MILLIONS….
A Yearling sale on Australia’s Gold Coast that exudes positivity, hope and fun. A potent mix…
Parties on the beach, decent weather (ish), a vibrant industry, the allure of viable prize money, a sport that prides itself on being inclusive as opposed to exclusive…
I don’t know the precise number – but a huge number of Australians are involved in ownership through a variety of syndicates….
A magic million miles away from the Sales experience here where each and every lot is played out at a tortuous pace. Of course there is room for a bit of theatre, but some “players” sure do drag it out. A spectacle to bewitch the youth ?? I don’t think so…
Nick Luck has been “Down Under”, and many of his recent daily podcasts have come from the Gold Coast. A sense that Nick has been blown away by the fun of it all, and the fact that families are at the core of it, and catered for, and engaged…
There is a place for tradition – but we are that “magic million miles” away from putting on a sales event that comes anywhere close to this Gold Coast spectacular. And a million miles away from a day at the sales being a leisure option as it is over there. Put on a show and people will come…
And in and amongst the people who come are the racegoers and owners of the future…
I was especially struck by an interview on Nick’s excellent pod with Katie Page, who owns Magic Millions with her husband Gerry Harvey. Katie repeatedly emphasised that horse racing needs to be welcoming and accessible to all. “Access all areas” – with the few obvious required exceptions. Embrace the younger generations…
There is no magic wand – and Australian racing is not immune to the vested interests and short termist infighting that we endure here. But watch a big day from one of the finer Aussie tracks, and the sense of fun coursing through the crowd is blindingly evident…
We have some fabulous folk charged with running many of our racecourses. We also have people with agendas far removed from the greater good, and who would sooner do business with Messrs Barratt, Redrow, Wates et al. We have board members who entertain in high boxes and have nil concept of the consumer experience on the ground floor….
Here’s hoping that those with the imagination and desire and genuine passion come to the fore, and that it is they who form a strong battalion in the cohesive Army that is required to lead us forward to better days. It can and should and must be done – we have a fabulous sport and a superb product that is the envy of many. Prize money aside – obvs…
Shouting from the rooftops please – as opposed to mired and petty infighting in the dark trenches…
