Latest from Horse & Hound in Racing-for-change

‘Racing for Change’ to be a permanent function

Madeleine Silver — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:53:02 +0000

The promotional and marketing initiative “Racing for Change” — which seeks to broaden the sport’s appeal — will now become a permanent function under the title “Great British Racing”.

Great British Racing will continue the work started by Racing for Change, while also taking responsibility for the marketing of British racing globally, which is currently managed by British Bloodstock Marketing.

The aim of Great British Racing will be to broaden the appeal of British horseracing at every level, with the objective of increasing participation and revenues, and protecting and growing the thousands of jobs that exist within the sport.

It will be run by Rod Street, chief executive of Racing Enterprises Limited and British Champions Series Limited, who led the Racing for Change initiative.

Chris McFadden, chairman of Racing Enterprises Limited said: “First introduced as a project, Racing for Change is now seen as an essential promotional organisation, mirroring similar permanent organisations in other major sports.

“In this day and age, no national sport can hope to survive without a long term strategy for growth, or without a national resource to market and promote it.”

For more information visit www.greatbritishracing.com

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Record number of people turning out at racecourses

Amy Mathieson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:22:09 +0000

Racing is drawing in record crowds – with more than 6.15million visits to courses last year.

For the third year running, the number of people going racing across the country has risen, with the 6m mark being reached in 2011 for the first time since 2004.

And last year’s total is the highest figure since records were started in 1955.

But although numbers attending Flat racing rose, gates at National Hunt fixtures fell by more than 3%.

A spokesman for the Racecourse Association (RCA) told H&H this could be attributed to bad weather forcing the cancellation of fixtures or putting punters off.

“To break the record is fantastic,” said Stephen Atkin of the RCA.

“Financially, it is a very difficult time so it is a vindication of the exemplary work being done on Britain’s racecourses.”

The newly formed QIPCO British Champions Series proved a hit, culminating with QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot in October.

Boosted by the appearance of super colt Frankel, the series attracted more than 26,000 racegoers to the course.

Racing for Change hosted a free racing month in April and non-racing fans were attracted by a host of post-racing concerts.

But this begs the question: are these repeat customers or just one-offs who weren’t really there to see the horses?

“The latest figures were helped by good weather, but the racecourses have also been promoting the sport very effectively and we hope our efforts are also making an important contribution,” said Rod Street from Racing for Change.

“The ‘Free Racing Month’ brought an additional 63,000 people through the turnstiles, over half of whom were new to the sport or infrequent racegoers.

“Our research showed that over 80 per cent of them intend to come again.”

Julie Harding, editor of H&H’s sister title Eventing, went to Shergar Cup day at Ascot, which hosted a 1980s concert featuring Jason Donovan and Paul Young in the evening.

“It was a birthday present for my husband – we paid only £35 each premier admission and our four children went free,” she said.

“I think other sports could learn such a lot from what racing is doing in terms of family entertainment. It was packed, but an amazing and friendly atmosphere.

“We are all really keen to go back again this year.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (2 February 2012)

New card game launched for jump racing fans

Horse & Hound — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:28:43 +0000

Nothing to do on a cold winter afternoon? There’s now a new limited edition picture card game to keep the family occupied.

“Love the Horses Collectacard” game features famous equine faces – including Kauto Star, Long Run, Big Buck’s and Grand Crus. The aim of the game is to collect all of the cards.

Each card also contains a short profile of the racehorse as well as facts such as prize-money won and courses they’ve run at.

“With the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National just around the corner, what better way to get in the mood than a game of Love The Horses,” said a spokesman for Lovetheraces.com, which has launched the game.

“So why not play your mates or the kids and learn more about some of the top Jump horses in the process?”

Racing for Change wins PR award for ‘Vote McCoy’ campaign

Horse & Hound — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:28:31 +0000

The “Vote McCoy” campaign, which helped AP McCoy become the first jockey to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December last year, has won a PR award.

The Racing for Change-led campaign was voted the “best media relations” initiative of the last year at the PRCA (Public Relations Consultants Association) annual awards, held at the Park Lane Hilton on Tuesday (15 November).

“This is really an award for the whole sport as this campaign would not have been sosuccessful without the support of many racecourses, major bookmakers, the racing media, the people who voted and, of course AP McCoy, who gave up considerable amounts of his time to help us promote the sport to a much wider audience,” said Nick Attenborough from Racing for Change.

“McCoy’s achievements in the saddle made him the obvious winner, all we needed to do was galvanise racing fans into action.”

Racing for Change won the media relations award in 2010 for the “Go Racing for Free Week”.

Girls battle it out to become the first female racing commentator

Amy Mathieson — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:55:29 +0000

Two wannabe racing commentators go head-to-head at Ascot racecourse on Sunday (24 July) in the final of the search to find Britain’s first female race caller.

Forty-six women entered the competition launched in May by www.lovetheraces.com.

Twenty-four-year-old Hayley Moore, sister of Flat jockey Ryan, will take on 26-year-old Rachel Casey who works for a bookmaker in the final.

“Horseracing has a strong female fan base, unlike many sports, so we thought it was high time that we found a woman who could call the races from the top of the grandstand,” said Amy Sherman from lovetheraces.com.

“We’ve been very pleased with the number of entrants and the quality of their performances, so we’d be very disappointed if the winner didn’t go on to be a regular race caller in the years to come.’’

Rachel and Hayley will each call two races in front of the Ascot crowd, who will then be asked to choose between them in a text vote. The winner will be announced before the last race.

The pair are battling it out for a cash prize of £2,500 and a place on the industry’s commentary training course.

TV viewers can also help decide the winner as At The Races will be broadcasting the performances and publicising the voting procedure.

“When I commentated for real at Doncaster for the first time [during the semi finals] it was such a buzz. I loved every minute of it. I just can’t wait for the final at Ascot,’’ said Hayley.

Rachel added: “It was an absolutely amazing feeling to commentate on a live race. I am delighted to have got through to the final but slightly surprised as all the other girls were so good.’’

Listen to Hayley Moore’s commentary

Listen to Rachel Casey’s commentary

Fruit machine inspired silks to be seen on track next month

Horse & Hound — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:16:01 +0000

Forget stripes, hoops or chevrons — jockeys will be sporting racing silks with a modern new look next month at Ascot, thanks to a design competition run by Racing For Change.

Instead of the traditional designs, which have remained unchanged since they were first introduced to racecourses in 1762, the new-look silks feature designs inspired by fruit machines, with patterns such as fruit symbols and horseshoes.

The competition was open to students of Central Saint Martins College, and hitting the jackpot was Henry Griffin, who created the winning designs. His inspiration came from visiting bookmakers shops with his Dad when he was growing up.

“I was about 14 and I wasn’t allowed in the betting shop but I always remember looking through the door — there would be racing on the TV and a fruit machine in the corner,” said Henry, 21, from Laughton in Essex.

Henry’s eye-catching designs will be made into shirts and caps to be worn by jockeys in the first race at Ascot on 9 July.

“The colours have to be vibrant and easily identifiable by the crowd, so I made the fruits and symbols on the silks as bold as possible,” said Henry.

“I took a lot of time designing the caps, because they are very important in seeing the jockeys from a long way away.”

Rod Street from Racing For Change — an initiative to broaden the appeal of horseracing — was impressed by the standard of the entrants.

“Henry’s designs caught our eye from the outset, not to say that this was by any means an easy competition to judge. Each of the designs presented by the students have been outstanding in their own unique way,” he said.

The world of racing gets its own Superinjunction

Horse & Hound — Fri, 13 May 2011 14:29:24 +0000

Racing has become the latest sport to be served with a Superinjunction.

But not the kind that have recently made the press — this Superinjunction is a two-year-old racehorse. The horse, who is in training with Brian Meehan, will make her racing debut in a few weeks.

Superinjunction has been leased to scurrilous website Popbitch for the Flat season by Racing For Change, the organisation that aims to bring the sport to a wide audience. Popbitch readers will have a chance join the Popbitch racing club and have a share in the horse.

“There is nothing that feels more like an insider’s world than the Sport of Kings, and so with all the feverish speculation and arguments going on in the media, we thought it was about time there was a Superinjunction everyone could actually talk about,” said Popbitch editor Camilla Wright.

Rod Street, from Racing for Change, added: “This is an exclusive opportunity for Popbitch readers to get behind the scenes of the sport and experience the thrill of racehorse ownership. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for racing to be able to communicate the excitement of the sport to a new audience of opinion formers.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (12 May, 2011)

Racing for Change search for young horseracing bloggers

Horse & Hound — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:42:21 +0000

Love racing? Love writing? Under 25? The search is on Britain’s best young horseracing blogger.

The competition, which has been launched by lovetheraces.com, is open to 16-25 year olds.

The winner will pocket £1,000 and have their best blog published on The Guardian website, as well as having the chance to spend some time on the racing desk of the paper.

“One of Racing for Change’s strategic goals is to increase horseracing’s audience among the under 25’s,” said Rod Street, chief executive of Racing Enterprises Limited, which runs Racing for Change.

“As active users of social media we have been impressed by the number of racing blogs written by a younger fan base. We want to create the future fans of the sport and this competition is designed to recognise and encourage young talent. Who knows, we may even find the next Greg Wood, Chris Cook or Lydia Hislop.”

Tony Paley, racing editor at The Guardian, added: “We’re really delighted to be a partner in this initiative. Our reputation has been built on the quality of our journalism so we’re very keen to encourage writing excellence.”

Applicants should submit a blog of up to 750 words and six finalists will be picked by members of the Racing for Change team and senior journalists from The Guardian.

The six finalists will all have their blogs published throughout the summer on Lovetheraces.com, during which time The Guardian racing team will judge the winner.

For more information visit: www.lovetheraces.com

Go racing for free at 25 racecourses throughout April

Horse & Hound — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:50:40 +0000

Fans and newcomers can go racing for free at 25 British racecourses next month.

Racecourses, including Ascot, Epsom, Newbury, Newmarket and Sandown, are opening their gates to the public free of charge throughout April as part of a venture by Racing for Change.

The move follows the successful “free racing week” last April, which attracted an additional 40,000 visitors.

Seventeen fixtures are entirely free in at least one enclosure, while there are a total of 5,500 free tickets available in advance at a further 11 meetings.

The month includes the school holidays, Easter and the Royal Wedding (29 April) when admission will be free at Doncaster.

“This ground-breaking move is being organised in a bid to attract record numbers of new customers to the fun and exciting sport of horse racing. It’s also a great way to reward existing fans of the sport,” said Rod Street, chief executive of Racing for Change,

“The aim of the month is to appeal to people who have been infrequent visitors to horse racing in the past or who have never been to a racecourse. At many of the meetings, there will be staff, literature and displays to explain more about the sport.”

The month of free racing provides a mix of both afternoon and evening meetings as well as a choice of racing over jumps and on the flat.

To book tickets: www.lovetheraces.com

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (10 March, 2011)

Enjoy fun facts about Cheltenham Festival runners

Horse & Hound — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:09:47 +0000

Would knowing a racehorse’s personality help you to pick a winner for next week’s Cheltenham Festival?

Racing for Change has posted a page of “Horse Profiles” on its Love The Races website, featuring the top contenders for the four biggest races at the Festival — the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, World Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Besides their greatest wins and form stats, the profiles give an insight to the horses’ characters, with personal quotes from their grooms and jockeys, and fun trivia.

Find out which of these stars is described as a couch potato or an aeroplane, and which one bucks and kicks.

Each horse has a nickname, as well as being matched to a celebrity — Kauto Star is likened to super-smooth tennis champ Roger Federer, while his rival, Denman, is anthropomorphed into heavyweight boxer David Haye.

Racing for Change PR manager Milly Baker said that the profiles were aimed at newcomers to the sport.

“The new horse profiles are a fun and informative way to highlight racing’s equine stars to the uninitiated, ahead of one of racing’s biggest festivals of the year,” she said.

Visit: www.lovetheraces.com/horse-profiles/

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Champion Flat jockey Paul Hanagan honoured at Anfield

Horse & Hound — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:28:26 +0000

Champion Flat jockey Paul Hanagan was last night honoured at Anfield football ground.

He was re-presented with his championship trophy by former Liverpool player Ian Rush during the Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers match last night (Wednesday, 29 December).

The presentation was organised by the British Horseracing Authority, Racing for Change and Liverpool Football Club in honour of Paul’s achievements this season.

Paul, a lifelong Liverpool fan, originally from Warrington and now based in Malton, is only the third Northern-based jockey to win the Flat Jockey Championship in 105 years.

Hanagan clocked-up 191 wins last season, in a closely fought battle for the Championship with Richard Hughes, who finished just two wins behind him.

“I am extremely grateful for this very special presentation. It was incredible to be presented with the trophy in front of The Kop and especially by Ian Rush,” said Paul.