OFF THE RECORD #42

Racing's Global Perception Crisis:
Why Silence Is No Longer an Option

Above: Kick Collective's Vicky Leonard

In a world increasingly shaped by social consciousness and activism, fueled by a sensationalist media corps, horseracing finds itself at a sensitive and potentially critical juncture. Globally, the industry is under growing scrutiny and facing a barrage of criticism, as concerns about animal welfare, transparency, and ethical practices dominate public discourse.

In South Africa, there are some who believe that our challenges in racing are as distinctive as the political issues confronting our country—unique, shielded from global influences, and best addressed within our own frameworks. However, while we may craft solutions for local problems, we cannot escape the industry's most pressing global challenge: perception.

Australian Vicky Leonard, speaking at last week’s Asian Racing Conference (ARC), warned that a media-driven horse welfare scandal could cause irreversible damage. She suggested that, as a united global industry, we should be ready to counter it.

The youthful Leonard established a racing-specialised marketing and ideas company, ‘Kick Collective’, (www.kickcollective.co) following a welfare crisis that brought the greyhound industry in Australia to its knees in 2015. She recounted: “The impact was severe. (Studying at the time), the harsh reality hit as my classmates saw all racing – not just greyhound racing – as a cruel, outdated spectacle. (The fallout from the greyhound industry) had tarnished the reputation of all animal-related sports in their eyes. It made me realise how exposed to public condemnation from misinformation we really were.”

Leonard, who has immersed herself in the study of ‘perception marketing’, noted that the 2020 death of Epsom Derby winner Antony Van Dyk in the Melbourne Cup (and other incidents) exposed severe shortcomings in the availability of resources and data to defend the industry. Due to eroded trust, information disseminated by institutions, politicians or journalists are no longer seen as accurate. Those in power are not held to high standards of accountability. “(Passionate racing people), most in their 20s, were trying to defend the industry but were struggling to find the facts and easily accessible data to back up their personal experiences. The information just didn’t exist.”

Leonard said it was “terrifyingly clear” that our industry’s silence in addressing misinformation makes us complicit in its consequences and invites disaster. By remaining quiet, we risk being perceived as having something to hide, leading the public to form their own negative conclusions. Her advice is that we must collectively pull our heads out of the sand and “get real,” acknowledging that significant improvements are needed in various areas to pass the “pub test” – the standard of authenticity and fairness expected by the average person.

Kick Collective’s three-step blueprint entails:

• Get Real: Establish the shortcomings and face the skeletons. Compile data and gather accurate information.
• Get Organised: Use the science and data to create content. React and respond transparently when issues arise. Educate stakeholders and fans. Develop plans for addressing potential crises.
• Get Loud and Proud: Build and empower a passionate community that has your back. Talk about horseracing with informed confidence. Confidently engage with the public. Turn potential disasters into opportunities to demonstrate the industry’s commitment to excellence and progress.

Above: Heather Morkel, TBA CEO

This proactive approach was applauded by Heather Morkel, CEO of South Africa’s Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA). She said that, locally, the fundamentals were in place, but that there is work to be done. Thoroughbreds who enter the sport are microchipped and registered, and that the functions of control and monitoring all starts and ends with the operator, the National Horseracing Authority (NHA).

Morkel commented: “SA Racing can do more for the sport in terms of perception. A fact that is not commonly known about thoroughbred racing and breeding, is the very nature of the regulations: We are required to microchip all the horses who compete on our racetracks and they all have passports which provides the pedigree, a history of vaccinations and other important info. The racing and performance of the horse should also be included, but managing the amount of data is difficult.

“Imagine if we had one portal, available freely, for access to all this information? Documenting comes at a price, but once a horse is retired, the new owners should have access to its history. The fact that movement of our horses is tightly controlled is a challenge and a headache, but the positive outcome of this is that the horse’s welfare comes first. The regulations around transport and movement includes a veterinary note to certify the horse can travel. This aspect is probably missing from most other countries in the world, as they don’t have to deal with African Horse Sickness and its challenges.”

Morkel said that she would like to see the digitisation of passports, so that management of data and information can be streamlined. She explained: “The information and history of a particular horse should not ‘disappear’ from its life or record. When they retire to a second career, that information is not useless or irrelevant, yet often it is lost to the new owner, depending on how the horse is retired. Again, I believe our regulator could do more - with our assistance.”

Morkel pointed out that horses remain relevant in this century because of the sports in which they compete. They form a part of our heritage and if there was no racing, showjumping or eventing, there would be very few, or no horses to enrich our lives. She said that the sport horse sector receives and provides a second career for many runners coming off the track and that they have a role to play in tightening up around adoption. “I have seen this happening, but not enough.”

The TBA recognises the need for horse welfare beyond the farms and racetrack, and continues to make annual donations to the Highveld, Coastal and Eastern Cape Horse Care Units, and the Western Cape Equine Trust, in support and recognition of the work they do. Morkel added: “We have also made financial contributions towards various education and upliftment programmes of grooms in thoroughbred breeding, which is equally important, as they are integral threads in the fabric of a horse’s journey and career. Experience and education of horse handlers are fundamental to the raising and well-being of our horses.”

Morkel praised Kick Collective for their excellent website and impressive communication channels and said: “They’ve appointed ambassadors who act as eyes and ears, monitoring social media for negative press. One of the challenges we face in racing is the demographic profile of a significant portion of our owners, breeders, and administrators. Many belong to an older generation and prefer traditional communication methods, like newspapers, over platforms like Instagram. This creates a disconnect with the younger generation—a highly influential group that includes activists and social media influencers who communicate in entirely different ways. Additionally, the language we use in the industry can be unfamiliar to the general public. We could significantly improve perceptions by clarifying terminology. For instance, the term ‘breaking in’ doesn’t mean what it might sound like!”

Morkel said it should be noted that the NHA spends a lot of money to keep the sport fair through the testing of urine samples. Running a laboratory is costly, it shows in their Audited Financial Statements, but this is money well spent because it follows that testing equals fairness, and ultimately better welfare for the racehorse.

In 2017 Lyndon Barends, then CEO of the NHA, wrote in a newsletter: “Racing Authorities must take the lead to ensure that before/during/beyond racing care becomes embedded within the business fabric of the sport. It is critical that we accept that there is a DUTY OF CARE that we cannot and dare not IGNORE. The aftercare of racehorses makes Business Sense. it makes ethical Business Sense!

“I will propose to our Board that we adopt the philosophical view that we need to move away from the practice that aftercare is at the mercy or the goodwill gestures of a few individuals with good conscience. We all benefit from the horse. Collaboration with industry lobbyists, role-players and activists will be non-negotiable to identify post racing options and various service delivery agents, venue and best practice programmes. Some of these initiatives will include but not be limited to:

-Retraining for equestrian competitions
-Therapeutic uses
-Educational opportunities
-Identifying sanctuaries for horse care
-A process of retaining for other useful purposes

“A mining company must rehabilitate minefields and affected communities. It’s an expense item and budget provision. Oil companies have environmental rehabilitation budgets. The question is – what makes us any different?”

Vee Moodley, the present CEO of the NHA, was asked about the proposals made seven years ago by Barends. He was also asked to respond to a comment this week by trainer Mike de Kock that perception of the industry was affected by his assertion that “confidence in the NHA is at an all-time low”. De Kock said that his comments may result in “vindictive reactions”, which won’t change his belief that there is an urgent need for leadership transformation. “We need a broom to sweep things clean from top to bottom,” he added. At the time of publishing this article online, Moodley had not offered a response.

Above:  Hollywoodbets Brand & Communications Executive Devin Heffer

On a more hopeful note, Devin Heffer of betting giant Hollywoodbets, who shares in the ownership of Cape Racing and will soon be involved with Gold Circle, provided insights into the efforts they have made to enhance the public perception of horse racing.

“From a Hollywoodbets Group perspective, we are involved with horse racing at all stakeholder levels covering racecourses, grooms, trainers, apprentices, jockeys, racing publications, form guides, breeders and various sponsorship programs and non-profit work via our NPO, The Hollywood Foundation. Included with the apprentices is sponsorship of the SA Jockey Academy, and bursaries for students. Additionally, there is our work with the Hollywoodbets Life After Racing Programme.

“Being intimately involved with all these different facets has allowed us to gain insight into the daily workings of all these stakeholders, and most importantly, into the care of the horses. We believe it is essential to start at home when it comes to educating people about horse racing and improving the public perception of the sport. We have been actively doing this through numerous field trips to the Summerveld. We conduct these weekly, hosting between 15-20 people (sometimes more) and providing them with a morning at the training centre. The attendees include our Hollywoodbets team members, our sponsored sports teams (Hollywoodbets Sharks, Hollywoodbets Dolphins, Brentford, etc.), brand ambassadors (who also get to name horses), and business partners.

“The impact of having our brand ambassadors involved is significant, especially when you consider the likes of Robert Marawa (1.5 million followers), Carol Tshbalala (691k followers), Keshav Maharaj (300k followers), and the Hollywoodbets Sharks (750k followers). They leave with more than just a photo opportunity; they gain an understanding that leads to a deeper appreciation of another's (or, in this case, an animal's) career. The interest and feedback they receive on these posts are typically inquiries and expressions of interest rather than negativity.”

Hollywoodbets has actively initiated projects through the Hollywoodbets Life After Racing Programme. This was started by young Nicole Wille, who approached them with the desire to take on the project of rehoming their horses after their racing careers.

“When it comes to the general welfare of horses, Hollywoodbets is currently the sponsor of the National Horse Trust, contributing significant funds that are distributed to various horse care units, including the Highveld Horse Care Unit and the Coastal Horse Care Unit. Our recent interaction with Tom Ro Haven involved a joint contribution with Cape Racing, where we also used Cape Racing’s expansive social media platform to showcase the incredible work they are doing with rescue horses.” (Watch Youtube video here).

“However, these organisations need much more support, coverage, and exposure. As Vicky Leonard mentioned, we should be highlighting the work these agencies are doing for horse welfare and sharing success stories like that of the Hollywoodbets Life After Racing Programme. They need more investment and support, and currently receive far less than they deserve.”

Donovan Everitt, COO of Cape Racing, echoed Heffer’s sentiments and added: “As marketers, our perspective needs to align content-wise with public perception to avoid misinformation, as demonstrated in the speech. The education strategy and the building of this content needs to be positioned carefully, as there are multiple different demographics, age groups, and the like that this type of strategy would need to appeal to. This is what we have been unpacking at Cape Racing.Younger generations and Generation Z should have content that is accessible, interactive, and relevant to them. The same approach should be taken for punters and the general public.”

Above: Pat Cummings, Executive Director of the National Thoroughbred Alliance

Pat Cummings, Executive Director of the National Thoroughbred Alliance in the United States, said that racing must share its stories relentlessly. This applies to successes (and how they were accomplished), but also to failures (and how we will improve and avoid them in the future).

He commented: “You just never know who is listening, watching or engaging, so this messaging has to be endless, no matter how tiring it might be to racing insiders. Those who’ve been born into the sport, who’ve grown up around horses and racing, or been involved with it for longer than they can remember - they can actually be terrible marketers of the sport and the horse. They’ve seen it all, they use a vocabulary that often limits engagement. They don’t share the sport from the perspective of someone that might be new to it. That’s the opposite of useful marketing!

“While many of us in the sport fully recognize that horses are so remarkably well cared-for, that dozens of hands have a role in the daily care of a horse, the average person doesn’t think about that or realise it. We need to share these experiences and highlight the ups and downs of the journey. Perception is probably more than half the battle, and if someone is against you just based on perception, it’s near impossible to ever hope to win them.”

4Racing’s Chief Operating Officer, Colin Gordon, who attended the ARC, commented: “What really rang true for me was Vicky's statement that, ‘we, as an industry, are so afraid of not being perfect that we say nothing at all’. I think we have often been guilty of this in the past. We have an enormous amount of work to do in this regard, the ARC with the speakers and networks have planted many seeds that will hopefully result in further substantial progress.

“I was very excited to tap into the insights and experience of the highly respected Pat Cummings, who is now focused on this issue and on how the industry better takes responsibility for the lifetime care of racehorses. I unashamedly told him I intend to steal a good many of his ideas!

“On the home front, amidst the many challenges faced by both human and equine in the racing industry post covid and business rescue, 4Racing is proud to have continued on a monthly basis supporting the Highveld and East Cape Horse Care units, who under the auspices of the National Horse Trust do amazing work in South Africa. We’d love to do more and some funding models and ideas that we learnt about with support from the broader industry could really help. While as insiders we know how well thoroughbred horses are looked after as a rule, we can and must do more. Equine aftercare cannot be left to the enormous generosity of a few, because all of us who participate and love our sport are responsible. Worldwide there is a move to equitably share this financial obligation and we need to be a part of it.

“4Racing’s Robyn Louw has some very interesting ideas around tracking a cradle-to-grave approach for thoroughbreds. It’s a dream we hope to work towards in due course. This would also help us ‘spread the word!’, something we racing traditionalists haven’t been particularly good at. We all know that 99% of thoroughbreds are unbelievably well cared for and loved, but we need to get the message across.”

The last word to Vicky Leonard: “When our industry avoids addressing areas that are glaringly out of sync with public acceptance—whether it's the use of whips, horses ending up in kill pens, or the frequency of racing fatalities—we’re not just taking a risk. We’re setting ourselves up for a fall that no amount of PR can ever truly fix. You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube.”

Extracts from Vicky Leonard’s ARC speech used with permission from the author.