Highlights of the ROA Annual General Meeting
Statement from 4Racing on the future collaboration with the ROA:
“Over the past year the ROA and 4Racing have made conscious decisions on collaborating for the benefit of the owner and the member experience. 4Racing has clearly demonstrated its commitment to this experience through the refurbishment of Turffontein, and the scheduled upgrades to the Vaal and Fairview. In addition, a closer working relationship on racedays and specifically, the feature racedays, was evidenced by the team effort on Summer Cup Day 2024. This has continued with the support of the ROA team on the ground throughout the jurisdictions of the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Free State. The ROA team and the 4Racing Marketing and Events team were diligent in their operational planning, the build up to the events and clarified roles and responsibilities that resulted in solid execution on the day. So, a special thanks from 4Racing to the ROA team for going above and beyond to support the greater cause of the ownership experience all round. Going forward, the ROA and 4Racing will continue to work together in a collaborative and partnership manner to strategically redefine the ownership value proposition to make it more inclusive on both raceday and non racedays with additional benefits that talk to understanding your customer better, creating a better marketing plan and program that positions racing as a sport for all in South Africa.
This builds on the work already done by the ROA over the last 12 to 18 months on tiered membership options, different programs, various incentives and additional benefits for members to join. Operationally, the continued working together in the current environment ensures that plans are executed in a seamless manner while making incremental changes at every opportunity. It is these little changes that culminate in a big change over time, but it is important to ensure that we do start with the little things that count. Futuristically, our joint objectives include growing the owner base, the horse population, elevating the ownership experience and of course, generating increased betting turnovers in the 4Racing jurisdictions as well as greater collaborations with Hollywood racing regions, thus enabling owners nationally to enjoy their racing experience either way. From a horse population incentives perspective, the teams between the ROA and 4Racing are debating a few options to support the retention and growth of the horse population in 4Racing regions. We take a metered approach, as these incentives need funding in order to stimulate the ownership growth as well as retain owners and horses, but basically to subsidize the cost of owning a horse in training. The ROA and 4Racing will need to be smart about how this funding model is shaped from both sides on a sustainable basis and not just a once-off. In addition, 4Racing has also supported the transport levy which has been well received across the board for horses purchased outside of the province, back into the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, and depending on the expectations/appetite or demand, this will continue for other future sales as well. It is quite an important factor to be able to negate some of those friction points for owners, especially when buying in bulk. All work is in progress and further updates will follow in the next quarter, but I think it is the start of some of the initiatives that need to be launched from an operator perspective, and it can’t be done without the support of and the participation with the ROA.”
Introduction of Jaybalan (Trevelen) Pillay as Non-Executive Director of the ROA Board
Trevelen Pillay has been involved in horseracing from an early age and has been actively involved in thoroughbred ownership since the early 2000’s. He has a promising string of horses, strategically spread across various locations in the country. These horses are owned in Trevelen’s individual capacity, some within partnerships, as well as the syndicates in which he is involved. He is currently the nominee of Kisten Pillay Racing Syndicate as well as TKP Racing. Today, he is recognized among the top league of owners in South Africa, consistently supporting the industry with his investments and enthusiasm.
Trevelen has business interests in a few companies that specialize in supply chain and staffing solutions across diverse industries.
As a director of the Racehorse Owners Association, Trevelen advocates closer collaboration between the ROA and racing authorities nationwide, citing the importance of collective efforts to promote ownership within the industry and enhance the overall racing experience, particularly on feature racedays. He believes that these partnerships will encourage more people to come to the racecourse, which in turn benefits all stakeholders. His vision and leadership are expected to bring fresh energy and strategic direction to the ROA, ensuring a bright future for racehorse ownership in South Africa.
Video link of the full meeting is available by clicking here
