Aushorse Comp To Stimulate Ownership

Aushorse, in partnership with Fairfax Media, is staging for the second time its Own A Champion competition, which will allow its winner the ultimate raceday experience as an owner for the day of Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) when he attempts a title defense of the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at The Championships Apr. 9. Entrants will submit a name suggestion for a Criterion foal out of the mare Ruud Awakening. The winner, selected by Criterion's owner/breeder Sir Owen Glenn, will receive flights for two to Sydney from an Australian capital city; accommodation and transportation to and from the track and hospitality at the races for five friends. What's more, the winner will have the chance to join Criterion's connections in the parade ring and will take home 10% of the 5-year-old's earnings in the A$4 million race–A$200,000 if he wins.

Aushorse first staged the Own A Champion competition last year with Gerry Harvey's Royal Descent (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus})–who awarded contest winner Jonathan Wood to the tune of A$20,000 when finishing third in the G1 Doncaster H.–but for Aushorse the initiative is about much more than providing a great day out for one lucky winner; it is about stimulating racehorse ownership and improving owner experience.

The Own A Champion competition was started last year as a means to build a database of people interested in racehorse ownership but not already involved in the sport. Aushorse sought to identify the key drivers that develop interest in horse ownership, and also to understand how to increase ownership rates through building awareness and knowledge of the ownership experience. Contest entrants–there were about 10,000 of them–were sent a survey, with about 1,800 responding to questions about why they follow racing and, if applicable, why they own racehorses. Aushorse Chief Executive Officer Tom Reilly said some clear trends emerged from the survey.

“Just under half of the respondents had never been owners, and the other just over 50% was split almost exactly between people who were currently owners and people who were lapsed owners,” Reilly explained. “We were able to really drill down into why people are interested in ownership, and then also where the knowledge gaps are.”

Reilly said one of the greatest trends arising from the survey was the need for education. “For people who hadn't been owners, 95% of them didn't know where to start,” he said. “So it really highlighted the need for Aushorse, and also the principal racing authorities, the state-based bodies, and the racetracks themselves–we have to figure out new ways, big strategies, to enable people to feel comfortable to know what sort of ownership they want to get involved in and where to get trusted information from.”

As a result of last year's survey, Aushorse hosted an event at Royal Randwick last April where trainers Gai Waterhouse and Bjorn Baker, among others, spoke to about 400 guests–invited survey participants. Reilly said some of those guests had subsequently contacted Aushorse to say they'd become owners.

The project has been given a significant leg-up by its partnership with Fairfax Media. One of Australia's largest media outlets, Fairfax gave last year's competition more than A$270,000 in free advertising in various media like the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review and The Age, among others. This year's competition will see over A$300,000 in free advertising display in Fairfax media, including a prominent position on the homepage of the Sydney Morning Herald (shm.com.au), the busiest news site in Australia.

“It's not an original, out-of-the-box idea, but the platform we have for it, tying it in with our big media company, gives it a huge reach,” Reilly explained.

Propelled by the popularity of A$7 million earner Criterion, this year's competition is set to be bigger and better. Reilly explained this year's entrants–there have been 2,500 in the first 48 hours–have to answer a series of questions in order to enter, including how interested they are in becoming an owner; what would encourage them to become an owner; and also questions design to test the level of education required, such as if they know what a bloodstock agent or syndicator is.

“Hopefully we can work out who the ones are that we can come back to and try to keep them informed and get them to ownership events and things like that,” Reilly said.

Criterion is set to contest Saturday's G1 Ranvet S., and Reilly said, “he's stepping up to 2000 metres so hopefully he'll run well and that'll build the excitement.”