Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

  • mr hawaii
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845531
One? This is just the cherry on top!!!! How long have I advocated for using your real name??:unsure:
It matters not if you use your birth name ir a moniker...just as long as the opinion is based in fact not fiction..has no ulterior motive and is honest. I have learned a great deal from anonymous posters on ABC as well as those using their names... Basically if posters had all the information regarding Cape Racing they would not jump to conclusions....as in all spheres of Racing there is a lack of transparency and this leads to speculation.... I blame this on the Racing Media and NHRA who don't do enough to give punters facts that can kill conspiracy theories before they start... People have very short memories...years ago, and probably still, if you were known to post on ABC and had anything to say adverse to the Jooste narrative you were regarded as persona non gratia in the halls of Phumelela and The White House (RA).... so just remember that many of these warriors have helped to change Racing for the better by having an outlet to expose the injustice and deception that Racing is and was.
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  • Craig Eudey
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845533
We should move this conversation to another thread as we hijacking this one of 2 lots of people doing something really good for racing in the Cape and that's what we should focus on here.

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  • Muhtiman
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845535
.....Craig you have a point.... however you are a somebody as is LouisG Dave and Bob and have skin in the game and now Greg with even much bigger skin....many others here are not known as racing people either with skin or no skin in the game...so if they make a comment or have an opinion using a real name.....then the "what the f@ck do you know and who the f@ck are you anyway" attitude comes to the fore....I myself was at a time trying to "brand" my pseudonym and in a way also protect my identity because I was trying to get a position in racing...fat lot of good that it did ...as it not get me anywhere....as even bigger nobodies with better insider connections beat me to it anyway....:S .those that stay incognito still have the privilege of taking swipes at the establishment, vendors, promotors and investors without having to be punished ridiculed or shamed for having an opinion.....sure we have seen some okes get personal, rude and way off the mark.....but controversy gets increased interest hits and more views....something one would not get if people connected or not used their no body names....:huh:
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  • ICE MACHINE
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845537
and I forgot......

people like me (and there are many) have been funding racing for decades. As owners we have the most input and the least output.

Oh just shut up will you.

Somehow you try and make every post about you and your entitlements.

You tried to make whatever difference you wanted to make through your flimsy SABOAT initiative. You didn't draw the support your ego thought it had - it sank - everyone moved on.

Please just do the same ...

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  • Muhtiman
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845538
......:ohmy: .....

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  • fingers
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845539
We could also use the safer option


Post by " Mad Max "

Answer: real name please

Reply; John Smith

Reply: welcome to the site John

you were a shit hooker Mad Max, but an even worse prop

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  • Muhtiman
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845540
......:lol: :lol: .....

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  • Tigershark
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845541
Timetopaybackthemoney's post, while on the face of it sparked debate to further question the current deal being done was trite if you know anything about the recent history of WC Racing.

WC racing has a mix of the biggest and best breeders in South Africa, foreign tourists who are willing to invest, affluent local owners but the lowest local betting turnover in the country. Basically they race the best bred horses however if the local punters were paying for the stakes they would be peanuts. In my opinion they should be but that's my opinion based purely on the arrogance displayed over years by those steering WC racing. Yes, there are big owners and breeders but who pays for the stakes?

The WC has a toxic mix of a hand full of trainers with more than 150-200 horses and jockeys that constantly crawl in races, hardly ever run at a true pace. The public has felt for a long time that in Cape Town, horse racing is an insiders game and rigged. Once again this is my opinion which may just be proved in the low local betting turnover on the totes.

So what could or would bring about meaningful change?

Increase the field sizes and number of races in the WC, there are a small group of trainers that have so many horses that they have satellite yards and spend more time raiding than racing horses in their own centre. Time to give them an ultimatum or accept that they will continue to be paid for perpetuating proven failure.

Introduce fines and suspensions for the Cape Crawl jockeys and just maybe make available the trainers instructions at the off to increase transparency.

Betting is complicated for beginners so maybe introduce a simple daily double or treble.

When in Cape Town i prefer racing from Vasco's Taverna which says much about the experience at Kenilworth.

I wish Greg and Owen every success and doff my hat to them for what they are doing. Unlike some, i believe that WC racing could be so much more and I am sure that this partnership can unlock this potential.
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845544
We should move this conversation to another thread as we hijacking this one of 2 lots of people doing something really good for racing in the Cape and that's what we should focus on here.

Trolls and clout chasers hijack threads on Social media
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  • Greg_Bortz
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845551
Hi guys

I have numerous skills - technology is not one of them! I am actually not sure where this post is going. It was meant to respond to a comment about field sizes, betting turnover etc.

If I posted this in the wrong place, can someone that knows what they are doing share it properly with the group? Thanks.

I have not yet commenced full due diligence on Kenilworth Racing, so I am not speaking armed with all the facts. But it is readily apparent to me that the key driver of a profitable racing operator is..........horse population. Every single positive thing that could happen to the business is derived from having a large, vibrant horse population.

More horses, more trainers doing well.

More horses, bigger field sizes.

More horses, more race days.

More horses, more work for jockeys, grooms and the like.

More horses, greater betting turnover.

More horses, greater betting turnover, greater stakes. Which leads to more horses. And so the cycle continues.

That leads to the fundamental question about how to increase the horse population. There are some obvious ways - increase stakes to begin with. Clearly that is something high on the to do list as soon the necessary regulatory approvals have been received. But there are other ways too - some of which have been touched on by other forum members in this chat. Creative / thoughtful program scheduling. New ideas. New incentives. And the like.

In short, we need to make it great to race in Cape Town. People must want to own horses here and to race here. Trainers from other provinces must be incentivized to raid here. The structures and infrastructure must make it easy for folks to do this.

Cape racing has suffered from a myriad of factors - lack of management, lack of new ideas, lack of leadership, lack of capital, lack of many things. We will try and bring something fresh and new to the table once we are able to do so (will take time to get all the approvals, guys, so please be patient!!).

Finally, every single person on this Forum has one thing in common - every single one - namely a passion for the sport. No one would be on here if they didn't. And my life experience tells me that passion and hard work trumps raw talent every time. So to everyone on here, please feel free to reach out with ideas, suggestions, input, criticism etc. Please feel free to come to me with it directly. My cell is 082-523 7591.

My parting comment is that I am hard-pressed to think of an industry where there is so much divisive rhetoric. My number one goal is to raise the bar in horse racing in terms of civility, kindness and mutual respect. That may sound cheesy, but I try live my life that way. I fail plenty - that is for damn sure - but I try.

I love racing so much, and I want positivity to emanate from our sport. There is enough crap out there in every day life - let's try make racing be the bright spot!

Anyway, I sound like some shlokky motivational speaker - not my intent. But I truly believe in doing business a certain way. Treat everyone with kindness and respect. Give it your all. Don't take yourself too seriously. I am 100% certain that by the time I am done with racing (and certainly with Cape racing), I will be leaving the sport in a far better place than where I found it.

Thanks everyone.
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845555
Thanks Greg, you have just got this thread back on track 🙏‍

As you say we all have the same passion 🏇‍💚

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  • Greg_Bortz
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Re: Greg Bortz and Hollywood to takeover Cape Racing?

1 year 8 months ago
#845556
Muhtiman, thank you for your post and your concern. You are not the first to raise that concern.

At the outset, let me state I am most definitely human! That means, criticism hurts. Nasty comments hurt. That said, I have been through some proper challenges in my life, and have developed a reasonably thick skin, and a steely backbone. I am going to stick to my guns and try do what is right for racing. I am aware that those are negatively predisposed to me, or who are cynics by nature, will be impossible to please. And I am not going to try.

But I will always make myself available to anyone and everyone that wishes to chat regardless of what they think of me or my plans. And I will always focus on the end goal without being discouraged.

Thanks again.

Greg
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