SO much has been spoken about what can be done to have the public engage on a more passionate level with flat racing, because - even if the Irish flat product is clearly high class and appreciated by many - audience enthusiasm and overall attendances for National Hunt racing are undeniably superior.

Horse Racing Ireland seems well aware of the country’s preference too. Their own budget announcement for 2026 noted (under the topic of strategic initiatives): “There will be a particular focus on driving engagement with flat racing through marketing and customer-focused initiatives.” We will all watch with interest to see how that can be delivered in an effective manner over the course of the season ahead, and beyond.

Whatever about the governing body’s own efforts, an excellent example of the willingness of participants in the sector to help with that promotion drive was evidenced at the Curragh on Sunday. While woeful weather and short notice of the event being run wouldn’t have helped with numbers, the decision from Coolmore and Ballydoyle (in collaboration with the Curragh) to welcome all to an open gallops morning at the track was one that sent out all the right messages about flat racing.

Not only could anyone come to the Curragh and get up close to some of the world’s best-bred horses, there was a meaningful effort made to connect with those willing to brave the elements.

Between the distribution of lists communicating which horses and jockeys were in action in each workout, a coffee van operating on site, and a Coolmore presence handing out brochures, hats and children’s thoroughbred-themed activity booklets, it was an initiative that those in attendance felt deserved a much stronger turnout. Especially so when Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore took the time inside after the workouts to pose for photos and debrief those in attendance on how the horses had performed.

Repeat encouraged

One can only hope that this isn’t the last time we’ll have something like this put on, and that the positivity emerging from the morning will entice more people back next time. If a world-leading outfit like Ballydoyle can operate with this type of transparency regarding their pieces of work in public, why couldn’t others do similar going forward? Even when horses are exercising in the mornings during Cheltenham Festival week on track, it isn’t always obvious which runners are which, from some of the top yards. Other leading trainers do their bit to help, but identifying horses easily ahead of a premier meeting like that should be a no-brainer.

Of course, the premise of working horses in front of a crowd certainly isn’t new. We can all see footage regularly from barrier trials in Australia featuring Group 1 winners, and recordings of trackwork in the US are commonplace as well.

In this case, however, it is much more about bringing people along the journey with these horses - and no code needs to establish that connection more than flat racing.

The most common complaint heard about why some people don’t engage with the flat is because they feel as soon as a top horse has established a following, they’re often just as quickly whisked off to breeding duties. And that is a fairly legitimate quibble. Nobody is saying it’s easy for the flat to compete with the relationship National Hunt fans can build with horses turning up year after year ,even into their veteran stage, at marquee meetings like Cheltenham.

Next generation

That is why being able to catch the attention of younger racing followers at events like this can count for so much. As someone who didn’t come from a racing background, I’m a firm believer that the positive interactions I had as a young child at the races, getting a racecard signed by a jockey or trainer, or a photo taken, only spurred on my own interest in the game. It certainly didn’t discourage a return visit anyway.

We’re lucky too that, generally speaking, Irish racing’s participants are extremely generous with their time when approached by young people.

Another recent example of that was at the Cheltenham Festival homecoming for Willie Mullins’ championship-race winners last month. The Closutton maestro could be seen taking plenty of time to sign hats and speak to the children who turned out to welcome the champions home in Leighlinbridge. By all accounts, it was a well-supported celebration.

All those little interactions can hopefully count towards something bigger for the sport. It applies to both codes, but working towards a little extra love for the flat feels especially timely as HRI aims to spark a fresh connection with the public. Similar initiatives further into 2026 can only help to drive engagement.