On any given weekend

On any given weekend …

Without a doubt this last weekend, especially Saturday was some of the finest horse racing I’ve seen in a long time. It didn’t matter who won, nor did we cash mutual tickets. It was the classic fights to the finish, the upsets and where did he/she come from? Out of all of it, the 72nd Hollywood Park Gold Cup was a gem; I believe it will go down as a classic race. If you didn’t see it, the video is at the bottom. Every time I watch it the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it is what horse racing is all about.

And that leads me to my topic today, on any given weekend ……

I have been reading in the trades, blogs and tweets that the divisions are a mess, no clear cut dominating horse, especially with the boys. I submit to you horseracing fans that is exactly what we want. If the industry wants new fans at the track or at least to watch on TV, and build a global brand then they need to borrow from the NFL. It wasn’t long ago that the NFL did that by using the tag line, “On any given Sunday”. It was a simple campaign, to instill in the fan that on any Sunday any team could beat the other regardless of record or talent. It worked and today it is a catch phrase.

The horse racing industry needs to copy it and market it globally. There is no greater sport then thoroughbred racing. Forget the wagering, but focus on the pageantry, the speed, the drama of beautiful animals and petite humans battling each other to win. The fastest sport under two minutes!

If I was running the industry, I would be making hay out of the fact there are great horses all over the country and Canada and great races are held every weekend, and the beauty of it is on any given weekend … your favorite can win! Get the fans to look at horse racing not as a wagering sport, but one where you can be a fan, of a horse, a jockey and even trainers. The sport for too long has held itself along the shadows shed row, and now is the time to use its marketing muscle and rejuvenate the brand. It’s that simple.

On any given weekend ….