Being in the industry for a year and a half now, there is one thing I know. We need to engage younger people and bring in more fans to this wonderful sport. Though I feel the Breeders' Cup fell short in their advertising efforts for such a huge event, the coverage was great.
The spike in national, and international media coverage and web traffic is ridiculous around Kentucky Derby time. I recently sat with a coworker, and we looked at the analytics for Kentucky Derby traffic, versus the rest of the year in various leading industry web presences. The Breeders' Cup does not have as big a spike, but it needs to and they have prime opportunity to attempt so.
I have been a critic of how poorly the Breeders' Cup has advertised the two days of racing to the common person. As often as I watch ESPN and ABC, I never saw one commercial for the Breeders' Cup itself. However I did see two commercials for TVG and wagering on the Breeders' Cup on those major network channels, which delighted me.
I am still frustrated about the advertising because the horses and their connections held up their end of the bargain. There was no lack of good content. The horses provided memorable races and some of the most impressive moves I have seen, ever. How intense, how emotional and how fun! There was wonderful weather, NO breakdowns, and international communities. Horses who had never been on synthetic won; horses who have been on synthetic won; and horses from the turf, of course won.
I was thoroughly impressed with all the features and back-stories that ESPN/ABC had for the horses in various races. There were so many video pieces and each was done very well—from the emotional naming and rise of Colonel John to other various stories behind the horses.The two day coverage and special reports on each contender in the BC Classic was wonderful. It really helped engage the fan.
One interview that really stuck out to me was with Kurt Russell. I can really relate to what he was saying because before the movie Dreamer, he said he had no idea what the Thoroughbred industry was about. After did actor training for the movie to learn the industry he said he fell in love and gained admiration for these athletes. I had no idea about the depth of this industry either, prior to my gig.
This is something I think the Breeders' Cup needs to hone in on. Celebrity. They are in LA! Make the event very fashionable next year and get more bang for the buck in advertising. I mean, Extra and the other celebrity shows will pick up coverage if fashion and star power are present. For instance Oprah's comments on Oprah Whinney is a pleasent memory. 25 years of incredible races can be shown for six months, the location and celebrity can be built up and numbers will increase for 2009...if the hype is made for this great racing event.
There are still issues to be resolved, but hopefully they will look at numbers and change things up a bit. The ladies had a good turn out on Ladies day, but it was still a third less exposure overall, which is something to think about. Ladies day held three of the best races of the weekend and not half the viewers saw the races.
With many aspects of the event going well this year, hopefully Breeders' Cup will take away a lot of new ideas and learn what did and did not work. That way they can promote and advertise to the masses!
Read more on the numbers.
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Charmed.
Three Chimneys does something that is very special for race fans. They promised to update fans on Silver Charm when he was sent to Japan in 2004, and they have. They recently gave an update about him and provided a nice gallery of photos for you to view. So kudos to Three Chimneys for allowing fans to stay in touch with a horse who is truly a loved athlete in the industry.
Slide Show/Pictures
Silver Charm's page on Three Chimneys.
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Notable Entries
Obi Wan is entered to run on November 8, 2008 at PENN NATIONAL.
Race: 9 Distance: Six Furlongs Surface: Dirt Age: 5 Sex: Gelding
Race Type: Claiming Purse: $ 10,800
Jockey: Jorge Tipa
Trainer: Timothy C. Kreiser
Race conditions: (PLUS UP TO 40% PABF) FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NOT WON TWO RACES SINCE MAY 8. Weight, 122 lbs. Non-winners of a race since October 8 Allowed 3 lbs. Claiming Price $4,000 (Races where entered for $3,500 or less not considered in eligibility).
Notable Workouts of horses I follow (so you should too):
Jedi Code
Comment: Star Wars, Empire Maker - Listen Well
Date: October 28, 2008
Track: SKYLIGHT TRAINING CENTER
Distance: Five Furlongs
Time: 1.00:80 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: All Weather Track
Rank: 1/13
Big Bad Leroybrown
Date: October 30, 2008
Track: SANTA ANITA PARK
Distance: Five Furlongs
Time: 1.04:40 Handily
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: All Weather Track
Rank: 32/32
Big Bad Leroybrown
Date: November 5, 2008
Track: SANTA ANITA PARK
Distance: Five Furlongs
Time: 1.01:40 Handily
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: All Weather Track
Rank: 31/49
Arson Squad
Date: November 2, 2008
Track: AQUEDUCT
Distance: Five Furlongs
Time: 1.01:04 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 1/12
Einstein (BRZ)
Date: November 2, 2008
Track: CHURCHILL DOWNS
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 52:00 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 63/68
