Racing For Change......an owner's perspective

Mind boggling nonsense. Without people betting horseracing in this country would not survive for a week.

He ought to get together with a few of his cronies and race his horses in a field somewhere. He can race for the emotion and sheer hell of it and avoid having to pay those damned entry fees.

I dare say he also thinks prize money is derisory.

It is derisory.

Doesn't he have a point?

If racing was more interesting (imo, it's becoming less so, with little narrative), then people would be more likely to bet on it.

If betting is all that matters, in the modern world people can bet on anything that interests them, and will choose to bet on something else.

Strange that the majority of owners actually don't see much prize money anyway. Unless they are punting they may as well race against their mates in a field.

A purely sporting owner who gets a cheque for a win that dosent even cover a months fees so what's the point?

We all know that racing depends on betting but the point he is making is that if you want to attract more people to racing then you have to look outside the gambling crowd and try and present racing as a stand alone spectacle.

That way it might appeal to non gamblers as well and if they get enough new blood then eventually some of them will start betting and for those that don't, it's still revenue for racecourses.

It still won't affect anybody who wants to bet on racing so it's win win.

how can you present racing as a stand alone spectacle without betting.
i personally love the sport,the traditions and history.however without betting i very much doubt i would have become involved in the first place.

I agree entirely with ribotman. I wish I'd been around to see Ribot - what a spectacle it must have been to see him demolish Arc fields and others - and I'd love to have been able to bet the odds-on.

^^ great point, me too.

He is correct racing for change should look to improve the actual state of the racing first.

While ew terms are a pain in the hole, awful midweek meetings, too much racing and sparse crowds are a terrible advertisment for the sport.

I am an owner of what I would say is average income, with a below average horse and agree with the point being made - however without betting the sport would not survive as we know it. Many thousands of jobs would be lost and no levy to support prize money etc - it would truly return to a sport for the ultra rich and implode and I would very quickly not be a racehorse owner.

It appears this decline has already commenced and RFC wants to be very careful that it doesn't accelerate the process

Chicken and Egg job

You have to imrpove the product and public interest in it, in order to improve the betting interest and revenue

The major bookies want to reduce the roll of horse race betting in their shops and will do everything they can to promote their own products(Virtual FOBT etc) and other sports eg footie (believe the exact opposite of what they and their PR people say about their support of Racing, and RFC, and you will be there or thereabouts)

RFC spending time in the minutia of betting and paying out six figure salaries to ex betting industry execs as 'consultants' (who are only here because they failed to 'make it' when they ventured outside to the non racing world of employment, is at its politest 'Egg'

They need to start working on the Chicken pretty sharpish

squigs 29 Apr 11:39
He is correct racing for change should look to improve the actual state of the racing first.
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That's the one thing Racing for Change do NOT understand .... RACING

- in the guise of - the Programme book, etc, and the 'contests' that are consequently served up.

Racing For Change? Small change at that. They should call it Racing For Peanuts

Team games are watched in the main by supporters of the teams involved,so they have a very strong interest.

Many other sporting events are watched by people who play, golfers at the Open, tennis at Wimbledon, for example.

Some horse racing meets are mainly watched by people who ride, PtoP.

But the vast majority of racegoers do not ride, and never will.

As an owner, you have something within the race to identify with.

But if the only people at the track were owners, the crowds would be a bit thin.

Betting gives the other racegoers horses to identify with and support.

So the fellow is a fool, seeing it only from his narrow perspective.

Roynreanie is spot on.

But the trouble is, the BHA is financed by taking a stance AGAINST punters.