Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Racing SA targets overseas owners

MICHAEL CLOWER
Racing South Africa is intensifying its efforts to attract new overseas owners and will again stage South Africa Day at Newmarket on September 18.
Chairman Vidrik Thurling and chief executive Peter Gibson head the delegation to the headquarters of British racing and, while Rodney Dunne will be staying at home this time, the chairman of the Western Province Owners and Trainers Association is sending a large quantity of his celebrated ‘goody bags.’
These include all sorts of promotional material highlighting the advantages of owning horses in this country, particularly in the Cape. “We have given out more than 5,000 DVDs in the past four years,” says Dunne who even has a man at Ascot distributing them to likely customers.
British owners tend to be swayed by the R6,000 plus monthly cost of having a horse-in-training here – about a third of that in Britain.
The rewards at the top end are lower but the chances of winning a race (66% in any one season) and the all important costs-to-prize money ratio are far better here.
Dunne said: “Approximately 20% of owners in a year would be financial winners and a further 30% could break even.”
Meanwhile Elusive Fort was introduced to breeders at yesterday’s Arc-En-Ciel stallion day and the Geoff Woodruff-trained triple Grade I winner made a good impression.
The Fort Wood horse will stand at a fee of R10 000 and the plan is to give him 60 mares in his first season.
Arc-En-Ciel manager Craig Carey said: “I have 45 confirmed already and I’m sure we will get another 10-15 after today. He’s going to be alright – he’s an athlete and he could run like hell.”

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