Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

morris stiles — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:17:53 GMT

at 62 years young, i now have the best access to horse racing news that i have ever had. the computer,and blood horse mag. horse racing was covered by radio, a whole lot better than it ever has (or ever will be ) by tv. this is another one of the new world's deficencies.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

UCLinden — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:23:40 GMT

As of July 1st, Verizon took BOTH TVG & HRTV off the air. If you want them it'll cost you $50 extra!!!

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Ann in Lexington — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:38:01 GMT

Frank Stronach should have stuck to breeding, where he does a good job. As a track owner, he has been incredibly clueless. Remember when he first bought Santa Anita? He wanted to get rid of the signature feature of the turf track, the downhill course. Only local outrage stopped him. In fact, he pays no attention to what fans or others in the industry need or want, only to his own judgments. Look at his recent attempt to throw out the Oak Tree meeting, because he wanted to run his own meet in October. Thank goodness the CHRB wouldn't be bullied.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Bellwether — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:56:31 GMT

PLEASE...TELL EM TO STEP OUT OF THE BOX ONCE & FORE ALL...BACK...BACK...BACK...U NOE THE REST OF THE STORY...ty...

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

UCLinden — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:53:10 GMT

Parking commentary : This particular article had made mention of " the price is wrong" as it pertained to PPDs. My point was why are patrons nickled & dimed before they get to their seat and this includes parking fees. If the property belongs to a particular track , the patron should be able to park their vehicle free of charge. The track should welcome every racing fan with open arms. If the patron decides to use valet parking , then I agree with a parking fee.

Why leave your money at the parking lot when you can leave it at the betting window ???

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Rondo — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:04:19 GMT

Rolly,

My friend...be careful, you almost sound like a pompous arrogant muleheaded t.v. executive? You are SO missing the point. The "bettors" (like me) had pick 3s and other bets culminating with the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. So then you have to wait for B.H. to post a clip of the prior race killing the adrenaline rush (why most of us go in the 1st place) of a winning ticket. AGAIN, without the BETTORS...they will not run the races, I'll guarantee that buddy boy.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

sleeping fish — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:18:12 GMT

To UCLinden

I pay to park because some tracks charge to park in their lots. Pimlico is a pay lot. Saratoga has paid parking. I feel my vehicle is safer in the Pimlico lot than on the street. It is a much shorter walk to the entrance also. I have put on a few years and pounds and don't move as well as I used to.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

JerseyTom — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:25:12 GMT

More on the CT Classic: Maybe action by the AGSC on future mandates is later rather than sooner. ... so in that case, graded status for 2011 may be worth a bet. ...

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Janet — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:32:37 GMT

I was livid when I realized ABC was going to blow off the Manhattan. If they weren't going to broadcast it why did they block the racing networks from showing the race? I agree that they provide no information about racing, just human interest junk ad nauseum. Why can't horsemen have some input on what the networks broadcast? They obviously don't give a darn about horse racing.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Rolly — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:06:15 GMT

JerseyTom: it's more than just 2 minutes. If you show it, you have to do it right. It's a Grade 1. That means getting viewers up to speed on the storylines, showing the post parade, some past performance video, interviews, etc. Now you're spending 8 minutes. Now you've shoved commercial breaks around. You've squeezed your coverage of the main event and confused the passing viewer with a race that means nothing to the Belmont. Producers would rather focus on the main event, get as many commercial obligations out of the way and clear the decks for as much live coverage of the big race. Remember ESPN/ABC paid for the right to put on this show. They get nothing from handle on the Manhattan. They also get nothing if they send a chunk of the viewing audience to a competing network where the race is being shown live.

So the move isn't made out of ignorance. Showing the race was weighed by the Emmy-nominated and Eclipse Award-winning producers and they chose to focus on the Belmont Stakes. That's the reason we were all there.

NYRA could have helped. Rather than blindly placing the Manhattan before the Belmont Stakes just because that's the way it's always done, they could have moved one of the early allowance races into the blackout spot. The full field perhaps could have augmented play on the pick 4 and pick 6 and the Manhattan could have been shown on ESPN's undercard show.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Dawn — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:47:23 GMT

Rolly--

What bugged me about the Manhattan was that NO ONE showed it. I get both HRTV and TVG and was it on either of those channels? Nooooo.

Sounds like Bravo laid another egg as far as the Oaks goes. Not wanting to subject myself to the torture (where's Amnesty International when you need them?) that was 2009's Oaks coverage, I watched the race on the Blood Horse once I got home from work.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

JerseyTom — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:24:05 GMT

harryo: Atlantic City not big enuf to host the BC, not to mention all the work that would need to be done to bring the place up to speed. ... The best that can be hoped for--and this is a lot--is a track with a couple boutique meets each year and a year-round training facility to complement Monmouth Park. NJ now has it's best opportunity to do something good with Thoroughbred racing, so let's hope it gets done.

rolly: Thanks for your TV perspective on televised racing. Though I still think a less-than-2-minute race can be shown live, I think you made your point about the industry having no clout to get the Vanity covered.

UCLinden: I don't mind paying for PPs, but I want a decent simulcast program with the standard information we have become accustomed to. What seems to have happened is tracks have given away their program business to save money, and they're not keeping track of the product they now offer. ... The NJSEA tracks, Keeneland, a few others get it. Many now don't. We shouldn't be losing program information, we should be getting more of it at a decent price.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Rolly — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:03:34 GMT

Tom:

Regarding ABC and the Manhattan...The ratings for the Derby or Belmont undercard on ESPN are usually about 1.5. The rating for the show on ABC was 3.1. The audience grows exponentially and those viewers don't care about the Manhattan.

Is it a failure of the networks that horse racing is a niche sport?

The game is what it is, but it's not because television networks don't show the Manhattan or the Dixie.

And which is worthy of more outrage? That ABC didn't take their focus off the Belmont to show the Manhattan or that no one in racing had the power to televise Zenyatta's historic run Sunday night?

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Pinnochio — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:37:55 GMT

Espn regularly covers such sporting delights as spelling bees, lacrosse, poker, bowling, billiards, cheerleading and scrabble.

How can any reasonably sane person believe horse racing can compete with the above named excitement for market share.

Come on folks, admit it, deep down you know you'd rather watch people exercising their rumps playing poker than sleek horses running at 40 mph.--right?

Anyone for lacrosse?

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Ktaylor — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:31:48 GMT

To Swale 1984, Carl & Somethingroyal,

Why do we handicap them at all? May the best horse win.

I don't know your ages but could you imagine putting extra weight on Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis or Usain Bolt so the others in the Olympic fields would have a better chance.

Seabiscuit got beat by a whisker by a horse with a feather (30 lbs less) on his back in the Santa Anita Handicap. why should a horse not as good be known as the winner when the Biscuit gave his all and was much the best?

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Rondo — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:19:07 GMT

I aree with several comments about the weights carried by Zenyatta. I thought that was a excessive. Rachael's weight while not as much carried only 2 lbs. less than Blame (pretty sure he carried 126?) and ran almost a full second faster time. She would have won the Stephen Foster by 2 or 3 lengths. Blame will surely take a lot of money in the Classic this year...if he makes the gate. How can you still question her performance? I just hope the super filly meets the super mare. Bet major networks still wouldn't show the undercard though ;)

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

tvnewsbadge — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:36:33 GMT

If the horse racing community is unhappy with the way networks cover the sport, they only have themselves to blame.

With the Internet and cable tv there's no excuse whatsoever that the sport has to be inaccessible to the vast majority of the American public.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

NJTrotter — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:26:42 GMT

Carl, relax. The west coast princess is 17 hands so 129 lbs shouldn't be a problem for her. That's why they call it a handicap. It's not meant to to get the great ones beat, it's to level the field. And it did. The princess won by a neck. Do some research and see what John Henry, Dr. Fager and Forego carried.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

UCLinden — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 23:33:19 GMT

Gracious amigos ... no matter what the subject on horse racing, we all "chip in" and give our opinions. What's amazing is that no one listens to any suggestions or opinions from those who are the true racing fans ...

YOU !!!

I too am so, so bored of listening to all these "fill -ins" prior to a big race, so bored that I just tune in maybe 15-20 minutes before race time.

If any of you watch basketball, you all know, all you have to watch is the last 15 minutes of the game to see the end result.... the same with horse racing.

And someone had it right about these weights ...here you have HOY (RA) getting LESS weight than Zenyatta ... hello out there, both horses are FEMALES .. why aren't they given equal weights?? It would be soooo very interesting to see the weight assigned if they were in the same race. When you think about it, when two boxers step into the ring and one is the reigning champion, the boxing gloves weigh the same for both fighters.

As far as the past-performance data, why should anyone have to pay ... give it to the patron FREE of charge ... maybe if people had the appropriate information available to them, they just might wager more. You have to get your patron thru the door first still having money in his pocket to wager with instead of being nickel & dimed before they get to their seat. Also, unless you are using valet parking, why do you have to pay to park???

Can someone please direct me to the suggestion box ... oh that's right ... you have to put a token in first in order for the slot to open .... ha ha ha.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Virgil Fox — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:51:30 GMT

Nice work Tom.

I appreciate this opportunity for the fans to voice their displeasure on these basic, yet core issues.

The Zuckerman comment really says it all.

- Peace

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Slew — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:46:31 GMT

I wonder why the national networks don't watch more HRTV before the race. Bloodlines mean a lot...and no national network has bothered to mention any sire or dam in all their presentations...and heaven help us...please don't give any coverage again to BRAVO....their production was nothing more than a promotion of all their lackluster reality rip-offs. (I do believe they are an NBC affiliate.)

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

sleeping fish — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:30:30 GMT

I still enjoy going to the races and trying to put it together. Some places you pay for parking, others you don't. I still go and handicap. Some places have free admission, others don't. I still go and place bets. Be it Saratoga or Mountaineer, I still like watching a stretch duel or a run-off winner. What I'm trying to say is a person is "into racing" or not.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

harryo — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:31:01 GMT

Something I'd like to see ... Atlantic City Race Course host the Breeders' Cup.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

Chris — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:00:24 GMT

Frank Stronach has been a horrible influence on the horse racing industry. In my opinion the bankruptcy judge should have thrown out most of MI's claims and made him sell core assets. Santa Anita and the Oak Tree meets used to get a large portion of my wagering dollars but with the surface fiascos and small fields I look elsewhere. I'd love to see his strong-armed tactics he's using on Oak Tree leave his track empty during that time and move the meet to Del Mar.

re: Things That Make You Go Hmmmm (3)

IDavis — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:46:30 GMT

Regarding weight assignments, Rachel is a younger horse than Z, therefore the lower weight assigment..Z being 6 yrs old, undefeated; Rachel, 4 yrs old, defeated twice before last Saturday. With regard to the race, Rachel had a 108 Beyer, almost topped the track record...again (a thing she does often...breaking records) while Z had a 103 Beyer. Also, Zardana did not beat Rachel last time out...I was there...it was 4/30, day b-4 Derby, and Rachel lost by a nose to Unbridled Belle....and Zardana came in 5th, I believe....many horse lengths behind! Z is a great horse, but much older and experienced than Rachel.... you folks need to get your facts straight. BTW, Z remains in CA for her next race, another same old, same old...one she's won previously, while Rachel will venture away from her favorite track to Saratoga....where there are two races there for fillies in which Z could run against her. WHY don't the connections of Z let her race at the historical Saratoga track against Rachel?? It can't be because she doesn't do well traveling because she has traveled and came back just fine. 'm a Rachel fan, but love Z and would like to see her before the Breeders' Cup, running in the east against Rachel. Why can't anyone make this happen?? It would be great for racing!! To have this occur this summer, before the Breeders' Cup hype. Perhaps it would draw more fans to attend or at least follow the BC races. It would be a great marketing tool for the sport.....I just can't understand why "they" who have the power to make this happen "don't get it."