Ken Rutherford

KEN RUTHERFORD could be said to have had a wide and varied career. As a 19 year old he played cricket for New Zealand against the famed West Indies team of that era. To give you an idea of the fearsome attack that Ken had to face is that Courtney Walsh was the slowest of the fast bowlers at 140km/h. Curtly Ambrose and Michael Holding opened the attack and no sooner had they gone off than Courtney Walsh came on. Ken could well and truly believe that he had a baptism of fire. After a poor start to his cricketing career Ken fought back and was made captain of New Zealand. Of being made captain Ken had this to say, “the honour was quickly  replaced by the hospital pass!”. From New Zealand Ken made his way to the Transvaal Highveld where he played for the then Transvaal with Clive Rice, Richard Snell, Adam Bacher, Neil McKenzie and others. After a time with Transvaal, which Ken thoroughly enjoyed, he made his way to Ireland where he coached the national team for two years. In that time he said he came to realize that he was not cut out to be a coach. Ken is now the CEO of Tellytrack and it seems pretty certain that if he puts the same effort and determination into that position as he did into his cricket career that things should soon be much improved in that much maligned organization.

Where were you born?  Dunedin, New Zealand.

Where do you live? Johannesburg.

Tell us about your family?  I am married to Gail and have four children, Hamish (23), Tom (20), Caitlin (12) and Holly (9). Hamish and Tom both punt and the girls are showing promise.

Do you have a ‘nickname’? My mates call me Ruds (sometimes Clever Ruds, if I manage to tip a winner). Shane Warne used to call me ”snoz” or ”beak”. Not sure why.

Favourite food? Anything with spice.

Favourite drink? Heineken.

Favourite music? Split Enz. Dave Dobbyn. Go on – google them.

Favourite sport? I follow anything except ladies golf. Kenyan racing is ravishing by comparison.

Favourite cricket, soccer and rugby teams?  Go the Highveld Lions, Manchester United and the mighty Otago Highlanders.

What is your favourite holiday destination?  Kamala Beach, Phuket.

You are obviously best known as a New Zealand cricketer and as the former captain of the Black Caps. List a few of your memorable moments during your career? Managing to win a test at the Wanderers was special. Any win over Australia was a win well-earned and well-celebrated. NZ did well at the 1992 World Cup – that was a huge few weeks in every respect.

You played in your first test as a 20 year old. How daunting was it for you to go out and face the fearsome West Indies fast bowlers of that era?  A 19 year old actually. Yes, very tough. Certainly got the bowels moving prior to batting. Courtney Walsh was their 4th seamer (and slowest of their bowlers). I had only played a couple of games for Otago leading into that tour. The selectors at that time have since sought psychiatric help.

You had a very poor start to your international career. How did that affect you mentally and how difficult was it to pull yourself back into the New Zealand team?  I had a shocker. The equivalent of not backing a winner for two months (just ask my mate, Pik Skjoldhammer). I guess I was a bit young and naive for any scars to be long-lasting. Made me more determined, if anything.

You were New Zealand’s captain for three years. How enjoyable did you find that experience?  Quite tough actually. The ”honour” side of it gets quickly replaced by the ”hospital pass” aspect. NZ was going through a rebuilding phase (meaning: we were crap) so the going was always yielding to soft. Hard work.

In 1995 you moved to South Africa and played cricket, first for Transvaal and then for Gauteng. How different was it playing in South Africa as compared to New Zealand? Transvaal/Gauteng – same thing. I loved it. Was my most enjoyable phase of my career. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play their cricket at the Wanderers? A special ground. I met my match in Steven Jack – a man more thirsty than myself.

Who were some of the big names you played with in South Africa?  As mentioned, Steven Jack, thirsty and a keen punter. Richard Snell, Adam Bacher, Clive Eksteen, Nic Pothas and Neil McKenzie. Some characters – Rowan Lyle always had a stubbed toe if the weather was hot and the pitch grassless. Neil Fuesdale was first into the lunch room every day. Stefan Jacobs taught me Afrikaans. Hoe gaan dit?

It must have been something of an anti-climax for you when you scored a duck in your final match. Did that worry you much or did you just laugh it off?  I had forgotten about that – thanks for bringing it up again. Plenty of ducks in my career – more than most ponds.

After retiring you coached the Irish national team. How successful was that?  After two years of coaching I quickly realized that coaching was not for me. I thank the Irish Cricket Union for allowing me to find that out. It is great to see them doing well and clearly the best of the next tier countries.

For some time you were involved with Neil Andrews on his Saturday morning show, Super Saturday. Was it at that time that you considered coming back to South Africa on a more permanent basis?  Not really. I was involved in “the ruling price” initially (back in 1997 I guess) which was set-up to promote spread betting in RSA. When the spread betting business went under, the show morphed into ”Super Saturday”. I left RSA in 2001 and never really anticipated returning to be honest.

How did your interest in horses come about?  My middle brother, Neil, (or Jock to his mates) mucked out at Forbury Park in Dunedin (a harness track) from a young age. He left school at 15 and tried to make it as a probationary driver with a guy called Freeman Holmes who was based just outside Christchurch. Freeman had a champion 2 and 3 year old called Noodlum at that time. Neil did the trackwork. Jock never made it as a driver – was too tall and too thirsty. Back to Dunedin – it has never really been a hot-bed of entertainment (think: Welkom) so Forbury Park was a central attraction when I was growing up. I seldom missed a meeting from about aged 13, I guess.

How much interest did you show in horse racing while you were busy earning your keep as a professional cricketer?  Far more than I will ever admit to.

When it came to your interest in horse racing was it from a punting, breeding or administrative point of view?  Started with punting, then as an owner. Now as an administrator.

You are currently CEO of Tellytrack. Do you think having been the leader of the New Zealand cricket team groomed you for this position?  I guess in any leadership position you learn different things that can help you in a variety of roles.

How did you obtain this position? It was advertised and I applied.

From what you have seen thus far how healthy do you think racing is in this country? In terms of horses and horsemanship, South Africa rates extremely high in every respect. A quick look at the major players in Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore confirms this assertion.The African horse sickness issue is enormous for the industry and if solved will provide much scope for South Africa to market its horses globally.

Generally speaking what are the changes you would like to see in South African racing as soon as possible?   Integrity in racing is paramount. With this in mind it would be great to see a more open and interactive approach to such things as objections in races so that punters can be advised about various rulings as a communication and educational process.

Your presenting team is often criticized for being unprofessional as compared to their overseas counterparts, in the UK for example. Do you think these are unfair criticisms? As with any TV presenter, it is difficult to get universal approval from viewers on his/her attributes. What we are working on is getting the job done with a consistent presentation of the required information, with the presenter’s own personality being secondary to the process. Don’t get me wrong – diversity of personality is important. But let’s get the information out there first in a manner whereby punters expect its delivery at certain stages within a lead-up to a race. The quips can wait.

Do you have any new ideas on how to improve the channel? Sports betting is a huge growth area and Tellytrack will be re-positioned as a racing and sports betting channel rather than simply a racing channel. New programming (such as the first call) is required to refreshen up the channel. Proper scheduling will be implemented so that punters know exactly what will be on the channel at what time. Lots more too – but these are priorities that spring to mind.

Is there any chance that we will see your colours being carried in a race anytime soon? I have owned some horses in New Zealand recently – mainly with a view to ”pin-hook” them to Asia. Win a trial in NZ and on-sell.

Do you ever have a punt on a horse and what is your favourite way to punt horses? My normal play is boxed swingers and exactas, although I do have a fondness for an ”all-to-come”.

Do you take an interest in the breeding side of the game and if so, which stallion is your favourite?  To be honest, I know heaps more about the breeding scene in New Zealand and Australia than here in RSA. My favourite sire growing up was Noble Bijou, who has proved to be (along with Sir Tristram and Centaine) one of the hallmark sires of New Zealand over the past 30 years. His record as a broodmare sire is unbelievable. I have recently owned a Pins and a Danasinga (now stands in Australia) so have an affinity with the Waikato stud breed. Savabeel – another Waikato stud stallion – is leaving nice types. Staying 3 and 4 year olds who sell to Asia. In RSA, I reckon Oracy will make it. I remember his mother racing. Lady Dehere was a very fast 2 year old. Unreal value in Oracy.

Do you ever visit stud farms to see the stallions and look at the ‘babies’ before they come up for sale?  Not really – however the atmosphere at the farms is terrific. I really enjoy visiting them.

Do you intend making South Africa your permanent home or would you be returning to New Zealand in a couple of years?  Good question.

How easy has it been for yourself and your wife to settle into the South African way of life? We have been visiting RSA for a few years now, so we have never really got the country out of our system.

Do you still take a big interest in cricket both here and abroad? Yes I do. Hamish plays first class cricket in NZ so I have good reason to keep tabs on what is going on. The game is better now – the players are properly professional and the 20/20 game may not be everyone’s cup-of-tea but it is introducing a new interest group to the game.

Outside of racing and cricket do you have anything else you are passionate about? I am passionate about my kids growing up to be good people. I try and play golf when I can. I follow football and rugby very closely.

If you had any advice for your fellow associates in the racing game what would it be? We need to connect more with our customers. The bookmakers do this better than the tote operators. We need to lift our game.

Do you think racing is well-policed?  As mentioned above, this can be an improvement. Better communication. A more open approach. Let the punters have the information. I feel at the moment punters sense certain inconsistencies in terms of the policing of racing. I am sure there is nothing to hide – so let out the information in a more transparent manner.

What are your short term ambitions for Tellytrack as a service provider?  We cannot stand still. Keep moving forward. What was relevant 5 years ago is no longer so. Even the best must keep wanting to improve – we must also.

Is there a racing version of twenty 20 cricket? Now there’s a thought.

What are your fancies for the Fillies Guineas, the Colts Guineas and the Drill Hall Stakes to be run at Greyville this Saturday? In The Fillies Guineas I think Miss Ipanema has a strong each/way chance. The Colts Guineas has some really top class sorts taking each other on and I think Variety Club could come out tops. In the Drill Hall Stakes I think the one to beat is Depardieu.