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Writer's pictureHans Ebert

THE “MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS” ISSUE


Guess it must have been one of those karmic and third eye moments where when we tried to make those highly paid racing executives running racing clubs around the world understand that if the game is to continue, the business model needs to change significantly along with presenting a more likeable product that’s less gambling driven.


Easy to say, but…


This is needed because of economy travelling south that has affected every industry and with there being a need to regroup, rethink and work to attract a different audience in the new abnormal who have no clue as to what they want. 



With many looking for answers and ways to build new business portfolios after 3-4 years of lockdown years, this might actually be the perfect time to sell horse racing as an investment by keeping what’s always worked, and adding new and more lifestyle content business streams.


For these to work, however, “on field” experience has shown us that these must be managed independently by non-horsey people who understand different audiences and the ability to link horse racing to what attracts them.


What could these be, muchachos?



Travel, sports like golf, cricket, basketball etc, cuisine, fashion, music entertainment- and sponsors and business partners making giant strides in the tech sector.


What’s not needed are more light shows, fireworks displays, cameos by artists without the big machinery of Taylor Swift and the same old same old bandaids with the old boy’s club making a few cosmetic changes and hoping no one sees that it’s the usual suspects looking out for numero uno.


Where’s any of this non sustainability going to lead? 



Hopefully, not another waste of time and money and more of nothing being achieved at, for example, the next Asian Racing Conference junket.



Also not needed is the usual corporate waffling by those long past their Use By dates and the baton not being passed to anyone because, well, there’s no baton, let alone those with the wherewithal to make a difference. 


No one needs more mediocrity to fill in a few holes recommended by one of the most disposable roles in a corporate structure: the Human Resources person.



The rather telling news communicated over the past few days through different channels is how horse racing is seen as something irrelevant in its current incarnation, and could be the signal that the days of going around in circles on “social” are over and Django is unchained.



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91-YEAR-OLD BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN, RACEHORSE OWNER, BREEDER AND CREATOR OF AMERICA’S PEGASUS RACE- FRANK STRONACH- RUNS INTO A #METOO MOMENT




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RACING VICTORIA’S MIKE HIRST AND HIS LOPSIDED AND FLUNKY LONG GOODBYE…



 

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WHAT’S IN A NAME: LADIES WHO LIKE TO PUNT.



Frankly, hearing what it had been named- Ladies Who Punt- we thought that the podcast might veer towards the porn side of things, but, alas, not so lucky.


It was not only a rather desperate attempt to fill air time after rain had forced the races at Randwick last Saturday to be postponed, but airing the rerun of podcast showed up what’s wrong with horse racing and Australia’s “racing and sports” radio channels: They’re not only irrelevant, they keep horse racing in the same little box it’s been in for decades.


Despite the all-knowing bold fronts puffed forward, it’s well known amongst fact checkers that these mediums to promote horse racing are financially haemorrhaging because of small audiences- the same old audiences who are now older and end up twittering on “the socials” where even Elon Musk is looking lost.



What we heard for about half an hour on the dead people’s racing and sports radio channel last Saturday was chit chat that was cringeworthy, amateurish and rather Duh.


Is a podcast that calls itself “Ladies Who Punt” and is a convoluted tutorial hosted by two earnest amateurs about how newbies to horse racing can engage in a pastime by learning about ratings, racing terms etc actually needed?



Think those who MIGHT be interested in the rudiments of how horse racing works have the time to LEARN about it- from a podcast?


From everything we learned straight from the horse’s mouth about ten years ago and when the Happy Wednesday brand was actually happy and international, younger ladies especially enjoy figuring out their own methodology IF interested in wanting to have a- er- punt. 


How?


Like deciding who’s the cutest jockey or the horse’s name or liking the colours of the jockey’s “blouse”.



More than anything else, this podcast makes one question the experience of those who allow irrelevance like this to be aired, and shows up how lost horse racing is when it comes to the hiring process, offering mentoring and understanding the medium for the message- and what the message is. 



It’s just more clutter where the blind lead the blind over the precipice.



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For horse racing, it’s about putting its house in order and realise that everything has changed forever because everyone has changed.


One can panic and throw everything against the wall and see what sticks- which might be nothing- or be prepared for the new generation of entrepreneurs out there to take over and show Dad’s Army how it’s going to work.



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