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News & Events
Chairman's Report - Friday, 11th December 2009
Fellow Members:
Harness racing was finally launched in South Africa at a gala event at Greyville racecourse on 27th March 2009 when the first 2 races of the KZN Premier's First Harness Challenge series were contested. An all important milestone was reached on this occasion. Seven imported Standardbred trotters participated, a large and enthusiastic crowd turned up, and our benefactor then Premier S'bu Ndebele officiated the evening, opening the occasion and giving a formal address.
This landmark event brought to a close HRSA's Phase 1.
The more challenging Phase 2 - growth and development of an industry around this core is now upon us. Support for harness racing from the current thoroughbred racing establishment, not in a current healthy state itself, has been disappointing. A further 4 harness races have subsequently been run, and arrival of an additional 3 imported horses brings to 10 the total number of registered trotters in the country. One death, one retirement and one injured leaves us a meager 7 horses fit to race - a number sufficient to stamp a profile but far short of what is needed.
It is anticipated that a target and minimum pool of 100 horses is required to ensure weekly racing with 9 horse fields. The financial means to support stakes for this level of racing has still to be secured, as is needed for acquisition of a dedicated hard-surface track facility - another fundamental requirement. Although there is a chance of Gold Circle allowing a harness track to be built on the in-field at Scottsville, this may not be the most suitable solution. Substantial government and grant funding assistance would be required to acquire a facility of our own. To this end I believe we need to continue vigorous support of ukuThelebele (traditional horse-racing) and embrace its synergies with our code.
Our appeal to outside and disparate equine enthusiast groupings, farmers, etc (as reflected in most overseas jurisdictions) is a more likely avenue to garner a large local participant, support and betting base for us. Your association needs to urgently agree, develop and implement a "forward plan" and strategy. All member contributions and inputs will be gratefully received.
Introduction of the Swedish V75 (Pick 7) bet to SA is still considered the greatest likely mechanism to provide the funding required for growth in our industry. The bandwidth limitation factor has been overcome and ATG in Stockholm continues to indicate their willingness to assist with an SA implementation by any means. Despite their early enthusiasm for the product, Phumelela and PGE have prevaricated and been slow to acquire the V75. We trust that by some other future means of local distribution, we can rely on this bet arriving for us in the future. It would undoubtedly lead to a cathartic turnaround of our current financial limitations.
Whilst 2009 has been a generally difficult year, yielding little tangible evidence of progress in the second half, much unseen work continues in the background. Rural extension, assisting DSR with equine training, the staging of various rural race-meetings including the Dundee July, Sisonke Summer Cup, holding of veterinary clinics and workshops in disparate rural locations is ongoing. We are also working closely with the new Coastal Horsecare Unit which has taken over local equine welfare functions from the SPCA.
Our relationship with the SA Boerperd breeding community continues and satisfactory minor joint events were held in Senekal and Vryheid. An opportunity for development using the Boerperd breed as a base for a larger future gene pool of harness racing horses is real as these horses trot and pace naturally and many of them are already trained to harness. A large proportion of African owned horses are Boerperds.
The 2009 World Trotting Conference and simultaneously staged World Driving Championships were held in Oslo in May of this year. With funding from TKZN I was able to attend these functions, the running of the subsequent Swedish Elitloppet and spend 3 days in France as a guest of SECF - the controlling body of Trotteurs Francais - the French breed. SECF covets Sweden's inroads into South Africa and have offered us a contract to supply 12 horses annually for 5 years with subsidized and favourable terms.
Through the CEO of Standardbred Canada, the Canadian crown corporation EDC have also offered us a guarantee of USD1.6m in support of supply to SA of 162 Canadian Standardbred horses.
In an effort to excite government and stimulate interest from funding providers, a bid document to stage the 2015 WTC and WDC in Durban was formally presented to the world body. The bid was recorded and viewed as having merit subject to our ability to "demonstrate due progress by 2012" (track and adequate horse-pool).
We were also fortunate in October to be able to take up the offer from Solvalla racetrack management to stage a "South Africa Day" at Solvalla over the Criterium festival - Sweden's second biggest racing event - in early October. This co-incided with the annual Criterium yearling sale. HRSA manned an information booth at both Solvalla and Upplands Vasby, the 4 day sale venue, again funded by TKZN. A DVD and brochure promoting trotting in SA was produced and distributed, and a new website www.travisydafrika.se was launched - all in Swedish.
This initiative is intended to lead to investment in South Africa of Swedish owned horses, similar in scale to what has eventuated in the Cape with English domiciled flat racehorse owners. We are also exploring the concept and a methodology of partnering Swedish owners with HDIs in KZN.
Our registration as a Non Profit Organisation has at last been effected, and some new and expanded partnerships with government are developing.
Her Excellency MaNtuli Zuma, wife of the President, agreed in July to an honorary role as "Patron" of our association. The encumbent Minister of Transport continues in his affection for our sport and has asked us to find him a horse to race.
Tourism KZN's funding is premised on a program to jointly promote KZN tourism in Sweden, as well as to entice Swedish owners to keep a horse in training or at stud in our province - at a cost of about 30% of equivalent costs in Europe. This concept will be constrained, I believe, until we have a proper 1000m track facility in place locally.
The KZN Dept of Agriculture is also some way down the line with us in establishment of an MOU which will secure funding for the start-up of a specialist equine research, training and extension facility at their Dundee Agricultural Research Station. Part of this funding is ear-marked to import a pacing stallion from overseas for semen to be made available through AI to rural mare populations.
The KZN Dept Sport and Recreation is also assisting us with funding for various allied rural equine training and upliftment projects.
Strong interest in our progress continues in both Sweden and France. In February 2 lots of equine students from the Wangen and Sundsvalls academies will be visiting us. Johan Nilsson will also visit us again in March, and has indicated strong interest in establishment of a new "farrier school" in South Africa.
THETA are also now fully conversant with our rural equine training inputs and have promised assistance in recouping the R150,000 owed to us by SAJA.
I am pleased to report that our sponsored exchange student in Sweden Nkululeko Kunene is doing exceptionally well and is due to return to SA on 22nd December. Nkululeko will then be fully equipped as both a professional driver and farrier. He will then be well placed to make a valuable contribution to our industry and through his newfound skills earn himself a good living wage.
It is frustrating to record that intransigence and a bureaucratic attitude on the part of the livestock improvement registrar in the Department of Agriculture, has still not effected registration of the Standardbred horse as an approved breed in SA. We are now required to produce a biological impact study on the breed, which we can hopefully commission in 2010. Fortunately this has not hindered imports as we have been able to work with the SA Sport Horse Association who have assisted us in the filing of import applications for Standarbreds to SA as Sport Horses.
We are sad to record the passing this year of Lawrence Taylor - a life-member and great supporter of our code. We are also saddened to have recently lost one of our top trotters Carla Kemp (SWE) to a serious and sudden attack of anterior enteritis. Both will be missed sorely.
HRSA membership numbers as at 1st December 2009 are as follows:
| Hon Life Members | 1 |
| Life Members | 1 |
| Family Members | 2 |
| Ordinary Members | 33 |
| Rural Associate Members | 501 |
Our continued gratitude to Gold Circle must be emphasized and recorded. Use of their tracks, support from the National Racing Bureau and the office premises afforded us have been necessary and material to our start-up.
Thanks also to all the owners who have invested in bloodstock from overseas - I trust that at some point your investments will all be fully redeemed.
Thank you also to the many contributors and supporters of trotting - large and small - without whose help our job would be doubly difficult.
To our board members, Ulf Hornberg, Clive Murphy, Karel Miedema and Menzi Buthlezi in particular - a very special thanks for your ongoing support and assistance.
A merry Christmas to you all.
D.A.Latimer
Chairman
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