Was the Everest really the second coming of young ‘racing fans’, as Peter V’Landys and his merry band of media spruikers would suggest? Or was it a display of what young people consider socially acceptable in 2022? A well-publicised rave party always attracts a crowd.
Around the time of the 2018 Opera House marketing ‘fiasco’ – some like Peter V’Landys say it was a cunning stunt – the Australian Turf Club head of marketing Chris Bevan told AdNews, “We thought if it’s the Everest that’s capturing the attention of a potential new racegoer, then we’ve got the opportunity to push to him or her to a myriad of other top-class race days”.
It was a good idea, but no-one converted to the racing ‘church’ in the non-COVID years. According to Bevan, the ‘once-a-year racegoer’ – 1.2 times a year, to be precise – was the predominant ‘fan’ profile in Sydney. It still is.
NSW Racing has failed to move these Everest 18 to 40-year-olds along the marketing funnel, being stuck somewhere between ‘Interest’ and ‘party’ – or interest and ‘consideration’ in the real model.
Conversion? That’s in the delusion funnel.
This was perhaps well illustrated in many of the published photos from the 2022 Everest. These photos suggested most of the younger generation were down enjoying the mosh pit on the lawns and dancing in the bars, not the traditional arenas of racing. Was it telling that Sweet Caroline, a song that had nothing to do with horses, was what got this young crowd going?
They certainly weren’t there trying to reach out and touch a horse.
It also wasn’t the 18 to 40-year-olds snapped admiring horse flesh in the Theatre of the Horse. Perhaps ATC racing officials didn’t bother to tell them about it – after all, the smell of horse manure is not what most young people would associate with a rave party. You certainly don’t want to dance in it.
Putting egos aside, perhaps what the Everest and other heavily promoted racing events – such as the All-Star Mile and the Melbourne Cup carnival – have shown us most of all is that racing is only socially acceptable on a broader scale when it is dressed up as something else.
After all, why would supposed racing fans spend all day in an on-course car park or corporate tent at the Melbourne Cup without a racehorse in sight?
I have almost been deafened by racing administrators’ talk of racing as a product, no longer as a sport. Are racing posts of the future simply going to talk about who puts on the best rave?
The thing about this potential future is that history shows products have life cycles – and so do rave parties. You can only rebadge them so many times. What then?
In today’s more social justice-aware 18 to 40-year-old cohort I expect it is more acceptable to talk about attendance at a party than a race meeting where horses got whipped into a frenzy.
Perhaps what the generation X and Y cohort who attended Randwick are actually telling us is that they’ll only re-engage with racing as a sport when racing executives suck up their egos and fix the sport rather than dress the window in an attempt to deflect or obfuscate society’s concerns about the industry.
After all, it’s not just fringe fanatics who are avoiding going to the races more than 1.2 times a year.
sheek
Roar Guru
Amanforallseasons, You are talking to the converted. I have no time for V'Landys, he is the worst example of individualism, greed & materialism. On TV the other morning, he told Karl Stevonovic (my wife's puts him on to annoy me!) he wants to attract all the young people to the 'Big Dance', "have a bet & maybe win". That last comment was telling, MAYBE win. The new raft of legislation curbing corporate gambling says you are likely to lose more often than you win. Of course, everyone knows that but it must be rammed home. People like V'Landys get rich from lots of other people spending money they can't afford. Even The Everest is a borrowed concept from the US Pegasus, which has since bombed. Not an original thought from V'Landys. Anyway, we'll see for how much longer the Everest continues to attract interest.
Ross Wright
Roar Rookie
Sheek, If you look at the Annual reports for RacingNSW you will notice that they don’t tel you how much wagering turnover occurs on the Everest – just make a loose reference to “it was up 14%”. Last time that V’Landys published comparative data the Everest Wagering I recollect that it was still way (not much over 1/2) behind the Melbourne Cup. They do report it is NSW’s most wagered ‘NSW race’ (not its highest wagered race – which is the Melb Cup). You’ll also find almost no reference to ‘crowds’ and when you do – they are referenced in the same opaque manner and specific to just those that showed improvement. No overall figures anywhere in sight. Which speaks volumes!
brett
Guest
hey Sheek, they walked the first 1000m...and Class really did show in the End I am a little annoyed at myself as I am a Syndicate member of another horse with Aus Bloodstock, Gold Trip's two prior runs should have put the writing on the wall. Melbourne Racing: Jane Ivill is the best in Victoria at picking Horse-Flesh, but I expect Lizzie to become more aware of The horses down south over the next few months... Francesca, well...don't want to put her down, but has she actually picked a Melbourne Cup winner? Deauville Legend tried extremely hard. But the lead-up runs of the three placegetters, were all sensational Sheek, i am grateful a ROAR member such as yourself took the time to read my post, and reply. Geeze, performer of the carnival/s: at the moment 1/ Gold Trip, 2/Anamoe may tie if he enters and wins Champion stakes, 3/ Giga Kick, has come from the clouds and will only improve, 4/ Zougotcha, just couldn't be beaten...one to watch, Perecles, i think he has a future there's always next year, oh well brett
sheek
Roar Guru
Brett, Last night the favourite Deauville Legend was 7.2 points shorter than the 2nd fav. I can't recall a favourite bing so far ahead of everyone else in the betting. Not that that means anything at the moment. As Francesca so perceptively pointed out, the one thing about a long race is the pace it's run at. We won't know until they jump. A sit & sprint or hard run all the way will each throw up almost a completely different set of horses. Then there's the weather...
sheek
Roar Guru
E-Meter, 1863 was the worst, only 7 runners. Archer omitted, either by accident or deliberately.
sheek
Roar Guru
Disagree. He has raised valid points worth discussing.
sheek
Roar Guru
Chris Lewis, This is where I think V'Landys is demonstrating himself to be extremely selfish. As mentioned elsewhere, it's not in the best long-term interests of horse racing to split the best horses & jockeys between two cities at this time. There simply aren't enough good horses & good jockeys for this to continue to be successful for everyone in the industry. However, V'Landys has thrown the challenge out to Vic racing, & they must respond or wither. In tough times, a great idea might spring forth. Getting Oz breeders to produce their own stayers again, instead of relying on Europe, might be a start. But how you incentivise this I don't know. Or maybe Vics join the bandwagon & have no races beyond 2000m (this comment meant to be sarcastic!).
sheek
Roar Guru
I agree with the thrust of this article. Maybe V'Landys flicked back through two decades of after Melbourne Cup photos with blokes passed out on lawns & footpaths & ladies in various states of undress wobbling on one shoe & one missing. He may have thought, we can attract our own young bogans to our own innocuous race that no-one takes any notice of except the hard punter & the perennial loser. Except that V'Landys boasts the Everest now enjoys the greatest wagering of any races in Oz. Is that the whole purpose of thoroughbred racing then? To get drunk & lose your money in the process? V'Landys is slowly strangling Australian horse racing, I think. For two successive weeks, V'Landys has successfully split the leading horses in the country as well as the leading horses between two states. More perceptive minds than me have said Oz racing can't afford to have its best horses & best jockeys split between two major race days. I would love to see the Vics make a more determined effort to disrupt the Sydney autumn carnival. I suspect V'Landys would squeal like a pig. It's okay for him to disrupt the Melbourne spring carnival, but how dare they disrupt the Sydney autumn carnival! Anyway, I have a novel idea. How about we go back to the days when each of the 7 major carnivals - Perth summer, Melbourne autumn, Sydney autumn, Adelaide autumn, Brisbane winter, Sydney spring & Melbourne spring - all had several weeks of window opportunity to run their biggest races, without interference elsewhere. Furthermore, get the breeders back to breeding a variety of horses, sprinters, milers, middlers, stayers, not just sprinters & sprinter-milers. Also, mix up the variety of races better between wfa & handicaps, aged horses & juveniles. Folk might start coming back to the racetrack when there are genuinely half a dozen or more champion horses racing each other at each distance & each variety of race. People might start coming to the track for the horses, for heaven's sake!
Brett
Guest
Sought of disagree with that a little The one thing this year has on the few years past...is lightweight hopes I don't think it will be another prince of Penzance story...but most of the horses on their day could possibly win I think there's value all over the race Overseas horses bar the fave at good odds, group one winners littered throughout the field, and the Lloyd factor(he has a knack on winning) There are ballot exempt races leading up to the cup, as there is for most of racing's showpieces...if you want a spot as a Australian owner or trainer, target them I'm going to enjoy it either win or lose... it's my favourite 3 minutes on the first Tuesday of November Good luck all Brett
Ash
Guest
E meter I remember some pretty ordinary editions of the Melbourne Cup in the 70's and 80's as a kid. But the Cup keeps on keeping on. Let's see where the Everest is in 20 years before we can really judge it's worth.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
Then there’s this years Melbourne Cup which would have to be it’s worst field since 1862.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
yes, i would agree that the spring is not the same as the past. But, as a keen punter, i actually think i have more options these days as i tend to bet mainly on the good class horses. However, it does seem silly that Sydney and Melbourne are now competing on key Spring days for the best horses and jockeys.
J.T. Delacroix
Guest
And the winner of 2022’s Wowser Of The Year Award goes to…(drumroll)…….Amanforallseasons!!!
Davico
Roar Pro
FMD, when are mexicans going to give up this obsession?? Seriously, no one in Sydney gives a flying about some supposed rivalry, though a rivalry implies that both sides actually care. Melbourne is a fantastic place, I don’t think you will get many in Sydney that would argue, but their is less chips at Crown than seem to be on the shoulders of Melbournians
Realist
Roar Rookie
I'm not saying it isn't good, Chris, it's just not what Peter V'landys says or thinks it is and it never will be. I love horse racing, especially during the spring, but I forgot it was even on and only saw the replay on the evening news. It just doesn't have the romance, history and national interest of the Melbourne Cup.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
Do you really need tradition to be good. I think the Everest has been reasonably successful. The good horses are racing in it, and the punters are embracing it while it it lasts. I am, for one. Things change.
max power
Guest
typical melburnian, missed the whole point of the article. yes melbourne is great, shame about the people
Realist
Roar Rookie
The Everest has no tradition behind it and it wouldn't matter how much prize money is on offer it will never get close to The Melbourne Cup as an event. Did the Nation stop last week when the Everest was on? A perfect example of a Sydney type event. What's that saying, Sydney is the girl you have fling with, Melbourne is the girl you marry and take home to meet your Mother.
Prez
Roar Rookie
The public interest in the actual racing at the Spring carnival and the Melbourne Cup jumped the shark sometime after the Makybe Diva triple. People are less invested when they don't know any of the horses. Even as a casual punter it used to be possible to follow some of the horses through the spring carnival. So really that just leaves it as a big party.