A Question?

Not that I understand the first thing about SA TV etc - lol!

BUT. I constantly hear of the 'need' / 'wish' for a 2nd station for local racing etc. So allow me to play Devil's advocate.

If such a channel came at a price (subscription or such) what would be the sort of monthly charge you'd willing pay? 20, 30 R50+ a month???

In addition, would it be acceptable if only at a 'streamed' to computer level.

And finally, would a 'live' radio signal (radio/web), be of any interest?

Respectfully, Jim.

Have to agree with catsmug on this subject. Home priorities must come first. SA racing is shown in the bookie shops but the sound is always on low volumn and restricted to a small section in the shops.

I also agree, you can read my 1,000 posts on the subject and numerous emails sent to tellytrack/phumelela etc.

So what your saying is, you'll keep the service that you've got for purely SA racing and let a.n.other channel (feed) be for all the international racing?

In which case, do you think there will be a 'market' to pay for said 2nd 'international racing' only??

I personally don't believe so - which is probably why said 2nd channel hasn't arrived yet, and you end up with the present situation that many seem to deride at the mo.

Anyhow, I just wondered if anyone was willing to pay for an extra station in order to rectify the problem, and the answer appears to be no.

Respectfully, Jim.

Hi Jim, we have 3 options

1) current overloaded tellytrack showing everything.
2) racing International shown at the track only and sometimes for night racing.
3) the track/course camera showing parade ring/canter past/interviews.

Any combination of above should be on the table, including costs, however the parties keep the options close to their chests and have given us no costs options or alternatives.

One day it will be announced? and we will ALL say thanks, but only God or Phumelela knows when this will happen?

On a quiet day At The Races have 4 meetings on. On a busy day up to 8 meetings and they cope with ease. Showing the betting,results and even fitting in the puditry prior to the off. Racing UK are the same.

if you can see it you can bet on it. if you can't, you're much less likely to. it's not in the tote's interest to broadcast documentaries and extended interviews (even if you're prepared to pay) when there are donkeys running in ngong in 2 minutes time.

I would happily pay for an SA exclusive channel is they showed full coverage and on-the-day specific interviews.

And an example of full coverage is not to cut away because a horse is playing up because they only want to broadcast the "ideal" image. I want to see it warts an' all, because as a punter I need to see as much of the 'truth' as possible... no editing, political or otherwise.

I would be happy if they tied themselves to the oncourse info more tightly so that we can trust the integrity of the info coming through. As it happens you have to check almost everything and you would foolish to rely on tellytrack. Makes for double work.

As it happens, I would say Shaw is the most reliable of them...probably because he's a punter like us

Charlie the difference is that you have 8 meetings from the UK, proper betting, and form.

We have cart racing from Aus/Sweden, tote only racing, with no idea of the proper chances of horses, with amazing tote dividends, e.g paid evens on the tote and NOT tote fav? we watch Ngong/Zim when we have grade one races locally and have to cross over at the last minute!

Here we have Australian racing (early morning for the complete addicts - of which I am fortunatley not- almost but not. We also have the Irish, French and German racing plus the UK, then at about 5 the American stuff starts and in between all of that we have about 80 dog races and for the real addict we have about 50 virtual horse and dog races as well not forgetting all the football bets from all around the world. When I came out to Cape Town we only had the local card twice a week and then they made it National. When i returned to the UK much had changed. This game can make you or break you in an afternoon.

Reading some of the posts on this thread is quite startling - although one has to commend the loyalty of those of you who somewhat slavishly dote on SA racing.

Firstly - I have absolutely no problem with the separation of local and international racing. As Scotia and others have repeated ad nauseum - it would keep everybody happy or at least more happy than they are now. And for those who pose the 'would you pay' question - I already do! I have to have DSTV to get the racing signal and DSTV was not free the last time I looked. And before we get all misty eyed about cost remember than Tellytrack has only two objectives : To promote the sale of its product (tote tickets) and to feed us its take on the game.

What does somewhat amaze me is how successful international simulcasts have been in this country given the very dismissive manner in which Tellytrack has broadcast them :

For example -

International races are often broadcast on a split screen so that we can still lovingly view horses milling around at the start in SA.

Races from overseas are regularly cut off with as little as 400 metres to run so that ( again! ) we can view horses milling around at the start in SA.

After we have watched a slow motion replay of a horse in SA winning by an uncontested margin at Flamingo Park or Fairview We MAY be lucky to get a recording of the last 200 metres of an international race where the plug was arbitrarily pulled right in the middle of it.

The reason, in my opinion, that international racing does not do EVEN BETTER in SA is because :

Tellytrack leave us in no doubt that it is 'betting fodder' for desperadoes who MUST have a wager every 10 minutes.Quality is optional and mostly accidental as programming does not appear to know the difference between the Epsom Derby and a Sellers Chase.

Programming also seems to go out of its way to simulcast the poorest ( Lingfield, Great Leighs, Bangor, Southwell ) centres when there are often high class meetings at Epsom, Goodwood, Sandown etc.,which are not broadcast.

There is no continuity - broadcast material appears random so it is difficult for the mildly interested punter to 'follow specific horses' - particularly younger horses aimed at the classics.

Broadcasting centres without fixed odds is NEVER going to promote interest in that racing. It's too hit and miss.

The insistence on excluding comment and evaluation from local ( overseas local ) commentators denies our punters from access to relevant information. Instead we get Julie ( the most improved ) Alexander - who cannot even pronounce the names of some horses yet still wants to put in her inexpert sixpence.

Hard copy form is - to put it politely - arbitrary. The overseas 'Computaform' is far from being the real thing.

Now think about what you are missing by doting lovingly on soup meat centres offering abominations such as Durbanville racecourse and ( much of ) KZN racing ;

You would like to make some money out of your racing? Right ?

Then you really should be paying some attention to the UK when you have the advantage of VASTLY SUPERIOR betting percentages and generally superior form evaluation.

Your typical Woodruff/Laird/MDK 6/10 type offerings ( which many of you seem to adore ) will not often start at worse than evens or better.

To say nothing of the enormous number of long term markets available for you to click any type of multiple bets into and then trade out of later. ( For our pains we get a little July, Met & Summer Cup ante post to fire doubles into. Gee - thanks ).

And for those who view their betting as second cousin to the lottery you can also win bigger money by virtue of bigger fields.

Yes - I'm all for two channels. We might even get more international racing.