(United for change: Owen and friends could promote horse racing)
The Sport of Kings?
Interestingly the “sport of kings” jest is something Racing For Change are looking to avoid. The belief that horse racing does not appeal to many younger members of the population is widely to do with the lack of knowledge of the sport causing people to view horse racing as a game for the rich and famous. This notion could however be forgiven as it is clear horse racing has a wealth of celebrities who brush shoulders with the jockeys in the paddock pre race.
Michael Owen and Alex Ferguson of Manchester United are familiar figures in the parade ring and can be seen discussing tactics with the respective horse trainers before racing. Tottenham Hotspur’s Peter Crouch has been spotted at Cheltenham and his manager Harry Redknapp is known to take an interest in the equine world.
It is clear then that only certain wage brackets may afford to take active part in horse racing, for the rest of us there is the prospect of spectatorship and for the majority of the population this is as close as you get to the action. This could be something which may be interestingly discussed at the British Horse Racing Authority and it is something Racing For Change are currently attempting to improve through the creation of racing clubs at targeted universities across the country.
This is something Racing For Change is now bidding to change through promoting the ease in which a share in a racehorse can be gained. According to RFC up a mere £200 per year can be used to claim a stake in your own racehorse through either a racing club or syndicate.
The best outcome will be that more people own racehorses and more people therefore have an interest. Friends of owners may tag along for a day at the races and the attendance of race meetings may escalate. However, again in order to market racehorse ownership the correct target audience needs to be approached. It is difficult to gain the interest of those who do not already have an interest already in some capacity. I am a firm believer that for the young to be influenced it needs to be an influence from a major celebrity. Someone like Michael Owen would be perfect in promoting racing through his status but this of course requires money in order for it to work.
Maybe the old notion of “you have to speculate to accumulate” should be taken note of.
(In my club: Jamie Spence and Soviet Song owned by the Elite Racing Club syndicate)
