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It seems hard to believe today but such was the appeal of horseracing after the Second World War that Londoners used to walk the 18 miles to Epsom to enjoy the fun of the Derby.

Horseracing was as much a part of British life as eating fish and chips out of a newspaper or an outside privy.

Today, however, the appeal of a sport once dubbed 'the sport of kings' has diminished. Just five million people attend at least one horseracing event every year, which equates to roughly ten per cent of the population.

Roughly one third of these attend regularly, while the remaining two thirds are once-a-year racegoers, possibly enjoying corporate hospitality at special events. It would not occur to them to visit on another occasion, although horseracing is considered a well-priced family day out.

For the British Horseracing Authority, the challenge is to convert these once-a-year attendees into more regular racegoers and broadening the appeal of the sport without alienating its loyal fans.

The Authority has appointed London-based branding consultancy Harrison:Fraser to rebrand the sport as a 'new British classic' in the style of a Mini.

Quintessentially British

John Harrison, co-founder of Harrison:Fraser, explains: 'The Mini was a quintessentially British brand of the sixties, which was totally relevant and current at that time, and it lost its way. BMW took it on, and understood its unique British quirkiness. It created a new British classic brand which was totally relevant to life today.'

He adds: 'It is an interesting model to consider because it is a transformational model.'

Harrison:Fraser was appointed last September, and has since held a series of workshops with major participants in the sport, including owners, breeders, jockeys, race course operators and bookmakers, to try to define the personality of horse racing today.

Some of the views overlap. Some conflict. 'The challenge is to create a vision which is aligned with all that of all the experts involved in the sport,' says Harrison. 'That is the process we are going through now.'

The workshops did clarify the personality of the sport, however, 'We asked if racing came to life as a person, then what would it be called?' says Harrison. The answer was Brian, a traditional salt-of-the earth fellow, who has quite an old fashioned view of life and a group of loyal friends. But five (or even ten) years into the future, the experts would like horseracing to be considered like Ben, who is younger-minded than Brian, more worldly and able to talk to all age groups, from granny to a teenage kid.

Other sports' success

Harrison adds that another factor in the British Horseracing Authority's decision to broaden the sport's appeal, is the success of other sports, such as rugby and cricket, which were once deemed masculine or dull, who have developed new audiences and developed something of a sex appeal.

'We want to create a vision that is understandable over the long term, and that we can aspire to,' says Harrison. 'Racing has assets to die for, but we have to create a future in which they can come to life. We have to make horseracing relevant to a new audience.'

Harrison does not understate the task at hand. He envisages it will be three to five years before real progress will be seen. And if Harrison has his way, television cameras will record jockeys being weighed in and stewards' inquiries. 'It is all pretty powerful dramatic stuff,' he says. 'It is not a story we have ever been told before.' 

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