The Program: International Viewpoints
Melissa Bauer-Herzog
In an age where horses, trainers and even fans travel around the world for racing, one of the most important panels of Equestricon™ may be the Perspectives: International Racing Viewpoints panel. Taking place on Tuesday, Aug. 15, it will be one of the final panels taking place at Equestricon™ and discusses the United States’ importance in racing.
Moderated by Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Pat Cummings, the panel will provide an international perspective of U.S. racing with well-known international figures Nick Luck, Adam Driver and Laura King all taking part. With a wide range of experiences in racing countries all around the world, the panelists will talk about what other countries could learn from the way American racing is conducted. But perhaps more importantly for those wanting to grow the sport here, they will also discuss what this country could learn from other countries’ racing.
King is a producer and presenter on the Dubai Racing Channel, covering Dubai’s racing scene, which is most well-known for its Winter Carnival, headlined by Dubai World Cup night. But in addition to those duties, she has also traveled all over the world to places from Kenya to the United States for racing.
Laura King, Source: connector.ae
Last summer when in Saratoga, King learned about Equestricon and it didn’t take her long to decide to sign on for the event.
“I met [Equestricon co-founder and organizer Justin Nicholson] during a brief trip to Saratoga last summer, which I loved,” she said. “I don't need much persuasion to head back there. I also believe that the more people from different racing jurisdictions meet and discuss issues, the better it will be for the sport as a whole. It's a pipe dream that it will ever be properly unified in terms of rules, etc, but every little bit helps.”
With panelists whose experiences comes from a variety of racing jurisdictions, attendees who like lively conversations won’t be disappointed. King says that topics such as medication and whip rules will probably be discussed, both topics that are highly debated both in the United States and abroad. But don’t expect the panel to be full of each panelist arguing about why their favorite country’s racing is better than anyone else’s, King says there’s a lot that can be learned from every country of racing.
“We have a panel of excellent speakers from different corners of the world, backgrounds and areas of the sport. We might not all agree on everything but we'll all have plenty to bring to the table,” she said. “I imagine we'll cover everything from the internationalization of the sport, to the whip and medication rules and - something I think is interesting - the different ways the sport is marketed around the world. I think the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates could learn from the U.S. and Japan in that area, for example.”
In a truly international age of racing, this panel looks like one of the must-attend events at Equestricon™ for racing fans, horsemen and handicappers alike.
