industry update
OCTOBER 2023
It’s been one year since Kick Up officially launched in October 2022, and we thought we would celebrate some of the inroads we’ve made with Kick Up already.
We would like to welcome Julia Ritchie to the Kick Up Board of Directors! Julia joined us in June and brings a wealth of industry knowledge, an invaluable network and extensive corporate governance experience to the team.
While we’ve still got a long way to go to achieve our ultimate mission; to create a positive shift in the perception of horse racing, we’re encouraged by the start – albeit with minimal resources, but fuelled by the passion of our small but mighty tribe.
The feedback we’ve received has been crystal clear: our industry is tired of the one-way narrative filled with falsehoods and misconceptions that have been shouted about us for far too long. It’s frustrating to see the limited access to and often the lack of resources for defending our passion and livelihood. But fear not, because together we can make a change!
If you’re reading this update, it means you’ve shown your support for Kick Up, and for that, we can’t thank you enough. We’ve got exciting plans underway, and we want you to get in on the action. Check out the practical ways to get involved (throughout this update), reach out and we’ll have you rocking and rolling with us.
Let’s Kick Up for racing like never before!
Kick Up Board of Directors,
Vicky, Julia, Tanita & Nathan
vleonard@kickup.com.au
jritchie@kickup.com.au
tvella@kickup.com.au
nskrivanic@kickup.com.au
hello@kickup.com.au
preparing for cup week
As we head into Cup Week, we’re about to be challenged about the very industry we dedicate our lives to, every day. One way we can get real and address it is to pick up the conversation with the uneducated and inform them, not by ignoring them or arguing with them.
No one is better-qualified to answer industry criticism than the industry itself – those that have worked with yearlings, ridden racehorses, marketed racing or rehomed thoroughbreds. They are racing regulators, track riders, journalists and grooms – you, us and many people you know.
The purpose of Kick Up is to give you the tools to engage comfortably with the uneducated or misinformed, knowing the information you’re referencing is based on research and industry best practice.
How to have the conversation?
It’s important that we, the industry participants, have the confidence to speak up when challenged with negativity about horse racing.
So, you’re at a BBQ and someone shares their opinion that ‘horse racing is cruel’. How do you respond?
| C | Curiosity: Start by being inquisitive and ask two questions: 1. What makes you think that? – to determine their perspective and values system 2. Where does your information come from? – to ascertain if it is based on incorrect information, an unfair assumption, or a personal experience |
| R | Repeat Emotions: Paraphrase so they feel heard, label their emotions and demonstrate empathy, fostering a sense of connection and trust. |
| A | Assumptions: Question assumptions by exploring their perspective and encouraging them to explain their reasoning. Use factual proof and information. Gently challenge hypocrisy. |
| C | Connection: Throughout the process, maintain a strong connection with the other party by actively listening and engaging in a meaningful dialogue. If they have never visited a training stable or stud farm, invite them! Then reach out to us and we can tee up that visit for you. |
| K | Kick Up Resources: Offer compelling alternative viewpoints and solutions, drawing from the resources provided by Kick Up. |
Use our materials through www.kickup.com.au. Steal our social media content and use it. Share Kick Up to your database, so your clients and friends can be empowered to defend horse racing too.
We would also welcome many of your stories of care and welfare of your horses to include in our social media promotions. Email hello@kickup.com.au or reach out to one of us.
And tag us – when you spot something that appears to be incorrect and need a helping hand to address it, tag @kickupforracing and we’ll jump into it.
On Friday Oct 27, we are hosting an online workshop for industry participants to learn more about tackling the conversation about horse racing. Please sign up via the form below.
Let’s stand strong, stay professional, and continue to make a positive impact in our industry.
upcoming online workshop | Oct 27
Responding to negativity and misinformation:
The content team at Kick Up has been diligently working for the past year on developing resources, implementing best practice strategies, and conducting scenario planning to determine the most effective messaging when addressing negativity about horse racing.
Whether you’re responsible for managing your company’s social media presence and need guidance on handling keyboard warriors, wish to answer any of your clients or owners enquiries or concerns, if you’re looking for ways to respectfully challenge misinformation during social gatherings, or even if you simply feel unprepared to effectively defend our industry during Cup Week, this workshop is designed to provide the guidance you need.
Topics covered will include crisis management and responding under pressure, best practice for social media responses, the importance of proactive media management, and key messages to address industry challenges.
We will also provide resources to assist you in handling a challenging conversation, key messages for mainstream media interviews and a social media response guide.
To be held on October 27 at 11am, the session will go for approx 60 minutes. Participation is free of charge but restricted to horse racing industry participants and stakeholders.
Volunteers needed
We are urgently seeking passionate volunteers to lend a hand across our social media channels from the 1st to the 12th of November!
During this period, our industry will face a heightened volume of misinformation and negative media attention on all social media channels.
Your role would be to help us monitor these channels, respond to comments, and aid us in sharing the positive aspects of the thoroughbred industry whilst rectifying misconceptions. If you believe in our mission and are ready to play a crucial part in shaping the narrative around horse racing, we would love to hear from you.
This is a fantastic opportunity to give back to an industry you love while sharpening your communication skills.
If you’re interested, please get in touch at hello@kickup.com.au, with the subject: Volunteer assistance
Together, we can make a difference.
our strategy
Kick Up is guided by four key strategic pillars:
- Addressing misconceptions: We tackle misconceptions online, in person, and in the media by leveraging the latest research and statistics available.
- Amplifying positive initiatives: We highlight inspiring stories and significant progress in research, policies and welfare initiatives.
- Community support: We empower our army of industry ambassadors with the necessary tools and skills to positively talk about our industry.
- Advocacy: We advocate for crucial changes in welfare policies, industry language, information transparency, and integrity, positioning our industry in the best possible way.
What ARE we working on?
- Collaborating with race clubs to develop messaging for race day attendees, along with media and sponsorship resources.
- Developing collaborative relationships with allied organisations both inside and outside the industry.
- Establishing a welfare hub to showcase the programs and opportunities for rehoming, retraining and guidelines for quality of life after racing in each state (and New Zealand!). This will be live by the end of 2023 with verified and accessible equine welfare and rehoming resources, promoting new initiatives as they come online.
- Organising community events to empower industry participants with the right messages and information, reshaping the narrative around horse racing.
- Crafting marketing campaigns to enlighten the public on misrepresented or misunderstood topics, such as the use of riding crops, in an engaging way.
- Working collaboratively with industry stakeholders to create a unified message and address potential PR issues proactively.
- Identifying areas where further research is required to push for better practices or defend against misinformation.
- Developing a sustainable funding strategy for Kick Up to ensure our impact can be maximised in 2024 and beyond.
progress so far
MEDIA RESOURCES
The Kick Up team have been working with a PR firm to develop media quick reference guides for industry participants to utilise when heading into an interview where they are likely to be challenged on horse racing.
The guides contain stats, facts and key messages for fast reference in challenging media situations.
To request a copy, please email hello@kickup.com.au with the subject: Media Guides, and a short introduction if you’re not known to the Kick Up team – this is simply to ensure the media guides are kept within our industry, with those who want to use them in a positive way.
To see best practice in action during a crisis, check out this interview on Channel 9 News with James Oldring, CEO of Perth Racing, following the tragic accident in the Perth Cup early this year.
pr management
During this busy time of year, the Kick Up team is constantly monitoring for misinformation and negative media coverage that persistently threatens to tarnish our industry’s reputation. Although our primary focus is on social media, recent misreporting of the Melbourne Cup parade highlights the importance of addressing negative media through traditional channels as well.
If you come across anything that needs addressing, please reach out to us ASAP so we can get to it. Either tag us @kickupforracing on social media or email hello@kickup.com.au.
Your eyes and ears everywhere are a huge assistance to us!
racebook messaging
We’re thrilled to have colour pages for Kick Up in the Australian Turf Club’s racebook during their premier spring carnival. The Kick Up graphics include a QR code that linked to ‘Common Questions’ about horse racing. This provides racegoers with access to accurate and fact-checked responses on challenging topics, offering a balanced perspective against the misinformation spread by protestors at the racecourse entrance.
Special thanks to James Ross for his invaluable assistance. We appreciate the club recognising the significance of spreading the right message and supporting our industry.
Other clubs interested in featuring Kick Up’s information can reach out to hello@kickup.com.au with the subject: ‘Racebook resize’ and their specifications.
EQUIMILLIONS // oct
Kick Up sponsored three ‘Specially Slow Horses’ at the inaugural Equimillions event held over Labour weekend. Our goal was to find horses who did not excel on the track, but showcased the athletic versatility of the thoroughbred in their second career.
Riddles, Gary and Syd collectively won the grand total of $1300 on the racetrack, but took home 18x that figure from Equimillions, banking $23,500 for riders Ella, Grace and Tonya.
Thanks to Laura Pouri-Robertson of Morgan English Lawyers for giving her time to assist with this competition and to Daniel Morgan and Annette English for their resource support.
TSHA event at Stonewall // nov
Coming up next month is the annual TSHA National Titles, where Kick Up will be joining forces with Stridyl and The Thoroughbred Report to sponsor a maiden team at the event run by Krissy Harris.
Each horse at this event is licensed with the Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association. The TSHA, a not-for-profit organisation, currently have over 2000 thoroughbreds registered, this includes their microchip number along with ownership and location details. This data goes towards the statistics for rehoming and repurposing racehorses and is a key reason for the industry sponsorship.
In 2023, Krissy has over 350 classes scheduled for thoroughbreds throughout the year. TSHA classes are available in every state and events like the National Titles only strengthen the TSHA mission.
Kick Up industry Workshop // june
Kick Up held its first industry workshop in June where guests from different states, industry groups and the wider community were invited to Royal Randwick for a discussion, followed by focus groups on all things industry perception focused.
The first half of the afternoon featured presentations to bring the audience up to speed on the following topics:
- Diagnosing the problem
- What Kick Up has achieved
- How change happens: the science of social change
After fascinating wide-ranging discussion, including an address by a passionate racing fan who works in the corporate sector, the workshop broke into pillar groups to talk about research and standards, media and language, and content marketing.
Following Up
A summary document with the presentation and pillar notes from the workshop are available on request.
Please email hello@kickup.com.au with the subject: Workshop notes, and a short introduction about yourself if you’re not known to the Kick Up team – this is simply to ensure the notes are kept to those who want to use them in a positive way. We also ask that you keep the notes confidential upon receipt.
kick up for kiwis // oct
Vicky ducked across the ditch in early October to run three workshops focusing on ‘how to control the narrative on horse racing’ at Matamata, Awapuni and Karaka.
Thank you to the NZTR Welfare team, especially innovative thinker Justine Sclater, head of welfare and sustainability, who engaged Kick Up to run the workshops. We now have plans in place to establish a .co.nz domain for the website, featuring tailored Kiwi content based on New Zealand data and research.
Australian racecourse managers association // aug
Nath headed up to Cairns over the winter (half his luck!) to speak to the highly engaged ARMA member group at their annual conference. The focus was on how Kick Up can help promote the excellent progress that race clubs and track managers are doing to improve the safety of horses. There is some superb work being done in that space and we are looking forward to working with this group closely.
Special thanks to Liam Smith for reaching out to get Kick Up involved and to ARMA’s Chairman Lindsay Murphy.
RWWA Equine Welfare Forum // sept
Vicky was invited by Racing and Wagering WA to Perth for their inaugural equine welfare forum, where she discussed the work being done by Kick Up. The event was a resounding success, featuring a stellar lineup of speakers who covered a wide range of welfare-related topics.
A standout speaker was Holly Ludeman, who shared her experiences in establishing The Livestock Collective five years ago. This initiative, similar to Kick Up, focuses on improving the public perception of the animal export industry – an industry that faces its own social licence challenges – by empowering its people to tell the stories along the supply chain.
The Kick Up team have since caught with Holly, who provided invaluable insights on the strategies that have proven successful for The Livestock Collective. She also shared superb resources to assist us in our endeavours.
Thank you to Anna Smet and Marty Burns for including Kick Up in the event.
nswroa: racing's night of champions // sept
A huge thank you to Jane Henning and Pauline Lamb for granting Kick Up the opportunity to have a presence at this remarkable event, which drew over 600 attendees.
Through our signage and information table, Tanita was able to introduce many owners to Kick Up for Racing, with an incredibly positive reception.
The Pauline Racing Club // oct
Nathan was invited to speak to a young group of horse racing fans at St Paul’s College, Sydney University about Kick Up, alongside Adrian Bott and Gary Portelli. The racing club was established by Charlie Cox and Banjo Cole three years ago and has developed into a positive group of young Sydneysiders who love horse racing.
Thanks to Charlie and Banjo for inviting Nath along and for your awesome work promoting the industry to a passionate young audience that is growing each year.
thank you to our epic sponsors!
We are an organisation committed to maintaining our independence from PRA funding. This is crucial to us as it allows us to hold our leaders accountable for improvement, especially in areas such as welfare, information transparency, and research.
However, our independence also means that we rely on the generosity of industry stakeholders to support us, through sponsorships. Funding is vital to maximise the impact of Kick Up.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to Godolphin, Yarraman Park, Rick Gold and others who have generously sponsored Kick Up in its early stages. We hope that more industry stakeholders will recognise the strides we are making in enhancing the perception of racing and be inspired to support our initiative.
Thoroughbred breeders nsw
We had a great day at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, 9 September, with TBNSW raising $9,500 through a charity auction.
Special thanks to the item sponsors and purchasers: Richard Sonnichsen, $2,000 for the Vinery stay and stud tour; Morgan & English, $2,600 for Godolphin suite tickets; Hamish Esplin, $2,300 for Silverdale’s accommodation and dining package; Paul Carrazzo, $1,400 for Coolmore’s accommodation and dining package, and $1,200 for Vinery raceday suite tickets.
Well done Kirsten Tydd for organising a terrific event, and thank you to all members for choosing to support Kick Up.
well groomed
On Saturday, September 16th, Well Groomed, in collaboration with Kick Up, hosted the exquisite Well Groomed Raceday and Lunch at the picturesque Eagle Farm in sunny Queensland, successfully raising an impressive $50,000 for Kick Up.
Led by the remarkable Lorilie Cunningham, Well Groomed was established with the aim of spreading awareness to non-horse owners about the special nature of the horse racing industry.
The charity auction featured generous donations from businesses such as Godolphin, Arrowfield, The Thoroughbred Report, and Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA)/PHYLLi Designs. In addition, breeders like Eureka Stud, Ridgemont Farm, and Peachester Lodge generously sponsored races. The event also received tremendous support from Magic Millions.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the organising committee, including Lorilie Cunningham, Kimberly Gardner, Stephanie Rooke, Steff Cunningham, Amelia Oberhardt Halyday, Jane McAlpine, Sophie Swain, Josephine O’Reily, and Lou Condon.
Missed anything?
Catch up on the discussions we’ve had with media below.
Pledge to grow racing’s future
ANY CONTRIBUTION, A LITTLE OR A LOT, WILL HELP US MAXIMISE OUR IMPACT.
NAB ACCOUNT NAME: KICK UP
BSB: 082-057
ACC: 363296648
Please email us at hello@kickup.com.au with your contribution details
for a sponsorship receipt.
Kick Up is an initiative of Sustainable Action for Racing Pty Ltd,
registered ACN 663 136 623.