TAKE PRIDE : YOU'VE BACKED THE RIGHT HORSE

www.summerhill.co.za

Mick Goss
Summerhill Stud CEOVisitors to this site can give themselves a pat on the back as the festivities loom. Your interest in what’s going on at www.summerhill.co.za has catapulted us to the very top of the combined international and local rankings in terms of unique visitors. We find it extraordinary that a Zulu farm, situated 15kms outside of the dustiest little dorp in the Midlands at the southernmost tip of what the civilized world calls the “darkest continent” should attract such an enormous following, to the degree that it’s now the most visited site, by some stretch in international racehorse breeding. On the combined rankings, it’s also the most visited site in any form of thoroughbred endeavour in South Africa, enjoying by far the biggest international patronage, and just 152 positions behind TAB Online in terms of local visits.

What never ceases to amaze us, is the number of people from the outside world, who take the trouble to make their acquaintance with us, so we’ve published the latest Alexa rankings below as well as a table of those countries that visited our blog on more than 20 occasions during the course of November, from of total of 125 countries.

Besides thanking you for your ongoing patronage, our teams at Summerhill, Hartford House (www.hartford.co.za), Vuma (www.vumafeed.co.za) and Goss & Co Insurance Brokers join me in wishing each and everyone all the best for the forthcoming festivities. And as the world finds itself out of the financial mire of the past few years, a very happy and equally prosperous New Year.

Alexa Rankings
South African Horseracing Websites

Website	URL	International	South Africa
Summerhill Stud	www.summerhill.co.za	174,168	1,874
Tab Online	www.tabonline.co.za	207,289	1,722
Scot Free Racing	www.scotfreeracingwebsite.com	409,767	2,598
Racingweb	www.racingweb.co.za	420,718	6,615
Action Racing Online	www.aro.co.za	452,972	6,738
SA Horse Racing	www.sahorseracing.co.za	470,872	8,367
African Betting Clan	www.africanbettingclan.co.za	529,997	7,257
Directory of the Turf	www.thedirectoryoftheturf.com	570,059	unranked
SA HRacing	www.sahorseracing.com	630,407	16,975
Sporting Post	www.sportingpost.co.za	741,847	unranked
Jockey Club of SA	www.horseracingauthority.co.za	939,036	13,080
Bloodstock South Africa	www.tba.co.za	1,318,461	unranked
Phumelela	www.phumelela.com	1,514,776	unranked
Backworth Stud	www.backworth.co.za	1,541,602	14,411
The Whisperer	www.whisperer.co.za	1,555,070	unranked
Gold Circle	www.goldcircle.co.za	1,721,776	unranked
Form Grids	www.formgrids.com	1,887,752	13,524
J&B Met	www.jbmet.co.za	1,980,252	20,263
Western Cape Horse Talk	www.westerncapehorsetalk.com	2,142,588	unranked
Mike de Kock Racing	www.mikedekockracing.com	2,257,920	unranked
L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate	www.lqp.co.za	2,306,221	13,882
Mike Bass Racing	www.mikebassracing.com	2,875,656	unranked
Racing Association	www.racingassociation.co.za	2,880,578	unranked
In Form Racing	www.profit.co.za	3,133,483	unranked
Vodacom Durban July	www.vodacomdurbanjuly.co.za	3,221,655	unranked
Gary Alexander Racing Stables	www.garyalexander.co.za	3,256,924	unranked
Parade Magazine	www.parademag.co.za	5,265,974	unranked
Sean Tarry Racing	www.seantarryracing.co.za	9,578,939	unranked
Steve Benton Racing	www.stevebentonracing.co.za	10,972,280	unranked
Racing South Africa	www.racingsouthafrica.co.za	14,856,749	unranked
Horseracing SA	www.horseracingsa.com	26,857,862	unranked
Brian Wiid Racing	www.kniferacers.com	unranked	unranked
Snaith Racing	www.snaithracing.com	unranked	unranked
Zaki Racing	www.zakiracing.com	unranked	unranked
Lucky H Racing	www.luckyhracing.com	unranked	unranked
Alec Laird Racing	www.aleclairdracing.com	unranked	unranked
David Kuit Racing Stables	www.kuitracing.co.za	unranked	unranked
Dean Kannemeyer Racing	www.dkannemeyerracing.com	unranked	unranked

Correct as at 20 December 2010

Summerhill Blog
Unique Visitors By Country
(Top 33 of 125 Countries)

Country	Unique Visitors
South Africa	3,076
United States	1,280
United Kingdom	718
Australia	308
Ireland	227
Canada	181
Mauritius	162
France	159
Germany	116
Japan	99
United Arab Emirates	87
New Zealand	78
Hong Kong	65
Italy	63
Turkey	54
India	52
Spain	36
Poland	32
Malaysia	29
Norway	29
Russia	28
Hungary	27
Netherlands	26
Pakistan	26
Kenya	25
Czech Republic	25
Brazil	23
Mexico	23
China	23
Argentina	23
Sweden	22
Singapore	21
Phillippines	20

To 33 of 125 Countries by Unique Visitors - November 2010

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za

ALL IN THE NAME OF EDUCATION

Please click above to view latest gallery…
(Photos : Leigh Willson)

AL MAKTOUM SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE

For a decade now, the five businesses in the Goss Group; Summerhill, Hartford House, Vuma Feeds, Goss & Co Insurance Brokers and Summerhill Trading, have convened at some unique out-of-the-way venue for their annual conference. These gatherings have played a significant role in the strategic directions of our businesses, which are as diverse from one another as lions, hippopotamuses and zebras are.

Just as unique is the subject matter of the debates as well as the quality of the addresses of our contributing speakers, most of whom reside within our own home-grown team. This year, our focus is going to be on the individual, the selection and training of our staff, the advancement of their ambitions and the realisation of their dreams.

As significant as any venture we’ve undertaken is the Al Maktoum School Of Management Excellence, now a serious work-in-progress. Ronney Naidoo and his team of builders, “daga boys”, bricklayers, carpenters and general factotums, have been grafting away feverishly since mid December, and we’re seeing the first fruits of a serious endeavour. Never one short of optimism, Ronney expects the thatchers to join the fray in early March, which means we ought to have a good crop of “blonde” perching cosily on top of the centre of learning, come Stallion Day in July.

On that topic, bear in mind that for the first time in its more-than-hundred year history, the Vodacom July has had to make way for the Fifa World Cup, which means that rather than being staged on the first Saturday of the month, as it has for more than a century, “the July” will be staged on the last Saturday of the month. Because of its billing as “Racing’s Greatest Day Out”, the Summerhill Stallion Day, which in the last few years has attracted at least 14 different nations, will now take place on the last Sunday of July, and while the School won’t be complete by then, weather permitting, we’re hopeful of showing our visitors something substantially approaching what will eventually be the only facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

A Right Royal Festivity

 

His Majesty King Letsie III and Nelson Mandela
“Many, many more happy birthdays.”

Today marks the birthday of His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho, just a day before the celebrations of the birthday of South Africa’s own icon, Nelson Mandela. It is our tradition at Summerhill to fly six Summerhill flags on the flag poles outside the Stallion barn, as a celebration of a Graded Stakes victory, and right now our flags are clapping hands for OUTCOME’S big effort in the Garden Province Group One.

However, tomorrow, they will be replaced by six flags of the Republic of South Africa in acknowledgement of “Madiba’s” 90^th birthday.

The entire Summerhill, Hartford House, Vuma and Goss & Co teams join me in wishing our two national celebrities many, many more happy birthdays.

Back at The Salt Mines

Summerhill Stud OfficeAfter the most fulfilling session in Summerhill’s conferencing history, all of our divisions (Vuma Feeds, Hartford House and Goss & Co Insurance) were back in full harness Friday, pumped up about their prospects of taking their businesses to “World Class & Beyond”. Any entity that’s brave enough to set its sights at such lofty levels leaves itself a daunting task, yet the benchmarking exercises conducted by our outside guest participants left us in little doubt that, whilst there are numerous areas in which there’s room for an upgrade, in many aspects of our businesses, we either are, or are close to, the benchmarks.

Hartford House
That leaves us with a not inconsiderable responsibility, not the least of which is the avoidance of complacency, but which also entails a steadfast quest to break even bigger and better ground in the years ahead. Of course, you cant claim world class status if you don’t keep putting the “dough” down, and the capital demands in satisfying the rigid criteria we’ve set for ourselves, are nothing short of formidable.

Olivia SchafferBut before we set out on that course, we’d need to make sure that Hartford’s Marketing doyenne, Oli Schaffer, gets a suitable car to take her to Investec Head Office in future, to save her the embarrassment of pitching up in the Boss’ “bakkie”, complete with hole in the canvas. Those of us that know the owner, will attest to the fact that his favourite pair of shorts are also full of holes!

Insuring a foal

A reminder of the Goss & Co Insurance rates:

• Foals from 24hrs of age to 44 days old = 6.37% (competitor’s rate: 10.00%)
• Foals from 45 days to 89 days = 5.10% (competitor’s rate 8.00%)
• Foals over 90 days of age  = 4.25%  (competitor’s rate 5.50%)

Goss and Co requirements/advantages        

• All foals insured from 24hrs  require VC & IGG levels tested  
• All foals insured  from 45 days valued at less than R200,000 require DOH    
• All foals insured from 45 days valued at more than R200,000 require VC    
• Foals resident at Summerhill are exempt from 15% excess 
• Discount can be offered regardless of number of foals insured

Goss & Company is South Africa’s longest serving Lloyd’s of London Agent. We ONLY insure horses and the company holds the distinction of never having had an unpaid claim in 31 years.

For further details contact Michelle Ashe 0n (033) 263 1081