All kinds of stuff about horse racing, yes, but also other stuff that we find interesting and which maybe you will, too.
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How prepared is horse racing to enter the metaverse?
There was a memorable moment during one of those Happy Wednesday nights when a trio of fabulous looking French girls wanted to know more about the horse racing game.
The first question asked was whether the horses got “too tired”. “Too tired” because they always thought the same horses ran in every race.
From the mouths of babes, indeed, and not so silly.
They also wondered why the jockeys wore such garish looking “blouses” and had absolutely no interest in knowing about what was a quinella or tierce or a Triple Trio, Six Up, Treble etc or learn to read the tote.
They made it very clear that they were at the races to have fun with their friends before going out on the town later, and that they didn’t want any tips.
They simply wanted to know what each jockey looked like and where they were from. If they thought any of the jockeys were “cute”, they backed every horse he rode while supporting every French rider in every race.
We learned much that day about those new to horse racing and how there’s such a thing as “too much information”.
For them, it was all about the KISS Theory- Keep It Simple, Stupid.
All this happened around eight years ago.
Today, there’ve been such enormous changes in technology- and how this technology could perhaps be used- and the introduction of the metaverse, cryptocurrency, bitcoin, trading in NFTs and an entirely different Second Life world coming on stream that’s changing how every business and brand are looking at their future.
For creative marketers and content providers, these are exciting times as it means breaking with tradition and offering new opportunities as technology is never the idea. New technology only helps open new doors TO creativity .
To those who understand what lies behind these doors and what might connect with those looking into these new worlds, there’s every chance to become game changers.
Many more will, as always, follow whatever is trending without even understanding how exactly streaming works and where analytics and algorithms come into play.
The odds are that they will be left behind.
What’s always key to understand is that the rudiments of advertising and marketing will never change. Neither will really good ideas and which is why content will always be king.
It’s a timely reminder of when some of us in advertising were blown away by the 1983 British Airways commercial called “Manhattan”.
It was a brilliant and BIG commercial that had many of us blinded by computer graphics and CGI- Computer Generated Imagery- productions.
Thankfully, some of us had mentors to remind us that the technique is not the idea and the importance of any message appealing to heart and head- meaning creating an emotional attachment between consumers and a brand.
For horse racing, there’s a completely new landscape to explore- though the odds of those calling the shots today having retired by when the unreal metaverse becomes a reality- if it ever will.
Still, nothing like doing the maths and being even ever so slightly prepared...or pretending to be.
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Here come the brothers Lloyd
The Guv’nor- Jeff Lloyd- might have retired, but the huge baton he carried for all those years has been passed onto the more than capable hands of sons Zac and Jaden.
With Dad very much involved in their careers, at Eagle Farm on Saturday, Jaden Lloyd produced an absolutely inspired ride to get the Annabel Neasham trained Bartholomeu Dias home.
Without dwelling on the big winning odds of the galloper, the young Lloyd must have been riding with an angel on his shoulder as the wife of one of the owners had recently passed away. It really was a heaven sent ride.
Meanwhile, it’s been a baptism of fire, and just to mix metaphors, getting his feet wet for brother Zac Lloyd in the best possible way- riding winners since his recent move to Sydney to join Godolphin and ride for leading trainer James Cummings aka The Handsome One, the Tom Cruise of horse racing.
On Saturday, he rode a double at Newcastle for, yes, The Handsome One.
The week before, at a mid week meeting in the bottomless pit of a heavy 10 track at Gosford, Zac had three rides. He won on two of them and placed on the other.
The following Saturday at another provincial meeting at Newcastle, he dictated the race on hot favourite Huon and again won for his new boss-The Handsome One.
Good going in anyone’s book, and especially in NSW where the jockey ranks are chock full of talent- experienced riders like Hugh Bowman, Nash Rawiller, Tommy Berry, Sammy Clipperton, Kieran McEvoy, Tim Clark, Josh Parr etc, emerging new stars like Dylan Gibbons, Ellen Hennessy, Tom
Sherry, Robbie Dolan, and the long shadows of William Pike, Rachel King and, of course, James McDonald.
They are both tough and demanding schools, but for young talents like Zac and Jaden Lloyd, there are no shortage of opportunities to fast track their careers.
It’s not going to be easy, but that’s the beauty of accepting challenges- and succeeding.
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Separated At Birth
James Cummings
Famous Hollywood Actor
Joao Moreira
Speedy González
Lyle Hewitson and Douglas Whyte
Batman and Robin