Until horse racing pries itself away from talking to itself, it’s simply going to stay in its own box feeding carrots and patting itself on its back.
Instead, how about listening to those with experience in the entertainment world and who might actually have something relevant to say about the mood of the city and how this affects today’s customer, the importance of the medium of the message, and how to attract new people into this particular circle of life by switching off the Repeat button?
What’s not needed is another circus of life. We see these everyday in the text book clowns we have to listen to and those tired old men “we elected kings”.
This morning, on a new and revitalised RSN, despite those awkward and mawkish radio commercials for The Tobin Brothers funeral homes, the always professional Michael Felgate, below, hosted one of those “healthy debates” with Chris Roots from the Sydney Herald in one corner, and Damien Ractliffe, from The Age in the other.
The radio was on and I was trying to listen to what was being said while my partner watched for the umpteenth time the brilliant documentary on music moguls and inspirational game changers in Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre.
Lost to me, meanwhile, was the raison d’etre for what was happening on the airwaves, and things quickly went down that slippery and sloppy slope where the “healthy debate” became a polite war of words between Team Everest and Team Melbourne Cup.
This seemed to have been kickstarted by something that the famous Richard Callander had either said or tweeted.
When ol’ Blue Eyes slightly lost his, well, rag and called Ritchie a “sycophant”, my partner started giggling to herself.
“Who are those children you’re listening to, baby?” she asked while still watching television.
Knowing the ins and outs and side doors of horse racing through her profession as an excellent legal adviser, who learned the groundwork about the pastime and the various games played through an internship with well-known barrister and much missed good friend Kevin Egan, she just sighed, smirked and shook her head.
About to turn forty, she’s had almost fifteen years of hearing about the great divide that still exists in Australia between the South- Racing Victoria, home of the Melbourne Cup- and the North- Racing New South Wales, home of the Everest and pop-up races, led by the Kanye West of Australian racing in Pete V’Landys.
Whatever one might say about the man, he’s been a game changer in a game that desperately needs changing and still continues to lag way behind creatively marketed and forward thinking sports like basketball, cricket, football, golf, sumo wrestling etc.
As for my partner, not only is she a smart lady, she’s someone with more potential to be a racing fan than most.
Having said this, apart from charging for the legalese involving her clients and their horsey businesses, she wants nothing to do with racing.
The reason: Apart from the gambling albatross which is a major detractor, it’s what she describes as “myopic thinking” by racing’s leaders, something she believes has kept the pastime in its own little box for decades and where the same old natives keep getting restless on Twitter with the same old rants.
It’s not a good ‘look’. It’s where those who were already old back then are now ten years older.
More importantly, nothing has changed in the racing landscape.
Despite the various meetings around the world where there’s pontificating about being “customercentric”- remember that?- and, these days, “embracing technology”, the racing product looks tired and old- and is also corny and uncool.
Another thing: Though what anyone says, horse racing is very much a pastime for very rich people.
It also attracts those who desperately want even a soupçon of this “richness” to rub off on them, or, like Nora Desmond, suffer from terminal delusion, and see themselves as relevant to The Beautiful Life.
Again, it comes down to horse racing being in its own little box, and with many either unwilling to look outside and face the truth, or perhaps, not knowing what to do, jabber in circles and spout glib Corporate Speak.
Listening and paying lip service are those highly paid Oompah Loompahs who give the impression of clinging onto every word- but this act is only until the school bell rings and everyone yawns, stretch their legs and go home.
Tomorrow is another day and when the whole tedious enchilada is rolled up, reheated and served up to the minions or just disappears.
Cue “The Circle Game” and wait for Digit- the Podcast that’s more than a podcast or vlogcast.
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