This week Heart of the South Racing attending a very informative first RSA (Racehorse Syndicates Association) syndicate managers conference at Warwick Racecourse.
Hosted by Dan Abraham of Foxtrot Racing, there were over 50 delegates in attendance and we enjoyed presentations from the BHA, ROA & Weatherbys Bank, a discussion panel regarding the race day experience for Owners with ARC and Jockey Club Racecourses before it ended with a really informative and thought provoking piece from the ROR.
The BHA discussed a range of topics including a soon to be requirement for all syndicates and racing clubs to be licensed via the BHA along with a number of checks taking place before any new syndicate and/or racing club is approved. Of course HOTSR already have our license and are one of the 25% of syndicates to have this already – it’s great to be ahead of the game in this respect!
There was also a discussion on the Racing Digital Software which is how administration for all syndicates moving forward will work. This is due to be rolled out this Spring all being well.
The ROA (Racehorse Owners Association) plan to move ownership forward and make it at the forefront of all decision making in racing. Considering we contribute 282,000,000 to the sport we are thrilled that Owners voices will really be heard.
ARC & Jockey Club Racecourses were open to feedback and discussion on improving the racecourse experience for syndicate Owners whilst also taking into account sole Owners – we wonder if in due course a tiered system will be introduced in addition to the syndicate lounges? The syndicate lounges are a little like marmite but we have found them to be very useful on occasions when we have a high number of Owners wishing to attend. We also sometimes find (and many of our Owners agree) the Owners & Trainers bars are almost unbearable with the high volume of Owners now in attendance. This is all a work-in-progress but everyone seemed very open to making it the best experience moving forward for Owners as syndicates continue to grow.
Our favourite topic of the day was the ROR (Retraining of Racehorses) discussion and it was wonderful to hear how imperative this is when purchasing a horse, breaking it in, training the horse and the after care and horse welfare is now at the forefront for so many Owners. There is still room for improvement here but nearly all syndicates agreed this is their number 1 priority when running their business. As our readers will know it has and always will be something very important to HOTSR!
A big thanks to Dan and the other committees for putting together a great first conference – we look forward to attending future ones!
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