From the desk – February

Dear Members

Welcome to the February edition of ROA Today!

The Cape Summer Feature Season culminated with the running of the Grade 1 SplashOut Cape Derby on Saturday 22nd February. It was back-to-back Gr 1s for Eight on Eighteen as he won the 2000m race in spectacular fashion under Richard Fourie for Snaith Racing. Congratulations to all of the connections who had winners on the day.

This coming Saturday, all eyes will be on Turffontein with the running of the TAB SA Classic (G1) and the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (G1). The Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (G1), the TAB JJ The Jet Plane Stakes (G3), the Storm Bird Stakes (L), the Ruffian Stakes (L) and the Acacia Stakes (L) will also be run on the same day. As Classic Day is a premier feature day on the Highveld, we look forward to welcoming several visitors to the “Big T” and expect a fabulous day’s racing. Click here for final fields.

The ROA hosts its twenty sixth Annual General Meeting of Members on Thursday 13 March 2025 at 10h00. A report by ROA Chairman, Xander Spies, has been included in this edition of ROA Today! Click here for ease of reference. In the report, Xander provides an overview of the activities of the Association for the year under review. He covers financial and statutory matters as well as industry developments. For a more in-depth evaluation of the financial and statutory aspects of the Association please refer to the Annual Report 2024. The Annual Report together with the Notice to the AGM was distributed to members during the month of February and can be found on our website www.racehorseowners.co.za. Alternatively, all relevant documentation including proxy forms can be obtained by email via info@racehorseowners.co.za or by calling (011) 683 3220 for further assistance.

I must note the resignation of Ms Jessica Motaung as a director on the Board of the ROA at the end of January 2025. Ms Motaung served this board from September 2022 and on behalf of all members, staff, management and the rest of the Board I wish to thank her for her commitment and hard work during her tenure. We wish her the very best for the future.

As communicated during the month of February we are excited to announce that the Clubhouse restaurant will be re-launching as part of an exciting new venue called The Acreage.

In the interim, a variety of hot and cold drinks, including teas and coffees, as well as tasty and freshly made breakfast and lunch options will be provided by The Acreage’s food and coffee truck, which is on the premises daily. The full relaunch of the restaurant will take place once renovations have been completed. We look forward to announcing the reopening date in the coming weeks and invite you all to experience the new space once the venue is fully operational.

The BSA Cape Yearling Sale 2025 were held at SARDA in Cape Town on Sunday 23rd of February and by all accounts was a great success. The BSA National Yearling Sale takes place on the 10th and 11th of April 2025 and an exceptional catalogue has been drawn up for this sale. Hard copies of the catalogue may be collected from the ROA offices at Turffontein or alternatively the online version can be viewed at https://bsa.co.za/event/national-yearling-sale-10/#/

In closing, we are proud to announce that we have paid out more than R 660 000 in bonuses since the start of 2025. With another month left to go and an allotted R 510 000 available to collect, please see the Bonus Race Schedule for March here.