Racing For Change initiatives

bit of a bogey

Todays announcement of the 10 point brittish horse racing for change initiative is one that I welcome as the sport desperatly needs to beome more accessible to the general public. Horse racing Ireland is not doing enough at present and should implement a similar programme. The 10 points are listed below:



Racing For Change initiatives

1. Trial of decimal odds at several race meetings over one weekend in spring 2010.
2. Funded media training for jockeys and trainers, together with an appearance fee budget set aside for non-racing media work.
3. All jockeys and trainers to be listed on race cards by their first names and surnames.
4. The outcome of photo finishes to be displayed on screen at the same moment as the judge’s announcement. Saddlecloth numbers will be larger to improve visibility.
5. Race names to be simplified and racecourse announcements to be modernised.
6. On-course bookmakers encouraged to offer standard each way terms and enhanced customer service via agreed minimum service standards.
7. Racecourse initiatives to improve the enjoyment and understanding of a day at the races for both new and regular racegoers, linked to a new independent quality assessment scheme.
8. The establishment of a new free membership club for younger adults that will offer discounted admission to many racecourses and shares in several racehorses.
9. A new website launched to promote horse racing to new and novice customers.
10. A central PR campaign from January to promote racing more effectively to a wider audience.




A change to decimal odds is likely to be the controversial one as many bookmakers & punters will be stuck in their ways. (and also may cost some bookmakers money to change electronic betting board stands!) However, I think this should definitely be trialed as racing needs to move with the times. It would make it more accesible to the uncommon racegoer and may even increase competion in the betting ring! An experiment in this would only be a good thing!

Point 4 is something that I'm sure all would welcome as the outcome of the photo finishes displayed on screen at the same moment as the judge’s announcement is something evryone wants to see. I do think even more can be done to improve the sport as a whole and offcourse bookmakers should certainly be contributing more to racing. Horse racing ireland needs to get its act together and implement such a programme sooner rather than later!

meriwether

Horse racing does not have mass appeal, has never had it, and never will.

The only sports with mass appeal are team sports. You don't have team ballydoyle v team godolphin fans.

Its also too difficult to understand to many people. Weight, speed ratings, going, course, distance, jockey, hot trainers, cold trainers, age, weitht for age allowance.

Compare to 'Ronaldo gets the ball and puts it in the net'. Easy.

The only way to substanially increase gate turnover is to introduce things that have nothing to do with racing - cheaper booze and 'ladies day'.

Similar to the way dog racig has gone. Has the product improved, because you can now buy a carvery and have a drink? To those who know nothing about dogs, Im sure it has.

There is room for improvement, but lets not kid ourselves. Horse racing is like Marmite. Love it or hate it.

Nulty

I agree meriweather. Racing doesn't have the appeal to the "browser" that other sports do and should not have any expectations of competeing. Racing for change should be about improving the sport for those already involved; 'survival', for want of a better word, of the industry and hope that people already involved/interested in the sport bring others and try get them interested - like a pyramid scheme!

Its like Racing and other sports are horses in a race.

Racing is rtg70 Golf90 Football125

The only problem is Golf and Fottball are Gold cup horses, Racing is 7f and the trip is 2m4f.

:rolleyes: I dont know where I'm going with this:P

bit of a bogey

So do you think the answer is to do nothing??

Diggy78

bit of a bogey wrote: »

So do you think the answer is to do nothing??

I can't really see the point of some of them to be honest.

Decimal odds? why? I see that as more a hindrance than anything else. People unfamiliar with the sport understand 8-1 quicker than 9.0. Still takes explaining that the stake is included. Are there really that many people out there who do not know what 9-4 means in decimal terms? I don't want to seem inconsiderate here to people who struggle with numeracy but I just cant see the change being significant to the amount of people it might help.

3. All jockeys and trainers to be listed on race cards by their first names and surnames. No idea what this is supposed to achieve. If you dont go racing and dont know who AP McCoy is, then to be honest I doubt very much if it'll make a difference if Anthony McCoy is written instead. Seems pointless.

4. The outcome of photo finishes to be displayed on screen at the same moment as the judge’s announcement. Saddlecloth numbers will be larger to improve visibility. - We see the still of the photo finish not long after the result is called and the result is almost always correct, think we can trust them since we'll see the print afterwards anyway. This is particularly pointless in my view. I do agree about the saddlecloth number though.

5. simplification of race names. Is this to stop the likes of 'getyourshoppingcheaperatTesco handicap hurdle 90-110' ? Agreed some of the race names are ridiculous, but does anyone actually call it by these names? Does the sport not need all the sponsorship it gets? Who cares what the race is called? If you're at the races it's either the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc, if watching it in the bookies it's the 2.10, etc. Pointless.

6. On-course bookmakers encouraged to offer standard each way terms and enhanced customer service via agreed minimum service standards.
- finally, something worthwhile. Well hopefully, no details

Now, apologies, that just kept going, thank god I dont see anything of interest in the last few points.

Juwwi

Entrance fees need to be reduced..
It was €25 a day in at leoparstown over the xmas.

Diggy78

robbie1977 wrote: »

Entrance fees need to be reduced..
It was €25 a day in at leoparstown over the xmas.

Exactly, now there's a proper initiative.

Nulty

bit of a bogey wrote: »

So do you think the answer is to do nothing??

I think something ought to be done. In another thread there was a suggestion of a "welcoming commmittee" or a place where people can go and learn about racing, betting and everything in between. Its too informal at the track, there needs to be more done at the track to entice the new people to get involved.

My original point was that its everyones 'responsibility' to teach and pass on the knowledge. Its not a very 'self-promoting' sport. There are stairs to climb before you can get a handle on it.

Cricket for anyone that hasn't grown up in a cricket country is almost as difficult to get to grips with. I started watching it when Ireland made it to the world cup but I still dont quite understand it. (I dont see the attraction in it unless Ireland or that guy from Sri Lanka is playing.)

gscully

Diggy78 wrote: »

I can't really see the point of some of them to be honest.

Decimal odds? why? I see that as more a hindrance than anything else. .

Oh I don't know about that. I think I'll definitely be tuning in to C4 that weekend just to watch the puzzled look on McCririck's face when he tries to convert the decimal and then go 'Top of the Head, 3.25'

meriwether

bit of a bogey wrote: »

So do you think the answer is to do nothing??

Doing nothing is better than doing something just for the sake of doing something, and wasting money on said something.

There's lots to be done. For instance, its time the exchanges paid their fair share.

Reduced admission prices (25 into Ballybrit for donkeys running in Galway in July? Fukk off).

And another thing - there's been a lot of talkk about the gpvernment reducing investment in the sport recently.

The Government is reducing spending on all aspects of its bill, including things far more deserving of money, such as carers allownaces, special needs education, and the like.

Prize money is down. What they need to do is shave a 100k off the Derby, champ stakes, the million euro 2 year old races for Tatts, and 50k off the rest of the classics, and redistribute this money into lower paid races.

Michael Tabor isn't too concerned about the prize money for is group 1, whereas the small guy really needs it at the bottom.

redorblack

Going racing just isnt value for money at the moment, whatabout reducing admission fees to a tenner for ordinary meetings and include a simple racecard like you get at the dogs.
Nobody trusts the Tote to pay anywhere near what it should, if they were to do what they do for phone bets, they pay the sp if its better than the tote. People on track would start betting on it again and racing would start paying for itself again. Otherwise why bother going racing at all when off course shops give a bests odds promise.