Racing Blogger: Loved Or Despised?

If you’re a fan of Horse Racing and have a Twitter account, It’s likely you have heard of the racing blogger!

Love him or hate him, the Blogger has become a big part of horse racing media. He even created his own documentary on his rise within the industry.

I am the greatest racing influencer in the history of the modern era!

Quote from Stephen R Power (Racing Blogger)

This is a man that is confident, brash at times and for some everything that is wrong with the modern era of social media. Others see him as a pivotal figure in the future of horse racing, a man that can bring new eyes to sport.

In today’s article we are going to look a little deeper into the man who creates so much attention around the sport of horse racing.

Who Is The Racing Blogger?

Racing Blogger started out as an ordinary Racing Fan. What made him different from the majority of horse racing fans was his utilization of social media. Recording lots of video content on his Twitter Account @RacingBlogger.

The Racing Blogger’s real name is Stephen R Power and grew up in Kilburn, London. Apart from his Twitter persona, he is a pretty normal bloke in his mid-30s. He loves the gym, and likes wearing a suit and drinking a beer. A flashy London lad who likes a good haircut.

I’ve met him for a beer. My feelings towards him after spending an evening with him was that he was down to earth, loves horse racing and wanted to work within racing. He hasn’t been given any full-time opportunities by Racing TV, At The Races or ITV Racing for his dream job yet, however, he has definitely carved out his own niche.

What Makes Racing Blogger So Popular?

This is a question that a lot of people in racing are asking.

The reality of horse racing is that it isn’t a sport with a huge amount of characters. Circles are small and it’s hard to avoid someone you don’t like. Blogger appears to infuriate the older racing fans of previous era who are more appreciative of hours of form-book study rather than a two-minute interview on Twitter.

On the other side of that, many young men are growing up exposed to social media daily.  They love a day out at the races with their mates and in the racing Blogger they see someone that represents themselves. They don’t care if they don’t know everything about the horses, they just want to have fun and maybe the odd each-way bet. This is where his following comes from it’s the entertainment that brings from his videos.

Blogger also hits the sweet spot in racing drama. The older fans can’t stand him, yet spread his videos complaining about him. There are younger fans who truly enjoy his content. You add the two of those things together and racing creates a monster that the whole industry talks about. It’s a smart move on his part.

Think about major sports stars like Conor Mcgregor and Floyd Mayweather they divide people but bring in a lot of eyeballs to their respective sports.

When you think about character in modern-day horse racing, not many stick out, we’ve never had anyone like Racing Blogger before. He’s another character like Matt Chapman or Big Mac, when the Racing Post asked Blogger for his bigger ambition he said:

“I want more followers on Twitter than Matt Chapman and to be compared to racing royalty Nick Luck and Big Mac one day!

I’d love to work on TV as a presenter, bringing racing to life for all the people at home. I want to show them what they’re missing, I want racing to be fun to watch and I believe I’m the man for the job.”

In 2024 the Racing Blogger has accomplished that with his follower count at 175K, whilst Matt Chapman is currently at 143k.

Why So Much Hatred?

As stated earlier not everyone is a fan of not the Racing Blogger.

When he first came onto the scene we had some questionable things come from his account. In the past, he has deleted losing bets, posted fake photos and posted a lot of copyrighted content. He’s had his Twitter account suspended more times than he has appeared on TV!

However he did seen to have taken some of this on board. Taking on a more professional approach we lead to him being able to interview some of the biggest names in horse racing. This has given him more access in French Racing – as we have seen with his media badge at the Arc de Triomphe.

When Blogger was asked by the Racing Post who he admired in Racing, he said;

“I always loved Big Mac growing up as a kid – outspoken and brash. All the jewellery and funny hats, he was a real character who people either loved or hated.” 

One negative claim that has circulated against the blogger is that he is working with bookmakers and not disclosing this. Some of the bets that he has made videos about online, have been way below odds available on Betfair and come across as negative EV betting. This has lead to some twitter users suggesting that the bets he was making were merely to endorse a bookmaker and not actually real?

Whilst many others believe that he is a recreational bettor that is making his bets purely for entertainment purposes.

Twitter Outrage

Blogger has found himself on the wrong side of hatred more than a handful of times.

I can’t put my finger on why some racing fans hate him so much. I mean at the end of the day he not exactly punching them in the face. It’s so easy to just block him and move on with life. In this day and age it is very difficult to navigate social media without finding something that angers you.

If I had to take a guess at why he’s disliked so much, my theory would be this…

People feel like they know more than him, but don’t have a platform and, subconsciously that builds anger. Racing is is often pitched to the masses around opinion, where everybody feels like they know more than everybody else. But only a certain amount of racing people have big platforms, in a society now where everyone feels like they should have a voice. It must be very frustrating for some to see Blogger have such huge engagement, when they themselves get so little.

Let’s take Simon Rowlands for example, Twitter profile @RowleyfileRRR. He is an expert in racing times and highly intelligent. Here’s the kicker though – he’s not really bringing much from an entertainment aspect. Young men that like a bet and are starting to get interested in horse racing are far more likely to engage with the racing blogger.

He has less followers than Blogger and the reality is, he’s never going to demand attention like Blogger. I don’t know what Simon thinks about Blogger, but you can see that Simon spends hours and hours on racing and gets no social appreciation. It’s natural to see why this might lead some to dislike the Racing Blogger – particularly when promoting Star Sports accounts.

Does Racing Blogger Make Money From Betting?

In the early days, I believe that the Racing Blogger definitely lost money. Quite a bit.

He posted numerous Acca’s and short odds favourites that got beaten, and some more that he deleted after they got beat. He wasn’t as clued up to the sports betting game as he is now. With the amount of time now that he has spent in and around the racing industry. It would make sense that he must know a fair bit about the game and has developed useful connections. No doubt this has a direct impact on his net worth. This would lead me to believe that if his approach is disciplined? Then he would be profitable.

I have to say that the jury is still out on whether he makes the game pay or not.

The reality is nobody will know if Blogger is making money from his actual betting or not. There’s every chance he now gets some ‘inside information’ as a result of his efforts, but knowing how racing is, I doubt that would make the public domain. Others have speculated about benefits from promoting bookmakers, again, that’s unclear.

In my opinion, if he’s to make money from the sport – it should come from the racing channels!

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Will the Racing Blogger Appear On ATR or ITV In The Future?

In the past I believed it was only a matter of time before the Blogger landed a TV gig in horse racing. His interviews and content were getting better with each passing month and while he might not be a good tipster, he can definitely hold an engaging interview with trainers and jockeys about their claims.

What may have held him back was making enemies with the industry. His infamous bust-up with Matt Chapman this year at Cheltenham probably hasn’t helped his cause and perhaps Chapman’s thoughts regarding Bloggers more recent content has put off TV big wigs. If you are interested in reading their exchange you can do so on the racing blogger twitter.

Love him or hate him, Stephen R Power knows how to get attention. Whether that is good or bad probably depends on your own perspective.

He started off selling himself as a racing tipster but he is way more suited to just focusing on interviews. That’s what he’s good at. As we have seen with Aidan O’Brien, John Gosden, Gordon Elliott and Willie Mullins in the past, some trainers respect him. In fact some deliver a far better interview with Blogger than they do with the TV cameras.

Related: BetBudget Review An Open Banking Nightmare For Punters

Is Racing Blogger Overall A Good Thing For Horse Racing?

This is a great Twitter debate that is always going to rumble on!

Obviously, it only exists because both sides are so divided. 

The positives for Blogger are;

• Good Interviewer
• Entertaining
• Able to bring new eyes to the sport of horse racing
• Passionate about horse racing
• Brings a different audience to the sport

The negatives are;

• Questionable bets (-EV)
• Can come across brash and arrogant
• Promotes irresponsible gambling?
• Not the best role model for young horse racing fans
• Possibly a long term losing bettor?

Conclusion

Let’s call a spade a spade here though.

All horse racing presenters are driven by self-achievement – they all want the best gigs, the most views and more money. That is what drives a lot of people in the industry.

On the whole, I don’t believe that the Racing Blogger is ultimately bad for racing. He is a character that attracts more people to the sport of horse racing. If he isn’t to your liking then you can ignore him.

For the sport of horse racing to thrive and bring in a new generation of fans, not everyone is interested timeform statistics and jargon. It needs characters like the Racing Blogger to stand out!

Overall I believe Racing Blogger will always have his fanbase. They are likely to be young lads, who enjoy a day out at the races. Who are likely to withdraw £200 from the ATM before heading to the track and they are happy to blow that on booze, bets and whatever else they like. They don’t care if they get value, or lose – they just want to have a good time and a good day. At the end of the day there’s nothing wrong with that. These lads would spend the same money on any sporting event, football, boxing, cricket etc.

There’s no definite answer on whether Blogger is good or bad for racing as a whole. I have my own opinion but what do you think?

Have Your Say…

What is your opinion on the racing blogger? Do you follow or block him on Twitter? Good or bad for horse racing?

Let me know in the comments below!

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