The eighth plenary session of the 37^th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul focused on the critical threat of gene doping. 

Dr Makoto Inoue, Presidential Counselor for International Affairs at the Japan Racing Association (JRA) and Vice Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) welcomed delegates to the session. “Gene doping was raised for the first time two years ago at the Asian Racing Conference in Mumbai.  The threat of gene doping is not very well understood by the industry and hence this session is of vital importance.” 

Dr Kanichi Kusano, JRA official veterinarian and Chair of the ARF Drug Control Committee, as well as the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities Gene Doping Control Sub-Committee provided a background with regards to gene doping and the role of the sub-committee. 

“Gene doping is just a trend of the times. In effect it is the misuse of drugs, in this instance the misuse of DNA. It just means that we need new experts and new instruments in order to deal with gene doping. 

“The risk of gene doping from these two forms is firstly damage to the integrity of sport and secondly the risk of creating a genetically modified thoroughbred. Hence the IFHA formed the Gene Doping Sub-Committee in March 2016.   

“Our mission statement is to advise racing and breeding authorities on the regulation of gene therapies and to assist in the formulation of strategies and guidelines”, explained Dr Kusano. “Hence Article 6B of the IFHA’s International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering was completely revised in 2017 to focus on gene therapies, while the regulation of gene editing in the IABRW is currently a work in progress.” 

Dr Kusano concluded with a ‘take home’ message for racing regulators. “Strengthen your rules of racing and improve your testing system for gene doping. Check that the laboratories in your jurisdiction have the appropriate experts and equipment. Provide financial support for research and educate the veterinarians, trainers and stable staff on gene doping.” 

Faced with the very real threat that gene doping poses, it came as some relief when Dr Natasha Hamilton, Racing Australia’s Director of Equine Genetics Research Laboratory presented a recently developed method for detecting equine gene doping. Dr Hamilton began by identifying the difference between gene therapy, namely the insertion of a gene to cure or treat a disease, and gene doping, which is the insertion, modification or editing of a gene to improve performance. 

“The aim of our gene doping sub-committee is to prevent people from using gene doping to win more races,” she said. “Do we really need to worry? Well if you look at the recent racing doping scandals across the globe, especially the use of cobalt and sodium bicarbonate, then yes we do. People looking for that edge will also be on the lookout for something new and hopefully undetectable to use to enhance performance.   

“In order to try and prevent the use of gene doping we needed to look at what genes are already used in gene therapy to combat diseases, what drugs are used in their protein form for performance enhancement and what known genes could affect performance, such as genes that affect muscle strength, energy metabolism, pain reception, injury repair, oxygen regulation and angiogenesis (growth factors). Knowing which genes are likely to be manipulated helps in detecting if gene doping has occurred.” 

Dr Hamilton explained how the test for gene doping actually works. 

“The inserted or transgene creates a unique sequence, which is different from the normal DNA, which we can then test for. The test can detect ten copies in the reaction mixture and currently screens for five genes in two reaction mixtures. The test is inexpensive and the results are available within a day. Surveillance testing was carried out during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival. Of course this test is relevant to all breeds of horse and can be used for other events such as the Olympics.”  

Dr Hamilton flagged that, currently, gene editing cannot be detected, but the plans are underway to create tests that potentially could. “We need lots of different ways to detect how this might happen. Regulation and knowledge is necessary for the strategic use of these tests.” 

Dr Teruaki Tozaki, Technical Advisor, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, Japan, introduced the delegates to the risks of gene editing and the difficulties in detecting and regulating gene editing.  

“Currently genetically-modified animals have already been produced worldwide with the use of gene editing.” So what is gene editing actually? According to Dr Tozaki: “Gene editing and its industrial applications can no longer be stopped. The science has been simplified to the degree that you can now buy a DIY bacterial gene engineering kit online for a mere US$159, making it easy to perform genome editing with only the most basic knowledge. 

“The race to produce the first genetically engineered super-horse has already begun. Argentinian scientists have started performing gene editing on horses and it is speculated that the first super-horse is likely to be produced by them as early as 2019. The gene that they are targeting is myostatin, which is crucial for muscle development, in other words, it could allow a horse to jump higher and run faster.” 

At the moment gene doping is regulated by a number of authorities. Gene doping, including the use of gene editing agents is prohibited by the WADA code. But while the IFHA have disqualified genetically modified horses from participating in races, the administration of genetically modified cells is not yet clearly regulated. “For this reason the IABRW should change Article 6B as soon as possible”, said Dr Tozaki. 

Currently blood samples are collected from all foals and stored for future use. “In the future”, Dr Tozaki predicts, “whole genome sequencing will be done for each foal at birth. Thus enabling a retest of that foal once it is a racehorse in order to confirm whether genome editing has occurred.”

The agenda of the 37th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul took a twist away from the routine today with a session focused on the sport and its connection with popular culture, chaired by Mr Stephen Romei, literary editor of The Australian newspaper, occasional racing commentator and committed horse racing fan. 

Mr Romei, a regular guest on Australian radio's horse racing programme Hoof on the Till, opened the discussion to examine how racing connects with popular culture in today’s world.

“While several serious issues like integrity have been discussed this week and rightly so, it is important to remember that the horse, and horse racing, have been part of our culture for a very long time and it is incumbent on racing administrators to work to ensure it stays that way,” he said. 

Mr Romei detailed many of the great horses who have inspired writers and film makers over the years - speaking of Secretariat, Sea Biscuit, Phar Lap, Black Caviar and Winx. “These horses ensure that racing and popular culture go hand in hand and have inspired generations. And, even now, with Black Caviar and Winx having their own Twitter accounts the connection remains real to contemporary popular culture,” he said. 

Mr Chris McGrath, racing correspondent from Thoroughbred Daily News and three time recipient of the United Kingdom’s Racing Writer of the Year Award, explored how the written word has captured the social diversity of the turf. He said the enormous spectrum of characters who have recurred throughout racing’s history was arguably the defining strength of the sport. 

“Recently, on the one day, I interviewed two breeders. The first was the Duke Of Roxburghe, his mother a wealthy American industrialist, on the Scottish borders and the second was with a self-made man named David Armstrong in an industrial estate outside Manchester. It provided a typical snapshot of the sheer breadth of humanity who convene on a racetrack,” he said. 

Mr McGrath spoke of how he decided to write a social history of the thoroughbred, “Mr Darley’s Arabian,” which simultaneously became a social history of Britain over the last 300 years as it followed the Darley Arabian sire-line. He highlighted numerous examples of the colour and diversity he turned up in his research. 

“From the Darley Arabian to Frankel, each stallion in the sequence provided a portrait of racing and life. Two of the 25 stallions in the sire line were, in fact, bred by Prime Ministers,” Mr McGrath said. 

He explored the literature of the turf, nearly every worthwhile syllable of which he read during the course of his research for his book and pointed to its engagement with the masses through especially great turf writers including Bill Nack, author of an acclaimed 1975 book on Secretariat, and George Lambton who also happened to train Phalaris, the great Darley Arabian line stallion. 

Mr Jongduk Kim, Senior Manager, Broadcast Center (KRBC) for the Korea Racing Authority, looked at how rediscovering horse culture in Korea could be used to generate interest in contemporary horse racing. 

“Developing and highlighting the horse culture of Korea could be the solution to revitalising the horse racing industry in Korea as a whole,” he said after presenting a fascinating video which focused on that history. 

“The Korea Racing Broadcasting Channel is focused on regenerating the Korean horse culture which we believe can make people take pride in their enjoyment of horse racing. Re-establishing that link with our great horse history can bring people closer to racing. 

“That is part of our expanding television coverage which along with a focus on attracting new owners and developing new technologies underpins our strategy to ensure the industry’s viability and growth,” Mr Kim said. 

The KRBC is finding traditional and unique cases to revive the forgotten Korean horse culture from years past. Mr Kim outlined four traditional Korean horse stories and explored connections that the KRBC had found between Korea’s traditional horse culture and the modern horse racing industry. 

Mr Henry Birtles, prolific poet and managing director of HBA Media, which specialises in the promotion of horse racing and is the leading independent distributor of racing media rights globally, bought a poem to the table - "Kam Sa Ham Ni Da” which is “thank you” in Korean.

The piece, shown below, centred on the merits of a collaborative approach and the benefits of convocations such as the 37th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul.  

Kam sa ham ni da (Thank you)

In years long gone, in different times when progress wore a selfish cloak 
When people firmly gave no ground and unity was thought a joke
A wisdom rose amongst the ranks of visionaries who’ve earned our thanks; 
Who saw beyond their border line, beyond their remit, national gain
Who chose a way to re-define those boundaries coloured by disdain
A modernising outlook born where close collaboration drew
Collective thought, exchange, goodwill and betterment; a worldly view
That Racing now could celebrate; alliance in the corporate space
Where bright ideas and brainstorming collided for a better place
Where all the nuts and bolts discussed that underpin its glorious form
Compliance, law, integrity, such things that make the public yawn 
Essentials for our sport to shine, debated hard below the line
But more than this…encouragement; support, promotion, nourishment

And all quite simply that’s required to make our product more desired
For we are here to find a way, it’s what we strive for every day
To do what we know must be right, to keep that burning torch alight
To make the Sport of Kings once more, a King of Sport just as before
And we are blessed with so much scope and so much more than dreams & hope
The stories, oh the stories and the grace, the power, the glories
The majesty, the passion; though it’s not for some…the fashion
With guile, ideas, the time is now; think digital, think why and how
And with a Winx and with a smile, think on our feet; think Gangnam Style
Let’s give our bodies, give our whole, give our minds, our heart and Seoul
To you, the noble ARF upon whose shoulders duty rests 
Assembled here in South Korea, and elsewhere every other year
From conference guests both near and far, a gracious Kam sa ham ni da

The sixth plenary session of the 37^th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul tackled the very ever-pressing issue of integrity, both in sport in general and more specifically in racing. 

Mr Kim Nag Soon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Korea Racing Authority, set the tone for the session with his opening remarks: “In our industry, nothing is more important than integrity. If we are to earn and retain the trust of the public, then our sport must not only be clean and fair, but also must be seen to be clean and fair. It is what sets us apart from illegal gambling operators. Going forward we need to strengthen education of all participants and work across borders with partners, sharing information and intelligence to combat our common foe and uphold the trust in our racing product.” 

Sport around the world has been accompanied by scandal. Allegations of match fixing, bribery of officials, illegal gambling, doping and money laundering have tarnished sport for decades, eroding the public’s trust. Based on match fixing case studies from around the world, Professor Jack Anderson, Director of Sports Law Studies at the University of Melbourne offered his view on recent and current integrity issues in the world of sport. 

“We may think that the threat is external, but the threat is from within,” said Prof Anderson. “Insider information is the key integrity threat. It can manipulate betting markets, putting the integrity of the sport, and of the brand, at stake. Educating jockeys or players is key. There is a demand for information – so how does one stop the supply? You cut off that supply by educating the jockeys or the players.” 

Prof Anderson went on to explain that there is no such thing as a victimless crime when it comes to corruption. “Corruption and lack of integrity has a price tag, it costs the sport.  A fix in a race or at the bookies affects every consumer on a micro level, and on a macro level it leads to transnational economic crime. For criminal syndicates this is a beautiful outcome.”  

Dealing with match fixing is resource intensive, hence more and more sports bodies are relying on commercial operators to flag unusual betting patterns. According to Prof Anderson, that raises several legal questions, such as what constitutes an irregular pattern, what is the correct ban, and how do you make the punishment proportionate to the crime given courts these days reject life bans? 

In conclusion, Prof Anderson added, “nothing corrodes quicker than the whiff of corruption and therefore integrity needs to be your number one priority.” 

With global racing integrity issues as the main theme of his presentation, the Honourable Justice Jack Forrest of the Supreme Court of Victoria (Australia) reminded delegates of the ease with which a scandal impacts the sport.  

“The prosperity of international racing relies on its gambling revenue, and if it is not a level playing field, betting and reputational damage affects all stakeholders. Stewards need to operate effectively and be seen to be doing so,” said Justice Forrest. 

He specifically addressed the ongoing doping problems in Australian racing. 

“After the last four years, the public can be forgiven for thinking that cheating and doping is rife in Australian racing. First we had the cobalt scandal and more recently the Aquanita scandal, where ‘top ups’ of sodium bicarbonate were given to their horses on racedays over a number of years.” 

Justice Forrest noted that racing has been effective in creating an integrity infrastructure that has, in general, been successful, while other sports have often lacked such setups. However, he cautioned that the implementation of such programmes requires more due diligence than expected. 

“There have always been individuals trying to get an edge in racing. The question is how quickly is it detected and how well is it controlled,” he offered. “The current answer seems to be that perhaps the controls are not sufficient. That raises several other questions. Should integrity be quarantined from the controlling bodies? How tough should drug rules be and how can we improve hearings?”  

Justice Forrest feels that removing integrity issues from the controlling bodies is unlikely to be effective. “I cannot see that such a split would be effective. The costs of doing so are significant and invariably this type of stand-alone organisation is established and regulated by government. On the toughness of drug rules, there are diverse approaches worldwide. Not all positives require a trainer to be disqualified. There are various situations in which the rules need to be adaptable.” 

Justice Forrest concluded by saying that while the cobalt issue has dragged on for three years and is still not finalised, the top-up scandal has been dealt with in a matter of months, with bans and penalties following shortly after the verdict. While this is a step in the right direction, he noted, there are still a host of legal issues to resolve. 

Chairman Kim closed the session with a question to the panel as to what they considered to be the biggest single threat to racing. Justice Forrest added that the quality of technology now used in the monitoring of races, and having expert Stewards, meant that manipulation of race outcomes was no longer the real challenge, while integrity units in other sports have often lacked such expertise. In his view, performance-enhancing drugs was the central integrity issue for acing.  

Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, today called on all racing jurisdictions to take advantage of a brightening global economic outlook during today’s Global Wagering Leaders session focusing on current strategies and opportunities at the 37th Asian Racing Conference in Seoul. 

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges, who is also vice-chairman of the IFHA (International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities), noted that 75 percent of racing’s income is derived from wagering, a figure which also includes commercialising intellectual property rights on racing products. 

“While we have talked about our branding being less focused on gambling, which is important, we cannot escape the fact that wagering is the lifeblood of the racing industry and we have to capitalise on the positive economic climate. There is a strong link between strong GDP and betting turnover growth,” he said. 

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges noted that racing’s share of global gambling turnover had fallen from seven percent in 2010 to six percent in 2016. “The positive is that football betting has given us access to new customers some of whom migrate to also betting on horse racing.”

He then identified five key areas of focus for horse racing as a collective industry: widening the customer base, especially with the embrace of new technologies to connect directly with customers and provide relevant offerings; developing better tote technology to support a better customer experience; advancing the development of a new tote betting protocol for commingling to leverage our strength in exotic bet types; making a concerted effort to create and protect racing’s intellectual property rights both nationally and internationally; and supporting the fight against illegal and unregulated betting. 

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges noted that global racing betting volume was flat when the topic was examined at the previous ARC in 2016 and that global GDP growth was stuck in ‘low gear’. However a generally brighter overall economic outlook through 2018 and 2019 provided racing with opportunity for growth. He reported that Hong Kong Jockey Club racing turnover had increased annually 6.5 percent from 2010 to 2017 while football betting growth was double that figure in the same time.  

International simulcasting of horse racing is vital to expanding racing’s fan base according to Mr Masayuki Goto, President and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA). 

JRA figures on betting turnover emphasised the focus on quality, Mr Goto said, as average handle on Japan’s Group 1 races totals US$160 million, about four times the amount on Group 2 and Group 3 races, and about forty times the amount bet on standard non-stakes races. 

Mr Goto highlighted the changing tide in Japan, which permitted wagering on select simulcast opportunities beginning with the 2016 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. “The races on which we will consider simulcasting are those in the World’s Top 100 Group 1 Races, or others of particular international interest,” he said, adding that more than 10 million viewers tuned into the live coverage from Paris during that groundbreaking event. Since then, the JRA has carried simulcasts from Dubai, Hong Kong and America. 

“We have developed our own websites with extensive content for Japanese audiences. This has also carried over to racing form guides, which are now presented in newspapers in a style familiar to traditional Japanese races,” added Mr Goto, while showing an example of such from the 2018 Dubai Sheema Classic.

Mr David Attenborough, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tabcorp, outlined how the firm has repositioned its wagering business to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the evolving fixed odds, digital and sports betting growth at the expense of traditional drivers, retail and parimutuel betting. 

“It is a vibrant wagering market and core to us is our relationship with racing which represents more than 88 percent of our business. As with Hong Kong, sports betting is growing but that is good for racing given the younger audience it brings to the market place.

“That market place is changing and we have to adapt. We’ve found that digital betting growth has offset any downturn in retail sales and similarly, fixed odds betting has offset a decline in parimutuel betting,” Mr Attenborough said. 

He noted Tabcorp was the biggest retailer in Australia and, underlining the inextricable link between racing and wagering, reported that Tabcorp underpinned prize money in Australia with a A$1 billion return to racing each year. “That link is also evident as most people experience racing for the first time in one of our 4300 retail outlets and 2.3 million people bet with the TAB on Melbourne Cup day,” he said. 

Mr Brant Dunshea, Chief Regulatory Officer at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), outlined British racing’s wagering strategy during this session. He examined the changing betting landscape in Britain and what it means for the future funding of the industry. The key change is a switch from retail to digital betting along with public and government attitudes to gambling in the United Kingdom. 

More than 50 percent of betting on British horse racing is now digital, compared to less than 30 per cent five years ago. “The younger generation is well exposed to digital betting via football,” he said, reaffirming comments made earlier by Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges and Mr Attenborough. 

Mr Dunshea said that the 2018 Gambling Review in Britain had focused on many areas including player protection, problem gambling and money laundering, with a current focus on retail outlets and a push for gaming machines in betting shops to be heavily restricted. Mr Dunshea warned that retail shop closures would likely drive a fall in media rights and levy revenues but the hope is that horse racing betting will become more important for operators. 

He called on the British government to ‘deliver’ on its promises to support the racing industry as the industry has supported government aims for responsible gambling. “Levy reform benefits may potentially be undone in the changing landscape and the grassroots agendas and the sport’s wellbeing threatened. The government has provided assurances that a revised levy will help bridge any gap,” Mr Dunshea said.  

Mr Richard Cheung, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Executive Director, Customer and International Business Development, said Hong Kong strategy centred on sustaining turnover growth via three principal targets: micro-demographic targeting of seniors (60 plus) and females under 45; commingling partnerships and specific information dissemination to overseas customers; and leveraging new technologies to ensure a seamless customer experience.

“We have had a good run, last year turnover grew by 10 percent and this year we expect another five or six percent growth, but we do not think we can sit on our laurels. We are now planting the seeds for another good run,” said Mr. Cheung.  

“Those racing fans who lapsed, who dropped away from the sport due to work and family commitments in middle age, with our tactics, we are seeing that some are returning now that they are retired. Not only that, the lapse rate is dropping,” he said, adding that age-friendly facilities, bigger font types in specific publications, nostalgic marketing campaigns and assistance to promote senior use of digital channels have all been employed.  

Relative to the HKJC’s focus on attracting female racegoers under 45, Mr Cheung suggested the micro-mining of demographics has led to short-term wins.  

“We have seen success with an increase in active betting accounts among young women, with a seven percent growth two years ago and this year a 16 percent growth,” Mr. Cheung said. 

With regard to commingling, a topic first posited at the 31^st Asian Racing Conference in Dubai in 2007, Mr. Cheung said the Club’s investment in bespoke content for overseas customers is yielding strong benefits since the endeavor began in 2014.   

“By the end of the 2015/16 season, we were at about US$400 million in turnover. For this season we’re looking at about US$2 billion and that will continue to grow,” he said. 

Emerging technology use, including leveraging artificial intelligence and the chatbot concept may not immediately result in turnover increases, but is required to meet emerging customer segment demands. “We still need to do it. This is how future consumers, especially Generation Z, will function; we have to continue to adapt or it will be very difficult for us to stay relevant with the next generation of customers.”

Mr Simon Bazalgette, Chief Executive Officer of The Jockey Club, outlined the radical change to the British horse racing betting landscape with the creation of Britbet, a partnership of 55 of the country’s 60 racecourses, giving it access to a yearly aggregate of 5 million on-course customers. It will compete with the privately-owned Totepool which had held a parimutuel monopoly.

"While pool betting (parimutuel) accounts for just three percent of Britain's racing turnover we hope to increase that with several initiatives including a cash-out offer on exotic bets, crowd-funded bet types and self-service applications allowing customers to bet on their phones," Mr Bazalgette said.