Before I go on, I must commend the Wingatui club for the efforts it has put into tomorrow’s meeting. Combining good family entertainment with quality racing action is a winning formula in my opinion.
I wonder with the way the society is moving, what will attract people to go to the races in the next two decades. The bigger question may be what the on-course experience will look like in that time.
The first question to ask is whether we want people at the races in 20 years. The main driver for clubs to have people on course is because they receive a greater portion of money bet on course compared to off course.
But, that funding model is already extremely dated. There is nothing in the current model that considers how much money is bet online and through cellphones on course at the moment. That may change though, even considering how slowly the TAB’s technology moves, which may mean there is no incentive for clubs to have big numbers on course.
There are other reasons to get people on course: food and beverage sales and other entertainment avenues as well.
So it is unlikely there won’t be a need to have people at the races and let’s hope that doesn’t happen. There is nothing quite like the buzz of a big on-course crowd, especially on our biggest race days. One thing I could see changing is the way the horses are readied for their races.
Society already wants fast-paced action, so by 2027 we might see one lot of horses being saddled or geared up and ready to go as soon as the previous race is finished.
Jockeys and drivers may just jump from saddle to saddle and seat to seat.
While on-course numbers have steadily declined in the past two decades, that hasn’t been the case for our biggest days.
Premier meetings might continue to turn into major social events. They could also take a similar path to what we will see at Wingatui tomorrow. Racegoers may go to these days for a wider cultural experience. I certainly see merit in this, and think the Otago Racing Club is on the right track.
Adding more weight to the positive train of thought is that every once in a while we get a horse such as Winx. Unfortunately, she is not from Otago — gee, I wish she was.
But she is the link between the people and the track. Like Black Caviar and, most recently in this country, Sunline before her, people want to see her up close. There is nothing quite as captivating as seeing a champion in the flesh. So, keeping the public engaged with these type of horses will be extremely important as we move forward.
They are getting less and less coverage from mainstream media, but perhaps racing needs to push their case further. Look at some of the rubbish we already have on the nightly news at the moment. Surely a fast local horse would up the quality of those bulletins.
I can only guess what the future of racing looks like from an on-course perspective. If you have strong opinions or solutions email me.
Until 2037 though, I will see you all at the races. By then, I will have decided whether to take my space car or my jetpack.
Happy trails.
● The TAB has reduced its content in the U-Bet publication. Four pages of race fields and form will be printed rather than the previous seven. Many of the Australian meetings have been dropped. The Otago Daily Times remains committed to bringing its readers a high standard of local racing coverage. If you have queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at sport@odt.co.nz
