Received via e-mail today

HORSE OWNERS SHOULD KNOW THEIR RIGHTS



Before you commence reading this piece of writing you need to know that it relates to the rights of racehorse owners. It does not profess to be fair. This piece is one sided and is meant to be one sided. It explains to owners that they have rights and concomitant choices. It is time for owners to sit up and be counted and at the very least to know and understand their rights as owners. If you, as an owner of a race horse are happy to let others profit from your property, then do not read any further.



As an owner in a thoroughbred racehorse, you should know your rights. Most owners do not know their rights or their knowledge of their rights is limited. Enjoying horseracing includes knowing and understanding your rights and exercising them for your benefit.



KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS - starts off with a controversial topic which the tote operators, TV stations, bookmakers and punters will find controversial and which affects an owners rights.



The focus in this critique is on THE OWNERS RIGHT TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT HIS/HER HORSE CONFIDENTIAL



1. An owner, after purchasing the race horse and paying all the attendant costs enters into a training contract with a trainer to stable, feed and train the horse.

2. The owner pays the trainer for the above and hopes that the horse will win races and earn stakes in it racing career.

3. The owner pays for nominations (in Phumelela territory) and pays a percentage of the winning stakes a fee to the jockey and trainer. There are other costs such as vets, farriers etc.

4. The tote operators, bookmakers, jockeys, the racing association, the relevant turf clubs, vets, farriers etc and the punting public do not pay for the horse or for any other associated cost. Simply, all costs relating to a horse are foisted on an owner.

5. Any information regarding the horse, its wellbeing and prospects in the future or a race is information owned by the owner (except in a few instances the jockey club as rights).

6. A trainer cannot disclose any of the information about the horse to anyone, unless allowed by an owner. Ask yourself why overseas trainers do not regularly go onto TV, like in South Africa, and discuss the wellbeing and prospects of the horses under their care. The answer is obvious. They cannot do so without consent. The trainers would lose patrons hand over fist.

7. People become owners of horses for various reasons. You have those people who see being an owner as a hobby, as a business, as a tax write off etc. Imagine yourself to own a top rated colt or filly – your trainer sings its praises – it costs you an arm and a leg – the prospects of recouping the purchase price is minimal – your trainer goes on TV or furnishes information to someone which he/she should not (i.e. without your consent) – the word is out – in fact, your confidential information is known to all and sundry -your horse shortens in the betting by the time you want to or can get a bet – others make a tidy sum off your horse and your confidential information without laying out a cent for the horse. The owner’s rights have been prejudiced.

8. As an owner, you can contact your trainer and lay down the law. It is your right and choice should you wish to do so.

WHY ARE THE TOTE OPERATORS, THE RACING ASSOCIATION, BOOKMAKERS, TV STATIONS AND PUNTERS OPPOSED TO THIS?



As an owner you are most probably astounded that you have the right to keep information about your horse confidential and for your own information. You are most probably also flabbergasted that your trainer or someone from the stable may have interfered with your rights without notifying you of this. The rights discussed in this commentary have been kept quiet for numerous reasons.



THE TOTE OPERATORS – They want punters to punt as much as they can with as much information as possible. The tote operator cannot lose. They take 25% of the total amount betted. Punters punt against each other. It is a question of keeping the tote turnover ticking over. The tote operators have bookmakers, casinos, the lottery and others to deal with. They may believe that a more “informed punter” will stick to horseracing and place bets on the tote if they have a greater knowledge of a horse’s wellbeing and prospects. There is absolutely no proof in this belief. They want trainers and others to give information about horses in their care for gratis and no remuneration.



THE RACING ASSOCIATION – The Racing Association is a company which has appointed itself as an association serving racehorse owners in the industry.

The majority of racehorse owners in South Africa have chosen not to join the Racing Association. There are many reasons for this; however, one of these is that the Racing association is considered to be an elitist organization that charges its members an annual fee and which does little to assist and help the “ordinary” owner. They appear to have followed the tote operators’ line. They have done no market research on the issue. They have gone out of their way to not inform their members and owners in general of this right. They believe that since owners (in Phumelela) territory have stakes based on an agreement with Phumelela which relies on betting turnover, that without this information betting turnover will not grow and neither will stakes. This is hogwash!! The Racing Association has capacity to negotiate better stakes for owners. Look at Phumelela’s turnover.



BOOKMAKERS – In the days of clubs, bookmakers obtained their information racing publications and from having their ear to the ground. TV stations broadcasts help with a horses prospects of success and whether to lay a horse or not. Having trainers disclose confidential information can only help the bookmakers business. They are businessman and an astute bookmaker can profit from this to the detriment of owners, others or punters.



TV STATIONS – For them, the benefit is self evident. More viewers and more advertisers. Not to mention that they do the bidding for some bookmakers and tote operators. The hope is that more will be wagered with the information, which is a outrageous hope.



PUNTERS – They want as much information as possible before the place their bet. They forget that before the advent of TV and for centuries before, punters enjoyed horseracing and betting without hearing from a trainer about his/her charge. Tipsters, newspapers (journalists) and TV are still around to help the punter make an informed decision.



REMEMBER that any information about your horse remains your property and information.



Use the knowledge how you so wish.



When you know your rights as an owner, you will be in a better position to make an informed decision.





Please send this to as many people you know who own horses.



Please ask these people to do the same.



HORSE OWNERS SHOULD KNOW THEIR RIGHTS

The old topics are doing the rounds again - KN and now this.

Info you get from comments on T Track cannot be relied upon. Its the same old comments week after week. The horse is well should be right there blah blah blah.

You never see Charles Laird being called for comments. Mr Jooste obviuously enforcing his rights or Charles Laird knows that horses can make fools of people. He does give hints though that are obvious in hindsite. First colours (black cap) were on the 25/1 on Sunday. Pity I missed.

alcaponee unless the rule has changed if an owner has two horses in the same race then the horse with the lower number will carry the original co;our cap ..quality alone was number 5 and rosetta number 6..therefore quality alone had the black cap

In my racing career i can count on my fingers the amount of times that ive had a betting coup,maybe twice.Somehow the info has leaked by whoever,and regardless of whom and how,its best that you treat this game as a hobby,or you will burn your fingers.I could divulge on stories untill the sun comes up,but the truth of the matter is one in my opinion,the only way to make money is if youve got a double running onto your good thing,and you lucky enough to win.

Thanks for posting Gajima, have always felt as soon as the horse hits the track its then "public" property, but we will try and have a betting coup on Clan Classique soon.

lol

owners have the right to pay their bills. when they signed up at the nhra, all the hocus pocus alluded to in the e-mail flew out the window. they have the right to race for stakes supplied by the racing clubs. they have no right to profit from any other avenue

it is time for all owners to realise that due to their privilege, they do not have "more" rights than those in a less fortunate financial situation. scotia puts it well by saying that once a horse is in a race, it becomes public property.

the days of insider information, betting coups, ringers, doped horses, crook jocks, etc etc should be over. for racing to survive we need everything to be transparent

It would be interesting to know how many owners can honestly say that they have even a 60% strike rate when the trainer/jockey has said their horse can't lose. I only back any of my runners when the form (or my own assessment) points to a good run. I agree with having as much info out in public and I am one (maybe) lone voice that would love to have the weights of all horses recorded to assist punters and owners with the fitness of the animal. I personally think that the info supplied by trainers should be retrospective - rather explain a prior bad run than wax lyrical about the future - we can learn far more from the past than the expectation of the future. I think the stipes reports and jockey feedback are crucial. A passing thought - My trainer was away when I had an unraced runner and being the stable rep in the ring I was asked by the presenter as to the chances of my runner (she needed a run and I offered this info). Surely if the owner is present in the ring and is asked about his runner he has either had a bet or will not be having a bet so at this point I see no reason why he should not choose to inform the public (or withhold info if he thinks the tote price will be affected) -

I would like to share a story with you. It concerns a filly I owned called Dream World. She is in foal to Mogok and I await like an expectant father.

First time this filly ran we thought she could win and when she opened up 16/1 I had a bet after which she quickly was cut to 7/1 where she stayed despite no further money for her. In the ring before the race we were approached by another trainer who told us that his gardener had told him our horse would shit in, which it duly did.

Her second run she bled and so on her third run after many months of inactivity she ran a respectable 5l behind a horse who had graded race placed despite having done very little work with her for fear of a repeat of the bleeding. A couple of weeks later she stripped much fitter at the Big T and I had a bet on her at 14/1 but she still started 20/1 on the tote. Again she shat in under Rene Bonham.

She then had a series of problems and was badly affected by the contaminated feed which killed several horses in the stable and then stood for 3 months doing little. She reappeared rfereshed and minus backache in a workriders race and promptly won at 14/1 by 6l. Again I had a bet on her with the books.

The lessons I learned from this were:-

1. It is possible to keep good news to yourself without being secretive but in the end there is always someone who knows. After the first run the horse belongs to the public.
2. On no occasion was I ever asked directly for comments on her chances. If asked if I was betting I was honest and told them yes.
3. In SA Bookies make the market not money. I believe several of the published claims are bookies frontrunning the market. Wild price swings are evident despite no real money having been put down. Witness the number of horses who shorten dramatically and then blow out back to their original price. Also witness the number of claims on horses who do not win.

Imvho punters mistakenly believe there is valuable inside info to be gained that will give them some advantage and it is only bookies take advantage of that. The true market price is reflected 5 minutes before the off and not the bullshit ante-post prices conveyed through Tellytrack. Punters would be better to ignore these. There is no magic bullet. Betting coups are few and far between.

I second your views Gajima - The best bets I've every taken have been without any info - I believe that another valuable tool is watching re runs of races and going to the course with cotton wool in your ears and your bets placed before you step on course - If it were so easy to make money off "coups" why are owners always begging for more stakes? Funny thing that I cannot understand is that people don't expect the CEO of Pick n Pay to tell them every time his buyer finds a cheaper supplier before they buy shares - they trust the company because of good delivery - No different in racing good performers - stables and trainers - have stats to back them up and you need only follow them as a basis for your bets to have a chance at a return.