Bringing racing into the modern media age
Today’s Turf Talk Questionnaire guest is Seb Vance, who has been involved in horse-racing media all his career, first cutting his teeth as a reporter and news editor at the Racing Post before moving to Dubai for three years where he managed the media of the Dubai Racing Club.
He returned to the UK in 2008 and shortly after joined Racecourse Media Group (RMG), parent company of leading racing TV channel Racing UK, where he has been ever since.
Married to BBC Wales, CNN and At The Races presenter Aly Vance, he fronts up the PR and communications for the business, which is horseracing’s single biggest funder and is forecast to generate £100m for its 37 racecourse-owners this year.
Q. Where were you born? A. Crowborough, East Sussex. Q. How did you become involved in horse-racing? A. I watched it with my father from a young age. Instead of pocket money, I would earn a 50p trixie bet, which concentrated my mind. My first job was in racing journalism and I have been in the industry ever since. Q. Tell us about RMG. A. RMG manages the media rights for 37 leading racecourses in the UK, so it’s our role to generate revenue for those racecourses primarily through their TV pictures. We produce channels which go into homes (Racing UK), betting shops in the UK and Ireland (Turf TV) and betting outlets around the world (GBI Racing). We also generate revenue through bet-to-view, so if you have a bet on your mobile device or laptop you can watch the stream of the race while on the go. We are a racing company through and through, as we are owned by the racecourses and 100% of RMG’s profits are paid to those racecourses. Q. What has been the biggest recent development within RMG? A. We have recently launched a newlook www.racinguk.com, which is a real game-changer and will become a one-stop shop for all horse-racing enthusiasts. Features include seamless betting through the site, oddschecker intergration, Timeform Premium Ratings, dedicated racecourse feeds, pop-out video players and a catch-up service. Q. Apart from horse-racing, what is your favourite sport? A. Cricket. Nothing beats a sunny day at Lords with a glass in hand watching the Aussies in disarray. Q. What was your most exciting racing moment? A. Watching the great Frankel win the 2,000 Guineas – everyone watching at the time knew they were watching something truly extraordinary. From a personal point of view, backing Morning Post at 100-1 to win the big sales race at Doncaster a few years ago, following a tip from Racing UK presenter Peter Naughton. It was purely coincidence that Racing UK now sponsor the winning jockey that day, Paul Mulrennan. Q. Which are your favourite racecourses? A. Chester, the oldest racecourse in the country, for its unique lay-out and fun atmosphere, York for topclass facilities, Ascot for pomp and ceremony and Lingfield Park as it was the track I visited the most growing up and holds special memories. Q. Which two people would you like to be seated next to at a dinner party? A. The Queen; she is someone who has presided over governments from Churchill to Thatcher to Blair, has met fascinating people from all spheres and been a constant in all our lives, yet we know very little about her. And Natalie Portman as apparently she is a great conversationalist. Q. What is your favourite television programme? A. Neighbours kept me going through school, but 24 wins. It was the most gripping, revolutionary series I’ve seen. Q. Who do you admire most in horseracing? A. Derek Thompson for his tremendous work ethic and starring in one of the best adverts ever (google Crown Hotel, Bawtry, Derek Thompson). Q. What is the best advice you have ever received? A. The bigger the odds, the bigger the bet. Q. What is your favourite drink? A. Cool pale ale on a sunny day. Q. Who is your favourite author or racing writer? A. I enjoy James Willoughby’s words, which appear in the Racing UK magazine – although I always have to reread them a few times to fully understand, such is my lowbrow understanding of some of James’ theories. Q. Do you have a favourite singer? A. I’m a little bored of his music now, but even so Freddie [Mercury] is still champion of the world. Q. Finally, tell us something we probably wouldn’t know. A. I can name the actors of Neighbours characters from 1988-95. Don’t try taking me on, you’ll lose.
Where Are They Now? Caernarfon-born Myrddin Lloyd Thomas, known as Taffy Thomas, chalked up the first of his many winners at Hurst Park on Weather Way in 1962. The big races he won included the Cesarewitch, King’s Stand Stakes, Dante Stakes, Cambridgeshire and the Lincoln Handicap.
Between 1961-90 he rode 878 winners. His best total was in 1977 when he rode 98 winners. He stood just 4ft 10in in his socks and in a stable lads’ boxing tournament he knocked out Davy Jones, who was to become famous as one of the Monkees.