Where do we find the next generation of racing fans?

A world wide racing question, one we have been posting for a couple of years, so what is the answer?

Racing urged to find next generation of fans


LEADING Japan Racing Association official Koji Sato urged colleagues to keep the search for the next generation of fans and the protection of animal welfare at the forefront of the agenda as the curtain came down on the 33rd Asian Racing Conference in Sydney on Wednesday.

Taking centre stage at the closing ceremony in his role as chairman of the Asian Racing Federation, which stages the conference, Sato said: "Racing is an exciting and wonderful product, and it is our duty to take it to the next generation.

"We must engage new customers, while also taking a pro-active approach to welfare issues, thinking seriously about assessing the wellbeing of horses in various ways."

Alan Brown, chairman of Racing New South Wales, which hosted the conference, highlighted the main topics covered over three days of debate, saying: "We set out to achieve serious consideration of many issues, and I think we achieved it.

"I hope the conference informed, challenged and entertained, and if racing embraces some of the ideas, it will be a winner."

As the final act of the conference, the ARF flag was handed over to Behcet Homurlu, president of the Turkish Jockey Club, which will host the next ARC in Istanbul in late June or early July in 2012.

the next generation is already here, and the generation after....but they dont know about racing because our generation isnt telling them about it.

you could ask the same question about eg. coca cola, and get a different answer. Even though coca cola sells, and sells well, it still has a brand that it pushes continuously, to remind existing consumers as well as to inform up-and-coming consumers.

I read the above article and am not quite sure we have a real overview.

I myself am of the "younger generation".
I have a boyfriend who is a few years older than me, and was involved in horse-racing well before I met him (I really did meet him through horse-racing)
I started riding at the age 10, and got involved in mainly show-jumping, before owning my own horse 8 years afterwards. I was lucky to stable near Summerveld, and through the yard owner was given the opportunity to assist in breaking in babies for the track. From then on I was hooked on racing, first by following the careers of "my" babies, and later beginning to understand form, betting and following the real champions of the race-course.

I have a number of friends my age who are also crazy about racing.
I think the hardest thing for youngsters is lack of information - e.g. we have a really captive audience at events such as the July, but do not capitalise on it. 75% of the people at the July, I'm generalising, are below 30 years, don't know the front of the horse to the back end, but love the vibe and having a bet and watching the champions. The next time they come to the track is 365 days later.

Trainers are busy on a race-day; how are youngsters to know who is a trainer and how to get involved? How do they find out the costs? How do they find out the average horse's career, how old they are before they race, where horses are trained...?

It is only due to me having got involved in racing the way I have that I now own a 10% share in racehorse, as well as a percentage of a broodmare.

And for most youngsters, +-R4500 of training fees is A LOT OF MONEY to risk on something that may never see the track - realistically.
So the next approach is to put a syndicate of e.g. 10 young people together, pay R50 000 and buy a "bread-and-butter" type horse, and R500/month training fees. This R500 is the equivalent of a decent night out drinking, which they sacrifice for seeing THEIR horse run once a month.

But I really feel it is not a lack of younger generation, but rather a lack of information that is bringing the younger guys through.

Of course there will always be the older racing families, where hopefully one of the younger kids has the same passion and takes over the legacy e.g. Oppenheimer, Westwater...

This is my 2 cents worth.

Will be hard to attract people back to racing,especially as the racing authorities seem to like dooking their heids in the sand!!!

THERE ARE MANY YOUNGSTERS OUT THERE, WHOM LOVE THEIR RACING
WE JUST DO NOT SEE THEM AT THE VENUES.
I THINK IF WE CLOSE ALL BOOKIES,IN A 30 KM RADIUS FROM THE VENUES,AND LET THEM OPEN ONLY ON THE TRACK FOR THAT DAY.
WE SHOULD SEE AN INCREASE IN NOT JUST THE YOUNGER GENERATION BUT BIGGER CROWDS ON THE TRACK.

Die Hard - I do agree that the punters have definitely been kept alive and there are plenty younger generation punters out there. They do just prefer the totes, or the comfort of their own homes.

But I would really like to see more of the younger generation getting involved in ownership

racing has not shed its elitist attitude, there is still the divide of 'them' and 'us' ....this can be bridged by effective branding, and media communication and then of course dropping the exclusivity attitude and embracing involvement and nurturing from the younger generation. The exclusion is being perpetuated via withholding physical access and access to information.

what has happened to the horse donated to " the achievers " ? It hasn't run yet. But these very same youngsters are being asked, by the authorities to put their hands in their pockets & put a syndicate together to buy something at next weeks sale.

CATCH A WAKE UP GUYS - the " free " horse hasn't run yet, but you expect them to dig deep & " purchase " something else. Unreal.

had this " ready to run " horse reached the course already & had this individual placed or WON, then you can expect these youngsters to get excited & THINK about buying something else.

At this stage not a success story in my eyes. These youngsters will only come back next time " for the free dop "

This is a question that goes to the very heart of racing, and we see variations of it all the time.

For eg, we have two types of racing operators: corporate vs club,
and we have two types of racing enthusiasts: gambler vs horseman.

In the Cape, many of our trainers come from the amateur hunt ranks, so their introduction as kids was as horsemen. Many of their owners either rode as kids or were involved in horses as youngsters.

I would say that those times have come and gone, and now the hook is gambling and the fact that gambling uses horses as the vehicle is just incidental. That's why we are happy to have large stakes available for rubbish ratings, because the focus is not the "sport" of horses and excellence etc etc, but finance and gambling. Even in amateur show jumping it's about merit first and reward for achievement.

The crap handicapping we have allowed to take over the sport is just proof that it's all about gambling and subsidy, and nothing that has ever been subsidized has ever lasted.