The Future of Racing Programme, a new initiative for British Horseracing, is proceeding at a pace, with over 100 different startups applying before the closing date at the end of November.
The programme – launched in October – has been created by both the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Flutter and builds on insights from Project Beacon – the most comprehensive study ever conducted into British racing audiences.
The first Future of Racing event will bring together a shortlist of innovative tech startups, who will pitch their ideas in front of a panel of industry leaders and experts from Flutter, the BHA, racecourses and equine welfare. The panel will discuss and probe their concepts in greater detail; in an attempt to best understand what the various startups could bring to the sport.
In a change to the original plans, this principle day of pitching by the startups will take place in Central London on Tuesday 10 February, with an invited audience of Venture Capitalists, Racing and Betting Industry Figures and wider investors in sport – giving startups an influential stage on which to present their ideas. A further showcase event in front of a wider audience, at York Racecourse, will be held this summer, as part of Project Beacon.
A total of 11 startups have been put through to the event in February covering a wealth of different areas connected to the sport. Half of the companies are focused on the equine welfare space looking at a variety of areas from gait analysis to ground management. In the wider categories – raceday experience, behind the silks and education – concepts range from fan engagement to using augmented reality to change how fans visualise and interact with the sport.
The Future of Racing initiative, also backed by RMG, York Racecourse, and ClimbUK, originated from Project Beacon and found that there is a vast untapped market for horseracing and that despite its place as the second biggest sport in the UK, too many people feel little emotional connection to horse racing.
In a survey of 7,500 people, Project Beacon also identified three additional concerns amongst racegoers, including the wellbeing of racehorses, the high cost of attending race meetings, and difficulty understanding betting terminology and form —with many perceiving success as a matter of luck rather than skill. These challenges are particularly pronounced among the Instagram generation and the 18–28 age group.
To address this directly, the Future of Racing will spotlight four key themes:
Horse welfare – Technologies to enhance equine safety and welfare
Education – Simplifying the sport for newcomers through accessible tools
Raceday Experience – Elevating the social and entertainment value of attending live events
Behind the Silks – Offering fans immersive, behind-the-scenes access to the racing world
Brant Dunshea, BHA Chief Executive, said: “It is extremely encouraging to have received so many applications for the Future of Racing Summit. This project represents a unique opportunity for the sport to embrace new thinking as we seek to secure future generations of fans, so to have such a positive response following the application phase is greatly encouraging.
“I am eager to learn more about the startups as this process continues, with the newly confirmed format providing us with the opportunity to understand how the sport could benefit from what they have to offer.”
Seb Butterworth, Strategic Racing Director for Flutter added: “Our Alpha Hub team at Flutter have been working on promoting the Future of Racing programme to a wide audience of startups over the past few months, and we’re absolutely delighted to have received over 100 exciting applications.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to understand new ways to take forward British Racing, and answer important questions posed by Project Beacon.
“I’m really looking forward to exploring these concepts in more detail, as the programme progresses through the interview process and on towards creating a shortlist ahead of the pitching day in February.”
