This is an extract taken from a column from Joey Ramsden in the Sportingpost:
"Luck Of The Draw
Drawing your barrier position after acceptance was what I regard as probably my greatest achievement whilst serving these various committees. We tried this for a month period at Durbanville to try and boost field sizes and do you know what? It actually worked! Unfortunately after some complaints from people who always felt that whenever they entered a horse they were automatically entitled to think that they should be drawn in pole position, it was allowed to slip away despite the majority of trainers voting for it in the first place. It was an extremely disappointing matter to see our administrators weaken and capitulate for a minority who were unhappy, despite being unable to produce any fact or evidence to the contrary as to why it should be any different to them as to anybody else. We are the only racing country in the world that I know of that continues to draw its barrier positions when entries are submitted and not after time of final acceptance. South Africa is a leader in many fields but surely this should tell you something.
We as trainers are too often swayed by the draw in races when it comes to running our horses. How often do you see horses running over an unsuitable distance just because it was drawn, poorly in a race over its right trip! Absolute madness! If you feel you have a 1400m horse or miler what on earth are you doing running it over 1200m at Durbanville just because it is drawn 1 and vice versa. Yet it happens! Regularly!
Bright Ideas
In Gold Circle-land we have the ludicrous state of affairs of having, free, yes FREE nominations. If you are reading this overseas you must be thinking that we are mad and you know what? We get entries running into the 100’s for certain races that we never end up filling! I get trainers asking me to ask the club to “split” races because of the size and draw. Sadly the administrators most of the time say no because what’s the difference being drawn 100/100 or 50/50 the trainer has it in his mind that he or she is still not going to run because of the draw, not because it is actually the correct race for the animal. So the split ends up not filling, the clubs don’t do it again and we say how unfair and unreasonable they are because they do not want to lose money. If we want more races we as trainers and owners have to prove it by running and filling the race available to us. Why should there be more races available to us when we don’t use or fill what we have. I am all for three runner fields but I like to think I live in the real world.
Every year we appear to be paying more and more at the Yearling sales and if we are lucky enough, to export them, to race overseas there is extremely good money on offer around. I have been privileged enough to serve on various committees and twice a year at least the issue of stake increases comes to the table. Normally the various entities running racing bend over backwards and try to accommodate due the reasons above. Despite the often frequent financial difficulties and perils it can bring. At present levels we are never going to keep pace with spiraling yearling costs and commodities that go into keeping your racehorse a finally tuned athlete. The gulf is getting wider and wider every year and looks unlikely to stop. The current recession we are in looks set to continue at least for a couple more years, if you listen to the experts that control our country, banks and big businesses. How can we improve prize money levels, have more racing and try to retrieve more return to the ever sporting owner?
During a lively supper debate I came up with the bright idea of making entries hugely more expensive, or in our case down here, people actually paying for the privilege to run! Obviously what I am about to say is just a rough idea, but what would happen if you had made entries at R2000 per horse and this was then added to the prize money on offer already at present, let’s say this course of action were to cut our maiden entry down by half because we would then put an end to all those draw time wasters, people galloping their horses for free on the racecourse and entries in races that are totally unsuitable for the animal involved. We could actually end up racing maidens for prize money worth in excess of R150.000. Now that’s what I would call a return. Why should we restrict it to just maiden’s, surely this is something that could be implemented intelligently across the board. I have spoken to many people about this, from industry leaders to people who work for salaries, and to my face, I have not yet received one piece of negative criticism. Yes this idea is obviously un-worked but is it impossible? I don’t think so. I am not a hugely wealthy person and for the love of the sport and various unforeseen circumstances I end up owning far more horses and pieces of horses that I can afford or should have. Would I be prepared to pay this type of money to run for large sums? Of course I would. Surely it must cut out all the wasted entries and, dare I say it, runners that have little bearing or impact on our industry in the long term. Like every other industry racing also needs to streamline and tighten its belts. The time for the non paying passengers must surely go. Whether we like it or not racing is an elite sport, horses are expensive to buy and produce, raw material costs are spiraling, wages are going through the roof, we only have to look at the Government capitulating to the SABC and municipal workers, giving them pay rises close to 15% in a calendar year to know this, despite inflation running at fifty percent less than this.
I am sure that those who bother to read this will say that I am talking from an unrealistic and elevated position. Twelve years ago we started with nothing and a string of five horses, I feel I am in a position to say I have been, seen and done most of it all along the way. While a lot of people I am sure will feel these are just mindless ramblings of a spoilt man, our industry surely needs a huge kick up the arse along the way. I would like to add that these points of view are my own and nothing to do with the Gold Circle Regional Board that I am lucky enough to serve. These men and women put many many man hours a week into the betterment of horse racing for little or no gratitude and it is a privilege to serve along side them."
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