Global Branding in Focus at Asian Racing Conference

There was a lot of emphasis on globalization and branding at the 41st Asian Racing Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the week before the Saudi Cup (G1). Then there was evidence there's been some progress in that direction as horses from around the globe won races on the Saudi Cup program and officials from some jurisdictions reported progress in replacing competition with coordination. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chair of the Asian Racing Federation and CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, opened the conference by citing new challenges facing horse racing around the world in addition to the frequently cited fragmentation, integrity, aging customer base, and social license. Piled on that, he said, are such as the skyrocketing popularity of sports betting and the existential threat of prediction markets. One answer, he argued, is global branding. And he cited the example of Calandagan (IRE), the 2025 Longines World's Best Racehorse, who went one-up on group 1 wins in the Champion Stakes (G1) and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), both at Ascot Racecourse, and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) in France with a commanding victory in the Japan Cup (G1T) in November. "When you step back, why was Calandagan crowned the world's best horse? Why was he the champion? Because he went to Japan. Calandagan took on the best Japanese horses and won," he said. "This is an event which creates global attention, which as a sport we don't do enough." Similar pleas were heard on panel discussions throughout the three-day meeting. Several delegates pushed the branding idea more forcefully, pointing out the internationalization of brands like the NBA, NFL, and some genres of automotive sports. Baseball's generic brand is expanding globally from America's MLB through the World Baseball Classic and by staging games around the world. Even cricket, it was pointed out, has surpassed horse racing in popularity and turnover in some jurisdictions thanks to innovative branding and promotion. "If we cooperate globally, we have a chance to turn the tide," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. The immediate objection, of course, was that horse racing lacks an overarching governing body and, to the contrary, finds some key jurisdictions deeply into intramural infighting as well. Still, others reported at least pockets of hope. Among them was Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and overseer of the rapid growth and success of the Saudi Cup. From the conceptual stages of the world's richest race, Prince Bandar has championed efforts to coordinate the equestrian scene in the Gulf Region—regularizing paperwork and documentation for horse movement and easing other regulatory burdens. Perhaps most important is the continued evolution of an area racing schedule. With racing dates constrained by many months of extreme heat and only so many Thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabians to go around, maximum coordination would produce the best results. But, as elsewhere, self-interest has slowed movement. In the last two years, Prince Bandar said in a hallway interview with BloodHorse, that has changed. "It's going very well. No surprises anymore. That's important," he said. Progress can be seen on-track as well. Relatively minor date-switching between Riyadh and Dubai has made it easier for horses to run on the big day in both jurisdictions. And, to Engelbrecht-Bresges' argument about creating and branding global stars, replace the name Calandagan with that of Forever Young (JPN), who in a few weeks' time will be looking to follow up his Feb. 14 repeat victory in the Saudi Cup with a win in the Dubai World Cup (G1). His brand already extends deep into American racing thanks to that dramatic third-place photo finish in the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) and his victory in the 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Halfway around the globe, another potentially massive step in globalization lurks in October, when the HKJC is slated to begin regular race meetings at its state-of-the-art Conghua Racecourse on the Chinese mainland. More on that as the months go by. Bits and Pieces Prior to the Riyadh meeting, the Asian Racing Federation board re-elected Engelbrecht-Bresges as chair and Japan Racing Association's Masayuki Goto and Emirates Racing Authority's Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi as vice-chairs. Engelbrecht-Bresges also chairs the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. Speaking of internationalization, Churchill Downs' various Road to the Kentucky Derby programs have attracted so much global attention it takes a "roadmap to the Kentucky Derby" to keep them all straight. The Japan Road offers a guaranteed slot in the 20-horse starting gate for the Run for the Roses. The Euro/Mideast Road has on offer "up to two" slots in the Churchill Downs starting gate. They are separate from the main Road that encompasses North American Derby preps. Simple enough? In theory, sure. In practice, here's where things stand with one race to go in Japan and three in Europe and Dubai. Godolphin's Japanese division has the top two on the leaderboard in that series—Lucky Kid (JPN) and Pyromancer (JPN). Lucky Kid took the lead by winning the Hyacinth Stakes Feb. 22. Pyromancer has not raced since he won the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun Dec. 17. Both are nominated to the Triple Crown. Not nominated are the No. 3 and No. 4 colts on the list—Don Erectus (JPN) and Satono Voyage (JPN). Here's the hook: Satono Voyage abandoned the series after earning 10 points for winning the first leg, the Cattleya Stakes, and went to Saudi Arabia, where he earned 9 points with a third-place finish in the Saudi Derby (G3). The points don't mix or match so he has 10 points in one series and 9 in the other and ne'er the twain shall meet. But, in the event of a tie in the points standings, the deciding stat is nonrestricted stakes earnings, which are applied in total in both series. Pay attention. There will be a short quiz next period. On to the Euro/Mideast Road. There are 10 races on that schedule but only the final one really counts. The first four, run on turf last autumn in England, Ireland, and France, were preps for this year's classics in those countries, and none of the horses are under consideration for the Churchill Downs dirt. Six Speed, a Kentucky-bred colt, got 20 points for winning the UAE Two Thousand Guineas (G3) impressively and Al Haram (IRE) earned 30 for his victory in the Saudi Derby. Two minor races on British all-weather courses the last week in February probably are irrelevant, leaving only the UAE Derby (G2) March 19. That race awards points on a scale of 100-60-30-15-10. (Having said that, Godolphin's Hidden Force (GB), a Frankel (GB) colt, impressively ran his record to 2-for-2 with an as-you-please win in the Feb. 25 European Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes at Kempton Park and is one to watch if Sheikh Mohammed should feel aggressive). In recent years, American trainers have awakened to the possibility the UAE Derby could be a back door to the Kentucky Derby. If that's the case this year, that race could bring together horses from each of the three Road series. Will one more thing explode your head? Labwah, the winner of the UAE Oaks (G3), currently No. 2 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, also is under consideration for the UAE Derby and could end up being qualified for both the first Friday and first Saturday in May in Louisville, Ky. Probably not. But maybe. The JRA designated the Feb. 1 Negishi Stakes (G3) as a "Commemoration of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Victory by Forever Young" and nearly saw it turn into a reprise of another famous internationally flavored Breeders' Cup race—the 1993 Classic, won by France's Arcangues at odds of 133-1. Lord Fons (JPN) spoiled the narrative in the Negishi, though, narrowly holding off Battle Cry (JPN), who was dispatched at odds just north of 150-1.