SARGA.CO—On February 2, 2025, SARGA.CO successfully held the Annual Kick Off: The Race of Rising Stars event at La Moda, Plaza Indonesia, Jakarta. With the Indonesian Heritage Cowboy Style concept, this event marks the beginning of the 2025 national horse racing calendar.
This event features a series of activities, including a welcome speech from Aseanto Oudang, Co-Founder of SARGA.CO; a speech by Aryo Djojohadikusumo, Chairman of PP. Pordasi 2024-2028; and a presentation of SARGA.CO’s achievements in 2023 and 2024; and Kevin Jonathan, Vice President of Marketing and Operations at SARGA.CO, presenting the event calendar plan for The Race of Rising Stars.
The presentation of souvenirs, a Q&A session with the media, and a horse racing photo exhibition complement the event. At the closing of the event, the launch of the SARGA.CO New Collection 2025 serves as a symbol of the revival spirit of the horse racing industry in Indonesia.
SARGA.CO’s commitment to building a horse racing ecosystem
In his opening speech, Aseanto Oudang emphasized that horse racing is a sport and part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage, which has excellent potential to be developed professionally. “We want to make horse racing a national pride by developing its ecosystem to be more advanced and sustainable,” he said.
As a concrete step, SARGA.CO, in collaboration with PP. Pordasi is ready to hold 10 national horse racing championships in 2025. This shows a significant improvement compared to previous years.
In 2023, SARGA.CO only held two horse racing events, which expanded to four events in 2024. This year, SARGA.CO is ready to present 10 larger, higher-quality, and more professional horse racing events.
The ten horse racing championships in The Race of Rising Stars 2025 are the Piala Tiga Mahkota Seri I, Piala Raja HB Cup X, Kejuaraan Nasional (Kejurnas) Pacu Kuda Seri I Indonesia Derby 2025, Kejurnas Pacu Kuda Seri II Piala Ketua Umum PORDASI, Jateng Derby, Paku Alam Cup, and several road-to-Grand National Indonesia championships.
In addition to increasing the number of championships, SARGA.CO also targets increasing the number of spectators to 200,000 people throughout 2025. To enhance the event’s appeal, five music festivals, ‘Sarga Musik Spektakuler,’ will be held in several cities across Indonesia.
This music festival is also part of a strategy to reach more people and introduce horse racing as part of a new lifestyle.
Vision 2025: Establishing horse racing as The Rising Stars
Kevin Jonathan is explaining the 2025 horse racing calendar
Source: SARGA.CO
In the next session, Kevin explained that SARGA.CO has a grand vision to develop the horse racing industry in three steps. The first is education to enhance public understanding of horse racing through quality events that attract public attention. The second is building an ecosystem focusing on championships and creating a better industry ecosystem, including trainers, jockeys, grooms, and other stakeholders.
Thirdly, a new lifestyle is expected to change the public’s perception of horse racing and make it part of entertainment activities. “We want to make horse racing an eagerly awaited event like watching a movie or attending a concert.” With more horse races, bigger prizes, and new experiences, we are confident that SARGA.CO will take horse racing to the next level,” explained Kevin.
As a concrete step, SARGA.CO has set the 2025 horse racing calendar with a total prize pool of billions of rupiah divided into three tiers; Tier 3 will feature a total prize of Rp300 million (consisting of 5 races), Tier 2 of Rp1.2 billion (consisting of 4 races), and Tier 1 of Rp2 billion (composed of 1 race).
A significant mission for Indonesia’s horse racing industry
A brief opening by Aryo Djojohadikusumo
Source: SARGA.CO
Meanwhile, Aryo Djojohadikusumo, Chairman of PP. Pordasi 2024-2028 emphasized the tremendous potential of Indonesian horse racing, stating that it can stand alongside other popular sports. He highlighted that many people are unaware of Indonesia’s extensive community and rich history of equestrian sports. With this in mind, he expressed his desire to make horse racing more accessible to all segments of society while fostering professionalism in the industry.
Aryo also pointed out that Indonesia’s horse racing industry does not require the naturalization of foreign athletes, as all the trainers, jockeys, and professionals are Indonesian talents. The only industry imports are the racehorses, which undergo a naturalization process to meet competition standards.
Strategies and challenges in horse racing
Press Conference by Nabila Syakieb, Aryo Djojohadikusumo, Aseanto Oudang, Kevin Jonathan
Source: SARGA.CO
In a press conference, SARGA.CO answered various questions from the media, including the differences between the events to be held in 2025 and previous years.
Aryo explained that based on data from PON 2023, horse racing became one of the sports with the highest number of spectators, reaching 70,000 people on the first day and 120,000 on the second day. This is a basis for the government and the sports community to develop horse racing in Indonesia further.
He also answered questions regarding SARGA.CO’s 2025 plans will make the events more enjoyable compared to previous years. Ten national championships will be divided into three tiers. Aryo added that SARGA.CO wants to improve the quality of the event and provide a more engaging experience for the audience.
In addition, new concepts such as the ‘Sarga Musik Spektakuler’ will enhance horse racing’s appeal as a broader entertainment event.
Realizing the future of horse racing in Indonesia
The Race of Rising Stars becomes an expression of enthusiasm to elevate horse racing and all elements in the organization of horse racing sports in Indonesia as ‘stars’ with a better future. “With this spirit, we are optimistic that we can realize SARGA.CO’s vision is to build a 360° professional horse racing ecosystem while also encouraging public interest in the development of horse racing in Indonesia,” said Aseanto Oudang.
As a campaign, The Race of Rising Stars will also be supported by a photo exhibition and various activation programs to increase public awareness and excitement about horse racing. In the future, the public can enjoy the event directly at the horse racing arenas or through online streaming on Metro TV and Vision+.SARGA.CO hopes that horse racing can further develop as a sport and as part of modern culture and entertainment in Indonesia through the campaign The Race of Rising Stars. With a well-thought-out strategy and support from various parties, 2025 will be an essential year for the Indonesian horse racing industry.
