Revamping the Thoroughbred Industry for Young Fans
Examining how betting apps and events reshape horse racing, targeting a young, diverse audience. Joe Harper talks about the challenges of modern horse racing.
Video Transcript
So Joe, do you believe that you guys have to do a better job in the industry at marketing the younger fan base, like the younger crowd?
You know, because- again, like you just said, it's so competitive right now.
Plus you have betting now, you can do it from all types of apps.
How is that being- kind of like, you know, brought into the thoroughbred industry?
There's so many ways that you can gamble now with these apps.
You don't really have to go anywhere any longer.
Has that played a factor as well?
Well, I think, you know, with the off-track business being, what it is, I mean, great, we're making a lot of money and, from it.
But, but I'm, you know, I'm, I'm a people person.
I think that, I mean, I came out of showbiz, years ago.
I was born into it, did- even was in a couple of movies.
But I think that the fact that, you know, you can put on a show here, beyond just the racing, but, but make it attractive, have the, have great food, have things going on.
You know, we did the concert series for a while.
That brought a lot of people in, although it was expensive.
But, you know, you've gotta, you've gotta create an atmosphere that just doesn't say racing, it says fun.
And, and, you know, we got a lot of pretty people walking around here in the crowd, and it's, you know, it's a great place to be even if you don't, you know, are, if you're not a regular race tracker.
No, you know, and I actually went to that, that series where you were bringing acts in there.
I saw Ice Cube there at Del Mar- Yeah.
Yeah and we saw a couple other events there at Del Mar there.
That was really wild there.
So you're using the facility, kind of like the NFL guys are, not just for football.
You're using the facility for other ways on being able to bring some more income into Del Mar Racing, right?
So you're adding more events.
I know that you had the fair out there.
You do a lot of other things there too.
But kind of like what the NFL does with their stadiums, adding more events, right?
Well, I think, you know, I think the days of just, everybody go, there's, you know, there's no TV, you go there and sit on a wooden chair.
I remember going to all those Hollywood Star baseball games back in the day.
But yeah, I think it's, it's You, you have to tell yourself you're in the entertainment business, not just the racing business or the baseball business.
I think, I think that's, that's absolutely necessary in this particular market that we're seeing across the country.
People wanna be entertained.
They wanna have fun.
They want good food.
They want, you know, to see pretty people and all that kinda stuff.
If, if you can get a few stars going.
So it, it may, it, you got, you gotta think broader than just your product.
