Howard Hamilton

This week, we continue to look at how racing is viewed in South Africa and what is being done to encourage new owners.

The Breeders Association and the Racing Authority jointly put out a publication which makes interesting reading and provides material for this article.

Being a racehorse owner involves much more than making an investment or participating in symbolic chivalry. It provides an owner with the opportunity to forge a network of business contacts and friendships.

Horse owners are frequently important and influential members of society. Owners inevitably rub shoulders with other owners and close bonds are often forged between fellow patrons of the turf.

Just as significantly, racehorse owners acquire a rich social life within the racing stables they support.

If they own horses in partnership with others, they will experience an extraordinary sense of camaraderie with their co-owners. They will share moments of anticipation, exhilaration, triumph and, of course, despair too. A cementlike bond binds racing partners together forever.

Individual owners also share in the lives of the stables where their horses are housed. They will meet fellow stable supporters at track gallops and functions, swap news and stories with them, and become part of a small racing family.

Quiet words in morning

One of the most rewarding experiences for owners is to stand alongside their trainer during early morning gallops and watch their horses do track work prior to race.

A few quiet words in the early morning mist can lighten the heart and send the expectant spirit soaring n anticipation of the contest to come.

In less pressing circumstances, it is enough simply to stand in the morning coolness and soak up the atmosphere of the track in the company of one's fellow owners. The racing world is its own special preserve and racehorse owners are the most important members of its unique, nurturing ethos.

The horse has been man's companion and fellow combatant for centuries. Horses are nature's most majestic creatures and are superbly proportioned. Their obedience, willingness and nobility of spirit enable them to be trained into superb and courageous athletes.

The ultimate heroes on the racetrack are never a horse's owner, trainer or jockey, but the animal itself. 'The Horse' is toasted at many a racing dinner because it is an imposing and aristocratic creature that awakens our deepest respect and admiration.

Owning a horse can bring magnificent rewards. It also brings serious responsibilities. It is important that modern owners ensure their horses are well cared for throughout their training and - even more importantly - well-provided for once their racing days are over.

Good owners

In the past, we have read about former champions being found in poor condition on unhygienic, poorly maintained premises. We need people of a high moral calibre in racing - owners who will not regard their equine purchases as means to an end but as creatures that deserve the best treatment money can buy.

Good owners will not view their horses as racing/betting machines that must be worked into the ground to secure a maximum profit and then tossed onto the scrapheap of life once their usefulness is exhausted.

Horse lovers make the best owners. Those who have no feelings for these majestic animals should look to other sports. Those who love animals, and horses in particular, will never find a more rewarding sport in which to become involved.

Betting has made horse racing a super-strong industry. With percentages of bets wagered being ploughed back into the industry, racing authorities have appreciable amounts of money available to improve the industry, increase stakes, continually upgrade facilities for racegoers, and maintain the racetracks to their very best potential.

Owners, the lifeblood of the racing industry, always race in style. Their continuing investment in the game entitles them to the best vantage points on track, as well as the best eating and wagering facilities.

Almost all racegoers - including owners - enjoy a bet, and owners are privileged in this regard, being privy to information about their own horses' well-being and fitness.

In certain stables, owners might also receive information about other runners in the yard, which gives them an added advantage. But then, simply being part of the closed fraternity of racehorse owners will ensure that they receive insider news and gossip about horses' chances, as well as the general goings-on in an endlessly fascinating industry.

Deserve advantage

Racing is about maximising one's advantages. If one's runner wins, then one receives a handsome winning stake. There's every reason to improve on one's take-home cheque by punting one's own horse in various exotic combinations and taking home a lot more money because of it.

Owners spend good money to send their runners on to the track. They deserve every advantage that accrues to them once their horses are racing regularly.

There's no reward in life quite as satisfying as leading in a winner after backing it to make a really tidy bundle.