HB Racing is on a winner: McGifford

JOHN JENKINS
Hawke's Bay Racing's general manager John McGifford is so sold on the club's chief sponsor, Sam Kelt, that he has stolen one of his sayings and would like to use it as his club's motto.
"Sam has got this great saying of: 'Create the product then create the business around it' and I would say racing would do well to heed those words because it has certainly been the key to Hawke's Bay Racing's success," McGifford says.
Sam Kelt is the sponsor behind the $1million Kelt Capital Stakes, New Zealand's richest race which will be run on the third and final day of this year's Kelt Capital Hawke's Bay spring carnival, on October 1.
He, along with McGifford and the other main sponsors in Wayne Mudgway and Mike Tololi, have promoted the Hawke's Bay spring racing carnival to a position that it now commands international attention and is seen as the showcase of racing in the Central Districts of the North Island.
John McGifford, 46, is in his fifth year as head of one of the most progressive racing club's in the country. For a guy who came from a family that had no racing interests, McGifford has surprisingly been involved in every facet of the industry.
He has been a NZ Racing Conference employee, successful hurdle and highweight jockey, racehorse breeder and owner and now a racing club manager.
McGifford took over the reins of Hawke's Bay Racing from Tom Johnson on August 1, 2000. Before that he had been given a thorough grounding in innovative ideas and racing club management by former CEO Des Friedrich.
McGifford came from the grassroots of racing and would like to think that he has not forgotten the base core of the racing industry. He realises more than most the plight of the racehorse owner and how racing clubs need to support them to stay alive.
"Increase stakemoney" is the national cry from New Zealand racehorse owners and, with costs increasing almost daily, it is little wonder they feel that way.
McGifford says his club has always gone that extra yard to provide the best stakes affordable, especially since he took control five years ago.
"The amount of money Hawke's Bay Racing has piled into stakes in the last five years has been hugely significant," McGifford says.
"At the end of the racing season in July 2000, Hawke's Bay Racing had paid out $1.8million in stakes that year. In the season just finished we paid out $3,021,550 over the same race meetings."
"And next year we have budgeted to pay out $3,155,000," he added.
McGifford is conscious that many will say that Hawke's Bay Racing is all about the $1million Kelt Capital Stakes but he is adamant that it is not.
"To be fair, the bulk of the money has gone into our top races but we have the distinction of running New Zealand's richest race," McGifford says.
"And, around that, Hawkes Bay Racing has been able to add two more group one races to its calendar with the Mudgway Partsworld Stakes and Stoney Bridge Stakes," he adds.
McGifford says that, during the past five years, Hawke's Bay Racing has staged the richest group three race (now the group one Stoney Bridge Stakes) and the group two Hawke's Bay Cup is one of the richest group two events in the autumn.
The Hawke's Bay Steeplechase, this year worth $40,000, has also doubled in stake since McGifford took over.
"With the Stoney Bridge going to group one, Hawke's Bay Racing is now only third behind Auckland and Wellington for the most group one races in the country," McGifford says.
"All that aside, we have also tried to cater across the board and, over the last two years, our stakes for midweek meetings have generally been the highest in the central districts.
"We have been doing that to align ourselves with the northern clubs. We have tried to keep parity so as to attract more northern horses to our meetings."
Whilst positive about the future of Hawke's Bay Racing, McGifford also sees a need for some people to change their way of thinking regarding racing clubs.
"I am very positive about the cluster concept, which is something we see working for all clubs," he says.
"I personally hope that, out of the clusters, comes a more commercial approach to racing than in the past."
"Too many people think rationalisation is a dirty word and yet it is a strategy for growth," he added.
McGifford would like to see more owners and trainers in Hawke's Bay and is encouraged to see over 100 horses in work on the Hastings track.
Regarding plans for the future, McGifford says he would like to showcase Hawke's Bay Racing's feature races and turn them into icon events.
"The Kelt Capital spring carnival is something that has enormous potential for racing internationally," he said.
"We, as a club, are also committed to raising the profile and reinforcing our other key racing events such as the Hawke's Bay Cup and our feature jumping races."
Asked what he thought about Sam Kelt suggesting the stake for his race will be $2million in 2007, McGifford said: "If Sam wants something done he'll get it done."
"In the year 2001 we, at Hawke's Bay Racing, approached Sam and told him that the stake of $350,000 for his race was probably enough.
"Sam had other ideas and now it is $1million and Hawke's Bay Racing is riding on the crest of a wave that not many other racing clubs have experienced."