Boost Ownership By Catering to What Racing Is All About

I had a neat chat on social media yesterday with a few geeky horse racing and business folks. We were trying to come up with some sort of linear function of what horse ownership is.

Clearly, when approximately 50 cents out of every dollar invested in horseflesh is your rate of return, it's much more than just about purses; which is pretty interesting, considering how much horsemen groups particularly place on the purse variable in racing; not to mention the empirical data that is accompanied it.

What's it all about? A lot of things.

Over at Thoroughbred Commentary, York Racecourse was looked at in this regard:

"Since 2011, owners with runners at York have enjoyed the use of a dedicated lounge and dining room, with unobstructed views of the racecourse and parade ring. A recently completed building was also set aside to congratulate connections of winning horses.  They instantly receive a USB stick with a still photograph of their winner, together with a DVD of the race. Within a week, winning owners are sent a photograph of the happy occasion within a silver frame. And celebratory glasses are raised not just by winning connections, but by those owning the second, third, and fourth horses home. "

We can call that ego stroking, or giving into rich horse owners wishes, or whatever you want to call it. I call it good business.

Perks are a big part of shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for a horse. Perks are a big part of $5,000 a month bills, and $10,000 vet bills, and everything else. The owner experience in both Thoroughbred and harness racing can, and should do much better.