What does Horseracing SA have to offer?

Katheryn Ralphs recently wrote an article about the new media racing body being established to support the racing media in SA. The point she made clearly was that the racing media would gain far more support if they had started by listing what they were going to do for racing in what will be a new era for the sport.

Horseracing SA (for want of a better term) have made countless calls for new investment, buy-in from new sponsors, government support, and the support of black businesses and fans. But, to take a page from Katheryn’s book, what is horseracing SA offering these entities? Every business in SA is involved in driving the economy and creating jobs to a greater or lesser degree. Why should more capital be spent on horseracing?

Horseracing SA has a woeful record of transformation and has a poor financial track record (based on the current situation which is more than just a reflection of the effects of the Covid-19 scenario). Now, more than ever, Horseracing SA needs government support, new investment, new sponsors, and it needs to be embraced by the emerging black market from both a business and fan perspective. But what is Horseracing SA offering these parties? Those with power and wealth are going to be selective in who and what they back. They have no choice but to be selective and will focus on the best chance for success and returns on their investments.

For almost 10 years we (Campbell + Campbell) have been designing, building, running and in many cases financing horseracing events in Gauteng. We made it our mission to bring a new audience to racing events and to grow the racing event base in Gauteng. Three years ago, we made the bold (crazy?) decision to stop any event work that was not related to horseracing. We spent any profits we made on our Equinity project. All or nothing. We are horseracing event specialists, for better or for worse!

Arguably, our greatest success has been in growing the Gauteng Summer Cup back into the largest and most well attended racing event in Gauteng using what we called a Social Pioneer strategy. Young black entrepreneurs and event management companies were given space and assistance in hosting their own hospitality areas at the race. They were given the freedom to build their brands and could find their own sponsors and suppliers. They designed and built each area themselves and sourced their own entertainment. They were able to bring an entirely new audience to the track. For all of them the exercise was much harder than they anticipated and cost them more money and time than they thought it would but for those that persisted it was worthwhile in the end.

The reason this strategy worked was because they wanted to build their businesses. For some it was the first opportunity they had to start their businesses and for others it was an opportunity to grow their existing businesses (the key was to be flexible so we had areas which hosted from 100 people up to 1000 people). The point is, they owned their area and their brand, and they had the freedom to try whatever they thought would work. They spoke to an entirely new market and their efforts lead to the race audience increasing by 400% over four years.

If horseracing is going to survive and grow then it needs to have a compelling offer for those who it wants to attract to the sport as either investors, sponsors, partners, or fans. What is in it for them? And if the answer is ‘the industry provides some jobs’ that’s not going to cut it.

Investors want to invest in businesses that are profitable. Sponsors want to get their brand in front of as many people as possible and they want deep customer engagement. Fans want to be entertained and belong to the community of whatever it is they support. Horseracing SA needs to get with the programme.

Our solution for building a glorious new racing future revolves around events because this is what we know, and this is what we do. We have spent the last few years working on a new racing business which we believe can work because it offers massive incentives for investors and sponsors and because it can attract new fans (not just for the fashion and entertainment) who actually love and enjoy racing.

Most importantly, this new racing business is designed to attract investors and sponsors from outside of racing and more specifically it builds on our social pioneer strategy giving our social pioneers the chance to take their businesses to the next level. (With the Covid-19 lockdown, event companies have been hit hard and many are close to closing. If racing can offer these businesses a way to survive and then grow, their support for racing will be guaranteed). It goes without saying that the business will create jobs and because it is designed to scale rapidly this provides a huge incentive for government to support the business.

By creating a business that makes money for investors, provides huge exposure for sponsors and that is unbelievably fun for fans of all ages and demographics we believe Horseracing SA will be seen a heroic entity crucial to the building of SA. (Wouldn’t that be a nice change!)

Great success comes with great effort and cost. The price that Horseracing SA needs to pay is not financial (there is no money anyways!) but its willingness and ability to accept change and innovation. New investors, sponsors and fans are not interested in racing in its current format. It takes too long, its too complicated and it isn’t fun for them. In the same way sports and sport businesses around the world have embraced change, racing needs to adapt. And quickly. Its now or never. And while entry to the European Union for our exports are vital and the formation of new racing operators are key, that is not enough. We must make racing appealing to millions of people in the country so that they love it as much as soccer, rugby and cricket. That is what investors want. That is what sponsors want.

Triple 8 Racing is built to be that change. It is a short format, team-based racing series that is easy to understand and can be enjoyed on virtually any platform that fans choose. It is designed to attract team owners (from outside of racing) who can invest and profit from owning a horseracing team. It is built to entertain whether fans are at an event or experiencing the event on TV or their phones. Vitally, T8 Racing is above all, about horses, jockeys and racing. It’s a f*#@'n #RacingRevolution and its coming whether you like it or not!!

#racingrevolution #horseracing #shortformatracing #events #southafrica