Phumelela Gaming and Leisure announced the appointment of Nevesh Ramdhani, from 1 January 2010, as the new Racing Services Manager to replace the now Singapore-based, Debbie Hawkins.

Born in Durban and 30 years of age, the rising young talent is a human asset Phumelela think highly of after his second major promotion in seven years.

Mentored initially by former Phumelela Racing Executive, Graeme Hawkins and more recently by Phumelela CEO SA,  David Attenborough, the young talent will surely embrace his new job as he has done with his other positions at Phumelela. A man with a serious passion for horses, people and racetracks, he will surely take his new position like a duck to water. Ramdhani is also Phumelela's representative on the Asian Racing Federation Youth League.

Likeable, well spoken and intelligent, Ramdhani makes an ideal and natural replacement for the outstanding Debbie Hawkins. SAHorseracing.COM conducted an exclusive interview with the man touted by Phumelela management as one of South African horseracing's future leaders.

Q&A: Nevesh Ramdhani

1. What is your background and educational experience?

I have a N Dip Horticulture from Natal Technikon and Certificate in Turfgrass Management from Pretoria Technikon. I have a wide range of experience in the Horticultural Industry prior to me starting at Phumelela. I started my career as a student at the Durban Parks Department and later joined Eskom Horticulture. Upon qualification, I was employed by the Ekurhuleni Metro Parks in the year 2000, where I spent three years as a Horticulturist. Whilst there, I furthered my studies in management.
I am currently studying and I am in my second year of studies towards an MBA qualification.

2. What is your passion and how did you choose Horseracing?

I have a passion for the natural environment. I had a horticultural influenced at a young age as my Grandfather and my uncle were horticulturists. I also have a passion for wildlife and I guess that it was not difficult to be mesmerized by the horse. I was employed in 2003 by Phumelela as the Track Manager of Turffontein Racecourse. I must admit, I did not know the industry too well then, but my knowledge of soils and turf is what enabled me to get the job. My passion for my job and the industry grew rapidly and I spent as much time as I could to get to know the industry. As a track manager, you are on call 24 hours, so I spent countless hours beyond working hours, learning from and communicating with various stakeholders of the industry. I have also developed a passion for service excellence in all that I do. I really do enjoy working with trainers, jockeys and owners. It is truly rewarding to see horses from my centre win races big or small alike.

3. What positions have you held within Phumelela?

I started out as the Track Manager of Turffontein. As you know, Turffontein is the flagship of racing for Phumelela and so there was pressure from the start to be the best I could. I worked closely with Stan Diesel, who is a legend in his own right, and learned the ropes quickly under his guidance. I worked at Turffontein for five years after which I was promoted to the Estate Manager of The North Rand Training Centre - Randjesfontein. It was quite intimidating at first as the big name trainers were based here. I brought to Randjies a new approach to managing the facility and the trainers appreciated my effort. I have been the manager of Randjies for almost two years prior to my promotion to Racing Services manager.

4. Tell us how the position came about and how did you get the job?

The position arose as a result of Debbie Hawkins resignation for a move to Singapore. I must add that I have the world of respect for Debbie and I wish her the very best in Singapore.
Phumelela has always been advocates for youth development within the company. As mentioned, I have studied further in both Horticulture and Business Management, with the most recent course being the MBA. With my experience and relationships with key stakeholders, I was selected by management to succeed Debbie. Apart from taking over the duties of the Racing Services Manager, I have also been tasked to maintain my managerial responsibilities at Randjesfontein and oversee the development of my assistant, Klaas Mothapo. Klaas has 18 years of experience in the industry and once his development is complete, will make a capable replacement.
I started in this position on the 1st January 2010.

5. Give us some details about your new position?

I am responsible for liaison and communication between Phumelela and the trainers. I am responsible for the stable leases as well as stable allocation. I have to ensure that the stables are maintained. I also have to cater for the needs of visiting trainers. I will be the Phumelela race day duty manager on days I am rostered to work. The position requires an in depth knowledge of tracks and the operations of the various racing and training centre's. These are just some of the responsibilities I have to fulfill.
The Key Success Factors for me is Communication, Fairness and Consistency. These three factors are the key to my new position and I will keep these three qualities in balance as long as I am here.

6. Why do you think you deserve the position?

Over the past seven years, I have had vast experience at all of Phumelela's Highveld venues. I have a good understanding of training and racing tracks and I have developed a good working relationship with trainers and jockeys. I have always maintained that Horseracing is not a career, but a way of life. I have really worked for the position I am in today and it has not always been easy. I deserve this position because I believe that I am the best person for the job, I would not have accepted the position if I didn't think so.

7. Tell us about your experience with Racing and Training Tracks?

I have dealt with numerous tracks in my time at Phumelela. Locally, I have vast experience with Grass Racing tracks. On the Highveld, we race exclusively on Kikuyu grass. The reason for this is that Kikuyu is a strong and resilient turf species. It also has a quick recovery rate.

I also have vast experience on sand track and I have an in-depth knowledge of the track at Turffontein and Randjies and whilst I am not as familiar with the Vaal tracks, I plan to be as quickly as possible.

I also have had the benefit of working on International racing and training surfaces and my hobby is synthetic tracks. I have close relations with Martin Collins of Polytrack as well as Paul Harper and Philip Bond of Cushion Track. Both of these companies are based in England and are extremely popular in most racing jurisdictions around the world. The more popular of the two surfaces is Polytrack. In my opinion, synthetic tracks are misunderstood surfaces and needs to be approached wisely in its use as well as its maintenance.

8. Tell us about your international experience?

I have been fortunate in that I have got to travel to various parts of the world for educational, conferences and track research. In 2006, I travelled to Japan and Hong Kong for the Asian Racing Federation Annual Study Program. I gained valuable insights and experiences into the two largest racing jurisdictions in the world. I also traveled to the UK, USA and Australia to learn more about their industries and their approach to Racecourse Management. Arising from my travels, I have to say that the grass tracks we have at Turffontein, the Vaal and Randjies can hold its own against the best in the world.

9. Any final thoughts?

I would like to thank PGL management for their support and trust in my abilities. I know that I am up for the challenge and the experience and relationships I have developed over the years have stood me in good stead. I look forward to broadening my skills within the industry as well as meeting new people along the way. I have always had an open door policy and I do intend to maintain this going forward. Finally, I am ready and motivated to take on this new challenge, and I will do my best to make it as pleasant as possible for all stakeholders alike.