Horse racing is under siege–not by its own reality, but by a story we are failing to control. Worst-case scenarios aren't just seen as common; they've become the rule in the public's mind. The New York Times, among others, understands this well. So they don't report on horse racing; they frame it. Their stories don't [...]

Scandals involving top equestrians have ignited fierce debates about animal welfare at the Olympics. As comparisons to horse racing's more controversial practices emerge, TTR AusNZ's Vicky Leonard discusses how all equestrian sports face mounting pressure to address these issues head-on, requiring strong leadership to ensure robust practices that can uphold public acceptance. It's the grand [...]

In the last half of 2017 I published a series of six blogs about the relevance issue that threatens the racing industry's future. The response was bigger than I expected and out of it has come a collective resolve to act, now called Thoroughbred 21. We live in a technologically advanced, increasingly urbanised and risk-averse [...]

Over the last two months Australian horse racing has hit a purple patch of form. It kicked off with an incredible inaugural Everest event where, for the first time in Sydney for decades, the crowd roared as the barriers broke open for the big race. Only a fortnight later, a highly infectious dose of Winx-mania [...]

The Everest was, quite simply, the most exciting day of racing I've attended in Sydney. The atmosphere was electric. The race spectacular. The hype fulfilled. I've lived in the harbour city since 2011 and this day was everything I wanted from our wonderful sport, and everything Racing NSW's leader Peter V'Landys promised it would be. [...]

A wise person once told me: “If you want to change somebody's behaviour you must first change their attitude.” In Blog 1 last week, I discussed research that indicated society's perception toward horse racing is becoming increasingly negative. Data can show us what people are doing and saying, but we need to look deeper to [...]

Ask anyone in horse racing how the Australian horse racing industry is going and they would answer 'pretty darn well.' Our prizemoney is relatively sustainable across all levels, our bloodstock prices are among the highest in the world and our racehorse quality is now appropriately recognised by international standards. We have Winx, Chautauqua and a [...]