I’ve spent most of my life standing in betting rings, often in the rain, taking bets on horses that I’m desperately hoping will get beaten.
It’s not everyone’s idea of a perfect existence, but racing has given me a living, a lifetime of memories and, through www.dragonbet.co.uk, the chance to build something with my brother David.
That is why this year’s DragonBet Welsh Racing Festival at Chepstow feels like more than just another three days of racing.
For me, it has become something of a cause.
From Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, Chepstow will once again mark the beginning of the core jumps season in Britain. The racing will be competitive, the atmosphere will be electric and, if previous years are anything to go by, the weather could do just about anything.
It promises to be a brilliant weekend. But this year, simply turning up and enjoying the racing doesn’t feel quite enough.
This is our chance to show what British horse racing means to Wales.
The sport is facing significant political pressure. Questions continue to be raised about equine welfare, while racing’s historic relationship with betting is under increasing scrutiny.
Following the decision to ban greyhound racing in Wales, the Welsh First Minister was recently given the opportunity to rule out a future ban on jump racing.
He didn’t.
You don’t need to be an expert in politics—or anything else, for that matter—to read the mood music.
A petition calling for the greyhound racing ban to be revisited has now passed 10,000 signatures. That means the Senedd’s Petitions Committee must consider it for a debate.
Whatever your individual view of greyhound racing, the strength of feeling behind that petition matters. Historic sports, livelihoods and entire communities should never be dismissed or legislated out of existence without proper scrutiny and a full understanding of what would be lost.
For those of us who love horse racing, it should also serve as a warning.
We cannot assume that everyone understands our sport, its welfare standards or the contribution it makes. We have to make that case ourselves, clearly and confidently.
That is why the economic impact study commissioned by the British Horseracing Authority is so important. For the first time, it will provide an independent, evidence-based assessment of Welsh racing’s contribution to jobs, tourism, local communities and the wider economy.
Those of us who work in racing see that contribution every day.
It can be found at Wales’s three racecourses, but it stretches much further: trainers, jockeys, stable staff, owners, breeders, bookmakers, farriers, vets, suppliers, hotels, pubs, restaurants and the many other businesses supported by the sport.
Then there is the sporting success.
Sean Bowen is now a back-to-back Champion Jockey. Last season he rode more than 240 winners, a total surpassed in modern times only by Sir AP McCoy.
Stop and think about that for a moment.
If a Welshman were delivering that level of sustained success in almost any other major sport, we would be shouting it from the rooftops and writing songs about him in the Valleys.
Sean is not alone. Welsh jockeys filled three of the top five positions last years championship , Welsh trainers and horses continue to compete and win at the biggest meetings in Britain. For a small nation, Wales punches so far above its weight in racing that we sometimes seem to have stopped noticing just how remarkable it is.
We should notice. More importantly, Wales should be proud of it.
Racing is not some insignificant corner of Welsh sport. It is one of our most consistent sporting success stories.
Its influence is not confined to Wales either. Our jockeys, trainers and horses perform before national and international audiences. Our racecourses attract visitors, owners and investment from across Britain and beyond.
Welsh racing is proud in its identity, but its reach and reputation extend far beyond our borders.
From a personal point of view, I’m immensely proud that DragonBet is sponsoring the entire Festival.
This isn’t simply a case of putting our name above the door and hoping everyone notices.
Chepstow is where our family has stood in the betting ring for more than 50 years. Racing is where David and I learnt our trade, and it remains at the heart of what DragonBet is trying to become.
Sponsoring the Festival is also a considerable financial commitment for a small independent business—and, to be frank, it would be much easier not to do it.
The Treasury delivered a hammer blow to bookmakers in the last Budget. Tax rises are coming, regulatory and compliance costs continue to grow and the illegal black market is being handed an increasingly attractive opportunity.
The biggest multinational operators will find that difficult enough. For smaller firms such as ours, without their scale, technology or resources, it will be even harder.
Our industry is going to have to work twice as hard just to stand still.
Against that background, the safe commercial decision would be to become more cautious, reduce our commitments and step away from sponsorship.
But there are moments when you have to remember who you are and what you stand for.
Racing and bookmaking have had a symbiotic relationship for generations. At a time when both are under pressure, we want to stand behind the sport that has given our family so much.
Of course, there is a commercial element to the sponsorship. DragonBet is a business and we want it to grow. It would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise.
But we are also real bookmakers and real people. We are proud of the business we have built, proud of how we conduct ourselves and proud that it allows us to give something back to racing.
The Festival will show jump racing at its best: outstanding horses, talented jockeys and trainers, dedicated stable staff, passionate supporters and the sort of atmosphere that can only be created at a racecourse.
So here is my personal plea.
If you care about racing, support the Festival in whatever way you can.
Come to Chepstow and experience it for yourself. Share a social media post. Talk about the sport. Have a bet if you want one (preferably with an independent bookmaker.) Tell people about the employment, investment, enjoyment and sporting success racing brings to Wales.
Above all, don’t be afraid to say that you enjoy racing—or even that you enjoy having a punt.
There is enormous value in both when they are enjoyed responsibly. The memories, friendships, excitement and shared experiences they create are too often ignored by those debating their future.
Racing cannot assume its future will look after itself. If we value the sport and want it to remain part of Welsh and British life, we have to be prepared to stand up for it.
Please, let’s fill Chepstow and make some noise around it.
Let’s celebrate everything that is good about Welsh racing and send a clear message to Cardiff Bay, Westminster and anyone else willing to listen.
This sport matters.
It matters to our economy, our communities and our national identity. It gives Wales something to be proud of and carries our name successfully far beyond our borders.
Welsh racing is worth standing up for.
So let’s stand up.
Diolch.
