You be the Judge - Marketing

Congratulations Adios !! Best of health tp your missus and new 'un !!

Congrats to Mr and Mrs Adios Bookies on your little jewel.
Good health and happiness to you all.

AB get your a** over to Turffies on the 19th m8 - we'll wet the babies head - hic!

Jim

All the best Adios. Also got news not so long ago that an Alcaponeeeee or Alcaponette is on the way. Praying for a jockey. Its our first so lots of excitement with the Mrs.

Garrick - Great post and valid points but does seem to slip into acceptance and so begins the apathy. Pretty much where Grant was going on Teletrack a few days ago.

If I may respond to to your post point by point:

1. Agreed on the lottery issue. We have a lottery within our betting system the Pick6. It would not be that difficult to program machines to randomly select a pick6 for "the uneducated". The marketing would be simple as the odds are so much better with the Pick6 compared to Lotto.

2. The business will remain viable if we attract new blood. Flogging the existing lot within racing is unsustainable and not in the best interest of horse racing in SA. There is 86% of the gambling market owned by Casinos. Give horseracing 3% of that and see what happens to the sport.

3. No comment - I only understand a portion of the comment. If I were an owner the Dollars would definitely be what I would be after.

4. I do agree with you on this. The heydays of racing or being at the track are probably gone forever. Your comments on self service machines are interesting and I have suggested something similar in other posts. Machines should be available in your local pubs much in the same way as limited payout machines have made their way into pubs. "Pick6" machines should be posted at every available point in SA along side lotto machines.

5. Top class racing is great to watch but Ausie and Sweedish donkey cart racing and Toowoomba (referred to by Teletrack presenters as being the Kimberly of Ausie racing) is hardly top class. This is a great way for the operators to make money out of minimal investment. Its concerning that you as an owner would accept international as an alternate or even a replacement to SA racing.

We both agree on one thing and that is, the inertia in the drivers seat.

apologies! posted on wrong thread!

Thanks Alcoponee. Seems we have a meeting of minds on many issues.

With regard to apathy I happen to be chairman of quite a large body corporate and I cannot help but notice some amazing similarities in both the management of the setup and the running of racing :

As chairman of my body corporate I may not, by law, be paid. Yet I do almost all of the planning and strategy work and incur quite a lot of expense ( and naturally no thanks ) for my 'efforts'. Around me are a number of paid employees who neither think nor work unless prodded.

Racing's welfare is mainly represented by the RA. Phumelela cannot, in my opinion, be regarded as having the 'welfare' of racing at heart. Profit is its mission and it does ( sometimes rather obliquely ) what needs to be done to grow the business. It is certainly characterised by appearing not to communicate very much more than it absolutely has to.

My body corprorate avoids 'serving' at all costs although the property owners have plenty to say in a crisis. Racing is pretty similar.

One of the major problems facing racing is that most people come into it in search of a recreational distraction. Asking them to serve is a contradiction in terms of what they are seeking from the sport. They would rather walk away if it gets pear shaped.

Unfortunately racing has also traditionally tended to select 'Hurrah Harrys' into positions of authority. These nominations are often based on social skills rather than business skills. This can have dire consequences. Without particularly wishing to single out any individual I would, by way of an example, have to question Clive Basel's credentials in the RA. Outside of being an excellent race caller and sometime bloodstock agent does he possess the necessary formal skills to preside over a not inconsiderable association which is easily akin to a medium sized business? Certainly there have already been a number of questionable decisions, evasions and continued lack of transparency/communication since he took office. Is he being exploited or has he stepped up to the trough?

This is a pretty tough sport which will test the resolve of the hardiest. There is also definitely not a common goal from all parties. I have found that you usually need to identify each person's role in racing - whether punter, breeder, service provider etc., - before you can understand their viewpoints. Certainly those who have been contracted in to do a job ( however simple ) have usually been quick to point out the almost bemusing number of agendas and undercurrents circulating in the sport.

Morning Garrick - Here here on the Body Corporate comparison. I am in the insurance game and we have a number of body corps on our books. Great comment in fact. I am also the chairman of our football club and I find myself in meetings about meetings with the other sporting codes often. INERTIA

www.answers.com/topic/inertia describes the race industry perfectly.

Physics. The tendency of a body to resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in straight line motion to stay in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.
Resistance or disinclination to motion, action, or change: the inertia of an entrenched bureaucracy.

Regarding Clyde Basel, do we have a yardstick to measure his performance against. I believe that Clyde in the long term will be the answer to many of racings problems. Clyde is the next generation leader. Fair enough he may not be highly qualified but he does possess youth, energy and passion for racing. The fact that he has slipped into the position without rocking the boat shows maturity beyond his years and experience. Moving into a situation and implementig changes without knowing what the consequences of those actions is dangerous and not benificial to racing. I recon that Clyde should be given time to prove his worth. He cannot change things overnight, baring in mind, he has not been in the position for too long. Racings problems did not start with Clyde and will not end with him neither. To a large extent he inherited these problems.

In my view, Clyde was appointed by the powers that be as a bridge between the association and their members. I do recall posters singing Clydes praises when he was appointed and then, turned on him not long after. Clyde is also not alone in his office and I hope that he surounds himself with the right people.

I will probably be shot down for my comments on Clyde but imo we need youth to attract young blood. Lets hope that Clyde learns quickly and starts to take Phumelelas profiteers to task to show that the RA is truly independent of this Body.

Good luck with your body corporate and watch those sums insured. The buildings combined section is subject to average on most policies. Make sure that the sums insured are correct as building costs have increased dramatically over the past few years. (Linked to cement and steel price increases)

Thanks for taking the time to respond and debate.

a first year marketing/strategic management university student could do a better job at running and turning racing in your home town, or best yet, why settle for half-baked when you have a master - a Mr Faull? We've been around this discussion before, after the barrier trial viewing and ideas and no doubt will go around and around again. The Stakeholders of SA Racing need to unite in a common goal, they've all been batting for themselves and have been for many years...and now batting against each other. Alcaponee and Garrick, i follow your sentiments, but HOW and WHO is going to change the direction??? surely you cannot be waiting for Clyde to do it?

No one man has the magic wand. Unity as you correctly put it is the answer. The problem is finding consesus amoungst the many with opinion on racing issues.

There are many issues from what I can gather from the many posts on this site but chief in my very limited opinion should be raising interest in racing which brings us back to the topic of this thread.

Guys dont get it wrong and make P the problem always..is a whisper out that they are not always the ones behind what we think are kak decisions.

A message to the wonderful RA .."please tell me who decided not to go ahead with nite racing"??

Alcoponee - Thanks for the comments on Clyde. I found them encouraging.

Am also in financial services - celebrated 27th anniversary in the business on October 1st.

Stepped up sum insured on complex by 50% in the last year due to rising replacement costs. Should be OK I hope!!!!