The ugly truth beyond the glitz of
With formal racing in decline and traditional racing booming, what’s happening to the horses? By
Horses are born to run and, when they do, they’re beautiful to watch. Thundering across a plain, mane and tail streaming, hardly seeming to touch the ground: it’s an enthralling sight.
The horse became a symbol of elegance, primary creatures of conveyance and chariots of war. They kicked human civilization into fast forward and it’s never looked back. But it’s over. This is the horse’s final century. Its last redoubt is the world of sport.
It’s unlikely they’d choose to run round a track with a human on their back smacking their flanks. But they’re required do so in large numbers, sometimes earning their owners and those who organise betting large sums of money, sometimes dying. The fate of those who can’t stay the pace is worrying.
Although formal racing involves only thoroughbreds and well-kept tracks, a months-long investigation by discovered that informal racing is taking place across the country on a weekly basis.
There’s tripling, trotting and flat racing (as in flat out) – all of which can be formal traditional racing as well as dirt racing and street racing. Some races have well-kitted horses and jockeys, some horses are much-admired and ridden bareback and still others have horses in terrible condition (sometimes ridden to death). There are reports of township races on tar by young riders high on tik.
As traditional racing booms, thoroughbred racing is shrinking and becoming less profitable, with declining breeders, jockeys and racetracks.
According to Vee Moodley, the CEO of the National Horse Racing Association (NHA), the formal horse racing industry is contracting at an alarming rate: “The current pandemic and economic climate conditions are wreaking havoc on a local and international front,” he wrote in NHA’s annual report. “The South African racing statistics for the past 30 years give an overview of the decline of the industry.” He warned it was in danger of falling into a state of anarchy.
From 1990 to 2020, the number of starters in NHA races dropped from 49,482 to 35,232 horses. There was a 37% reduction in trainers and 33% fewer jockeys.
Between those years, half the formal racecourses in SA closed and there was an 84% drop in breeders or stud farms (though average earnings per horse jumped from R13,000 to R44,000 – or 238%).
Racing rescue
A horse owner who did not want to be named explained the problem: “There’s so much gambling competition and horse racing clubs haven’t looked after their customers.
“If you think of a casino with all sorts of packages and food and linked hotels – they’re customer-focused. And the Lotto is so much easier and more accessible. You don’t need brains to buy a Lotto ticket. Horse racing requires homework and understanding the mathematics of it.”
Racing was already in trouble from competitors for the gambler’s purse when, in 2019, Phumelela Gaming & Leisure went into business rescue with a debt claimed at R1.7-billion, placing racing throughout SA at risk. The sport was saved by the formation of 4Racing by Mary Oppenheimer and Daughters with an investment of R560-million.
A similar racing rescue was required in Durban, saved by what amounts to a takeover by the bookmaker Hollywood Bets, the main sponsor and organiser of the Durban July. Owen Heffer, its CEO, is one of the biggest racehorse owners in the country.
“You used to be able to make money out of breeding racehorses,” said the horse owner, “but it’s increasingly becoming an expensive hobby for people who have other forms of income to support it.”
With the decline in the number of breeders, stud farms, racecourses and jockeys and with tote problems, formal thoroughbred horse racing is not a sport you’d place your bets on. But some have, in spadefuls.
Totes and bookies
You’d be excused for thinking owners race to add to their wealth, but in comparison with the totes and bookies, they’re small cheese.
The total pot at the Durban July is about R1.8-million, but a good win at other races is about R175,000. That sounds a lot, but it’s not, relative to the country’s 368 totes and
bookies. According to 2019/20 Gambling Board statistics, horse racing netted R2.5-billion in revenue. A quarter of a century ago, horse racing was the only gambling outlet. Today, the king is casinos at 64% of turnover, with betting on all sports trailing at 16.8%.
As thoroughbred racing declines, informal racing is booming. But, not being regulated, it’s often anarchic. There are no welfare regulations for the horses, which are often injured. And there’s no control over races or incomes earned by owners and under-the-counter bookies from events taking place at hundreds of venues.