The Victoria Racing Club partnered with Ascot (U.K.), Goodwood (U.K.) and the Breeders' Cup (U.S.) to launch a global online platform on Tuesday, according to Brendan Cormick of THE AUSTRALIAN. World Horse Racing is a new media company "committed to delivering insights and stories from around the globe in one location, celebrating the sport of horse racing, the people that follow it and the inspirational characters that make it happen." Reaching out to millions of people via a website and social media outlets, financial modeling indicates that "once its audience is established," the dollar return on coverage "will run into the tens of millions over time." VRC CEO Neil Wilson said, "That's not just a finger in the air. We've done a lot of work looking at other sport sites and looking at other racing site interests." Wilson said that WHR is a commercial model and "as it becomes a destination site for hardcore racing fans and followers of the spring and autumn carnivals, sponsorship will initially go toward costs but later provide income." The WHR site will not be a gambling vehicle, though there is an "obvious link with that activity" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/22). WHR will focus on racing's athletes and personalities -- human and equine -- along with the sport's festivals. Coverage will be free to access on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, along with an existing network of more than 1 million fans who follow founding partner pages. Ascot CCO Juliet Slot said, "We already know horse racing is one of the most popular sports in the world but we felt there was real potential to tell our brilliant stories to a much wider audience" (WHR).
