Kick Up

🐴 Correcting thoroughbred & racing industry misconceptions with facts 🩷 Showcasing love for the horse 🗣️ Educate the masses #kickupforracing

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Thanks for coming out Conor!

[7NEWS Queensland @7NewsBrisbane]

Star Brisbane forward Connor McKenna says the Lions pulled the right rein in promoting Cameron Bruce to Head Coach. The Irish sensation can't wait to get started under the new regime but is keeping himself busy until then with his first passion, racehorses. @rohanwelsh

[7NEWS Queensland @7NewsBrisbane]

Star Brisbane forward Connor McKenna says the Lions pulled the right rein in promoting Cameron Bruce to Head Coach. The Irish sensation can't wait to get started under the new regime but is keeping himself busy until then with his first passion, racehorses. @rohanwelsh

[National Thoroughbred Week @NationalTBWeek]

Starting a race takes a LOT more than pressing a button ▶️

EP 5: Learning Horse Skills (with absolutely no idea)

If you want to get behind the scenes of racing too, find your nearest National Thoroughbred Week event at https://t.co/g5rIXbmaJa 👈

[Tzaferis Racing @TzaferisRacing]

We’re opening up our stable as part of National Thoroughbred Week later this month.

Whether you’re a racing lover or keen to get a bit of insight into what goes on behind closed doors, we’d love you to visit.

📅 Fri, 27 Nov
⏰ 3.30pm-6.30pm
📖 https://t.co/KTN2pNuZo6

[National Thoroughbred Week @NationalTBWeek]

Two-time premiership footballer by day and future horse trainer by the sound of it 🏉🐎

Conor McKenna grew up around horses, now he’s joining National Thoroughbred Week as one of our ambassadors. Plenty of free events across the country at https://t.co/g5rIXbmaJa 💪

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

@SkyRacingAU Legend of the sport, what a story

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Part 2 of the whip debate - why are there limits on how often jockeys can use it?

So should the whip still be used? Let us know what you think in the comments 👇

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

The whip is one of the most talked about parts of racing, so let’s actually talk about it 🗣️

We explain why most jockeys want to keep it, what’s changed over the years and the rules of it's use.

Part 2 drops next. Got questions about the whip? Drop them below 👇

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

@JamesNanks @Matt__Welsh_ Here's an explanation on that for you: https://t.co/cXHgj75qA1

The MC was a major outlier in terms of the fatality rate. It was 48x higher than a regular race.

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Saint George is out of the Melbourne Cup after failing his pre-race scan 😢

So why isn’t every horse in every race scanned? We explain why the Cup was singled out in the first place.

Got questions about the Cup’s vet checks? Drop them below 👇

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

The Guardian says 68% of Australians have low or no interest in the Melbourne Cup. Here’s what it left out.

First, the poll jumps around massively from year to year. It asked just 1,003 people, and low or no interest went from 52% in 2022 to 62% in 2023, then back to 52% in 2024. Without a major crisis, public opinion doesn’t swing 16 points up and back down in two years. Small polls do.

Even taking it as fact, the Cup is right where you’d expect. If 68% aren’t interested then 32% of Australians have an interest in the Cup. When the same pollster asked about other major events:

Australian Open: 45%
Cricket World Cup: 42%
Melbourne Cup: 32%
Australian F1 Grand Prix: 23%
Bathurst 1000: 14%

Nobody is writing headlines about the Grand Prix losing the nation’s interest...

Even the footy codes don’t reach most of the country. 42% of Australians call themselves AFL fans and 30% call themselves NRL fans. The AFL and NRL grand finals are two of the most watched programs of the year, and each was watched by less than 25% of Australians.

And the people who care still showed up. 97,112 people went to Flemington yesterday. That’s the biggest Cup Day crowd since 2016.

No sporting event in this country has most of the population on board and The Cup is no different. The same numbers could’ve read “Almost 1 in 3 Australians show an interest in the Cup” but there’s no prizes for guessing why they didn’t 😂

[brad davidson @braddavo]

Another safe Melbourne Cup. The scans might seem strict but the proof is in the pudding and we underestimate how important their introduction has been for our sport #melbournecup

[National Thoroughbred Week @NationalTBWeek]

Three horse names. That’s all she had to remember 😭

EP 4: Learning Horse Skills (with absolutely no idea)

This time @briar_spittle tried her hand at race calling with Matt Hill, the voice behind the Melbourne Cup.

Think you could do better? Come test your memory at an event!

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Ever wondered who’s actually watching the horses on Melbourne Cup day? 🤔

It’s a lot more than just the vets. Hear who’s keeping an eye on every horse from the mounting yard to the starting gates and why the number goes up on Cup day.

Got questions? Let us know in the comments section.

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

The risk in horse racing will never be zero, but that doesn’t mean the industry should stop aiming for it. Zero is the goal as it keeps us researching and improving. But the numbers also need some perspective, Australia runs around 180,000 race starts a year and 99.95% of them end safely. So what do you think racing could still do better? 🤔

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Never a dull moment 😂

[National Thoroughbred Week @NationalTBWeek]

Gai still talks about Fiorente’s Cup like it was yesterday🏆

Sunday 15 Nov, the @GaiWaterhouse1 team are opening up their stables for National Thoroughbred Week. Come and meet the stars of the stable. There’s bubbles and pony rides, so everyone goes home happy 😏🥂

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

What if the safest place for a horse is actually a racing stable? 🤔

Snakes, paddock accidents, colic and more don’t care whether a horse races or not. Hear from Dr David McKellar on how the daily care inside a racing stable compares to life outside it 👀

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Saint George is out of the Melbourne Cup after failing his pre-race scan 😢

So why isn’t every horse in every race scanned? We explain why the Cup was singled out in the first place.

Got questions about the Cup’s vet checks? Drop them below 👇

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

Gutting news for connections of Saint George who has been ruled out of the Melbourne Cup after failing is pre-race scan. It’s never the call anyone wants, but there’s a reason every horse gets checked this closely. We explained it all here ⬇️

[Kick Up @KickUpForRacing]

How high-tech medical scanning helped to fix one of the biggest mysteries in horse racing 🐎🔬

We’ll be exploring how these scans work in upcoming videos. Got questions on the tech or the science? Drop them below!👇