TURFFONTEIN STANDSIDE TUESDAY 08 APRIL 2025

Inspection at 7:30am to see if we race

COMPUTAFORM: az-pgl-dsi-ag-cdn-aztabstorage.4racing.c...NTEIN@2025.04.08.pdf

Very little rain last night 🌙 and sun shining ✨️ 😎 

Please be advised that the race meeting scheduled for Turffontein on April 8, 2025, has been postponed to tomorrow, April 9, 2025.

We are confident that, with no further rainfall expected today, the track will be in optimal racing condition for tomorrow.

Race times will be provided shortly.

We'll race eventually in SA this week ! Not sure which day 😕

As others stated, for some reason we are no longer racing in South Africa unless it is on 'ideal' surfaces - gone are the days referred to by some as 'racing in the mud'. The question imo has to be asked .... WHY ? Have the tracks deteriorated that much ? Are the current Course Managers unable to provide a 'suitable' racing surface (seems to be the case apart from the Cape - who off course has their own different set of problems - and Eastern Cape) ?

And let me not start on the 'Mickey Mouse' racing in KZN - 'they' should just close down the tracks apart from perhaps the 'Summer of Champions' (is that still what it is called ?)  This would of course lead to staff at the KZN tracks and trainers (and all the people involved in running a stable), jocks / work riders, owners moving their business to another Province - is this too harsh ? And all the talks that Greyville Poly will be 're-layed' - when ? Have 'they' ever considered the suggestion that Scotsville would be ideal for a 'synthetic' track ?

For some reason, I see that no racing has been programmed for Thursday this week - again WHY (we last had a total of 2 races in Gauteng on THURSDAY LAST WEEK) - taking into account the lack of meetings (some would say 'you can not control the weather') - then on Saturday meetings have been programmed in the Cape AND Gauteng - WHY (when it has shown in the past that the gambling rand can not sustain 2 meetings on the same day - leading to Pools to suffer) ?

And the Tote vs the 'bookmaking firms' - another topic - but what would it take for someone to realize that the Tote should be for exotics (imo no excotic bets should be allowed to be taken with the 'bookmaking firms' - imo we should see the exotic Pools grow.

Only my opinion - but we seem to live in hope 

Hi Frodo,
every point you make deserves an answer, from an authority.

To Mr Greg Bortz , You are seen as a racing saviour to us.
Whilst you have done a lot and injected millions into the sport, I strongly believe that all these cash injections can only be sustained for so long and can never be a bottomless pit.
My question, whilst the cash injections were necessary to give that boost , shouldn't we now be concentrating on how the industry starts to look after itself.
Any investor has to have a blue print of what the end result may look like and a timeline in order to get there.
i have never seen any end plan published .
The end plan needs to include all sectors , punters included.
whilst I'm no spokesperson for punters, but as a punter I also need to know whether its worth investing into this game.
And in this regard , I'm referring to more specifically the pools that I'm playing into.
The pools have dwindled, but I can also add that its not totally because the players have dwindled, this has to be caused by the greedy bookmakers.
Its no use giving half a loaf and taking 2 times more , that's not giving that's stealing.
I may be off the mark but I will hazard a guess and say that in a carryover pool like the July where the anticipated pool on the tote is projected at 15 million, but the actual pool would be closer to 30 million as an absolute minimum it it weren't for the bookmakers. And thats being conservative.
You do the maths and see if the proper rake came in, we probably wont even need a helping hand.
Then the marketing aspect, even a non player would be lured into that kind of pool and who knows , we could all be playing for 50 million.
This is the solutions that we should be aiming for, AND not these plasters as i call it, to be put on a gushing wound.

Please Bob this is on the wrong thread. Transfer this for me to an actual thread and lets get responses, even from authorites.

thanks

RacingG......
Whilst you have done a lot and injected millions into the sport, I strongly believe that all these cash injections can only be sustained for so long and can never be a bottomless pit.
Hollywoods are making millions daily.Either give it to the tax man or invest in SA horse racing which obviously means no profit just loss.Same as just giving it to the tax man so they can carry on forever funding our racing.

The pools have dwindled, but I can also add that its not totally because the players have dwindled, this has to be caused by the greedy bookmakers.
Fully agree with you but just remember who is keeping SA racing going.
No Hollywood no racing.

.....it's at times like these that I am glad that I am at arms length of this industry as it must be more depressing when one has considerable investment or even ones entire livelihood ....as there are no ways to make the pie any bigger.... and to try keep more and more frustrated patrons invested by telling them it is going to be much better in the coming future... is a harder sell now than ever before....