Geoffrey Riddle

Former Business Director of @WHR. @RacingTV digital and social lead for 6 years. 9 years at @natsportuae, 5 at @thetimes. ❤️ is a bookmark.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@DarylCarter7 You are bang on with this. Far too many voices being listened to - put on the best show you can, to the highest standards and they will come.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@davidjohnsonTF

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@ChrisRoots1 Why wouldn't Aussies get expenses/travel?

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@ChrisRoots1 I think you're missing the point though.

Breeders' Cup had runners from:
Argentina, Australia, Chile, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan
South Africa, United States

Dubai has similar, Royal Ascot, too. You guys are the ones not in the conversation. And should be!

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

This is classic racing though. It expects individual, independent businesses to do its job for it.

Imagine brands like Invades being castigated by, say, Glastonbury for bringing too many people, who didn’t know many of the bands playing over the weekend?? 🤯

It is racing’s job to educate and engage the people who turn up/show an interest.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

Exactly. All those having a go at the Invades lot need their head examined. The first time I ever went to The Derby, my housemate at Uni saw it on the Morning Line and said: “That looks a craic”.

We paid nothing to get in on The Hill, bought beers, burgers and anything else we could get our hands on and were lifelong Derby fans. A few on-course bookies moaning about not enough turnover…they’ll get it back if those young people convert - and the more that come through the gates, the more that WILL convert. 🙄

[Patrick Weaver @WeaverRacing]

@FredDMot @quevega @Louchepunter https://t.co/nkCp0GcgYl

I started out as a child on Trundle Hill.
Then the Silver Ring.
Then dad became a member on his retirement, after which I was in the best bit with him, as a member of the RCA and later with a Press badge.
The car park he used was beyond the 6f start!!

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

I get that. But that’s like Euros going to Breeders’ Cup. I’d love more Aussies to think internationally. HK, Saudi and Dubai. I know the Middle East takes out your autumn, but the gaps between March and September allows for decent rest.

It’s not like Aussies to shirk international sporting competition! I know Royal Ascot is often in the equation, but that’s about it.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@tony_calvin Question: what ground should the Cheltenham Festival be run on, as close
to as possible?

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@ChrisRoots1 Probably only one…😉

But still.

That said, would be good to see more Australian representation at #HKIR - perfectly scheduled for Spring Carnival horses. Imagine Autumn Glow in the HK Mile, for instance?

And in Dubai.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

How are young people going to be ‘educated’ about a sport if they are not welcome and never go? 🧐

It is SO hard to get anybody to do anything these days in the leisure industry. Getting them there is over half the battle. Education, engagement etc can be built in much more easily that getting people through the gate.

[Life is Skewed @LifeIsSkewed]

@Louchepunter @WeaverRacing problem with Invades is they can invade!
It’s the numbers

Need education, on betting, racing, welfare, manners, drinking

No respect/appreciation of the horses. A drunken mob calling a horse home with instructions to the jockey to “whip it harder”😠

They need help

[Andrew Brown @TheBrownAndrew]

I firmly believe a good portion of this turnaround in horse racing fandom in Oz can be attributed to the hard work that's been done around equine safety, veterinary protocols and horse welfare, much like the Breeders' Cup here in the US.

Public confidence in the safety and welfare of the horses is fundamental. Get that right, change the perception and sentiment around the sport, and you've got a much stronger foundation from which to grow audiences, attendance and engagement.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@SophyRidgeSky I think in Holland they have a law akin to this?

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@AndrewNJHawkins @quevega Symmetry!

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

Not going to be on many people's radar but Khazakstan jockey Bauyrzhan Murzabayev just rode a double in Qatar on Inaya Grine & Tuyoof. So far, so insignificant.

Murzabayev, however, had a catastrophic fall in Doha in November 2024, which resulted in 11 fractures, including broken ribs and severe damage to his T6 and T7 vertebrae.

As far as I can see, this is the first time he has ridden, and had a winner, in Qatar since. Some story. 🦾

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@quevega Brilliant story.

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@mendozerformula Sure - but out of the wave of new people who come racing each generation, as they age and move through the rungs of the job world etc, a sprinkling of them become those whales. JP McManus wasn’t having $1million bets when he was a teenager…

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

First Hand Evidence (GB)

[MendozerFormula @mendozerformula]

@Louchepunter 21yo here, my 1st meeting happened to be on an Invades night at Southwell, to see Constitution Hill.

During the summer when I returned to Southwell & Notts some of the Invades students came back in their hastily bought suits and had a few cheeky bets on-course.

(1)

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@kamidedvm @kathrynpapp @mountainviewst What is this hardware/software please?

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@ronflatter I see that. This is not a response, but the Rugby League World Cup was on during the Spring Carnival week, if that has any bearing at all?

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

I have been saying this for a long time - it IS possible in the 🇬🇧 .

It just takes nous, very hard work, and people pulling in the same direction.

The VRC deserve huge congratulations for this. 👏

[Geoffrey Riddle @Louchepunter]

@Oliver___Brett Champions Series, with its distance categories, etc was a poor idea, as it turned out - but did attract significant and sizeable investment from Qipco into British Racing, which cannot be ignored or taken lightly.