THE emergence, and popularity of the so-called ‘pop-up’ races continues to highlight a new approach.

Led by Racing New South Wales with Peter V’Landys at the helm, this innovative programming, has in three short years, upended conventions and introduced a sector of racing to brand new audiences. The Everest, at an eye-watering A$15 million in 2020 has led the charge, not so much as a trojan horse, but rather a battering ram.

Sacrosanct was Victoria Derby Day, but we now have the $7.5 million Golden Eagle for four-year-olds at Rosehill on the same day. The Victoria Racing Club and it’s chair Amanda Elliot, bristled at V’Landy’s “arrogance” to propose such advances, though there is little doubt to neutral observers that the exercise is a success.

This anecdote from Glen Boss speaks volumes, more so than viewership figures and turnover; “When I meet people and I say I have won The Everest they really take notice. It’s got that hype about it. But if I say I’d won the (Group 1) Doncaster or an Epsom - which I consider major races – they say don’t really care. But I talk about winning The Everest and straight away you can see their eyes light up.”

While the Victoria Racing Club fired back with the $5 million All Star Mile, Racing New South Wales has been unrelenting unveiling The Gong, The Hunter, The Kosciuszko, the Bondi Stakes, Golden Gift and the Yes Yes Yes Stakes (celebrating the previous year’s Everest winner), all of which are worth A$1 million or more.

Inglis have also joined the party in New South Wales, with the Inglis Millennium and Inglis Sprint fitting that criteria. Fresh ideas flowing through races are drawing fresh attention.

THE ongoing fatalities in the Melbourne Cup is posing a huge headache to Racing Victoria, who have led the charge in introducing international competitors to Mebourne’s Spring Racing carnival for almost 40 years, with 1983, Vintage Crop’s year, considered by many, the start of the ‘modern era’.

The death of the 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in this year’s Melbourne Cup was the seventh from the past eight editions, five of whom were from northern hemisphere stables. Wichita was also put down in October after failing to recover from complications following surgery from an injury sustained in training.

In response, the Victoria Racing Club has made public their advocacy for the mandatory use of nuclear scintigraphy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and, or, x-rays of all international runners before they enter quarantine.

They also support the appointment of an independent panel of veterinarians to examine all international horses, and a more thorough pre-race inspections once in Australia that may include the compulsory use of Werribee’s standing CT scanner. In conjunction with Racing Victoria, both parties need to do their utmost to prioritise equine safety ahead of 2021 as the ‘Cup story’ is being derailed by racing’s perceived welfare failings in the eyes of the media mainstream.

IN a world more connected than ever it seems counterintuitive that connectedness lacks. Racing’s obsession, let’s face it, with racing, is arguably an Achilles heel.

The relentless cycle of races and results, all rolled into global packages that we have access to, takes us further from what powers this, and any industry, it’s people. Results tend to drive the narrative but arguably a golden opportunity exists to connect with many more than those already ‘in the bubble’.

A recent foray into streaming television brought, Formula 1, Drive to Survive into this correspondents household. While not a motorsport fan we were immediately drawn to the personalities, the results were secondary.

Horse racing has this in abundance, the relationship between horse and human, which dates back centuries, can be transformative. There is a deeper learning to horses that is sometimes labelled unique or exceptional, when in fact it’s accessible to anyone that can touch a horse.

A layered story of people and horses, their personalities, conflicts and connections, woven through the background of a racing season, is nothing new but often stories need to be retold for ‘new readers’.

THE distillation of a series of great jockeys before her, Jamie Kah is the rider for a new era.

Neat, strong, decisive, she is primed to win her maiden Melbourne Jockeys’ Premiership.

Already a three-time winner of the Adelaide Jockeys’ Premiership, the ‘fun fact’ about Jamie Kah is that her parents, John and Karen are former speed skaters who represented Australia at the Winter Olympics in Albertville and Lillehammer.

Their 25-year-old daughter currently leads the Melbourne riders by seven (34 wins) in the Victoria Metro Jockey Premiership with a winning strike rate of 17.9% from 190 rides.

“This year I was hopefully planning on finishing in the top five for the year but now it’s probably a realistic goal to work on trying to win it,” said Kah. “There’s going to be no big holidays coming up this year so I’m going to try and work really hard and try and keep up the top.”

Kah was third on Prince Of Arran at her first ride in the Melbourne Cup. She added: “I still get that excitement from winning a race, there’s nothing like it. But it’s really just the horses. It doesn’t matter where I am, if I’m on a horse I’m happy. I still can’t believe what they do for us, you can’t make them do anything, but they try their hardest to win for you.”

It’s summer now in Australia and we look across the equator with great concern as many countries battle Covid-19.

In Victoria we endured over 100 days of lockdown, the benefits of which we are reaping now. As people start returning to the racetrack and enjoying the sun, we’re looking forward to our northern neighbours sharing that experience - racing returning to normal. Absent crowds have left a hollow feeling to all sports through this global pandemic and at the local level there must also be concern for many smaller clubs that spectators have gotten out of the habit of going racing and may simply not return in the same numbers despite the fact that racing continued uninterrupted through the year.

“Race days haven’t been the same without our members, owners and racing fans, they create the atmosphere that contributes so much to our sport,” highlighted VRC chief Steve Rosich.