Whistle jacket
The 41st Asia Racing Conference
"Honouring Tradition, Shaping the Future"
Some 600 delegates flocked to Riyadh for this event, not only people from Asia but Europe and the Americas. The main conference was over three days preceded by a one-day focus on the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses.The morning took us to the main King Abdul Aziz racecourse where recently two outdoor arenas have been prepared so that former racehorses can transition into equestrian sports, mainly dressage. We were able to see two former racehorses perform beautifully and to visit their stables where the vets are installed to care for them. There will be a large covered arena built in the future and during the conference it was announced that the Saudi operation will be paired with the UK Heros organisation to facilitate the exchange of ideas and results.
The afternoon was down to business with IFAR's 10th Annual Conference being opened by HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid al Faisal, Chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, and the keynote address given by HRH Princess Nanda Devi Norodom, Chair of the Cambodian Equestrian Federation. The main theme of the discussion was on the need to consider the welfare of the horse right through its life and that aftercare was the major portion of this. There were some excellent examples given of how aftercare could work alongside providing guidance for disadvantaged young and that Vet Nurse and even Vet Science students could assist in this as they are needed at all stages of the horse's life.
The main conference considered the sustainability of horse racing by encouraging more people to become involved through projects that create wider interest – the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" scheme involved 14 different countries and therefore attracted a wider audience.
In Saudi Arabia they are going to build a new racecourse – in fact a new racing and tourism centre -at Qiddiya, some 25 kms out of Riyadh and where they expect to run the Saudi Cup in 2030. It is being promoted as an entertainment and tourism centre. Another city AlUla will host the World Eventing Championship this year.
The issue of sustainability also required forward thinking in the area of AI and social media which can also be used to educate the racegoers about what goes on behind the scenes – the example of F1 was cited. Make every race day special was another.
The need to cooperate with other jurisdictions was mentioned by representatives from the Gulf States in regard to the transportation of horses, the dates of major meetings and now samples from all Group and Listed races are sent to IFHA labs in the UK.
The threat from illegal betting is a major worry with gambling regulations unable to keep up with it.
Equine welfare comes frequently into the discussions and here again the need for a unified approach was stressed.
And then there is the breeding side, with dwindling numbers in the foal population leading to potential harm to the gene pool since purchasers are looking only for certain stallion lines.
It was agreed that there needs to be a welfare focused approach to sustainability in the breeding industry. This includes things such schemes for tracing a horse right through its life.
In Saudi Arabia racing is seen as a driver of economic development and we were able to see this at work when we attended the races on the Friday and Saturday – the Friday featuring an international jockeys championship and the Saturday the fantastic Saudi Cup, the richest race in the world, with a crowd of very enthusiastic racegoers. And there is no gambling in Saudi Arabia.
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