While acknowledging that horse racing offered some creative approaches in trying to bring in new fans in 2025, marketing expert Ben Cleminson offered some next-level ideas at the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities conference in October in Paris.
Cleminson, CEO of Square in the Air, a marketing agency for racing and gaming, served up a number of such ideas while presenting the keynote address at the conference. The ideas fell into four broad topics: providing insight and innovation; personalization of the sport and access; storytelling; and cultural framing.
Cleminson said hitting the mark in these areas can turn a sport from something you watch into something you live, share, and belong to. He noted the success Formula 1 (auto racing) has found in these areas has led to a huge increase in its global interest, including a spike in female fans who now represent 42% of its fanbase.
While walking into Royal Ascot this year, Cleminson noted a 12-year-old daughter of one of his friends was "desperately checking her phone to see what had happened in the F1 qualifying that morning.
"Who would have thought that could have happened 10 or 15 years ago?" Cleminson added. "We need to aim for that in racing."
As Cleminson sees it, racing needs to lean into technology to immerse fans in the sport. He said that while helmet cams have been a great innovation, placing them on every rider and allowing viewers to follow along with whichever horse they choose during a race would take things to another level. Beyond that, he suggested new camera angles that capture the speed of the horses and the closeness of competition. He further suggested putting radar guns up around the track with large display screens that would flash the speed of the leading horse at key points in the race.
Noting that other sports are placing microphones on competitors, Cleminson suggested racing could do the same—picking up on final strategic plans between trainers and jockeys before the race and the excitement of horses and riders competing after the gate opens. He suggested heart monitors on the riders could capture who is staying cool during the race and who is being pushed to the limit. (Cleminson didn't suggest it, but heart monitors on the horses also could be of interest.)
Cleminson said win probabilities could be listed for each horse throughout the race, instantly adjusting as fortunes change.
"We're doing this to a degree, but we should be doing more," Cleminson said. "We need to tell more stories. It's what modern sports fans demand."
Cleminson called for more adoption of AI as a tool for handicapping. He said it could provide previews of racing's many daily events that currently are conducted without such fanfare.
When racing has an equine star, Cleminson said the sport needs to take full advantage. He suggested lighting up a skyscraper to promote a top horse with a big race on the horizon. He said such a display could advance up the building at the same speed as the horse.
At the track, Cleminson suggested exclusive areas for fans of the day's biggest stars. This year's Breeders' Cup Saturday could have had special areas for fans of Forever Young, Fierceness , Sierra Leone , or Journalism to gather together.
In terms of making the most of its human stars, Cleminson said an exclusive jockey entrance would allow social media shots of their arrivals at the track and a chance to engage with fans. That would help build anticipation and awareness ahead of a race day.
Cleminson noted the success of influencer Griffin Johnson for American horse racing in 2025 and said the industry could lean into that by providing alternate television broadcasts where Johnson, or a prominent owner, trainer, jockey, or influencer provide live thoughts, interviews, etc., throughout the race day. Think ESPN's "ManningCast" live shows during Monday Night Football.
In presenting those ideas and others, Cleminson called on racing to make a bigger investment in marketing.
"We don't need to invent anything new. All the technology is there, and it isn't as expensive as you might think," Cleminson said. "If we grow the audience, we'll attract new sponsors, and more money will come into the sport for further investment."
