Five huge changes which transformed racing over the past decade

The rise and rise of social media

It is hard to think of an industry that has not been impacted to some degree by the sustained rise in popularity of social media this decade and racing is certainly no exception. It may seem unthinkable now, but ten years ago Twitter was in its infancy, Instagram did not exist and Facebook was largely a means of catching up with old friends.

For media organisations, the days of holding on to an 'exclusive' story are long gone, with someone, somewhere sure to be leaking the same story to the world on Twitter, which has become a key platform for breaking news.

Social media in racing has also helped bridge the gap between professionals, such as trainers and jockeys, and their fans, making the two accessible to one another in a way that was unimaginable in the past.

Indeed, the likes of Twitter and Facebook have become integral to many trainers, the more savvy of whom use the social networks as a key vehicle to promote their business and communicate to the public.

Social media is not without its dark side, with too many examples of trainers and riders receiving abuse from irate punters but the positives surely outweigh the negatives, which is just as well considering it is here to stay.

ITV Racing: a successful partner for British racing over the past three yearsCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Racing's big switch to ITV

New Year's Day 2017 heralded a new chapter in the coverage of British racing on mainstream television, marking the sport's long-awaited comeback on ITV.

From the Grand National to the Gold Cup, and from the Derby to Royal Ascot, racing once again became a stablemate to Coronation Street and Emmerdale, just as it had been until ITV gave away the last of its rights to Channel 4 in 1985.

Since controversially acquiring the BBC's crown jewels from the start of 2013, Channel 4's tenure as racing's sole terrestrial partner was beset by disastrous ratings for most of the high-profile fixtures.

By severing ties with Channel 4 at the end of 2016, the sport's rights holders – led by Racecourse Media Group, Jockey Club Racecourses, Ascot, British Champions Series and Arena Racing Company – hoped the transfer of racing's showpiece events to a more popular mainstream channel would help to regain many of those viewers lost on Channel 4, which has proved to be the case.

Audience figures for Britain's flagship fixtures have recovered considerably under ITV, reflecting the overall uplift enjoyed by the sport since the start of a relationship that has been widely agreed to be a huge success for both sides, with ITV's year-on-year racing audience up by around 20 per cent.

An extension on the current mainstream television deal, which ends at the close of 2020, would surely be in the best interest of the sport, although talks to date have proved rather sticky and have been made more complicated as ITV has this time been required to negotiate separately with RMG, Ascot and Arc rather than collectively.

The channel's dealings with Ascot have proved the most complicated but hopefully good news awaits in the new year.

Betting shops are very different places today

Decline of betting shops in an online era

There was a time when thousands of punters would pore over the racecards in their morning paper, mark down their fancies for the day and then hotfoot it to their local bookmakers to place their bets for the afternoon.

Life for the modern-day punter could not be more different, with a mobile phone, tablet or laptop all they need to study, select and then bet.

The success of online gambling giant bet365 highlights the point succinctly, with turnover on sports and gaming almost breaching the £3 billion mark according to the company's latest accounts revealed this week.

The net result of a wholesale change in the culture and habit of punters has been the demise of betting shops as a place not only to stake bets, but also as a hub from which to enjoy the action, with the high street shops of today offering a very different environment to the past.

The reliance on FOBTs to make up a shortfall came into sharp focus when the government cut the maximum stake on the machines from £100 to £2 at the start of April, with bookmakers warning thousands of shops would close as a result.

Betting shops will need to adapt further to survive as the ease and convenience of betting online means it will always be the first choice of future generations.

Modifications to the Grand National fences have been crucialCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The march of welfare issues

There are not many things racing's array of stakeholders agree on, but the issue of racehorse welfare and the external scrutiny the sport faces in this area is rightly acknowledged as one of the sport's biggest challenges.

Racing's right to regulate itself on horse welfare was challenged by two of the main UK parties in the build-up to the recent general election, while one political party focused heavily on the whip, highlighting the need to be on the front foot when it comes to all matters welfare.

Momentum has been gathering throughout the past decade and the 2012 Grand National, with its two false starts, 15 out of the race by fence ten and fatal injuries to Gold Cup winner Synchronised and According To Pete was a critical moment in the welfare debate.

A review of the Grand National after 2011 made 30 recommendations to improve safety and welfare, with the changes including many alterations to the fences as well as restrictions on participants and simplifying the preliminaries.

Crucial further modifications, particularly to the obstacles and the start, were made after the unsatisfactory events of 2012, with the softening of the fences' inner core and smaller drops vital to bringing an acceptable level of risk management to the race. The safety record of the race since 2012 speaks for itself

Another emotive subject in racing is the whip, with pressure to ban it or radically modify the rules relating to it never far from the surface.

Tougher whip rules introduced in October 2011 to tackle a 40 per cent increase in whip offences between 2008 and 2010 have vastly reduced offences this decade without eliminating then altogether and the use of the whip continues to divide opinion.

Josephine Gordon and Hollie Doyle have both managed 100 winners in a yearCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The changing face of the sport

It has been a significant decade for female riders in the sport with the likes of Nina Carberry Lizzie Kelly, Bryony Frost and Rachel Blackmore over jumps and Hayley Turner, Cathy Gannon, Josephine Gordon and Hollie Doyle on the Flat among those who are pushing the boundaries.

For so long a man's world, the face of racing is slowly changing for the better, with female riders matching their male counterparts more regularly now than ever before, although it would be wrong not to acknowledge there is still a long way to go.

On Boxing Day 2015, Kelly struck a significant blow for female riders when she became the first woman to win a Grade 1 over jumps in Britain with Tea For Two in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase.

This year, Frost became the first woman to win a Grade 1 race over fences at the Cheltenham Festival when Frodon landed the Ryanair Chase, while Blackmore, the first woman to be crowned champion conditions rider in Ireland, became the first to ride a Grade 1 winner over hurdles at Cheltenham in March when Minella Indo landed the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.

On the Flat, Gordon set a new record for winners in a calendar year in Britain with 106 in 2017, yet it only lasted two years thanks to Doyle's outstanding exploits this year.

Hayley Turner, very much a pioneer on the Flat, became only the second female rider to win a race at Royal Ascot – 32 years after the first – when Thanks Be triumphed in the Sandringham Stakes in June to cap an inspiring close to the decade for women in the saddle.

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