Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges view on some of racing's challenges

Storm clouds clearing as World Pool grows deeper

Hong Kong on a moody Friday morning and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges draws on a Chinese belief that the arrival of great people (and possibly great horses) is often preceded by stormy weather.

Cue a deafening volley of instant thunderbolts and lightning that are very, very frightening to me.

The HKJC boss may or may not have an in with a higher power but ‘EB’ certainly has a clear line to the direction that some of racing’s pressing debates are heading in.

Growth of the World Pool

I’m normally extremely critical of what we have achieved – asking if we could have done more – but the introduction of the World Pool globally has been transformative in a lot of areas and has exceeded my expectations. It is great to see real customers can have a real bet and we have invested heavily in a new technology called Racing Wagering Information Protocol which will enable us to offer more exotic pools and Jackpot type wagers.

Fixed odds betting has dominated in places like Australia but we now see a completely different dynamic, with the whole country betting into one pool, and overall turnover and income for the racecourses has been extremely satisfying. I’m convinced that we will see further strong growth as this concept helps the industry focus on common benefits rather than common enemies, which is not conducive for development of the sport.

Hybrid Events

We have extended the concept so we now have an ability to cover twelve races per day, choosing the best three or four races from multiple international fixtures, and discussions have started with government to further expand the number of World Pool days. Demand is there and our aim is to have all the major global meetings on one platform.

That would strengthen the whole Pari Mutuel pool system and create a much better return for the industry than is currently available. It is a tremendous opportunity and, theoretically, a hybrid day might start in Australia and Hong Kong then continue in South Africa and on to Europe as the time difference makes that slot extremely attractive.

Britain’s new Non Runner rules

A lot of times I would like to move much faster but I appreciate that not everybody has a Porsche Turbo!

However, I would like to see the same rules applying for all big meetings internationally and I must compliment the British Horseracing Authority for moving forward to ensure that stewards can now declare a horse a non-runner if it has been denied a fair start. Transformation takes time but the case for change is easier to make if it is in the interest of the customer and creates additional revenue.

Romantic Warrior’s Cox Plate win

To go through tortuous quarantine facilities at the start of a season with a change of feed – which is also a massive factor – and still be able to win Australia’s premier race is a major achievement.

Romantic Warrior showed there is still amazing quality in Hong Kong racing after Covid. Bullish Luck’s Yasuda Kinen win against top-class Japanese milers was another performance I rate very highly but Romantic Warrior’s win is in my top five, possibly top three.

Challenges for 2024

Racing faces significant issues globally, there’s no doubt about it. Significant economic challenges effect disposable income and we see this here in Hong Kong, with local turnover down by ten per cent.

This is partially compensated by growth in comingling but our challenge is in the top segment as super high value players are impacted by what has happened in property, stock equity and Chinese industry.

Attracting new fans and punters

Most of our customers are 45 or 50 plus but we see certain positive aspects when it comes to attracting Generation Z and Y and their racegoing and digital experience must be completely different.

This generation is not about the individual but the community and if groups are not in favour of doing something then attracting them is very difficult.

Gameification is important but it must be based on the actual race. We have new Experience Zones in planning for Sha Tin and Happy Valley and Artificial Intelligence will play a major role to help us identify trends and what kind of experience that younger customers need.

Full full coverage of FWD Champions Day click the link below

Artificial Intelligence in betting

The interesting issue is how will our regular customers use AI? I have asked for a study to assess the probability of AI becoming so efficient that it doesn’t make sense for people to bet but all our research says that people like racing because they want to figure out the puzzle.

They may use technology, they may use other tools, but AI is practically an extension of the way professional punters use tech and therefore we must give normal customers sufficient information to ensure they don’t feel disadvantaged and taken for a ride.

Champions Day weather

Our track can stomach a lot of rain. Over a certain period of time there is a little bit more saturation in the track than ideal but the forecast suggests we will have the worse behind us by Saturday and I am still optimistic that we will have a good track for Sunday.

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