M&C Saatchi is Here for the Horses in New Documentary on Racing

A new documentary exploring the topic of equine welfare in Victoria’s thoroughbred racing industry has been launched via M&C Saatchi Group. Produced by THIS. Film Studio in collaboration with RCKT Co and Racing Victoria, ‘Here for the Horses’ was conceived by M&C Saatchi Group and leveraged the expertise of its collective of world class specialist agencies. It was launched last week on Channel 7 in the countdown to the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival’s biggest events. 

“We have seen first-hand the love, care and commitment that Racing Victoria, and the thousands of people associated with this industry, have for the horses in their care. This is not just about racing. This is about an industry-wide commitment to horses and their life beyond the track. The impact horses can have within our community with Racing Victoria continually setting the highest standards in safety. This documentary provides a gripping behind the scenes perspective of that ongoing commitment” says Michael McEwan, managing director, M&C Saatchi. 

The documentary was born out of the development of Racing Victoria’s brand platform. Creative and media worked hand in hand to bring the platform to life via the documentary with M&C Saatchi and THIS. Film Studio managing the storytelling, and Bohemia working in partnership with Channel 7 to amplify media coverage and distribution.

M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment managed the publicity around the launch, with the group's marketing sciences practice Precision, tracking the effectiveness of the documentary in shifting public perceptions.

Hosted by AFL triple premiership hero Josh Gibson – a racing enthusiast who is forging a post-football career riding and working with horses - the documentary features some of the biggest names within the industry including champion jockey Jamie Kah, the voice of racing Bruce McAvaney and leading trainer Danny O’Brien among many others. 

The ‘Here for the Horses’ documentary premiered on free-to-air Channel 7 on Thursday, 22 September 2022. An encore will screen on Channel 7 at 10.45am (AET) on Saturday, 1 October prior to the broadcast of Turnbull Stakes Day from Flemington.