Cover image courtesy of Thoroughbred Country
Officially launching next week, Thoroughbred Country aims to tackle one of our sport’s biggest problems - engagement - with a simple methodology: Exposure.
Partnering with farms, stables and hospitality, Thoroughbred Country offers a range of tours and experiences that hope to capture the public’s imagination. At the helm is Laura Magee, who spearheaded a soft launch which has proven the concept, stirring great demand.
However, we caught up with the team’s latest recruit, recent Godolphin Flying Start graduate Elinor Wolf, to hear about how it’s all going to work.
“Thoroughbred Country came about from several industry participants saying, ‘We need someone to be able to market and drive tourism to more thoroughbred-related experiences,’” Wolf told TTR AusNZ.
“The way that I describe Thoroughbred Country is Ireland's newest tourist destination. We are providing luxury thoroughbred experiences to internationals, and also the Irish population as well.
“The one thing we're trying to drive home is that Thoroughbred Country is an entity - it’s one brand that is made up of 21 experiences, that all have their own businesses and brands themselves, and across two counties and with 13 hotel partners.”
“The way that I describe Thoroughbred Country is Ireland's newest tourist destination. We are providing luxury thoroughbred experiences to internationals, and also the Irish population as well.” - Elinor Wolf
In a “something for everyone” approach, Thoroughbred Country will offer a range of experiences, from those suited to people who don’t know anything about horses, through to those that will interest industry insiders.
On the international tourist side, Wolf says, the project is about capturing tourism in the middle country of Ireland.
“When they're leaving from Dublin, they pass through us… so there's a huge potential with thoroughbreds, with Kildare and Tipperary both being national leaders in breeding and racing,” she noted.
“Why can't we get more people to come out here and have a good time?”
Looking to the Hunter
It might sound like an initiative that could be readily repeated in Australia’s own breeding capital, the Hunter Valley, which is home to a selection of Australia’s best studs, stallions and pastures.
Commercial tour operators have long existed in the area, thanks to its famous wine production. As it stands, there is an arrangement between those operators and the studs, via the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association (HTBA).
It might not be ubiquitous, but a booking program does exist. Added to that, many of the Hunter’s studs have long had their gates open. Those include Godolphin, who regularly host private tours at their Kelvinside farm.
Speaking to TTR AusNZ, HTBA Committee member and Godolphin Australia’s Director of Corporate Services, Ross Cole, said that the Upper Hunter presents as the perfect area to replicate these tour templates.
He noted that there is already strong collaboration between the studs, and the goodwill to achieve such a project in the Hunter exists, it just needs prioritisation and a push.
“The current system is through private operators booking through the HTBA, but it is yet to be truly formalised,” Cole Said. “A coordinated and branded approach by an appropriate entity is needed in order to sustainably underpin the commercial efficiency which is required to achieve a shared goal similar to Kentucky and Ireland.
“Whether a breeding association drives the concept or is a stakeholder is to be determined, but we are certainly closer to bringing people around the table to push forward. Growing the awareness of our industry is a key for us all, and providing the access is a central pillar.”
A winning template
Over in the States, the same concept of bringing the public closer to our sport has run successfully for a number of years now, in the shape of Horse Country. The similar names are, of course, no accident, with the Irish version taking unashamed inspiration from its Kentucky counterpart.
Horse Country runs tours across the breeding capital of the nation, Lexington, Kentucky. Whilst Thoroughbred Country may have taken the initiative a step further, the basis of Horse Country is solving a simple ‘pain point.’
We caught up with Price Headley Bell Jr., a sixth-generation horseman and general manager of Mill Ridge Farm, who helped establish Horse Country some seven years ago.
Price Headley Bell Jr. | Image courtesy of Mill Ridge Farm
“The idea was that many farms would like to give tours and many farms would like to connect people with horses and do their part to promote the industry,” he said.
“But, we don't have visitor centres. So it was a question of how we could coordinate the pain points for the farms in one place and take that stress off of them - that's what the organisation is meant to serve.
“There's no direct revenue stream associated with it, we're not going to necessarily sell anything to a visitor that's going to really affect the bottom line. But, we all recognise that if we don't work to help create fans, there will be no bottom line in the future.”
“...we're not going to necessarily sell anything to a visitor that's going to really affect the bottom line. But, we all recognise that if we don't work to help create fans, there will be no bottom line in the future.” - Price Headley Bell Jr.
A non-profit, Horse Country operates using a revenue share on the price of tour tickets. With their own staff facilitating tours, member farms heavily subsidised the operation in its first few years.
“Now, we've finally reached an inflection point,” Bell said. “For the farms which do a lot of tours, it's 70 cents to the farm and 30 cents to the non-profit.”
It might seem like a boon for the farms involved, but there’s significant investment involved on their part, as Bell explained.
“At Mill Ridge, we have full time tour guides and someone who coordinates it all. So, in order to justify hiring someone to run it, there had to be enough money coming in to pay that person.”
Mill Ridge Farm | Image courtesy of Mill Ridge Farm
The leap of faith in first hiring someone specifically to run tours on their farm, most of which are organised through Horse Country, paid off for Mill Ridge. They were able to do more tours as a result, and found other farms following suit.
“(At Mill Ridge) we're doing at least two tours a day, plus private tours,” Bell revealed. “We had 700 people last month, which was the first time we've done that.”
Bell and his friendly father have evidently worked hard to ensure their own farm leads the way in welcoming visitors. He reported that a tour of Mill Ridge is number two on Trip Advisor’s list of ‘Things to do’ in Lexington, losing out only to a bourbon distillery.
“They're just so appreciative of the opportunity to be there and to see the farm and to meet horses,” Bell said of the visitors. “It reminds you how lucky we are to do what we do.”
“They're just so appreciative of the opportunity to be there and to see the farm and to meet horses. It reminds you how lucky we are to do what we do.” - Price Headley Bell Jr.
“The next step will be to invest in a visitor centre,” Bell added. “Then, we could go from having 7000 people a year to having 25,000 people a year.”
Bell’s ambition is not driven by profit, however.
“We view the people who come to visit as songbirds to tell their friends that actually thoroughbred racing is a beautiful sport, and the horses are cared for,” he said.
Guests have the opportunity to see the farm and meet the horses | Image courtesy of Mill Ridge Farm
“We do tours, frankly, as a defence - to let people know about how much we care about our horses.”
Catching them early
Named Executive Director of Horse Country a year and a half ago, Hallie Hardy admitted that her current position had long been a dream role for her.
That dream was sparked during her studies at the University of Kentucky, when she herself guided tours as part of an internship at WinStar Farm. Like Wolf, Hardy is a graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start scholarship, and worked for the American arm of Sheikh Mohammed’s operation after finishing the course.
She said the model of member farms incorporating tours into their regular business practices has proven successful, and encourages more farms to take the plunge, arguing that our ‘product’ is like no other.
Hallie Hardy | Image courtesy of Horse Country
“When you go to a distillery, they can sell you a bottle of bourbon when you leave the tour,” Hardy told TTR AusNZ.
“I think, as an industry, our product is horse racing. And, there are so many different ways and levels for people to get engaged.
“But, I think the easy access is simply watching racing, and then going to your local racetrack.”
The need for an organisation like Horse Country is, obviously, well-recognised by racing’s participants, as the uptake in tours reflects. But, Hardy says the engagement should go further, which is a goal she has set herself.
“The reviews and the feedback we get are great,” she said. “So, we have opportunities then to have a good follow-up and keep people connected to the sport as a whole.
“The reviews and the feedback we get are great. So, we have opportunities then to have a good follow-up and keep people connected to the sport as a whole.” - Hallie Hardy
“I think horse country needs to play that role - like letting you know where your local racetrack is, letting you know about options for micro shares, or even how to watch and bet.”
A big move
Meanwhile, Wolf has the whole journey ahead of her. Having graduated from the Flying Start only last month, her new role is also a statement of her passion for racing in Ireland; the daughter of Jack and Laurie Wolf, who manage Starlight Racing, she will be leaving Lexington far behind.
“I love Ireland,” Wolf said. “I think it's an amazing country. I think the breeding and the racing is great, and I feel so passionate about this project that I wanted to make the move.”
“Laura Magee is absolutely fabulous, and all the support we have from our board members and our steering group - we wouldn't be here today without those two groups.
“I think that this concept of what we're trying to create with Thoroughbred Country, and what it will look like in the future, is going to really mobilise the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry in Ireland to the general public.”
