Owen and Lesley Heffer were honoured at the KZN Racing awards on Wednesday night when receiving the Anita Akal Special Award and Anthony Delpech won the KZN Racing Personality of the Year award.
Anita Akal has known the Heffers for some 40 years and spoke about their incredible rise from humble beginnings.
They famously arrived in Durban from Zimbabwe with R4, a mattress and two deck chairs.
Owen then spent the R4 printing out 100 tipping sheets, which he sold outside Greyville racecourse.
Anita remembers the days of Owen selling the sheets.
From there he took a computer programming course and founded the Winning Form racing guide and from that, after may years of toil, sprouted the ever-burgeoning Hollywoodbets bookmaking company.
Akal said one of the most amazing facts of Owen’s success story was the low profile he had always kept.
Owen and Lesley’s son Devin, who accepted the award, elaborated on this and said what was noticeable when their names flashed up on the screen was that, unlike the other award winners, their’s was accompanied by only one photograph. Indeed he said he had recently received a photograph request for Owen from somebody because none could be found on google.
Owen Heffer sharing a joke with Graeme Hawkins recently (Hollywoodbets).
Owen and Lesley could not have wished for a better Brand and Communications manager for Hollywoodbets than the affable, well-spoken and always-brimming-with-enthusiasm Devin.
Devin said Owen could easily have concentrated on the massive sports betting and numbers games markets in recent times, but racing had always been his passion and hence his incredible support for the Sport Of Kings.
Owen Heffer’s name is increasingly spoken with reverence in racing as the owner of the company Hollywoodbets, who have provided so much financial support in racing’s greatest time of need.
It was fitting that the Hollywood Syndicate were named Champion Owners in KZN.
Last season they had 102 winners countrywide, which was the most in the country by any owner, beating Suzette Viljoen by 16.
However, their stakes earnings of R8,983,250.00 were second to Drakenstein Stud’s R11,646,637.50.
In KZN Hollywood had 62 winners, 30 more than second-placed Mario Ferreira, and they had they had the most stakes of R5,118,000.00.
Anthony Delpech, the Hollywood Syndicate’s nominee and racing manager, received the Champion Owners award together with Devin.
Anthony Delpech and Devin Heffer with the KZN Champion Owners trophy last night (Candiese Lenferna).
Anthony became emotional when talking about his team and especially when frankly revealing how Owen had reached out during his “darkest hour” (when having to give up riding) and appointed him as Hollywood’s racing manager.
Delpech has been on the same stage many time before to receive the KZN Champion Jockey award.
He was announced as KZN Personality Of The Year award to tremendous applause.
MC Graeme Hawkins said it had been amazing to watch Delpech grow in his job and to see him growing in confidence on the racetrack, at the training tracks and on the sales grounds.
He said what had been particularly pleasing was to see Anthony smiling again (after the struggles he had endured on many fronts after a career-ending fall).
Delpech had thanked many when receiving the Champion Owners award, including all of Hollywood’s trainers.
He thanked many after receiving the KZN Personality Award too, including his doting wife Candice.
