RACING NEWS:JOCKEYS AND trainers will be offered training in dealing with the media and paid appearance money as part of a campaign by British horse racing to widen the appeal of the sport. Ten trial initiatives are to be introduced by Racing for Change, a project aimed at modernising horse racing in Britain.
Racing for Change chairman Chris McFadden said there was a “current reluctance by some of racing’s stars” to work more closely with the media which was having a detrimental effect on publicity for the sport.
Jockeys and trainers, McFadden said, would be offered appearance fees for interviews with non-racing media.
“British horse racing is the envy of the racing world with our abundance of outstanding horses, trainers and jockeys as well as a host of first-class racetracks,” McFadden said. “Yet, despite the likes of Sea The Stars and Kauto Star, the sport needs to work harder to connect, as it did in the past, with the wider public.
“This is, no doubt, a result of a significantly more competitive betting and leisure environment – so we have to raise our game.”
Other proposals include a free membership club for “younger adults” that will offer discounted admission to many racecourses, and shares in several racehorses and a central PR campaign to promote racing to a wider audience.
“What has encouraged us during the research and consultation stages of the project is that, fundamentally, there is little wrong with the racing as an entertainment, leisure and betting medium,” added McFadden.
“What it requires is a clearer structure and better presentation of its strengths – its drama, spectacle and heritage as well as its equine and human stars.”
The proposals will be implemented by the end of June.
Leopardstown Sunday under serious threat
LEOPARDSTOWN’S meeting on Sunday, featuring the MCR Hurdle, is under threat due to the weather. The showcase contest, formerly the Pierse Hurdle, is in jeopardy, along with the rest of the card.
“It’s been a very cold morning here. We had a light dusting of snow again last night and quite a severe frost,” Leopardstown general manager Tom Burke said yesterday.
“At the moment the course is not raceable. It had improved a bit over the weekend, but last night’s frost put us back a bit. Unfortunately the forecast is not great. At the moment we are monitoring on a daily basis and taking it from there, as such.”
Punchestown’s meeting on Saturday is also in doubt. The course is unfit for racing because of snow.
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