The 41st Asian Racing Conference (ARC) opened with a session titled ‘The Evolving Global Racing and Sporting Landscape’ on Tuesday (10 February) at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel and Convention Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In a keynote speech, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, outlined the key challenges horse racing faces before calling for increased collaboration within the sport.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges identified trends affecting the industry, prioritising the importance of a digitalised global brand for younger audiences, while pinpointing several key obstacles – the growth of illegal and unlicenced operators; the increased competition from sports betting, iGaming and prediction markets; and widening racing’s fan base.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “We don’t see a positive trend among breeding, and as an industry it is concerning. If we want to create global events and we want to create champions, one of the key drivers is that the best horses compete in races, and this promotes our sport.

“While we see a 35% decline in the number of foals produced globally since 2005, the number of Group 1 races worldwide in the same period has gone up by around 6%. The consequences are that we have less champions, because they have opportunities to avoid each other.

“We want to promote our sport globally, we create heroes, we create competitions, and we create platforms which enable us to build much wider promotion and familiarisation with new customer segments. We collaborate globally, so that we have a chance to turn the tide. One of our problems is our inability to overcome fragmentation. We must change our mindset, so that we have global collaboration to really bring the sport forward.”

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges discussed World Pool’s role in combatting illegal operators, helping to maximise industry revenue and returns, as well as creating greater appeal for a global fan base.  

“We expect that turnover will now be around 12 billion Hong Kong dollars (in 2025/26). This is an initiative that shows what we can do when we collaborate, when we have the best racing in the world and, importantly, it shows growth. We have expanded the coverage and race meetings to cover 54% of the world’s top Group 1 races across 380 events,” Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

Seeking to create a deeper engagement with horse racing’s younger audience, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges, said: “If you promote only wagering, especially to a younger generation, you have no chance. Because they have gaming – instant gratification, so we have to first really promote our sport.”    

Following his keynote presentation, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges was joined on a panel by Mr Masayuki Goto, Vice-Chair, Asian Racing Federation and Executive Advisor, Japan Racing Association; His Excellency Mr Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, Vice-Chair, Asian Racing Federation, Chair, Gulf Horseracing Council, Director-General, Emirates Racing Authority; Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Ascot Racecourse, and Kylie Rogers, Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Racing Club.

In a following session titled ‘Marketing: Major Racing Carnivals’, Mr Andrew Harding, Secretary General, Asian Racing Federation and Executive Director, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, led discussions focusing on fan engagement across elite racing carnivals and broadening appeal to audiences.

Mr Harding said: “In 2025, racing carnivals around the world shone brilliantly, and they illustrated quite emphatically both their strengths and indeed their future potential.

“What are the ingredients to successfully market a racing carnival? High quality horses are an obvious start, and when we see horses achieve success across the globe, then we have the makings of telling stories that creates stars for our sport and builds a global fan base.

“In Hong Kong, we have two such carnivals. In April we have FWD Champions Day and in December, the ‘Turf World Championships’ – the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races. These are both a constant and are constantly evolving; they epitomise our brand which is world class racing, and they are now serving as the fulcrum by which we transform the customer value experience to one that is a full sport and entertainment offering.

“Something we’re looking increasingly at is racing tourism, and is there not perhaps scope across the globe to make that another dimension of great racing carnivals? That a racing fan in America might also enjoy going to Royal Ascot, going to Dubai or coming to Hong Kong.”

Mr Harding was joined by His Excellency Mr Ali Abdulrahman Al Ali, Board Member & CEO, Dubai Racing Club; Mr Mohamed Al Ahmed, General Manager, Jebel Ali Racecourse; Her Royal Highness Nourah Al-Faisal, Designer, Entrepreneur and Industry Leader; Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Ascot Racecourse, Mr William C. Carstanjen, Chief Executive Officer, Churchill Downs Incorporated, and Kylie Rogers, Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Racing Club, who each outlined their key initiatives to drive racecourse attendance and fan engagement.

In a session titled ‘Fan Engagement: Global Broadcasting and Viewership’, Mr Casper Stylsvig, Executive Director, Sports Business, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, discussed dependence on an ageing fan base; customer leisure time, and the difficulty in capturing audiences.

Mr Stylsvig cited Formula 1’s former obstacles, such as an ageing fan base, and that the sport was once viewed as too dangerous and too technical. He highlighted its storytelling ability to reverse its fortunes.

“Emotion sells and I’m sure we can all agree with that. Young fans really want to see how the athletes sleep, how they eat, how they train and what they do when they’re not in a match. They want more than just behind the scenes, now they want to be a part of their life, and that’s where the market is moving,” Mr Stylsvig said.

Mr Stylsvig was joined by Rawan Albutairi, Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Esports Federation, and Mr Justin McDonald, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Breeders’ Cup Limited, as a panel to discuss the critical roles of streaming media rights in growing viewership.