How Horse Racing Brands Are Using Micro-Influencers for Sponsorship Growth

The world has changed over the past decade, and social media has become the new goldmine of opportunities. Social media platforms enabled global exposure, leading to the rise of influencers. Today, most people spend hours on social media, which is why most brands switched their marketing strategies from big media outlets like TVs to small independent influencers with millions in reach.

Even horse racing, as a sport, which is considered to be more traditional than others, has switched. Nowadays, it is quite easy to see partnerships on social media platforms between influencers and horse racing brands. But as the power of influencers grew, they started charging a lot of money. Yes, they are quite influential, but not every brand can afford a million dollars for a sponsored post from a popular influencer.

So, they’ve changed strategies. Why hire one influencer with 1 million followers, when they can hire 10 mini-influencers with up to 100K followers or 100 micro influencers with up to 10K? The reach would be similar, but they’ll pay less money to micro influencers.

The question is, how does a sport like horse racing, with such traditional values and an odd (older) demographic, use micro influencers for social media campaigns? Let’s find out.

Why Horse Racing Needed a New Strategy

Horse racing is an age-old sport, but it needed a change of strategy ASAP. Why? Well, horse racing has been around for centuries, and if we look at its fanbase, it is mainly people in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. With such an audience, the sport cannot compete with other forms of entertainment, especially in the modern age.

In other words, horse racing as a sport needs social media to attract a newer, younger demographic that will take the sport into the future. On top of that, horse racing sponsorship became very predictable and boring. You put your logo on a jockey, hang some banners, and maybe run a few TV spots during Derby week.

That worked well when tracks were full of spectators and people watched cable TV and read newspapers. In today’s age, the only way to stay relevant is to be on social media.

So, the sport started looking for people who already lived that reality every day. They started to look for young people with a passion for horses, just to carry the torch of the sport and introduce it to the mass audience, and social media micro influencers are perfect for this.

Why? Well, let’s say that you are a professional handicapper sharing tips on how to bet on horse racing, and you have 10K followers. Your audience is already the prime target for horse racing events, especially since you’re talking about betting, which is where horse racing as a sport gets its money.

Your audience is already into the sport, and they “trust” you more than a big influencer who only shares sponsored posts. Horse racing handicappers on social media share betting tips, strategies, analyze races, and give fans some valuable information. That’s why they are so popular. Some of them even compete in TwinSpires horse racing handicapping tournaments, which gives them more credibility. 

The Power of Small Audiences That Actually Care

A micro-influencer strategy is actually a really smart move for horse racing. Yes, big social media accounts with millions of followers get engagement and views, but it is hard to target the best audience.

If you hire Kim Kardashian to make a post about a horse racing event, it will get you a lot of followers, and maybe some ticket sales during the weekend, but that buzz quickly dies down, and not many of their followers will start to show interest in the sport.

But if you hire a micro-influencer, someone who has an engaged audience around a certain niche (like horse racing, horse care, farm life), you get more potential customers.

Micro influencers in an equine niche have people who actually care about the content. These aren’t casual viewers. They’re fans of the sport, bettors, handicappers, owners, hobbyists, and people who want to get into the sport.

Real Examples of Micro-Influencers Changing the Game

To understand how strong this trend has become, you don’t have to look far. American racing brands have been experimenting with this approach for a few years now, and the results have been promising.

Some horse racing brands took it a step further. Instead of doing another polished marketing campaign, they invited influencers into actual racehorse ownership through a social media campaign. That meant behind-the-scenes access, stable visits, race-day responsibilities, and the kind of real experience that translates into highly engaging content. It worked because the influencers weren’t actors reading lines, they were fans living out something exciting for the first time.

Or look at the content creators growing naturally within the sport. Trainer Kenny McPeek built a whole digital ecosystem around his stable: podcasts, training updates, industry commentary, and transparent conversations about racing. None of it feels forced; he simply talks about his work. That authenticity builds trust, which in turn attracts sponsors.

Even jockey agents like Jose Santos Jr. have become micro-celebrities in their own right by giving fans an honest look into the chaos, travel, and adrenaline of race day. When someone like that recommends a product, it lands with a different weight.

So, the world is changing, and the good thing is that horse racing is riding the waves. Hopefully, this will allow the sport to reach its younger (more important) demographic, which will future-proof the popularity of the sport.