My name is Blake Matthews. I’m a 27 year-old Accountant who loves the racing industry – the punting, the horses and the excitement it all brings. I don’t belong to a family invested in racing, nor have a social circle consisting entirely of thoroughbred people.
Students at Kenilworth on a Rag Race Day
But through my job and new friends, I have recently found a passion for the racing industry and am now a convert. I am a regular attendee at the track, a punter, and an owner. One of the people that has fallen in love with everything about the industry.
However, being outside the industry bubble – alongside the majority of my friends – I know the brutal reality of what it is like to try defend a sport that is increasingly falling out of touch with society.
This week I have been relentlessly defending the industry, especially those currently on the fence about racing, which is most of young Australia.
These people are having a hard time becoming invested in the industry, and the events of the Melbourne Cup were a huge amplification of this.
