Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 11.08.2026 
For over three decades, the Racing Post has stood as the number one outlet for horse racing and sports betting across the UK and Ireland.
From detailed racecards and breaking industry news to unmissable tipping and expert analysis, our brand has long served as the daily bible for dedicated racing enthusiasts.
However, as media consumption habits shift toward dynamic short-form content, modern sports publishing demands more than traditional print and online coverage.
Engaging the next generation of racegoers requires bringing the excitement, drama and culture of the racecourse directly into social media feeds.
That’s why we are thrilled to be nominated for Best Use of Instagram at the UK Social Media Awards 2026 for our Royal Ascot coverage.
Royal Ascot is far more than five days of pinnacle flat racing. It is a world-renowned cultural spectacle where royal tradition, celebrity glamour and elite sporting talent converge. It is one of the biggest and busiest weeks of our entire year from a social media perspective.
To capitalise on this landmark week, our team devised an Instagram strategy designed to capture the unique electric atmosphere both on and off the track, tailored specifically to the platform’s algorithm and user preferences.
That’s why we are so delighted it was a record-breaking year for us on Instagram covering the event. In terms of the numbers, we exceeded all expectations we had and smashed our initial targets.
Beyond the 23 million views and 300,000 likes on our posts, we achieved true deep engagement with 68,000 shares and 28,000 saves.
It proves that our audience wasn’t just scrolling past, they were actively sending our content to their friends and saving clips themselves.
With a total of 13,000 new followers, we connected with a younger, less racing-savvy audience by leaning into fashion, celebrity interviews and providing people with entry-level horse racing content.
We spoke to milliners and fashion figures from across the world, including Nigeria and Ukraine as well as racegoers who dedicated months to building the perfect outfits.
Exclusive interviews were secured with the likes of British TV personality Scarlett Moffatt, legendary cricket icon Chris Gayle and former football star Michael Owen.
Clips were produced on Molly Keegan-Price, an up-and-coming female British apprentice jockey having her fourth-ever ride at Royal Ascot.
This three-pronged approach allowed us to demystify the sport for newcomers. By placing emphasis on elegance, human-interest narratives and the raw thrill of racing, we successfully positioned horse racing as an accessible, vibrant lifestyle event for a modern social media audience.
By adapting our output without sacrificing our editorial integrity, we have established a proven blueprint for expanding our brand’s reach across future flagship meetings and attracting the next wave of followers.
We’d like to say a massive thank you to that incredible audience as well as the dedicated team behind the scenes at the Racing Post who brought Royal Ascot to life on social media.
Being shortlisted alongside such talented creators is a huge honour, and as we celebrate this milestone, we’re already gearing up to bring both our existing and new followers even bigger, bolder and more engaging coverage going forward.
Win or lose at the UK Social Media Awards, breaking records and bringing new fans into the thrilling world of horse racing is the ultimate victory for us. Roll on the awards night!
WHO ARE WE?
Liam Grace and Jamie FIlby are responsible for running the Instagram and TikTok accounts at the Racing Post
TESTIMONIALS ABOUT OUR WORK
Noah Bradley, Content Marketing Executive: “Unreal work by Liam Grace and Jamie Filby at Ascot with record-breaking numbers despite pressures from all areas of the business”
Monty Curran, Senior Campaigns Executive: “Brilliant content and hard work across the five days of Royal Ascot. The numbers speak for themselves, well in guys”
Aoibhinn Brennan, Marketing Campaigns Executive: “You both did great work at Royal Ascot, from the initial ideas right through to execution and achieving such great results”
Mark Renshaw, Chief Executive Officer: “This level of year-on-year growth is fantastic to see – well done”
Bill Lord, Lead Researcher: “Great work – really interesting and encouraging stats on demographics”
