Racing’s biggest battle could be off the track
Racing is about to fight its biggest battle of the year – not on the track, but for attention. This spring, Australian sports fans will be bombarded with premium content, leaving racing in a fierce contest for eyeballs.
The biggest being the Rugby League World Cup which is slated to kick off on October 15 and will take place over a month.
The English Cricket team too is in town from mid-November while the Wallabies will be in action, with the Bledisloe Cup to be held in October.
Chuck in the usual big-ticket events such as the NRL and AFL Grand Finals and Australian sporting fans will be spoilt for choice,
But racing needs to ensure that it’s long Spring Carnival is at the forefront of punters minds.
Considering the Victorian Spring Carnival kicks off at Caulfield in Winter with the Memsie Stakes, the sport has a long run at it.
Some races will market themselves. The Everest will again need little help to gather wide-spread interest, especially if the world’s best sprinter Ka Ying Rising returns.
The Cox Plate too given it is still one of the world’s great races, made even more special this year by the fact it is at Flemington.
The Golden Eagle is becoming a much watch due to the quality fields chasing the $10 million prize, and of course the Melbourne Cup still holds sway across the world.
But what else should racing do to ensure it is at worst relevant, at best prominent, when the other codes compete for interest?
Lean into the stars, and early, is the key,
Autumn Glow and Sehza Alibi are two incredible horses that could do special things this Spring.
While Autumn Glow’s single defeat somewhat removes her mystique, she still has the potential to become a horse that makes waves in the mainstream media.
Sheza Alibi has all the ingredients to cut through. She’s a cheaply bought mare owned by a Queensland cattle farmer and trained by knockabout Queenslander Peter Moody alongside glamorous co-trainer Katherine Coleman.
Sir Delius is another. Controversially robbed of a spring campaign after failing a veterinary scan and being ruled out of the Melbourne Cup, he returned to win the Queen Elizabeth in Sydney. What might he be capable of this spring?
We also like the idea of Blake Shinn, who had this to say on social media.
‘’Melbourne racing has some of the biggest stars in Australian sport. Craig Williams, Jamie Melham, Michelle Payne & many more. It’s time for @RacingVictoria to put them front and centre. Bring fans closer to the people who make racing great, and the next generation will follow.’’
Shinn is right, of course. But away from basic marketing campaigns, Shinn and his fellow leading riders need to be front and centre throughout spring, taking every opportunity to promote the sport.
Historically, too many elite riders have been media shy, simply uninterested or at times, expected to be paid to be in front of a microphone.
At times a pay day is warranted, but as Shinn points out, racing has some of the most talented and well-paid athletes in Australia.
And could a few participants take positions that could actually cause debate – whether it be on rides, horse placement or critiques of others in racing? You only need to look at Glenn Boss during the Queensland Carnival or Damien Oliver for Ladbrokes to see that those who know the game best deliver the greatest insights.
So as racing battles for eyeballs, and racing spends big on marketing campaigns, the ability for our sport to celebrate our stars – equine too – is crucial.
Hill on Tuesdays
He is now as comfortable calling AFL, athletics and what ever other events come his way as he is the Melbourne Cup, but Matt Hill will always call racing home.
And in a boost for racing.com. the race caller will slide into the hosting chair on Tuesdays for the remainder of the winter.
Hill of course replaces Terry Bailey, who was told his time was up at the station last week after more than 40 years in racing.
TB is adamant he was punted because of his views. Racing Victoria declined to comment on the record but maintains the move was purely a cost-saving measure, with Hill already on staff.
Sun is shining up north
This column mentioned recently how the bookies were seeing punters lean heavily into Queensland’s racing carnival, and figures released today show it was a record.
Turnover for the carnival hit $411.8m, Racenet reported. An increase of more than 11 per cent year-on-year.
It is a terrific result given the instability the sport once faced in the warm state.
Bookies too say that Racing Queenland have been, in some cases, better to deal with, allowing them to offer better incentives for punter to bet up north.
Who would have thought looking after punters pays off?
Flemington renovations still in the works
Betsy revealed that big works are planned for Flemington, mainly the stables, which will ensure that training will remain at HQ for the foreseeable future.
Planning continues, we are told, with the experts also working out what to do with the number of pigeons that call some of the stables home.
Investment in Flemington is vital for the future of racing, and given we have an election in November, there has never been a better time to ask for some cash.
Vet saga investigation near completion
Racing Victoria’s investigation into the hiring of Dr Glenn Robertson-Smith is nearing completion.
Robertson-Smith was hired, then had the job taken away less than 36 hours later after Betsy revealed he had previously threatened a Melbourne Racing Club executive, resulting in police charges.
Racing Victoria has confirmed it sought external assistance as part of the investigation.
Boozy claims
The ‘Bool may have been a couple of months ago, but the wildly drunken claims made one night from one exec are still causing a few to chuckle
