Call
me old school, but I am among those who believe that the best way to create
racing fans is through an on-track visit with friends or family to one of the
many beautiful racetracks located throughout North America. To me, an on-track
visit is the best way to soak in all of the positive attributes of horse
racing—a unique combination of sports, gambling and entertainment, with the
stars of the show some of the most beautiful and graceful animals in the world.
My
views on fan education and development are beginning to change, however, now
that I’ve seen data from the first half year of Night
School—the first industry-wide, Web-based
attempt to teach handicapping, Like everything else, or so it seems, the
Internet and social media platforms are changing the way we engage with
existing and target racing fans.
Night
School is the brainchild of Horseplayernow.com
co-owners Jeremy Plonk and Joe Kristufek. The 90-minute sessions, which air
each Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET (they are also available on archive), are sponsored
by the NTRA, AQHA, Keeneland and Daily Racing Form. Night School can be
accessed on more than 20 industry Web sites, including NTRA.com.
Each
week’s Night School class focuses on a different topic. How to approach a
day at the races, trainer intent, pick six strategies and ownership are just
four of the areas covered to date. Typically, Night School sessions are
broken into pods that include a 30-minute panel discussion among the weekly
guest analysts, a 30-minute question-and-answer session during which racing
fans worldwide can ask the experts about the evening's subject matter, and a
30-minute "Jump Ball" segment where fans can discuss anything in the
world of racing. Through 20 of the 40 Night School sessions, the results are
impressive:
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Total
attendees (live and through taped archives): 40,405 (2,020 per session)
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Live
attendees: 22,830 (1,142 per session)
-
Reader
submitted comments/questions: 10,703 (535 per session)
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Video
uploads: 180,000-estimated, including 42,010 on YouTube
Live
guests have included Hall of Famers Jerry Bailey and Gary Stevens; Kentucky
Derby winning trainer Graham Motion, DRF publisher Steven Crist, TV
analysts and handicappers Randy Moss, Donna Barton Brothers, Jay Privman, Andy
Serling, Jill Byrne, and a slew of other nationally recognized handicappers and
industry participants.
Participating
fans are equally diverse, hailing from 49 of the 50 states (all but Alaska),
Canada and South America. Slightly more than one-third of registrants consider
themselves to be long time fans. One-quarter are weekend horseplayers. Another
23% consider themselves to be newcomers or someone who is gaining interest in
the sport and in handicapping.
As
for the age of participants, 28% are 50-59, 24% are 60-plus, 23% are 40-49, 13%
are 30-39, and 9% are 20-29. Clearly, Night School appeals to a broad
cross-section of fans and potential fans.
Through
the internet and social media, Night School has connected a broad cross section
of racing fans in ways not possible only a few years ago. I still consider
myself to be ‘Old School’ when I think about new fan development, but there can
be no denying the reach and potential of programs like Night School. And using
this year’s Preakness as a barometer, perhaps the ‘Old School’ approach and
Night School approach can co-exist quite nicely. The Night School patrol,
consisting of six members of the Horseplayernow.com team, set up camp in the
midst of the mass of humanity that is the Preakness infield. Thousands of casual
fans, including Kegasus, made their way through the Wagering 101 tent during
the day. The result: Preakness infield mutuel handle rose nearly 11% from the
2010 figures.
Check
out Night
School and let me know your thoughts.
