Over 300 delegates among the racing industry attended the Racing Foundation Conference at Ascot Racecourse on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The main themes of the conference were to build understanding and prompt collaboration around racing's social licence challenges.
Bob Langert, the former vice president of corporate social responsibility and sustainability at McDonald's, TedTalk speaker and author, delivered the keynote address.
Langert said, “During my time at McDonald's, we faced many detractors in the form of activist campaigns, books and movies and media coverage on multiple issues…One central reason for McDonald's not only surviving, but having continued success and growth, is that it took the importance of having public acceptance, protecting our brand and earning trust, very seriously.
“Horse racing faces similar challenges today in terms of public perception, specifically around whether the sport is safe, the treatment of its equine participants, and its place in society. For the sport not just to survive, but thrive in the future it must accept and engage with those challenges, as McDonald's did previously.”
Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale was also among the speakers. There were several changes to the Grand National ahead of the 2024 edition of the race implemented by the Jockey Club, from reducing the maximum number of runners to moving the first fence 60 yards closer to the start. However, those changes met with a mixed reaction from those both in and outside of the sport.
Truesdale said of the Grand National, “It is a race we should all be extremely proud of. It's a race that is the main shop window of our sport and it's a race that we need to preserve and protect.
“But it's also a race for which we need to maintain its acceptability to society because it is one of racing's, and indeed Britain's, biggest sporting assets. It is our job to preserve it, look after it, evolve it and improve it.”
Another issue discussed at the conference was youth engagement, as well as attracting the next generation of racegoers. Collaboration was also highlighted as vital, especially during the World Horse Welfare panel on public acceptance of horse sports, led by chief executive Roly Owers. An emphasis on environmental sustainability was also utilised throughout the conference.
For more information on the conference, please visit the Racing Foundation website.
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