horny old chestnut of mine.

​Sponsors, in my opinion, are a necessary evil, though perhaps that is using too strong an adjective in light of the life-blood they provide. Of course, if racing was financed in a similar way to other racing nations, sponsors would not be so vital to the survival of the sport in Great Britain. Heigh-ho! British racecourses inevitably turn to the betting companies for support. Indeed, several decades ago the sport was so dictated to by the betting industry I feared they would eventually take control in the same fashion as Formula 1 is a corporate business.
We live, I admit, in stringent times and we must accept financial support wherever we can find it. I do wonder, though, if racecourses actively go in search of sponsors or whether they wait for the phone to ring. Sunday’s racing (July 11th) was more typical of days gone by than the accepted sponsorship of modern times. Perth had race-names celebrating Mr & Mrs Duffy, Careers in racing, Eve Muirhead’s Gold at the Olympics (I hope she was invited to attend), Fosters (might be the global brewing company) and the Scottish Racing Academy. Stratford had sponsorship by Cotswold Larder, Allsopps, the Stratford Racing Club and Racing T.V., with nods to the upcoming Ladies Day and National Racehorse Week.
It was Sligo that really caught my eye, though, as their card exemplified the localness of sponsorship in Ireland, especially at their splendid and scenic rural tracks. The Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel sponsored the maiden hurdle, Durkin Brothers Electrical the second maiden hurdle, Friends of Brian Mulligan the opportunity hurdle, Taylor Construction the handicap hurdle, Sligo Park Hotel the long-distance handicap hurdle and the more nationally-known Irish Stallion Farms the E.B.F. mares novice handicap.
Local racecourses should, in my opinion, be marketing outlets for local companies to drum-up business. Racecourses, especially the rural courses, should attempt to be a welcoming port of call for the local community, a market-place, a meeting-place, a venue to celebrate local heroes, to sing and dance and to be merry. Horse racing may have its origins in match races across Newmarket and Ascot Heath, a sport of the aristocracy and landed gentry, but it popularised itself, gained its first ‘social licence’, if you wish, at country fairs and town gatherings as a central part of the entertainment.
Yes, these early race-meetings were often rowdy, an attraction for pick-pockets and card-sharps, an assembly for near-do-wells to come from the dark to skin the gentry of their gold pocket-watches, wallets and the silk shirts off their backs if it could be achieved. But they were looked-forward-to events; a date in the calendar to circle, a day of relief from the ever-present daily struggle for survival. An integral part of the early meetings on the Knavesmire, or York as it is now known, were public hangings, not that I advocate returning to the long-drop for villains of any description (politicians, perhaps) yet the gruesome exercising of the law of past times has had no impact on a racecourse that today is one of the finest in the world.
The perception of race-meetings in this country is one of stuffiness, affluence, an entertainment for the rich, a venue not exactly welcoming to the likes of the factory worker or the office cleaner. Dress codes, with the possible exception of Royal Ascot, should be abandoned as out-of-date and discouraging, though best-dressed competitions should be encouraged so racegoers can, if they wish, don their best dress-up clothes and promenade as of olden-times. People living in local post-code areas, as I have said before, should receive discounted rates of entry. Admission prices should be routinely reduced and the excuse for out-of-proportion admission ‘that they are in line with other sports and entertainment’ should be criticised for what such excuses are, a lazy approach to keep out the riff-raff.
I have always said it, and will continue to do so, despite the sport’s ancestry, horse racing in this country is largely a working-class activity, underpinned by the wealthy and mega-wealthy. This fact should be lauded, not masked behind finery and exclusive enclosures.
Sligo last Sunday was a prime example of how the local racecourse should be integral to local commerce. Win the trust of the local community and put on entertainments for the whole family and they will come. Perhaps only once a year but that is a better starting point than never considering attendance at all. If Fred is opening a butchers’ shop, give him a small advertising space and invite him to a day’s racing and ask him to bring his friends and family. Give out a bit of the freebie in anticipation of long-lasting support through the turnstiles. 
One other point about sponsorship. In the U.S. recently, I noticed, and to my surprise, I have to admit, a major race had a sponsor but the race title did not change to any degree. Over here it would be the Fred the Butcher Nutsville Derby or whatever the title of the race happened to be. In the U.S. it was the Nutsville Derby presented by Fred the Butcher. The same as the Cazoo Derby could be the Epsom Derby presented by Cazoo, the on-line second-hand car dealership. Putting the horse before the cart, I would say, rather than the other way round. The Epsom Derby will be around for as long as there is horse racing in this country. Cazoo, not so much.