What I learned on Wednesday at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program's Global Symposium on Racing – Day Two.
While the opening panel discussions on Tuesday were about as cheery as a Dostoevsky novel, Wednesday's sessions were decidedly more uplifting – for the most part. Meeting some of the students and listening to presentations from people who are trying to make a positive difference reminded me of how I felt about the Symposium when I first began attending some 30 years ago. At its best, the annual gathering is an idea factory, giving people something to take home with them when they return to their jobs.
Following are some notes and opinions from Wednesday.
—RTIP Senior Capstone Presentations. Ben Atkinson and Eric DeCoster kicked off the day with a pair of presentations that were as different as night and day.
Atkinson examined ways of making racing a more popular and approachable sport through the use of short videos, or reels, that are increasingly popular on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube. He cited research saying people's attention spans have decreased by 25 percent over a 15-year period (not coincidentally, when smartphones started growing out of our hands). The short videos are meant to introduce racing people – jockeys, grooms, and many others – to the public in easily digestible interviews.
DeCoster had more of an “inside baseball” presentation on how to modernize the condition book, adapting a handicap rating system like those used in other countries and revising how claiming races are written. A survey he conducted showed that even racing secretaries, trainers and owners find the way races are currently written to be confusing.
Racing can use more people like Atkinson and DeCoster to lead us into the light.
—“Racing's Success Stories – The Year in Review,” followed the student presentations and, unlike most of Tuesday's panels dominated by aging, white males (like me!), this group looked and sounded different.
There was moderator Annise Montplaisir, co-founder and president of Amplify Horse Racing, whose mantra is “Making Tracks for the Next Generation” through education, mentorship and career opportunities. Kirsten Green, executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project, reviewed the tremendous growth of the Thoroughbred Makeover that features former racehorses showing their skills in other disciplines. Hallie Hardy, executive director of Horse Country – which facilitates tours for the general public of working horse farms in Central Kentucky – relayed how those visits can change perceptions of how Thoroughbreds are cared for. Kyle McDoniel, chief operating officer for Equibase, suggested that expanded data collection can help racing catch up with how other sports use statistics to engage their fans. And Jodie Vella-Gregory, vice president of industry relations for 1/ST Racing and Gaming, provided a promising report on the growth of the recently formed Horse Racing Women's Summit.
With the possible exception of McDoniel and Equibase, none of these initiatives are designed to have an immediate impact on wagering – which remains an essential short- and long-term economic indicator for the sport. But all of them, in their own way, can make a difference in public opinion and on racing's social license to operate. Every one of them is a valuable asset for the industry.
—A third panel on Wednesday morning dealt with a difficult subject that until recently was taboo. “Out of the Shadows – Shining a Spotlight on Mental Health and Emotional Wellness” featured active jockeys Trevor McCarthy and Kyle Frey, and retired rider and current filmmaker Nathan Horrocks. Also speaking were three people dedicated to helping others get through difficult times: Epic Risk Management facilitator Ryan Tatusko, a former professional baseball player who attempted suicide while dealing with a severe gambling addiction; Judy Beck, a licensed clinical social worker with the Backstretch Employee Service Team at New York Racing Association tracks; and Dr. Ciara Losty, a sports psychologist who works with Irish jockeys on mental health issues. The panel was deftly moderated by retired jockey and NBC Sports reporter Donna Barton Brothers.
A screening of Horrocks' short film, “The Fail,” a gripping emotional tale of a steeplechase jockey dealing with the aftermath of a high-profile fall, followed the session.
McCarthy and Frey were extremely candid about the pressures they've faced, with Frey admitting that he “needed a mental health break” and was away from racing for two months this summer after experiencing “a full-blown panic attack.” He entered a 12-step program for what he called “untreated alcoholism,” citing Southern California's Winners Foundation and the racetrack chaplaincy for getting him the treatment he needed.
East Coast-based McCarthy talked about the endless grind that jockeys endure and the fear of losing business if they dare to take time off. “Jockeys don't get time off to reset, to give their bodies a break,” he said. “We have to be disciplined all the time, 365 days a year.”
He shared a story about finding joy from a riding accident that left him with a broken wrist because he realized he would finally get a break. “I was happier than a pig in poop,” he said.
McCarthy also said he's taken a lengthy break from social media after getting into a fight with people on Twitter last summer.
The discussion came in the wake jockeys Avery Whisman and Alex Canchari taking their own lives earlier this year.
—The remaining sessions focused on how racing can and is dealing with economic and societal pressures that jeopardize its very future.
Alan Foreman, moderating a panel entitled “From Data to Dollars – Understanding Horse Racing's Economic impact as Racing's Future Is Questioned,” opened with some grim but realistic comments: “It is no longer being quietly asked: Is it time to end horse racing?” Foreman called the reliance for survival on state and federal lawmakers “the elephant in the room that we dodge,” adding that those in denial about the threat should “just ask the Greyhound industry,” which has been eliminated in state after state.
The remainder of the panel helped answer Foreman's question of whether the economics of the horse industry can overcome the anti-racing sentiment that seems to be more vocal than ever. Julie Broadway, president of the American Horse Council, previewed results of a 2023 economic impact study that is used to demonstrate the significance of the horse industry in terms of jobs, support of small businesses, and significant contributions to the economy. In terms of racing, Householder said, in her conversations with federal legislators, “We also talk a lot about what we do with the horses when they come off the track.”
National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Tom Rooney – a former member of Congress who now works in Washington, D.C., to elevate racing's profile – said dealing with the current Congress is “extremely difficult. Whether or not anything is going to get accomplished in the next year for our industry or anybody is dubious to predict.” He added that many of today's politicians “are more interested in clicks or becoming famous than getting things done.”
Najja Thompson, executive director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, and Lonny Powell, CEO of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association, both stressed the importance of economic data in support of the industry to gain support in their state capitols. “Economic impact studies have to be relatable to legislators,” Powell said. He cited three states he's worked in, saying in Washington he was able to show that the horse industry was bigger than ship-building; in Arizona, racing was the third largest tourist attraction; and in Florida, it is bigger than Major League Baseball's spring training season.
Powell also roundly criticized racetrack executives for not participating in the AHC economic survey, saying only four tracks responded. “How are we going to tell our story if no one is even trying?” he asked. “I don't get it.”
—Turf Publicists of America's Mark Kaufman Workshop focused on “Communications and Protocols for Equine and Jockey Injuries,” offering some insights on how to get the message out to media and the public that racing is improving its safety record for horses and riders. Amy Zimmerman, senior vice president at Santa Anita Park, suggested racing people should reclaim the term “animal activist,” because no one cares more about horses that the people who work with them on a daily basis. “I'm an animal activist,” she said, calling those who oppose the sport “racing abolitionists” and “extremists.”
Chip Tuttle, a partner with CTP in Boston that advises a number of racing organizations, said it is up to the sport to get out the message that injuries are decreasing overall despite some high-profile incidents in the past year. “Racehorse deaths generate clicks and eyeballs,” Tuttle said. “If we want the more positive narrative, we really have to shout it from the rooftops ourselves.” Tuttle said the NTRA has done a good job putting together information on its website showing the many safety protocols for horses but that the public is unaware of many of those efforts.
–Integrity issues dominated the final two panels, with the first session spotlighting regulatory investigation teams used for major events and the second featuring a variety of people from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit. The latter included information on how much of the data now being collected on horse health is being used by HISA, how HIWU's investigation unit goes about its work, and the progress being made in drug testing and harmonization of laboratories contracted with HIWU to conduct pre-post, post-race and out-of-competition testing.
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