I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and express our sincere appreciation for the support we experienced in 2018 from our readers and advertisers.
Our flagship BloodHorse magazine has continued to improve as the only weekly magazine dedicated to covering the Thoroughbred industry with circulation increasing year over year. Our year-end issue, with features ranging from a wrap on all of the auctions and the year in racing, is an example of the unparalleled range of coverage and analysis we offer our readers on a weekly basis. And our other products continue to move from strength to strength.
The numbers speak for themselves:
- The amazing growth of the Daily with 20,600 email subscribers and 22,500 app downloads;
- The continuing impressive leadership of our online presence with more than 44,000,000 annual page views at BloodHorse.com;
- The industry leading Stallion Register, Stallion Register Online with many new features, and the complimentary Global Stallions app that has been downloaded more than 20,000 times in 138 countries;
- Our industry-leading social media presence.
None of this could have happened without the support of our readers and advertisers and the dedication of our talented BloodHorse team, all of which allow us to continue to be able to support our 103-year-old mission to improve Thoroughbred breeding and racing.
We have undertaken several innovations and initiatives to bring BloodHorse content to our readers in new and more engaging ways and to continue our support of the industry. In 2018 we upgraded the Global Stallions app; continued to enhance the coverage in the Daily and made it available on Amazon’s Alexa devices; entered into the content sharing arrangement with Racing Post and ANZ Bloodstock giving us more extensive international coverage; produced the well-received sports betting symposium in partnership with the Breeders’ Cup, and with the support of Keeneland; and continued our support of industry initiatives including Horse Country, Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation, and International Breeders conference hosted by TOBA, Equestricon,
OwnerView, TCA, and TAA.
As part of our mission, and to give voice to industry leaders, we are launching a new feature called “Our Voices.”
Ed Bowen writes our first column that can be found on page 20 of BloodHorse magazine. Ed joined BloodHorse in 1963 and was with the publication for most of the next 30 years, including 16 years as managing editor and five years as editor-in-chief. He is also the author of 20 books on Thoroughbred racing. Ed recently retired after 24 years as president of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation.
Ed’s piece raises an important issue for our industry and is an excellent example of what we are looking for in the “Our Voices” column. We are inviting industry leaders and others who are passionate about our sport to share their insights, concerns, and ideas, hopefully to start productive discussions, and perhaps lead us to solutions for effectively meeting challenges and taking advantage of opportunities.
Our editorial department will make the final decision on the suitability of any submissions and the publication of a column should not be taken as any endorsement of the propositions being advocated. In keeping with our mission, the column will hopefully generate thoughtful and useful ideas and lead to a broader conversation.
The columns should be between 700-1,400 words and our editors will work with contributors. Columns can be submitted to editorial@bloodhorse.com.
To move forward, open, thoughtful, and productive discussion is critical, and we view this column as a contribution to get important voices heard.
