Do you recall when Mike Repole gave an early warning to the American horse racing industry? The American businessman remarked, “You’re not a national sport if you’re not in California. It’s not like if California goes, ‘we get more (market) share.’ No, if California goes, you lose. You might win (more business) for another year or two, but long-term (there would be) less and less interest.”

There are a ton of races happening throughout the year in this US state, but it’s been tough to see the audience numbers drop for various reasons. What about the statistics? So, it looks like the 2023 California foal crop sat at 1,314, which is quite a drop of 66% from 2005. Also, there were 2,780 races available in 2023, and that’s down 42% compared to 2004.

With the Kentucky Derby just a few months away, people are starting to talk about the first leg of the American Triple Crown and the concerns that come with it. And with all the buzz going on, American reporter Liz Mullen shared her strong opinion on the sport, saying, “Best horse racing in the world not in California anymore. It’s in Asia, specifically Hong Kong. East Coast US racing powers worked to diminish ⭐️California 🐎s like Zenyatta, American Pharoah, Justify, Flightline & to destroy Bob Baffert. They ended up killing US racing.”

Mullen mentioned all of the top American horses in the industry. What about Bob Baffert? One of the best trainers to ever be around in the scene. Even though he’s still in the game, that ban from a few years back, which came after Medina Spirit failed a drug test post his 2021 Kentucky Derby win, has put a bit of a dent in his reputation. So, you know, the fans had mixed feelings about this whole thing, and a lot of them ended up losing interest because of the harsh decisions from the officials.

So, what’s the deal with Hong Kong, anyway? When you check out their horse racing scene, you’ll notice there’s a big crowd in the stands, and the betting numbers look pretty solid too. So, if you’re curious about the numbers, some stats from 2024 show that Sha Tin had 69,916 attendees. That’s quite a significant figure! It marks the highest attendance at HKIR since 2018, and the turnover hit HK$1,716.3 million (around US$220.61 million). Plus, there was a commingling record of HK$473.8 million (US$60.9 million), which is a charming 10% increase compared to 2023.

What did Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, think about this success? “When one looks purely at the results, it was a tremendous success for Hong Kong horses but our overseas horses also ran really well. When you talk to the overseas owners, even if their horses finished second or third, they say it was a wonderful experience to come to Hong Kong and support the meeting,” he shared with genuine excitement.

But where did the US industry fall short? In 2020, the economic decline was pretty significant, with its valuation dropping by $5 billion compared to the year before. Also, since 2005, 40 racetracks, including California’s Golden Gate Fields, have shut down, showing that fans’ interest is fading. Even though there are a lot of races happening in American racecourses, Mike Repole once predicted a tough future for the sport because of the factors mentioned earlier.

The American businessman who wants to save the horse racing industry

Mike Repole may not be a superhero like the Human Torch, but his passion for changing the future of American horse racing is definitely on fire, even more than any comic book character.

With the big races coming up, like the Kentucky Derby, he shared a straightforward message for everyone involved in the industry, saying, “As an active participant in the Thoroughbred industry, it has become abundantly clear that this will be the most important year for horse racing’s future. Without radical change, I have deep concerns about the sport’s survival.”

Change is something we can’t avoid, but it seems to be missing in horse racing. The American businessman mentioned that he’s genuinely worried about what the next few years hold for horse racing. “Unfortunately and sadly, I see a clear path where, by 2028, there could be no racing in both California and Florida. Racing today is like Blockbuster Video. Do we want to evolve like Netflix or have the same fate as Blockbuster???” Repole posed the question, emphasizing that the future of the sport depends on its capacity to adapt. We’ll just have to wait and see how everyone in the industry interacts and works together to prevent any possible issues in the years ahead.