Planting Seeds: Amplify Horse Racing Aims to Blossom Nationally

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00:00So when Amplify was in its very beginning stages, you know, our initial goal was to

00:09create a streamlined, first step platform to get youth and young adults involved in

00:15the thoroughbred industry.

00:17But how we were going to do that, we sort of needed to discover over time.

00:24So 2023 was our first year that we had any full-time staff, myself included.

00:31And now we've continued to grow our team into this year and really solidify our programming.

00:36So we're at a stage right now where it's the next launching point where we're really going

00:42to start growing nationally on a broader basis.

00:47Amplify to me is part of really a next generation of infrastructure for horse racing and its

00:54workforce.

00:55And if you don't have pathways for people to come in and embrace the sport, to find

01:01ways to participate, to learn more about it, you're just cutting off a potential workforce,

01:07potentially people who want to be interested.

01:09And even if they only turn out to be fans of the sport, then it will all be worthwhile.

01:15Keeneland has been a big supporter of Amplify since we started working with them three or

01:20four years ago.

01:21And the work that they've done in that time is really just amazing.

01:25They have a big presence with us on College Scholarship Day.

01:28They help with our fifth grade field trips.

01:30They participate at Briarfest.

01:32They actually in 2023 hosted more than 6,200 students at Keeneland, which is a phenomenal

01:41statistic.

01:42Our next stage as we expand is to start leaning into establishing more regional partners where

01:49people can work with Amplify if they want to bolster their educational programming or

01:54maybe they don't have anything and they just need to get started.

01:57Rather than everybody having their own separate program, it all ties into having that unified

02:05messaging on how we're bringing youth into the industry and creating pathways moving

02:09forward.

02:11It's much more beneficial to have consistent messaging about our sport.

02:15I think Amplify provides such a proven model for how best to educate and expose youth to

02:24our sport.

02:25If Amplify can be successful in exposing more students and youth to our sport at a national

02:32level, that does nothing but set us up for success.

02:37Over the past couple of years, we've had a chance to pilot a lot of programming and we've

02:41reached this pivotal point where we know what works and we also know what we have to do

02:47to grow and expand.

02:50And so we're kicking off a impact campaign, the Amplify Impact Campaign, in order to build

02:56a mobile education unit, develop a pretty awesome curriculum, and then start implementing

03:04regional Amplify ambassadors who can help us to carry out our educational mission through

03:10a better method of delivery and transportation.

03:14One of those sayings that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second

03:19best time is today, right?

03:22Amplify is trying to plant seeds for the sport and it's something that I think should be

03:27embraced across the sport.

03:29It should be embraced by organizational leadership.

03:32We want to build new trees for the sport.

03:37And you're not going to see the payoff tomorrow, you're not going to see it next year, right?

03:42You have to do this now and know that it is an investment for way down the line.

03:49My goal is that within the next few years, the entire industry, from small tracks and

03:58regional breeding jurisdictions to the largest tracks, would recognize Amplify as the national

04:05youth arm for education.

04:08We're stronger together as a united industry, working together with one goal of bringing

04:15young people into the industry, and Amplify can help all of these different groups come

04:20together as an industry to have this national education movement.

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