Themes of social responsibility wove through the three days of the 40th Asian Racing Conference in Sapporo, Japan, and were echoed in closing remarks Aug. 30 by Masayuki Goto, a 50-year veteran of the Japan Racing Association.
Goto ran through a litany of issues horse racing must address to maintain what many of the meeting's participants had termed its "social license" to operate in the face of attacks by opponents worldwide. Among them, he listed addressing horse welfare and aftercare, responsible gambling initiatives, and protecting the integrity of the sport.
"Building a strong foundation with the community is essential," he said.
Racing, he said, also must adjust to the warming temperatures brought by climate change. Heat already has forced cancellations of racing in some areas of North America, spurred alteration of post times in Hong Kong, and required new cooling infrastructure in other jurisdictions.
Earlier in the conference, presenters discussed the potential for moving Japan's summertime racing from the Tokyo area to Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, where temperatures are less extreme.
"We understand there is a need for drastic measures in the future," Goto said.
The more than 800 conference delegates also heard nearly universal reports of difficulty employing enough staff to handle breeding, stabling, training, and racing duties. Sarah Carmichael, CEO of the International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation, suggested racing faces even more challenge in that area than other industries because of challenges to its "social license."
"We have to demonstrate to (potential employees) that we are a socially responsible industry," Carmichael said. "They don't want to be labeled in an industry that has bad press."
There also was widespread support throughout the meeting for the World Pool betting system created and hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. World Pool aggregates wagering from participating events around the world, providing bettors with much larger pools and significantly boosting overall turnover and revenue to host tracks.
Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs at Ascot Racecourse in England, said participation in World Pool has been a godsend for the Royal Ascot meeting.
"World Pool has provided a game-changing additional revenue stream," Smith said. "It's enabled us to make some major changes, including raising prize money beyond £10 million for the first time. I know that won't cause any gasps in this room. It's a very different world."
Peter V'landys, CEO of Racing New South Wales in Australia, said World Pool "has the potential to save world racing because it really highlights the major events in every country. It puts the focus on that event and punters from all around the world can bet on that particular race."
"World Pool in Ireland for us has made our good days great," said Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland. "It really has. We treat our World Pool days as very precious."
There was some sentiment, however, that global pools are not a panacea.
"I do have some queries about whether one pool is going to be our answer," said Jason Scott, CEO of Racing Queensland, referring not just to World Pool but to potential merger of wagering pools even within Australia.
"Wagering needs to be fun," Scott said. "It needs to be slightly different. If we don't change, we die."
And Smith noted that while fixed-odds wagering with bookmakers—as opposed to pari-mutuels through the Tote—returns less revenue to racing, that form of wagering provides the opportunity for such things as "Build-a-Bet" parlay-type wagers which have exploded in popularity in sports wagering.
In business, Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was re-elected chair of the Asian Racing Federation. He also heads the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. The 41st Asian Racing Conference was announced for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with the Saudi Cup racing program in late February 2026.
