Ladbrokes Aus pens pre-race jockey video deal
Jockeys to offer insights into imminent races via two minute Ride Guide video posted on race card
Ladbrokes’ Australian arm has signed an exclusive deal with a number of the country’s leading jockeys which will see riders offer their thoughts and share race strategy for upcoming horse races.
The brainchild of Victorian jockey Chris Symons, punters will get a view of the race from the rider’s perspective via a Ride Guide video made available behind the jockeys’ race card silks on Ladbrokes’ desktop and mobile sites and apps.
The agreement was struck between Ladbrokes and athlete media company Unscriptd, with the first set of videos to be filmed just before the jockeys take their mount, to go live tomorrow (Saturday 16 July).
Ride Guide will initially be available for Saturday meetings at Melbourne and Sydney, but plans are afoot to expand the product nationwide and include midweek meets.
“This is fantastic content which really starts to showcase the jockey’s talents and knowledge,” Dean Shannon, Ladbrokes Australia CEO, told EGR.
“I would much rather invest in this type of content deal than overpriced media. More than 70% of our book is racing, so we are serious about it and prepared to invest accordingly,” he added.
Ladbrokes head of media Roger Oldridge said Ride Guide was the perfect example of Ladbrokes’ desire to deliver new customer-focused products.
“We pride ourselves on innovation and information and we see the Ride Guide as the perfect example of both when it comes to delivering punters with all the detail they require to find a winner,” Oldridge said.
Symons, who has ridden more than 1,000 winners, said the product would help increase the exposure of modern day jockeys, something he has been trying to do for many years.
“There is no doubt that sport now lives in a digital age and the most progressive sports around the globe leverage their athletes voice to help drive their sports forward,” Symons said.
“I didn’t want our Australian riding group left behind and my sole focus for the previous four years has been trying to advance public engagement with jockeys whether it be through jockey cam or social media,” he added.
Ride Guide is the latest in a line of innovative products launched by Ladbrokes Australia over the past year with previous efforts including Odds Boost, Featured Bets, InfoHub and the newsagent Cash In service.