GTH FAQs
Our objective is to build and engage an entirely new fan base for horse racing. We are attempting to do for horse racing what T20 did for cricket through our team-based, fast paced, entertaining, live horse racing events. We, the GTH team (formally Super Six Racing), have been testing and live trialing the GTH product for over 2 years and are now investing over R15 million into the first GTH Live Series in South Africa with almost R4 million allocated to stakes for the series.
Q: WHAT IS GLOBAL TEAM HORSE RACING (GTH)?
A new team-based horse racing model and live family-friendly event, where teams of professional jockeys and thoroughbred racehorses compete against each other in three live knock-out rounds. The winners will go head-to-head in the live finale.
Q: WHEN AND WHERE WILL EVENTS TAKE PLACE?
GTH Racing live series will take place at night, under floodlights, at the Hollywoodbets Greyville racecourse in Durban this year;
- 5th August
- 12th August
- 19th August
- 2nd September
Q WHAT TIME DO THE EVENTS START?
Doors to the venue open from 5:00pm. The first race will take place just after 6pm. All 8 races will be televised live on SuperSport from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
Q: DO I HAVE TO PAY AN ENTRY FEE TO ATTEND AN EVENT?
Yes – tickets are available for purchase online on the GTH website or from TIXSA as well as at the venue on the night.
Q: HOW MUCH IS THE ENTRY FEE AND WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE?
Ticket prices start at R100 for general access. Sign up on the website to receive information on special offers, www.gthracing.co.za.
R100 – General Access, allows access to all general access areas, including the kids zone, the vendor zone, trackside access to all the races and entertainment as well as grandstand seating.
R80 – for Group Booking of 4 or more. This ticket includes the same as the general access tickets.
Q: WHERE CAN I WATCH IF I CANNOT ATTEND THE RACES?
If you cannot make it to the venue, then there is the option of watching the event “live” on SuperSport and SABC. The GTH Series will be broadcast from 6:00pm, covering all 8 races where the scores count for team cumulative scores, until 8:30pm.
Q: WHO WILL ENTERTAIN THE AUDIENCES ON COURSE AND ON TV?
The GTH team has been bolstered with two of horse racing’s legends, Neil Andrews and Graeme Hawkins, who will be calling the races, and three of South Africa’s most popular presenters. The GTH team has been bolstered by the inclusion of three of South Africa’s most popular presenters. Many a Gautenger will have ended their day with Alex Caige, who co-hosts 947’s afternoon drive with Thando Thabethe. Alex is joined by well-known Mzanzi actress, and one of METRO FM’s hottest up-and-coming young DJs, Hope Mbhele. This stellar line-up is completed by the multi-talented TV and radio presenter (and passionately speed-crazy) Kriya Gangiah. Tee Xaba, a multi-talented entertainer and East Coast Radio DJ will be the MC for the Live series.
Q: WHO RUNS GLOBAL TEAM HORSE RACING?
GTH Racing is backed by Super Six Racing Limited, a UK-registered business. Super Six Racing comprises a handful of ardent racing people who have long believed that horse racing needs a reboot. They have been testing and trialing new innovations for some time with the view to developing a product that reimagines horse racing for a new modern audience.
GTH has a team based in South Africa, who will be responsible for planning and executing the first live events.
Q: WILL SPECTATORS BE ALLOWED TO BET ON RACE OUTCOMES?
The races have been added to the official Gold Circle racing calendar for 2022. Although betting is not front and center of these events, traditional race goers will be able to place a wager through all standard channels.
Q: WHAT IS THE RACE FORMAT ON THE DAY?
Each event will have two of the three teams go head-to-head, in 8 races over two and a half hours, pitting at least eight horses and jockeys in races not exceeding 1600m. The teams will be balanced, with horses matched according to their National Horse Racing Association (NHRA) allocated merit ratings.
Q: HOW MANY HORSES PARTICIPATE IN EACH RACE?
There will be eight horses per race. Four runners per team in each race. Each runner is allocated points based on their finishing position. Points are accumulated throughout the event and the team with the most points at the end wins.
Q: WHAT OTHER ENTERTAINMENT WILL THERE BE AT THE LIVE EVENTS?
The GTH live series is aimed at families. Aside from the live racing, there will be a curated stage show including a live DJ, live artists accompanied by cheerleaders and dancers. There will also be a dedicated kiddies’ entertainment area with face painters, jumping castles, as well as braai and picnic facilities.
Q: HOW DOES THE GTH RACING MODEL WORK
GTH is a fast paced alternative to traditional horse racing with 8 races taking place within the span of two and a half hours with a 15 – 20 minute break in between races.
Three teams go head-to-head over three weeks. The two highest scoring teams battle it out in the final event in the fourth week of the series.
Instead of owners’ colours, jockeys wear team colours. Each team comprises of 10 jockeys. The best team wins the championship.
Only two teams compete at each race meeting. There are 8 races per meeting, 8 runners per race (4 runners per team).
GTH Live Series Schedule for 2022
Day 1 Showdown: Kwazulu Royals vs Gauteng Gijimaz
Day 2 Showdown: Kwazulu Royals vs Cape Stingers
Day 3 Showdown: Cape Stingers vs Gauteng Gijimaz
Final Showdown: Two highest scoring teams from qualifying rounds.
Q: WHY IS GTH CHANGING THE HORSE RACING MODEL?
While all the usual betting options remain, GTH is not reliant or dependent on betting and introduces a host of new and previously untapped revenue streams to the sport, including;
- Team ownership and sponsorship
- Additional broadcast opportunities
- Digitally based revenue opportunities
- Merchandising
The team-based format of GTH is ideal for gamification where fans may engage as much as they would at a live event.
Most importantly, the GTH approach ensures greater access to the sport by people of all ages. It also means that sponsors and companies traditionally averse to racing can now be targeted and attracted to this family focused event.
Q: WHAT IS THE INCENTIVE FOR OWNERS, JOCKEYS, AND STAKEHOLDERS OF THE GAME?
The incentives for jockeys, owners and stakeholders remain unchanged. The racing is still held strictly according to NHRA rules and regulations. Jockey riding fees remain unchanged and the racing stakes are the same if not slightly higher than regular racing. Regular punters will still be able to wager on the races via all the standard channels available.
GTH has added four additional racing fixtures to the racing calendar including almost R4 million in additional stakes. In addition, GTH has committed over R10 million investment for 2022 to develop the live series and broadcast all fixtures on Super Sport and through streaming services around the world.
Q: WHAT ARE THE STAKES FOR THE GTH LIVE SERIES?
The stakes for the GTH series are R3.52 million made up of a R3 million contribution from GTH and 520k from Gold Circle.
Q: WHAT IS PROVIDING THE CORE ENTERTAINMENT?
While horse racing is a wonderful sport with a long history it can be difficult for new fans to access the sport. The GTH model makes the horse racing accessible to an entirely new fan base because it enables fans to engage with the sport in the same way one would watch rugby, cricket, or football.
Q: WHERE IS THE SPIN OFF FOR OUR TRADITIONAL MODEL? // WHAT IS THE BENEFIT FOR THE TRADITIONAL HORSE RACING COMMUNITY?
There are many spinoffs for all stakeholders involved. The successful implementation of a new improved product will generate new audience interest in racing, will stimulate increased media coverage and participation resulting in increased income from broadcast revenue and commercial sponsorship. More specifically;
- OWNERS – will see increased prize money and greater appreciation and publicity through GTH content marketing.
- JOCKEYS – will see more races and will benefit from increased exposure and athlete profiling.
- RACECOURSES – will benefit from increased audiences, more competitive fields and increased income.
- TRAINERS & BREEDERS – through an enhanced interest in the sport, will profit from more owners and more horses in training.
- BETTING OPERATORS – will see an increase in competitive racing thus growing betting turnover.
Whilst it is true that there are still successful international signature horse racing events such as the Melbourne Cup, The Kentucky Derby and The Dubai World Cup, the truth is horse racing is no longer the spectator sport it once was. Racecourse operators are frantically trying to find a solution to this problem and GTH has a product, business model, commercial plan, and experienced team ready to radically re-invent horse racing globally.
Q: WHY WILL GTH ATTRACT A LARGE CROWD TO THE EVENTS?
The GTH model has been tested and trialled specifically to determine its appeal to a non-racing fan base. The final trial at Hollywoodbets Greyville in November 2021 took place in front of an audience of 500 fans who had never attended a horse racing event. Their response to the GTH racing model was exceptionally positive.
Q: WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SUPER SIX TRIALS IN SEPTEMBER 2019?
This was the first test and pilot for the business. The trial that took place in September 2019 was filmed and then used for research with focus groups which led to additional extensive trials in the form of gallops at Summerveld and Hollywoodbets Greyville in 2021.
Q: WHY WEREN’T THE TIMES PUBLISHED? / WERE THE TRIALS HELD UNDER THE NATIONAL HORSE RACING AUTHORITY?
The trials in the form of gallops followed strict NHRA regulations but was not an official race event. There was no betting and no stakes. Jockeys did not weigh in or weigh out and there was no photo finish. The purpose of the gallops was strictly to test the format and no times were published.
Q: WHO/WHAT PAYS THE STAKES?
For the first GTH series taking place in August and September of 2022, a total of R3.52 million has been made available as stakes. GTH has put up R3 million and the balance of R520 000 has been contributed by Gold Circle.
Q: WILL I BE ABLE TO PLACE THE NORMAL BETS LIKE PICK 6, BIPOT, PLACE ACCUMULATOR, etc?
Yes, all standard betting will be available through all the usual channels. GTH does not receive any of the profits from these.
Q: WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
Q: WHERE CAN I FIND FURTHER INFORMATION?
For more information, visit https://www.gthracing.co.za or kindly contact:
Rory Rieseberg
C: 063 760 6352
E: rory@take-note.co.za
Take Note Reputation Management
Dionne Collett
C: 082 378 2025
E: dionne@take-note.co.za
Take Note Reputation Management