In the New Year's newspapers one sports journalist listed his 10 hopes for sport in 2015.
One of the items on his list was the hope that "racing promotes itself as sport, not just a good day out."
He stated the statistic that the Jockey Club estimates "80% of racegoers have little or no knowledge about what they are seeing."
There was more to a day's racing than a few beers and bets.
It's an admirable hope but one that is likely to go unfulfilled this year. Getting fully immersed in horseracing takes a lot of time and effort: understanding the different types of races, the peaks and toughs of the racing calendar, the terminology, the equine form, the characters (equine and human) etc.
The fact that there is racing nearly everyday of the year makes it difficult and time consuming for all but the most dedicated enthusiast to keep up with daily racing developments.
In addition, unless you subscribe to the satellite racing channels, it is also hard to watch racing on a regular/daily basis (even if you weren't at work during the day) as a means of improving your understanding when you go to the racecourse.
It is, therefore, inevitable, that most racegoers will be at the racecourse for a good day out rather than a passion for the sport of racing. They maybe visit their local track a few times per year, seeing completely different horses (and possibly jockeys) on each occasion and perhaps watch one or two other days of racing on television (Grand National, Epsom Derby) throughout the rest of the year. Under these circumstances it is hard to improve one's real appreciation for the nuances of the sport of racing or build up an affinity for certain horses, jockeys or trainers.
One suggestion: display information around the parade ring at racecourses as to what to look for in a fit and healthy racehorse, such as suggested in the article below.
http://turfaccounts.blogspot.com/2013/11/go-racing-and-get-edge.html
