MANY years ago I was called upon by Mary Fitzgerald to talk to ‘students’ at UCD and UL on the subject of sales companies and their place in the world of horseracing. For seven years Mary coordinated the course which was aimed at giving those on the fringes of racing, or with an interest in learning about the business and sport, an insight into its many diverse aspects.

I know many people whose interest and involvement in racing was fuelled by the course. Since it ended there has been a gap in the market for something similar. After too long a gap, it is Mary herself who has done something about it and in February the course is back.

‘Horses for Courses’ is an opportunity to learn from a broad range of speakers and presenters, including breeders, trainers, owners, jockeys, racegoers, betting industry personnel, racecourse managers, Horse Racing Ireland and Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board executives, racing media, sponsors, and more.

Speakers already named include Johnny Murtagh, John Oxx, Brian Kavanagh, Denis Egan, Keith Rowe and Charles O’Neill. Course attendees will also have a day at the races, a trip to Kildangan Stud after the course, as well as weekly draws for great racing prizes.

I am writing this editorial after a day of racing at Cheltenham. Over lunch, chat covered a wide range of topics, from the recent sales polarisation to the health of racing, equine welfare and more. Central to all discussions is the need to make racing more attractive to a new audience, and for many the key to this is to demystify it, its unique jargon and explain it in a comprehensible format.

When I mention this usually among industry professionals, they often sigh or raise their eyes skywards. What they tend to forget is that without new blood being brought into the sport of racing, we will have no need in future for a breeding industry.

Many sports have had to change their ways dramatically to retain audiences. Soccer, cricket and rugby are three examples of sports that have adapted to keep their product fresh and attractive to an audience.

Racing has adapted too, especially in the area of equine welfare and racecourse safety, and this has sometimes been forced upon us by events.

Some have rubbished the idea of a new team format for racing, reported in this paper last week, but the reality is that without a format that provides excitement for the viewer, racing could find itself a forgotten sport in the decades ahead.

Go online if you want more information on the new course, and what a Christmas gift it would be. The Irish Field is proud to partner with this welcome initiative.

eventbrite.ie (search for ‘Horses for Courses’)