Tanya Stevenson: The Sunday Evening Experiment An Unwanted Dilemma

Let's be clear by my own admittance I'm a massive cynic but I believe horse racing sold its soul to (betting) media rights, but with it came the problems that are now surfacing. 

The media rights were on a pay per-race basis and not enough emphasis was put on the content of the races, thus resulting in a conveyor belt of quantity rather than quality.

The revenue was known but there was no guarantee it would grow and because the product is quantity rather than quality, that hasn’t always been attractive enough to watch and bet on.

Until recent turnover-based deals racing has with each year increased the number of races with smaller and smaller fields and the ability of owners to cover fees, from close to zero to none. 

Trainers are chasing poor prize money. Jockeys are competing over fewer and fewer rides and with all energy and utility prices rising, well in fact prices rising on everything, then as a trainer, jockey, stable hand, or just anyone, it's clearly very hard to deal with and afford the current climate.

Of course racecourses control media rights income. There is no obligation on them to either disclose details or to pass on a substantial amount towards prize money. They are a commercial business.

There’s an obsession to draw in a new audience, that’s fine, but don’t do it by alienating the core loyal customers who have always stood by the sport. 

It’s safe to say the sport is now desperate. The urgency has led to competing parties finally sitting together for the interest of the sport and that's a start.

I'm not going to tackle Premier Racing or Premierisation yet as that hasn’t had a proper day or crack at it so far. Fair play to Plumpton last Sunday, that was great. 

But Plumpton has always been great ever since the 70s when I first set foot on the brilliant, warm welcoming venue.

Sticking with that Sunday, Wolverhampton hosted the first experimental Sunday evening meeting with all the relevant sports hierarchy, making the right noises and statements speaking to Matt Chapman (I thought Matt did a superb job).

However, it’s the participants and customers that need listening to. It’s been too long presumed what the customer wants rather than asking them. Of course, there will be a vast differential of answers, but the courtesy of giving them a voice is a start.

Did anyone check that there might be the possibility of a massive FA Cup encounter clashing with the first experimental Sunday evening racecard?

Obviously, at the time of planning, they wouldn't have known it would be Arsenal v Liverpool, and not everyone follows or supports those two teams but whatever teams had filled that slot it would immediately draw away from the racing on offer.

There needs to be an appreciation of the whole sporting calendar, racing's prowess to compete is not what it once was and little, yet significant details like this are crucial. I fear there’s still a continued naivety in the circle that racing is loved above all other sports, it has big numbers on spectators, which it should given the sheer number of meetings held each year; but even that is dwindling.

Sunday Evening Racing Clashing With Big Sports

Back to the scenario of a Sunday evening. It’s an unwanted dilemma for most, particularly the trainers, jockeys and stable staff.

Standing back and looking on, I have worked Sunday evenings, mainly doing unpaid prep for as long as I can remember, perhaps going back to the early 90s. I have no work/life balance, it’s a conscious decision and I admit it’s not a healthy one.

But it suited me and my obsession which are my interests. It just happens that the need to watch greyhound race replays when standing up as a bookmaker 30 years ago, the final round of PGA golf, the NFL and more recently producing greyhound programmes have meant my Sunday evenings have always been full.

I can’t let go as it would be costly to miss a race, drive, putt, or Touchdown.

Self-employment is a life choice, it comes with the ability to be the master of your destiny, but the risks are that you invest in loyal employers and the need to modernize, to be adaptable. 

For those starting out it can be nigh on impossible to get on the first few rungs of the ladder and in racing’s fickle industry there are many good people cast aside for no reason.

A Burden For All Involved

Stable staff already work unsociable hours giving devotion to the horses and now they are being asked to do more, for a Sunday evening programme. There is of course this relenting emphasis that it is only six and we have to try. 

Then there are the jockeys, I have the utmost sympathy for them. If they don’t keep their allegiance with the horse, trainer, and owner because they have decided not to ride Sunday evenings, then they rely on continued loyalty retaining them in the future.

Those who have picked up the ride instead may have the ride thereafter and if he or she is successful they may pick up further rides that would have gone to the jockey who doesn’t ride on Sunday evenings.

I hear the plausible and potentially great idea that the conditions of the races are that they are apprentice, amateur, hands and heels only races. It's opportunity creation perhaps, and mitigates the scenario suggested to some degree but not totally and is that the spectacle that brings new audience, or triggers an uplift in interest betting wise?

I wonder how many owners are happy to run on Sunday evenings, and do they match the trainers views. If not what next, horses moving yards to bigger more well resourced operations to suit? 

Stable staff are rewarded little enough and adding more consideration or extra days, hours, toil to the shift pattern is very unhelpful at best. Please everyone spare a thought for the participants.

Take A Look At All Of Tanya Stevenson's Racing Articles Here

Where does the customer come in on all of this, better be pretty high up, whether coming through the turnstile or punting on the races on their betting apps. Without their interest in wanting to watch and bet, there are no media rights. 

Racing has based the idea on a need to boost the funding model. Those in charge will have the figures available to say what races have worthwhile turnover to put such Sunday evening meetings on.

It frustrates me that I regularly hear trotted-out racing will soon be like greyhound racing, please take out the soon, it's already there. It's trapped in the biggest catch-22 ever.

Is it right to tell a commercial promoter how to run their business? Hard decisions have to be made and I guess they were discussed but it takes courage and trust. I do sense things have to get worse before they get better.

It doesn’t help to be a dissenter if you don't come armed with a plausible alternative and yes six Sunday evenings are an experiment. But they are only an experiment to help what I believe is a failing funding model. It is that which needs further scrutiny.

Although these words may not show how much I love this sport I wouldn’t be here now or who I am without it. But the frustration and anger I express are purely because there is too much taken out and not enough put back.