AS a recent graduate from the Royal Agricultural University, having studied International Equine and Agricultural Business, this year I was given the opportunity to form my dissertation study.

I chosed to move from Limerick to study in Cirencester because this course fulfilled my passion for horses and my eagerness to progress my business studies at school.

The exposure this course has offered me directly to the horse racing industry, particularly on a study trip to Kentucky, has steered my passion towards the marketing of the thoroughbred industry.

The amount of racehorse owners, the quantity of horses in training and the success of racecourses all depend on the public attending a raceday. When deciding on my dissertation topic, I took the opportunity to further investigate this question.

I studied the motives behind National Hunt racegoers.

I was pleased to learn that 10 million adults in the UK have been or are planning on going to horse racing. A further 34 million are aware of horse racing.

It is generally easier and cheaper to attract repeat consumers than to attract newcomers, for this reason I was surprised to realise that, in the UK, the average annual attendance of a racegoer is just 1.2 race days.

I used a digital questionnaire distributed through relevant Facebook groups, to analyse the opinions of National Hunt racegoers, combined with racecourse attendance data analysis and an interview with an industry professional.

The population was segregated on the basis of their level of understanding of horse racing and their age. In all, 167 questionnaires were answered.

Newcomers to National Hunt horse racing are attracted on the basis of the social experience.

The more often these individuals attend, the more interested they become in the sport of horse racing.

MOTIVATED

Racegoers motivated by the horses racing are likely to attend more race days than someone motivated primarily by the social experience. Racedays also play a role for a proportion of newcomers as an escape from everyday life.

There is a difference between the levels of understanding of horse racing and the preferences to attend a high profile race day alone, compared to a low profile race day with a preferred entertainment aspect.

Almost 90% of questionnaire respondents saw horse racing as an accessible sport. Reductions in raceday costs and improved transport links were the most popular suggestions to improve this level of accessibility.

The cost of a raceday was deemed the greatest deterrent to racegoers attending more often; however, the industry professional stated that racegoers tend to include personal expenditure on top of admission prices.

The most popular suggestions for raceday improvements centred around improving the range and reducing the price of food and non-alcoholic drink and increasing the amount of seating.

Over 130 respondents saw horse racing as a well-run sporting event and rated it highly in comparison to other sports.

An insight to horse racing through a key stakeholder of the horse racing industry was the most popular social experience.

Celebrity attendance was the least popular social experience.

Entertainment is most important for racecourses that don’t feature regular high quality races. A case study on Warwick racecourse showed that themed race days attracted larger crowds than a race day holding a graded race.

Horse racing boasts a unique experience where short periods of sporting action intertwine with ample intervals of social interaction.

Quieter, low profile race days host a more personal atmosphere with top trainers and jockeys present alongside racegoers, this is not experienced in any other sport.

Racegoers will attend race days the more they understand horse racing. Racecourses should work throughout their own racing calendar and with that of other racecourses to encourage these race goers to learn about the sport.

This can be achieved through the use of social and entertainment features that promote learning of horse racing. This should particularly be emphasised on low profile race days.

Niamh McCarthy is from Fedamore, Co Limerick and currently working at Woburn Stud in the UK for yearling sales preparation.

KEY POINTS

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