other international venues that seem to be better than what we now can offer.. FFS Chile is on the menu but we are now not... :oops:

Pmu.fr is the French Official Tote. That and many other Tote International agencies offer South African racing. How many foreign punters playing into it is another story but they do get rebates.

This I know but are our local pictures and racing content still getting out there.....Zeturf 1st went sour on most of the KZN racing....then only covered 1st 3 races from the Vaal on Saturday and no coverage of Kenilworth yesterday... .one thing that John Stuart was very good at .. was some serious globetrotting and pressing flesh with all the right okes for reciprocal broadcast rights internationally.....do we still have someone doing this....if not where do I apply...:dry:

@ Muthi.

I know Australia and Singapore definitely offer our racing. France could be especially during our Summer time.

Some of the American Tote Companies do offer our racing so rights must have been sold.

naresh wrote:

@ Muthi.

I know Australia and Singapore definitely offer our racing. France could be especially during our Summer time.

Some of the American Tote Companies do offer our racing so rights must have been sold.

And this I know too.. .where do you think John Stuart made contact with the saffer car salesman and lined him up for the top job at the TBA....but the Singapore venue is now on the way out... is anyone looking at where this show will now go and start cultivating a presence in neibouring Malaysia....:huh: It looks like the ball has been dropped and we are not following up....