Literary legends tell Asian Racing Conference that the charisma of the horse can connect racing to popular culture

Bill Barich, lead writer for the HBO racing series Luck, and best-selling author Don Watson drew a rapt assembly of delegates to this afternoon’s plenary session, titled: ‘Connecting racing with popular culture’, at the 35th Asian Racing Conference, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Mr Barich, who rarely speaks in public, told the audience that “racing is a great democracy” in the way it brings people together from all walks of life.

The American writer’s first book, Laughing in the Hills, has become a classic racetrack novel. Barich described how he immersed himself in racing’s sub-culture as he spent 10 weeks at an American racetrack, getting to know the characters, hearing their fascinating stories and making notes.

“It’s the notion of a confined universe,” he said. “That’s what we tried to show with Luck. Their lives are absolutely enmeshed with the horse, with the circumstance of seeing the same people and having to deal with the same people on a day-to-day basis.

“When my first book was published people wrote to me, and at least two-thirds of them wanted to tell me their story of how they got into racing,” said Barich. “Invariably they began with ‘I had an uncle, a father – somebody – who took me to the races as a child’ and when they’re a child they’re not interested in the gambling aspect, they’re interested in the horse. And I really think that’s the thing that’s got to be sold through popular culture – it’s the thing that keeps people involved.”

Mr Watson, one of Australia’s most distinguished writers and public speakers and a recipient of the 2010 Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Australian Literature, spoke about his experiences as a fan of horseracing and as the owner over the years of around 30 low grade racehorses.