It's quite tickling to see concern expressed in the past week over those figures released that show the recent trend continues in racecourse attendances declining.
Put it this way, if the curve had been an upward one, the optimistic vibes that would been released would have been false as anyone reasonable and sound in mind would easily have seen through the number crunching and realised that the circumstances were due to the alternative category of racegoer packing the 'cult' venues as opposed to a fresh wave of enthusiasm for the sport.
That in some quarters the fact that the World Cup was partly attributed to the figures certainly points in the direction of those who attend them days designed to cater for the Summer booze ups.
It also confirms how fickle these attendees are, and how easily they could be tempted away to some other form of entertainment that would offer them an even more trashier form of enjoyment than what they receive at the racecourse.
It also confirms how fickle these attendees are, and how easily they could be tempted away to some other form of entertainment that would offer them an even more trashier form of enjoyment than what they receive at the racecourse.
While it may already be too late to attract a whole new generation of racing fans who would follow the sport for life, those that have not given up the ghost in striving to engage with the younger tribes fail to realise that the essential ingredient is instilling a love and respect for the game.
And though the cold truth is that racing cannot survive without punters, 95% of those who are enthusiastic about horse racing bet regularly on it, while in contrast a substantially smaller percentage of gamblers in general would be busiest in this area.
Tempting emerging generations to become attached to horse racing is the biggest battle and it is incredible that some common sense initiatives are not introduced.
Can you imagine if there was no requirement for top flight football clubs to release the names of players contracted to the club ?
Well it happens in horse racing. An increasing number of trainers decline to co-operate for the long standing Horses In Training publication by not listing their strings. Others release details of their older horses but decide they would rather not list their juveniles, the section of the yard that eyes first turn to when the book is opened and the strength of the large flat yards assessed.
The yards may see no obligation to assist a commercial publication but this was not the case in past times when even the infamously sharp edged trainers would consent to give full details of their armoury.
Moreover, why do they still continue to give Timeform photographers access to their premises to snap the posed portraits shots for the Racehorses annuals ?
For someone who had been betting on football and cricket, then decides to find out more about racing, they would reasonably expect there to be information in the public domain showing the names of every horse in each yard in lists that are regularly updated.
This is in the BHA's ball court and is a measure they should be implementing, ideally with reciprocal co-operation from their Irish and French counterparts.
Another angle that consolidates a newly discovered passion for the sport is the historical one with horse racing having a strong claim to owning the deepest, most fascinating and most controversial historical perspective out of all of the sports.
ITV racing show us clips from their vault. Many revive the nostalgic buds. In recent months they showed the late stages of a race from Teeside Park dated 1976, which involved the Tony Dickinson trained Broncho 11 in those Tysdale colours that were striking and memorable.
It would be welcoming and beneficial for the sport if the whole of the vault was freely accessible in a form where the full races were available to view. Copyright snobbery would have to be put aside.
At the moment someone with a new found taste for the sport who wishes to build knowledge from a historical perspective is likely to at some point be looking through the archive built by espmadrid on You Tube.
In other areas of life information comes on tap. I was telling work colleagues the other day that I must have spent around two grand buying music on I Tunes. I added that plenty of this stuff I'd originally had on vinyl, and some even on both vinyl and those soulless CD's.
I was asked why go to the expense? I replied that pirate downloads are variable on quality and on a moral high horse added that it's not myth that they have put thousands out of employment in the working class, lower levels of the music industry.
I then had it explained to me that for a two pound odd payment each month I could have available a library of songs running into millions on these Alexa boxes that they advertise all the time on TV.
Cynically, I said that there must be a catch, that it surely could not be allowed by the music industry, and that the quality of sound is probably mediocre.
I was assured that there are no catches, it's legal, and the sound quality is high. Apparently, you just shout out the name of an album or track, and it plays!
For those who don't feel they need every modern gadget and are ignorant to the tasks they are able to perform, something like Alexa is hard to comprehend and a tad frightening.
However, if such technology is available to all, then ITV racing could and should have their vault online for all to access.
The other week the presenters kept harping on about the likelihood of children being at Newbury who one day would tell their own children that they were there when Altior won.
What a load of tripe ! If the sport continues on the path it is treading there will be no National Hunt racing in existence by the time these kids are having kids of their own.
If it does survive into the near future, then none of them will be interested in it anyway, except perhaps for those whose families have racing connections.
Make the vault available, have a presenter giving an example of how to use it, explaining that often a whole race needs to be watched in order to appreciate the merit of a performance.
Carvil's Hill's Welsh National an ideal example, the presenter could say, "hmmm, so I'll watch this from the start. You think he is going to tire anytime soon but as it gradually unfolds there comes a realisation that he has it in the bag ".
Or for professionalism, and getting the job done, but only just, Lester's ride on The Minstrel in the 1977 King George V1 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.
The whole race has to be viewed to appreciate the ride. It was real pressure cooker stuff in the sense that they knew beforehand that this would be the colt's last race as he was soon on a plane to Kentucky to beat the looming equine transport ban after an outbreak of equine herpes over there.
While watching such material is not contributing via betting it plays its part in securing a possible lifetime following of the sport and if so, you can bet that a lifetimes regular punting will accompany this, which is after all what the sport needs from its followers most of all.
image in public domain - Von Kempelen's Speaking Machine
And though the cold truth is that racing cannot survive without punters, 95% of those who are enthusiastic about horse racing bet regularly on it, while in contrast a substantially smaller percentage of gamblers in general would be busiest in this area.
Tempting emerging generations to become attached to horse racing is the biggest battle and it is incredible that some common sense initiatives are not introduced.
Can you imagine if there was no requirement for top flight football clubs to release the names of players contracted to the club ?
Well it happens in horse racing. An increasing number of trainers decline to co-operate for the long standing Horses In Training publication by not listing their strings. Others release details of their older horses but decide they would rather not list their juveniles, the section of the yard that eyes first turn to when the book is opened and the strength of the large flat yards assessed.
The yards may see no obligation to assist a commercial publication but this was not the case in past times when even the infamously sharp edged trainers would consent to give full details of their armoury.
Moreover, why do they still continue to give Timeform photographers access to their premises to snap the posed portraits shots for the Racehorses annuals ?
For someone who had been betting on football and cricket, then decides to find out more about racing, they would reasonably expect there to be information in the public domain showing the names of every horse in each yard in lists that are regularly updated.
This is in the BHA's ball court and is a measure they should be implementing, ideally with reciprocal co-operation from their Irish and French counterparts.
Another angle that consolidates a newly discovered passion for the sport is the historical one with horse racing having a strong claim to owning the deepest, most fascinating and most controversial historical perspective out of all of the sports.
ITV racing show us clips from their vault. Many revive the nostalgic buds. In recent months they showed the late stages of a race from Teeside Park dated 1976, which involved the Tony Dickinson trained Broncho 11 in those Tysdale colours that were striking and memorable.
It would be welcoming and beneficial for the sport if the whole of the vault was freely accessible in a form where the full races were available to view. Copyright snobbery would have to be put aside.
At the moment someone with a new found taste for the sport who wishes to build knowledge from a historical perspective is likely to at some point be looking through the archive built by espmadrid on You Tube.
In other areas of life information comes on tap. I was telling work colleagues the other day that I must have spent around two grand buying music on I Tunes. I added that plenty of this stuff I'd originally had on vinyl, and some even on both vinyl and those soulless CD's.
I was asked why go to the expense? I replied that pirate downloads are variable on quality and on a moral high horse added that it's not myth that they have put thousands out of employment in the working class, lower levels of the music industry.
I then had it explained to me that for a two pound odd payment each month I could have available a library of songs running into millions on these Alexa boxes that they advertise all the time on TV.
Cynically, I said that there must be a catch, that it surely could not be allowed by the music industry, and that the quality of sound is probably mediocre.
I was assured that there are no catches, it's legal, and the sound quality is high. Apparently, you just shout out the name of an album or track, and it plays!
For those who don't feel they need every modern gadget and are ignorant to the tasks they are able to perform, something like Alexa is hard to comprehend and a tad frightening.
However, if such technology is available to all, then ITV racing could and should have their vault online for all to access.
The other week the presenters kept harping on about the likelihood of children being at Newbury who one day would tell their own children that they were there when Altior won.
What a load of tripe ! If the sport continues on the path it is treading there will be no National Hunt racing in existence by the time these kids are having kids of their own.
If it does survive into the near future, then none of them will be interested in it anyway, except perhaps for those whose families have racing connections.
Make the vault available, have a presenter giving an example of how to use it, explaining that often a whole race needs to be watched in order to appreciate the merit of a performance.
Carvil's Hill's Welsh National an ideal example, the presenter could say, "hmmm, so I'll watch this from the start. You think he is going to tire anytime soon but as it gradually unfolds there comes a realisation that he has it in the bag ".
Or for professionalism, and getting the job done, but only just, Lester's ride on The Minstrel in the 1977 King George V1 Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.
The whole race has to be viewed to appreciate the ride. It was real pressure cooker stuff in the sense that they knew beforehand that this would be the colt's last race as he was soon on a plane to Kentucky to beat the looming equine transport ban after an outbreak of equine herpes over there.
While watching such material is not contributing via betting it plays its part in securing a possible lifetime following of the sport and if so, you can bet that a lifetimes regular punting will accompany this, which is after all what the sport needs from its followers most of all.
image in public domain - Von Kempelen's Speaking Machine
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