The Paddock panel on the need for thick skin as a horse racing influencer, and why Racing Blogger is so relatable

'There's something so watchable about somebody living that high and low'

Stephen Power’s Racing Blogger channel shows viewers the ups and downs of horse racing, taking you behind the scenes and amongst the fans at tracks around the globe.

In the second episode of The Paddock, Tom Stanley and Oli Bell in particular discussed the benefits of a new type of horse racing content that brings fans closer to the action, and admitted the need for thick skin as an influencer in the industry.

• Oli Bell tells nightmare story of how he missed out on £350k on horse syndicate… by going with his family
• Paddock Picks – Four big tips for Saturday’s horse racing action from Paddock podcast guests

Tom Stanley said: “Now there are so many different ways you can market your passion through different forms of media. I probably wish, when I started off, done something a little bit different. Like start a daily podcast!

“There was a time 10 years ago where there was a good time to capitalise on that, and I didn’t. I probably wasn’t brave enough, stayed a little bit more mainstream, I am on Racing TV, I will stick with that and will try not to push myself on other forms of social media.

“But it’s hard to publicise yourself sometimes isn’t it? It’s hard to want to stick out and say: ‘Look at me doing this, filming myself.’ Some people are much more natural at it, and brilliant at it.

“There is something so watchable about somebody living that high and low, like Blogger running under the stands and seeing Frankie Dettori get beat on Enable. It’s so relatable.”

Oli Bell added: “When you look at Blogger, who has taken Australia by storm seemingly this winter, over here he is sort of criticised, and you need thick skin to put yourself out there.”

The Paddock is a show hosted by Oli Bell, with weekly episodes with the best tips, news, talking points and special guests from the world of horse racing. Catch The Paddock on YouTube, or listen on podcast – wherever you get your podcasts.