UK racetrack company chases a new audience with series launch

As Australian racing administrators continue to focus on catering for a youthful demographic, UK racing is also renewing its push to draw a younger crowd.

The Arena Racing Company (ARC) has unveiled a new all-weather series of fixtures built specifically to appeal to 18 to 25-year-olds.

Titled Friday Night Live, the initiative is ARC’s latest attempt to turn race nights into destination events for students and young adults.

Developed in partnership with Invades – an organisation behind many student-focused racedays – the series features five Friday evening fixtures, each carrying more than £200,000 in prize-money. 

The meetings will run from January to March across Wolverhampton, Newcastle and Southwell.

ARC group director of commercial strategy, David Leyden Dunbar, said: “The Friday Night Live concept is unapologetically aimed at a new audience who may not have previously engaged with horseracing, and we plan to work with a roster of partners who share a common goal in reaching this audience.

“Together with the likes of Guinness, Carlsberg and our broadcast partners, the aim is to bring some of our Friday Night Live event activations to life. 

“These are brands who understand the importance of engaging with the next generation of horseracing fans and what it takes to achieve this.”

The launch also marks a strategic shift for ARC, which confirmed it will no longer stage Racing League fixtures – run under Championship Horseracing – at its venues.