Why don't we go racing in SA?

Magi Wrote:

---

>
> But these stories add fuel to the fire that racing
> is corrupt / crooked. In fact if they are fact
> ..... then racing is crooked. Wide brush over all
> aspects of racing..... rather stay away is the
> mentality.

Ja, rumour is a wide brush indeed and very tarry ... a lot of innocent bystanders get splattered with the stuff ... and trying to scrape it off just spreads it around.

Greg, it may well have been those. I listened to my first "July's" on radio, e.g. Sea Cottage's two "July's" and it was magic.

Mavourneen Wrote:

> Greg, it may well have been those. I listened to
> my first "July's" on radio, e.g. Sea Cottage's two
> "July's" and it was magic.

Seacottage race was broadcast on Springbok Radio and can be found on their website along with some really old adverts and the like it is a fun site
springbokradio.com/

Mavourneen Wrote:

---

> Titch, one used to be able to listen to live
> commentary of all SA races on radio when I was a
> kid, but I forget the station it was on.
>
> Soodum, Garrick ... just a thought, but some
> industries actually do stress how
> expensive/exclusive they are, and get a certain
> clientele that way. Oddly enough not just the
> aristocracy, landed or professional, but they also
> attract the upwardly mobile types and the wannabe
> aristocrats.
>
> Did you perhaps know that song, "Where do you go
> to my lovely?" (Peter Sarstedt):
>
> Your name is heard in high places/You know the Aga
> Khan/He sent you a racehorse for Christmas/And you
> keep it just for fun, hahaha.
> I remember the back streets of Naples/Two children
> begging in rags/Touched with a burning ambition
> ...
>
> Please, I'm not making fun of the ambitious ones
> who've clawed their way up from nowhere. I just
> want to point out that ultra-luxury may be their
> personal rebellion against their origins, and some
> things like racehorses are bought because they are
> expensive not in spite of it. Same with clothes
> and cars.

Mavourneen - I can't resist pulling your leg! ( Surely you are far too young to remember 'Where Do You Go To, My Lovely' ? I liked the follow up 'Frozen Orange Juice' as much ).

In the Peter Sarstedt classic no mention is made of who paid for keeping the horse 'just for fun'. Trust me - it was probably the Aga Khan in lieu of services rendered. With her Naples upbringing she was unlikely to have still been a Vestal Virgin by the time the racehorse arrived!

The industries and service providers who claim to be exclusive ( and therefore expensive ) tend, with a few exceptions, to offer value, excellence, rarity and often longevity.

Horse breeding tends to be coupled on the Tote with the cosmetic industry in claiming excellence and quality but actually being mainly about lies. Which is why the classic statement : 'I'm going to see a man about a horse' is so loaded with innuendo.

Possibly a positive example of consumer exclusivity allied to real quality might be something like a Bentley - If you can afford the price, running costs and insurance you might never need to buy another car as there are plenty 50+ yr old Bentleys running around.

Most of us, however, seem to prefer the Picasso approach to consumerism :

Whenever Picasso was entering a new phase of creativity he always changed three things : His country of domicile, his house and his woman.

READ the Clairwood thread.............................<

LOL, Garrick! Sweet of you to think I'm too young, but my comment on Sea Cottage's two July's will give away me age. Nah, never mind, if I can't walk on the wild side no more, at least I can still remember it! It's when you start forgetting about them days that you know the years have caught up with you like the taxman and are demanding full payment.

Gee wizz, if I had to choose between a Bentley and a racehorse, I've no idea which I'd pick ... unfortunately no-one's ever offered me that choice ... or even one of them. I might ask for an original Picasso instead ... my Chevvie takes me to the levy just fine, I get plenty of racing-fun via ABC, but last year's calendar on my wall isn't exactly an art-work. Yes, I'd go for a Picasso ...

Titch, I'll go and have a listen later today just for old times sake. Thanx laddie.

Cos they don't do a track inspection and i might waste my petrol driving to the racecourse

I speak from a purely KZN punter's ( and Gold Circle member's ) perspective. A whole review has to be done re marketing the racing industry in so far as on course attendance is concerned.

Several options would be : to keep Scotsville for mid week day meetings and use Greyville for night meetings. Alternatively, night racing could be provided at Scotsville. This would get the casino crowd to swell the numbers of the pure racing crowd.

Racing in general has to be advertised on a much broader scale. In a country where men racing cars in a foreign land ( aka F1 ) is considered a sport, racing doesn't even make it onto Supersport.com's website. We only hear about racing when the big races are on. The racing bosses need to engage with and court all forms of press and get their product out there.

Racing has to market itself as one of the only forms of entertainment ( together with casinos ) where you can go out and actually get back what you spent on a meal and drinks. You never get your money back when you go the movies !

The race course facilities themselves need to be looked at. Tote machine operators are generally surly beyond words and the waiters and waitresses in the member's section are not the best. Greyvillle, for one, is in an area of Durban which is fast becoming a restaurant and entertainment hotspot ( ie Morningside/Florida Road ) yet there are no good restaurants at the track. Greyville on a non racing day is an empty shell yet it overlooks a beautiful golf course and the city.

A day or night out at the races is still relatively cheap and the public must be told this.

Racing needs personalities the same way cricket and rugby have them. Advertise when a top horse will run and get jockeys and trainers in on the technology game. Twitter and Facebook should be used to share knowledge of horse's chances, etc. Too many people in the racing game forget that without the public racing is not much.

As far as Durban is concerned a little common sense will go a long way. Try not to have race meetings when the Sharks or Boks are playing or for that matter when Man United are playing Liverpool. In short, realise that they are the competition and they are bigger than you. If you go up against the Boks on a Saturday afternoon your attendance will suffer.

I could go on...

wellcome to the forum Rob

Read the Greyville thread........................

You really want to go racing in Durban??

Why does something always come to bite us on the bum after a big meeting...

Last year it was the tragedy on July Day

Maybe it's part of a master plan, when you go racing they keep u there as long as possible?