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A week on from the launch of our new report, there are a few standout points I keep coming back to when thinking about the future of horse racing audiences. The sport has between 36 and 48 million fans globally, but the addressable opportunity sitting just beyond that is up to 200 million people. Importantly, those people are not strangers to the sport. Many of them have already been racing before without being converted to fully fledged fans. Three things stand out to me from the data and the conversations myself and the team Spotlight Sports Group have had with some of the sport's most respected leaders (read more in the report below!) 1. Racing jurisdictions are not competing with each other. They are competing with football, Formula 1, and every other sport fighting for young peoples attention. The sport grows when it collaborates, and there is real evidence that when audiences are exposed to top level racing from around the world, engagement increases across the board. 2. The gender gap in the UK is one of the most striking findings. Casual racing fans globally are nearly evenly split between men and women. In the UK, that splits 74 to 26 among core fans. It is an opportunity the sport cannot afford to keep missing. 3. And the one I find most compelling: the idea of building a season-long narrative across the sport's biggest global events: The Derby, Royal Ascot, The Breeders Cup, The Melbourne Cup etc. World class moments that currently exist largely in isolation. Connect them into a story fans can follow across a year, and the door opens to a truly global audience. The sport has everything it needs to write that story. I hope this report helps start the conversation. https://lnkd.in/easxdq-5

The Business of Horse Racing podcast is now live 🎧 Last week we partnered with Unofficial Partner for a live podcast recording in front of a room of senior industry leaders, taking Spotlight Sports Group's new report, Spotlight 2026: The Horse Racing Audience Opportunity, as the starting point for a wide-ranging conversation about the commercial future of the sport. Across two panels, the discussion dug into the questions that matter: where the audience opportunity really sits, whether racing's product fits the audience it wants to reach, and how the sport compares to others wrestling with the same challenges around investment, media and fan engagement. Our thanks to Richard Gillis and Unofficial Partner for co-hosting, and to our panellists Charlie Boss, Josh Apiafi, Tom Kerr, Brant Dunshea, Sharon O’Regan and Sam Houlding for a genuinely cracking conversation. Have a listen here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ec3USzHs

From an audience growth perspective, younger fans are racing's biggest opportunity. Following yesterday's launch of The Horse Racing Audience Opportunity, our Managing Director of B2B, Sam Houlding, spoke to G3 Media about what the findings mean for the sport. His central argument is a shift in mindset towards building fandom first. The report identifies up to 200 million fans within reach of horse racing, an audience won by growing love for the sport itself rather than leading with the bet. The evidence backs this up, with fans brought in through the sport tending to find bookmakers organically later, which makes expanding the fanbase the real route to long-term growth. On connection, Sam notes that racing operates globally but often thinks locally, presenting standalone events rather than a season long story, an area where sports like Formula One have shown what is possible. He also points to accessibility, where unfamiliar terminology and the absence of a clear mobile-first entry point mean the sport still speaks mainly to insiders, leaving digital-first audiences underserved. A considered look at where the sport goes next, and well worth a read. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekenFVQx

Nearly 200 million people are one great experience away from becoming horse racing fans. Today, Spotlight Sports Group publishes The Horse Racing Audience Opportunity, a new report offering a comprehensive analysis of the sport’s global fanbase. Drawing on extensive research and senior voices from the industry, the report doesn't just identify the audience gap, it maps exactly where it is, why it exists, and what it will take to close it. Key findings include: → Racing's current fanbase sits at 36-48 million worldwide. Beyond it lies an addressable opportunity of up to 200 million people → Gen Z fans (16-24) are racing's most accessible entry point, placing a high premium on shareable live experiences and willing to spend more on-site → Racing has no single mobile-first entry point for new fans, and its content still speaks primarily to insiders → Sport-first converts. Around 70% of fans brought in through the sport go on to engage with bookmakers organically An enormous thank you for the contributions: Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Felicity Barnard, Ascot Racecourse Kylie Rogers, Leigh Jordon, Victoria Racing Club Paul Dermody, Horse Racing Ireland Japan Racing Association Tom Ryan, Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) Simon Fraser, 1/ST Mark Wrigley, Formula 1 This simply wouldn’t have been possible without your support! See the full online report here 👇 https://lnkd.in/efBiM-xM

Conservatively 40m current fans and a market that can grow to 200m. An audience led racing industry has so much to offer, as this Spotlight Sports Group special report lays out. Love to hear thoughts on it - link in the comments..

*Horse Racing as a sport has an addressable opportunity of up to a further 200 Million Fans* That’s the stat that has really stayed with me from Spotlight Sports Group's new cross-industry report: The Horse Racing Audience Opportunity, published today. What the data and expert industry opinion tells us is that the infrastructure around it hasn't quite kept pace with how new audiences discover and engage with sport in 2026. It takes an in-depth look at the challenges, but far more importantly, the opportunities that we need to seize as an industry, alongside the impact they could have on growing the fanbase, if the sport acts with intent. Within the report it draws on global consumer research & data, as well as expert opinion from major industry voices from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Ascot, Horse Racing Ireland, the JRA, the Victoria Racing Club and beyond. We thank everyone for their contributions to what is a vital report that shines a light on the most important considerations for our sport. If you work in racing, betting or sports media, this is essential reading. Link: https://lnkd.in/efBiM-xM!