by Seb Sharpe
With many sporting events still cancelled it is a miracle that horse racing has returned, albeit behind closed doors. As a horse racing fan this is interesting as this could have considerable impact on the outcomes of upcoming races. To understand why, you must first understand the influence of the crowd in horse racing. In normal circumstances the famous Royal Ascot Gold Cup brings in crowds of around 70,000 spectators at the racecourse This, plus sunshine and alcohol often results in a loud, active crowd who play their part in creating the atmosphere. Thoroughbred horses can be impacted by this in varying ways, with some more timid horses becoming skittish and unsettled by the noise and onlookers and others remaining calm. Some horses even enjoy the crowds making them rise to the occasion. This temperament is viewed by onlookers in the paddock, a sort of parade ring where runners are displayed pre-race. This pre-race period is also significant for those who enjoy betting as bookies often rapidly change odds (either lengthening or shortening) depending on the horse’s behaviour in the paddock, as by viewing a horses temperament and reaction, pre-race, spectators gain some further insight into the animal’s potential performance.
Horse racing is an inherently gambling led sport, one of the few left as other ‘sports’ such as dog fighting and dog racing are rightly illegal. Without gambling - multi billion pounds enterprise, horse racing would not exist. Betting has not been free from impact due to covid 19. Many more people have been accessing online betting from home during this period due to the combination of live tv coverage and mobile betting apps meaning that it has become even easier for punters to place many bets with ease. This is beneficial for the sport as it improves engagement, however, this also leads to major ethical questions as Britain faces a gambling addiction crisis.
For the first time in the sport’s long history, the way a race-horse responds to the race and the occasion as a whole has been changed. Racehorses are very intensively trained away from crowds working in small groups with their stablemates only stepping on to the public stage as they travel the country, and in some cases, the world, in pursuit of fame and riches for their owners, trainers, jockeys and themselves. I will be interested to see potentially unknown horses being catapulted into recognition if they begin to perform well thanks to the lack of noise and crowd at the racecourses over the coming weeks and possibly months.
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| (image: CC BY-SA 3.0, wiki commons) |
Horse racing is an inherently gambling led sport, one of the few left as other ‘sports’ such as dog fighting and dog racing are rightly illegal. Without gambling - multi billion pounds enterprise, horse racing would not exist. Betting has not been free from impact due to covid 19. Many more people have been accessing online betting from home during this period due to the combination of live tv coverage and mobile betting apps meaning that it has become even easier for punters to place many bets with ease. This is beneficial for the sport as it improves engagement, however, this also leads to major ethical questions as Britain faces a gambling addiction crisis.
For the first time in the sport’s long history, the way a race-horse responds to the race and the occasion as a whole has been changed. Racehorses are very intensively trained away from crowds working in small groups with their stablemates only stepping on to the public stage as they travel the country, and in some cases, the world, in pursuit of fame and riches for their owners, trainers, jockeys and themselves. I will be interested to see potentially unknown horses being catapulted into recognition if they begin to perform well thanks to the lack of noise and crowd at the racecourses over the coming weeks and possibly months.
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