Peter Thomas item, Racing Post today

**** of you tweed wearing ****
The young are the future
Would sum it up better myself

Wish I could oblige brigust1 but not that tech savvy alas.

I have read it and he is basically saying instead of old gits moaning about the new Friday Night Live series for the 18-25s age group, we should try to embrace it as it will get a few new faces on to the racecourse and this may change a few perceived attitudes for the better.

Hope that helps a little.

Sometimes I worry that racing has lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the British people. When I hear intelligent people of university age say they don't like our sport because their parents have told them it's cruel and money-grabbing, I almost despair, but not quite. Perhaps we've lost one generation, but I retain a sliver of hope that Gen Z will ultimately come to its senses.

This is a generation that, by and large, has barely even heard of racing, let alone seen it, been to it or bet on it. They may have been misled but they're still young, and while statistically they may be increasingly unlikely to enjoy a punt or a pint, that doesn't mean we should give up on them.

That's why I can't understand the ongoing apathy among racing people of a certain age to any project, like the planned Friday Night Live series, aimed at the 18-25s, which seeks to engage a new audience that is less likely than the current one to die imminently.

I'm told that 'proper racing folk' are against it on the basis that racecourses will soon be full of beastly young people drinking and not paying due respect to the sport.

Frankly, if racecourses were full of absolutely anybody ever again, it would be better than being empty; and please, let's cast our minds back to when the complainers were 18-25 and ask ourselves whether their default position was deference and decorum.

What I like about Friday Night Live is that it nails its colours to the mast and openly aligns itself with Guinness and Carlsberg. I'm always slightly sceptical when we talk about attracting new blood to racing by explaining jargon and talking in metres instead of furlongs. What the uninitiated youth want from a trip to the races is probably what we all wanted at that age: not education but a few pints, a bet, a good old shout and a winner.

If you can attract them on that basis, you've got half a chance of convincing them, by osmosis rather than pleading, that there's no animal abuse being perpetrated, that nobody is destroying their family by having a bet, and that actually it's harmless fun, no matter what they've been told.

While we boomers may not be shirkers or snowflakes, some of us are running the risk of becoming hypocrites and killjoys. The ones who now seem incapable of remembering what it was like to go to the races just for fun would do well to park their resentment, otherwise they run the risk of sharing a funeral with the sport they love.

His argument might hold some truth in that any project to encourage current non racegoers should be given a try. However, regardless of age group, having said project set on All Weather tracks is hardly likely to inspire imo.

At least with the Racing League there was variety, decent quality cards which were competitive and the form generally held up from meeting to meeting, a Friday night at an AW meeting is unlikely to compare.

scoobytoo,.. brilliantly written, you've summed it up most succinctly, I think.

Understanding the Next-Generation Horse Racing Fan

Today's young Horse Racing supporters consume content differently than their predecessors. They expect instant access, personalised experiences, and multi-platform engagement. These digital natives, primarily millennials and Generation Z, prioritise convenience, interactivity, and social connectivity in their Horse Racing viewing habits.

Attheraces and RacingTV have recognised that simply broadcasting races is no longer sufficient. The modern fan wants to be part of the conversation, access behind-the-scenes content, and engage with their favourite horses across multiple touchpoints throughout the week.

Smokey, do you think scooby is a nom de plume for Peter Thomas? lol

Quite possibly, but he is one of the better reads, along with Scott Burton.

Hi guys. Busy day. Thank you so much. I really do appreciate it.

Good read but somewhat misses the point I think. I think I am Peter's generation and I sometimes think the hype today does not match the reality and that can only produce disappointment. Our sport of choice has a great deal to offer but changing it in an effort to attract numbers will be letting down its core supporters. Lower entrance prices, lower priced facilities I think will go a long way to attracting families and the youngsters they bring will, I hope, will fall in love with our sport of choice just as I did when my dad took me for the first time.

Thank you, scoobytoo.

you could a one grey,bay.brown horse and shot a rug over it and call it any horse you like on TV its not running so makes no difference,just last week trainers/owners with same horse 24/7 couldn't tell difference between one or the other, trainer could stand there telling viewers its frankel and it could be quioxhall crosset