An emotional day as I finally get to meet the mighty Frankel - a decade later than planned

It wasn’t just the group of schoolchildren invited to meet Frankel this month who were blown away by the experience. It was a very emotional day for me too.

Lilian Corbetts, Charlotte Cornish and Harvey Shilson were finalists for the inaugural Young Writers on Horseracing awards and invited to Banstead Manor Stud for their efforts. 

It’s not new for Juddmonte to support such a thing. A decade ago they afforded me the same opportunity after winning their poetry competition, but travel costs meant I wasn’t able to go, which made my presence now mean all the more. I had little opportunity to get close to horses growing up, or to go racing. What kept me interested were the extra pieces of racing I could access from YouTube videos, newspapers and computer games. 

Although those scraps were enough to feed my love of racing, I wonder how many young people have turned away from the sport because they had little tangible access to it. 

When I put my hand on the neck of the greatest of all time, I felt my interest of 15 years rewarded. It’s fantastic that the children’s interest was rewarded so much sooner and racing should work to ensure this is far more common. Granted, it's not every day one can meet Frankel, and great initiatives like Horses For Courses do provide the chance to meet former racers on the track, but there is scope for improvement in reaching potential fans not already at a racecourse and providing them with tangibility in a smaller sense. 

There was palpable joy – comparable to that when the horse himself made his appearance – as Frankel goodies were handed out at Banstead Manor. I was sent similar merchandise all those years ago as consolation. While I couldn’t meet Frankel then, Juddmonte still gave me a small piece of him. 

Young Writers on Horseracing finalists Lilian Corbetts (with her sister Lottie), Harvey Shilson and Charlotte Cornish meet Rob Bowley and Frankel

It puzzles me why merchandise isn’t marketed more seriously in racing. In other sports, it is often a bridge to feeling included, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds who can’t attend live events as they’d like. I wonder how far trading cards, apparel and figurines would go in engaging younger people, as opposed to the readily available silk-themed cufflinks and ties. A new console game wouldn’t go amiss either. 

When Frankel came into my eyeline, I couldn’t help becoming emotional. As that scintillating Queen Anne from Royal Ascot crossed my mind, there stood its purveyor, the legend animated from screen to reality. 

My own emotions and the children’s excitement, both for Frankel and the gifts, proved that just a small piece of these horses can make a big difference. If the whole industry mirrored Juddmonte’s mindset and realised what tangibility can do, perhaps it would find engaging a younger and more diverse audience easier.

Another View is exclusive to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Members can read more Another View columns here:

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