Originally Posted by
eliteblood
Who can name these horses ?
How many of the stars do you think you would be able to name if the colours were removed from the image? The horses colours IMO become an integral part of the horse.
Those of use old enough can instantly recognise Gammalite with his yellow colours and black sash. If Brian Hancock had been wearing his own orange and black checks, I wonder how many people would have known who the horse was?
I am all for promoting our drivers and feel that a lot more could be done to utilise the star appeal of the Chris Alfords, the Kerryn Mannings, the Natalie Rasmussens, etc. but I don't think them wearing a consistent set of colours is an overall benefit to the industry.
The champion horses are the real stars of the sport, those that the public identify with and get excited about. We should make it easier for this to happen by making them as identifiable as possible.
I would be surprised if drivers racing in their own colours increased betting turnover by 0.1%
The sooner this idea is discarded the better.