Racing Needs To Focus On The People

Since her appointment as CEO of 4Racing, Fundi Sithebe, a former chief operating officer of Airports Company South Africa, has acted swiftly to erase the turbulence the sport of racing has endured in recent years.

 

A qualified pilot, Sithebe has – in less than two years – successfully swapped planes for racehorses with a hands-on approach which sees her attend the majority of meetings on the Highveld.

 

At the time of her appointment, she said: “I look forward to engaging with all stakeholders as 4Racing proceeds with the transformation and rebuilding of the South African horse racing industry.”

 

Her “engaging” has resulted in Sithebe and her team securing a number of new sponsors. This is vital for any sport.

 

Sithebe’s latest offering – via a media release – is to state that racing is no longer the “Sport Of Kings” but rather it is “The People’s Sport.”

 

She points to a video in America regarding Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby run in Kentucky in the first week of May.

 

“Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, home to one of the most legendary horse races The Kentucky Derby, popular American rapper, singer, songwriter Jack Harlow’s music video for his song Churchill Downs, stars him and featured rapper Drake, at the world-famous racetrack by the same name. 

 

The video depicts the two enjoying a day at the 2022 Derby and is the epitome of horse racing’s grandiose reputation: haute couture fashion, wealthy horse owners, beauty queens, red carpets, suits, suites, long “paparazzi” lenses. But little focus is given to the thousands of general racegoers and punters and their experience of the exhilaration of a big racing day

 

The portrayal of the sport in the video is one of the reasons why horse racing is called the Sport of Kings. When in reality, and certainly in my opinion, horse racing is the Sport of the People.

 

It is an interesting paradox, where you can find much diversity in the background of South Africa’s billion-rand sport, in particular grooms, trainers, blacksmiths, everyday punters, and many other hard-working people behind the scenes that keep the sport going and contribute significantly to the economy. The challenge is to create the opportunities that will bring them much closer to the foreground.

 

When I joined 4Racing in 2021, a company responsible for horse racing operations, and officially started its operations on 1 December the same year, I knew nothing about horses, other than those that delivered wood to my childhood township of Diepkloof in Soweto.  So of course, when the investors approached me to take the reins, I was sceptical due to my inexperience of the industry, but I knew I was shortlisted for my expertise and track record as an executive.

 

So I sat in front of the investors for my interview and was blatantly honest about my reservations, only to discover that, that is precisely what they were looking for: someone who could bring a fresh perspective and energy to this somewhat insular industry, The love that they have for the industry, (a love I’ve discovered that most people in the industry have), is what moved me to accept the challenge – they want to see a change, and they are backing that change. 

 

While I consider horse racing The People’s Sport, there’s certainly so much more that can be done to build on that reputation through transformation, diversity, and inclusion. Like many industries in South Africa, the representation and high-level participation of women and black people is notably low, and a big part of my mandate and vision is to address these shortcomings. 

 

Ironically, there are a fair number of women who are breeders and owners of racing horses, some of them are the most powerful figures in the local industry. Women are also fans of the sport: a recent report commissioned by 4Racing found that at least half of our DSTV and SABC Sports racing broadcasts’ viewers are female. But there are significant shortfalls elsewhere, with very few black female owners and executives, no female grooms, and only one top-level female jockey, the immensely talented Rachel Venniker.

 

To change this picture, we must take opportunities to highlight women as part of the sport, at racing events, meetings and in the media. We should introduce the public to star athletes like Venniker and use her story to inspire young women from all walks of life in the country to take up the sport where they can, and to consider it as a career option. We need to put more women forward to be the faces of horse racing.

 

There are local horse racing events almost every day of the year, and most of the fans who support them are everyday people who get a thrill from the races and the majestic horses that compete in them. In South Africa, they represent the width and breadth of our nation – the Durban July, for example, is one of the most diverse industry events in the world.

Diversity and inclusion include adapting to change, and in line with technological advancements, we’ve created new digital and app channels to make engagement with the sport easier, including a fun feature where newcomers can learn the sport by duplicating the bets of top punters. 

 

Introducing younger generations to the sport is a big priority and, above all, we want to emphasise and grow the fun of the sport through exposure and education. S’manga Khumalo is one such young talent. He became the first black jockey to win the Durban July Handicap in 2013, at age 28 and won again in 2022. With over 1,900 wins under his belt, he turned his love for horses and racing career professional in 2006 and became a fixture in the country’s top 20 jockeys, riding an estimate of 80 horses a month, often seven days a week.  

 

I qualified as a private pilot at the age of 24, juggling my lessons with my first job as a business analyst. I love a good adventure and enjoy challenging the status quo, and the horse racing industry is currently that challenge for me. 

 

I’m often the only black woman attending industry meetings and sometimes the only woman in the room. When I became 4Racing’s CEO, I inadvertently achieved a milestone as the first black African woman to run a horse racing company. It’s an honour, and also at the core of my challenge: I may be the first, but I cannot be the last. 

 

In November last year, I participated in an all-male panel discussion about the future of horse racing at the World Tote Association, WoTA’s General Assembly in London, and I was appointed to the Board representing 4Racing’s continued promotion of pool betting and the critical role it plays in supporting the global horse racing industry. I consider platforms like these important to telling the South African horse racing story to the world, and our mission to create more exposure and inclusion. 

 

Whilst there’s nothing wrong with the luxurious depiction of horse racing, it’s important to balance this narrative with the humility of the industry, to make it more accessible. There are so many ways we can craft our horse racing story, I would like to make an open call to our own talented rappers, musicians and filmmakers to like Harlow did for his hometown: film a Mzansi style music video or telenovela episode featuring one of our race days this year at our historical Turffontein racecourse – a piece of South African culture that we too, can take to the world.”