Every year, racing television tries to inflate the status of good but not extraordinarily good horses to the status of great horses.  When they fail to deliver, the coverage looks silly, and the casual fan has to wonder what was going on.

Well, for the first time in a LONG time (& I am a fan over 45 years) racing has a genuine star who has delivered stellar races all season long, and if anything, proven that the "hype" was understatement.

But Rachel Alexandra hasn't been on the kind of tv more ordinary fans watch since the Preakness, so the market the sport so DESPERATELY needs to reach hasn't been touched since May.  Most of those more casual fans, the ones who could become more dedicated fans, probably don't even know Rachel is still racing.

This is the time!  This is the horse! There was more racing on tv in the 1960s prior to the explosion of cable and satellite, when most cities had only 3-4 stations!

To paraphrase, "Would you wait for another one like her/Be patient the years are long..."

If people are that interested in watching The Woodward live, they can:

a) watch the simulcast at their local racetrack -- or --

b) watch the simulcast at an off-track wagering facility near them.

Maybe they'll place a bet. Not likely.

All the Rachel Alexandra mania from these so-called casual racing fans doesn't help racing's bottom line one iota.

Why? These people don't bet.

Sure, they'll buy pink hats, shirts and other souvenirs, fattening NYRA's P&L for the day.

They'll even spend $24.50 for a buffet meal.

However, they won't buy a Racing Form. They can't read it anyway. They might -- however -- bet $2 to show on Rachel Alexandra.

Attendance will be huge at Saratoga on Saturday if the weather holds, but I'll be focusing on the on-track handle. I guarantee it will be lower than normal.

Why? You can market horse racing to these people until the end of time and won't help bolster the bottom line.

They love to hold up cute signs and take digital photos and videos to post on the Internet.

They admit to "peeing" themselves at the sight of a horse they wouldn't recognize if it kicked them in the keister on the backstretch the next morning.

They are many bricks short of a full load.

For good or bad, wagering (whether it is pari-mutuel or slots) is the lifeblood of the sport's financial existence. And these folks just don't -- and won't -- contribute the dollars.

This is a fact.

These casual fans would be better served showing interest in supporting racing venues that are hurting (Turfway Park, Ellis Park, Hollywood Park) with their dollars on days when a "star" isn't running.

That won't happen either.

Step right up folks. See Rachel Run. While there are still racetracks operating.

It is a travesty that no network or ESPN is carrying this race.

My God - ESPN has - what - 3 or 4 versions of itself?  They couldn't even find a spot for the Woodward on ESPN CLASSIC??  

Would that we had ESPN 8 "The Ocho" from the movie Dodgeball! We might have had a shot there.

I understand that months of advance are given to schedules for programming - and we live and die by football in this country(Go Steelers!)  But it shows how little pull racing seems to have left with the audience and networks when we can't even bump 1/2 hour of the US Open for a star like Rachel.    

I remember a couple of years ago when the Travers was held up due to little league baseball playoffs.  The TRAVERS!  That's when I knew we were in trouble.

If we don't get our act together and get a central league governing board and improve how we market our product (horses - not wagering) professionally and consistently - we will end up being pre-empted by international curling demonstrations.

Thank God I get HRTV!

It's not just a question of how well the race-specific networks are known, either - their availability in itself is a problem. I don't know what it's like anywhere else, but around here, TVG is only carried on DirecTV (and only on certain, higher-priced packages), and I've never seen HRTV offered at all. If you're an area where they're not carried or out of your budget, you're just SOL for anything that doesn't make the networks.

I used to clean and sit house for someone who DID have DirecTV's big package, and I pretty well left TVG on all the time. Heck, I used to look forward to maid days just for that. It didn't matter if it was a maiden race or something with Big Names - if there were horses in the gate, I was in front of the TV.

Is the Woodward going to be livestreamed anywhere (that's available to people who are just watcher-type-fans, ie, not bettors)?

Karen is right...This is the time!  This is the horse!  The racing industry is flubbing big time on this one.  People that never even cared about watching the Triple Crown races know who Rachel is.  She can't be overly hyped.  She does deliver (the Oaks is still fresh in my mind with the wonderful breast cancer research push and the little girl Rachel meeting Rachel.  I thought Rachel was a lock to win and a good horse before the race.  I collapsed to the ground when I saw her pull away in the stretch and started crying).  She is the one folks.  She is the one.  Get off your "terrible at marketing" butts and do something, or heck, hire me.  I'll get the job done for you.  We should be doing everything possible to get this filly on the TV as much as possible.  

American Championship Racing Series!!! Please bring back the ACRS!! WE need it, thoroughbred racing is NOT about only 4 big days a year(Kentucky Derby,Preakness,Belmont,Breeders Cup). It's aalso about the other 361 days of great, championship races. The American Championship Racing Series had the top races(Donn-G1,Big Cap-G1,Pimlico Special,Hollywood Gold Cup-G1,Pacific Classic-G1,Whitney-G1,Woodward-G1, etc. etc.) all on national television. And it brought all the top handicap horses to the historic championship races all year.

ACRS, double ditto.

Luck to Rachel on Sat., I however would like to see what she has in her after say, a mile and 1/4.  She is a wonderful filly that has proven herself against those in her age bracket, colt and filly, but only up to 1 and 3/16.  Think about Genuine Risk running all three triple crown races.  I'm not knocking her, I just am not ready to call her great just yet.  As far as getting more people to the track, we all need to show support of our local or nearest track by going to the races, betting if we can and put forth the effort to show those that are ignorant to the beauty of our sport how great it is.

Yes, it would be nice if a national network or cable entity would carry this year’s Woodward.  But from where I sit, TVG and HRTV aren’t chopped liver.  From the mid 80’s, racing simply hasn’t garnered the numbers to justify programming by major networks.  Even ESPN began to (out) source production with an overrun of a soccer game delaying live races thought to be significant.  TVG and HRtv don’t have the coverage penetration and are not carried in every market.  What they do have is capable, focused commentary and interpretation of the events they cover.   Just like the Golf and Tennis channels, both are relegated to shoulder coverage of the majors; cameras stop rolling when the big boys start theirs.  They “live” for chances to cover an event like the Woodward and, thus, do a far better job than a group whose expertise is directed otherwise.  

Karen Kasting has hit the nail squarely on the head about the DISGRACEFUL lack of television coverage for the Woodward. Here was the perfect opportunity to engage new fans and bring them into the sport on the crest of Rachel Alexandra's campaign. Instead, dark screen, no sound.

If Rachel Alexandra wins the Woodward, how can I possibly whip up my Monday Night knitting group about its significance if they did not see it happen? I have been priming the group for this moment all summer long. I did my part, and now I feel let down.

When you love something you stick with it through thick and thin, for better or for worse. This is about as thin and as bad as it gets.  

David:

I don't think anyone here is suggesting that HRTV and TVG are chopped liver. The problem is one of access, not quality.

Many actual and potential racing fans do not receive these channels. Most people I know in my community subscribe to the local cable company, not to Direct TV. And if HRTV and TVG offer account wagering, rhey may be precluded from broadcasting in some states.  

David is right...golf & tennis have it's own networks (which are included and available with a general cable subscription) and their fans know where to find them...except for a few big classics which are still a major draw, sports has it's own networks (ESPN, et al) except for a few big venues like the SuperBowl and now racing has 2 networks that go and sign EXCLUSIVE deals with tracks so all can't watch them, plus it costs extra tiers to add them to your cable...2 tiers to get TVG for me, and another tier to get HRTV, which I won't do because I have no more $$$ for TV, enough is enough.

But I will say, MonmouthMutt's assessment of the "simply horse-loving fan" is so warm and enticing how could anyone resist becoming a bettor? ;-)

I understand perfectly Soldier . . . You want mainstream media for an event within a niche-sporting category.  That would be very nice but (apparently) even the extraordinary circumstance the Woodard presents doesn’t change reality.  Imagine waking up in a world without TVG and HRTV.  Even those with silly criticism of this industry’s only conduits to their living rooms wouldn’t like it very much.   Don’t kill the messenger but, aside from the Triple Crown (and not necessarily the Breeders’ Cup), the only racing events you’re going to see over the airways going forward are those via steaming video or TVG and/or HRTV (depending upon who is the last one “standing”).  

I love it when my fav horse JH is mentioned! He was THE horse that got me into watching racing... and that was long after he retired! Go figure - it was because of his legacy. And, his tenacity ;-)

I'm hooked on HRTV and TVG. This weekend, though, I will be at Del Mar and I will be cheering for Princess Rachel Alexandra from there!! ~GIRL POWER~

Thank goodness for video replays on the website and YouTube.

But think about this. Many of us here probably remember exactly where we were when we watched Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown. Some may have been at Belmont Park that day. I was standing with family in my aunt's den in Atlanta, watching on a black and white TV. Remember that incredible feeling? Now imagine seeing that race for the first time on a replay, hours or even a day later. Not the same moment, and certainly not the same memory.

This is all about NYRA and MSG-Plus. Don't hate on ESPN. NYRA made an exclusive bed with MSG-Plus and they sure aren't going to loosen it up now that they have THE race they wanted. It ain't about the good of the game, it's about the good of their business bottom line. And, Jess Jackson knew the Travers was on ESPN and the Woodward was not. If he wanted to really help the game with more mainstream attention, he would have run last week against the Little League World Series and not this week vs. the opening of football in America. And this guy is a marketing genius?

I know that TVG and HRTV are offered on DishNet, DirectTV and AT&T.  I have specifically stayed with these services because I wanted to keep my horse racing stations.  However, these are usually offered via a "sports package."  Think about it, if you have an interest in the sports package - you likely are a bball, football etc fan.  Horse racing will likely be waaaay down on the list of interests.

The sad truth is that nobody at ESPN cares enough about racing to put Rachel on display this weekend.  With fans, the sport is just not what it used to be.  No fans equals no profit for the networks.  It's as simple as that!  I'm not sure if it's due to the racing era demographic just growing up, the sport's negative publicity, the general lack of interest in a world where the kids can't remember what it was like to have a rotary telephone connected by a cord, or what.  Regular mail? Stamps? what are those?  I mean, really, how can this sport compete?

I am a fan of racing through and through and have been for 25 years.  I was a little girl when I first manually flipped on my TV box by coincidence and saw the Derby on regular cable programming.  I was hooked.  

I love TVG and HRTV and will happily watch the Woodward on them instead of watching it on ESPN with some overpaid and overused sportscasters and program feed struggle.  If I have to watch Hank "The Hammer" flounder one more time on these big race days I will scream!  Bring on the racing on TVG and HRTV and enjoy!

Go Rachel!

I cannot wait to see my Queen Rachel this weekend. I believe this will be Rachel's toughest race but then I thought the Haskell was going to be tough. Silly me! I don't understand really why ESPN will not show the Woodward. It's ridiculous. Rachel is the hottest athlete on the planet right now and they can't find a spot for her? Morons!!!!

One would suspect that if Jess Jackson - and his K-J winery with a fairly large marketing/ad budget - wanted this on a bigger channel he could make it happen.

As for tv why didn't they re-approach NBC Universal again and get Bravo! to air this race as they did the Kentucky Oaks? The tie-in to the Susan G. Komen Foundation still remains, there is if anything a vastly larger female audience now following her today compared to when she raced in the Oaks .... plus the NTRA is always saying they want more female fans.

You cannot tell me that the 20th reairing of the same 'The Real Housewives' isn't preemptable by this race for all of 30-minutes?

Sure Bravo! is no ESPN, however the channel is more widely seen then HRTV or TVG. Further another outlet on top of MSG+, and the dedicated race wagering channels is better then nothing.

If the NTRA would just think outside of the box there is a world of other quasi-sports channels besides EPSN (who isn't exactly the most loyal gal we could've brought to the dance) such as SpikeTv and Vs. etc.

The Woodward Stakes

Post time: Saturday 09/05/09 at 5:50 p.m. EDT at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Purse: $750,000. Distance: 1 1/8 miles. Television: MSG Plus, TVG and HRTV. Radio: WQKC 1450-AM.

Rachel gets post #3 and carries 8 pounds less than her older male rivals…

Zenyatta need not apply. LMAO!

This race will fill the race track stands. Many established fans will see or watch online.

NOT one new potential fan will hear or see this race. None will be curious enough to read about something they have not already been introduced to. It is huge. It is history. The potential to even create new history is huge. Second filly to ever attempt this race. And is the established fav to win it!

For the general public, they offer local am radio? My god, the Paulick-Hope supporters must be peeing themselves right now.

www.paulickreport.com/.../comment-page-2

Never argue with fools - first, they’ll try to get you down to their level and then defeat you with experience.

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.

Folks, this is the depth and density of the stupidity and self-serving attitude regularly shown by this industry.

R.I.P.

I have cable for one reason - horse racing....and nowadays that isn't even good enough.

How will Rachel stack up against her elders,  lol! Do they mean the pathetic group of allowance/claiming types she'll be running against this weekend at her USUAL distance of 1 1/8 miles, god knows she has distance limitations,  although she did win that marathon race they hold in Maryland each year,  the Preakness,  that's a real test of champions,  don't ya'll think.? Lets see, Red Bullet went on to do What.?  and Bernardini couldn't repeat his Preakness performance against a horse as good as himself, which is usually the case whan a race horse has been coddled and babied. So everyone will be waiting to see the second coming of Ruffian run another mile and an eighth against a bunch of bums.  Send her over to Europe where they breed REAL race horses and lets see how she does.

when cool coal man pulls  an upset thats all  every one will be talking about on espn  it will be breaking news that will get horse racing some attention just like mtbs upset in the derby

Probably sounds crazy, but would a special feature on Animal Planet ever be possible? The channel would probably reap the rewards of having a racing card featuring Rachel, and with most racing fans already familiar with the station thanks to 'Jockeys', it could end up being a real success for the network.

Before RA is annointed as the next great horse, let's see her beat legitimate competition at the classic distances.  There's no way she wins the Woodward if it is a mile and a quarter.  

The problem is years ago the racing industry marketed themselves and the Triple Crown as the end-all and be-all, and to a lesser extent, the Breeders Cup. The networks are also at fault because, as the story pointed out, they like to have their commitments set up at least six months in advance. Wtih that, there is no chance to schedule something on the fly. So the general public that may have a passing interest and would tune in has no concept or understanding of how a horse gets to the spring classics or what they do after that. As a result, great races like Saturday's Woodward get lost in the shuffle. If I called the shots at the NTRA, spend a little less money and effort marketing the Triple Crown--everyone knows it and will look for it in the spring--and do more with races from Saratoga and the fall meets at Belmont, Keeneland and Santa Anita.

Dennis:

Thank you. All summer since the Preakness, I have been keeping my knitting group informed about Rachel Alexandra. After the Haskell everyone had gotten excited about seeing her next big race. Now this. I can't even see the Woodward because I have regular cable with ESPN, etc. How did this happen?    

No Woodward on network tv, or ESPN?!? That just plain sucks!

I have been an avid fan since I watched Secretariat destroy his Belmont feild. I was nine years old and couldn't talk for a week after screaming him home! It is sad how much appeal racing has lost since then! Too bad Jess Jackson could'nt have spent 250,000. to get Rachel on tv! I will have to run down to my local off-track bar too see her. I long for the days off iron horses who ran once a week or so, and boxcar tours of our eqine stars and the era when entire families were glued to their radios listening to race calls!

It should be noted that the Woodward IS going to be shown on channels other than TVG and HRTV.  The TVG telecast will be offered on many Fox Regional sports channels around the country.  It will be carried on the Sports South channel here in North Carolina and throughout much of the southeast.  This same procedure was followed for the Haskell.

My question is why TVG and HRTV can't be shown on the regular cable companies such as Time Warner, Comcast, etc. These two channels do a decent job of showing the races. I'm sure there must be some financial hang-up for why this is not done. However, it would broaden the exposure to racing on a day to day basis and perhaps grow the fan base. In my opinion, showing just one race and concentrating on just one horse is not enough to breathe some life into this sport. With that said, I am totally rooting for Rachel and I hope she keeps running like a girl!!

I won't be able to watch it at all until it's posted on Bloodhorse.com. =/

I have no racetrack or OTB anywhere within 2 hours of me, and no cable company in my area carries either TVG or HRTV.

It makes me wish that some companies step up to the bat with technology and start offering live video streams of big races online.

Anyone who believes Santa Anita was named BC host for 2 consecutive years for marketing purposes has been drinking the Cup's Kool-Aid. The BC was too impatient to wait for NYRA's situation to be resolved and wanted to flex its muscle to Churchill Downs at the time. The decision has backfired beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

Why do people think Rachel can't run past 1 1/8 miles? First off, most female horses do not go past that distance. Second, all of the prestigious races she has been running in are at that distance. Third, when she went past it in the Preakness, she WON the race against the best 3 year old colts in the country. You can say she was tiring, but the fact is the fractions were fast, and she was pressured the whole time, not to mention she ran 2 weeks ago and won by 20 lengths in the Kentucky Oaks. Of course she was supposed to bounce, and she did, but she still held off the rush by Mine That Bird. And if you know anything about her sire, you would know that he ran at the classic distance, and also in the Belmont Stakes. Rachel can run past 1 1/8 miles, but they are choosing to keep her at that distance because the prestigious races they are targeting happen to be at that distance. Get over it with her lack of stamina nonsense. Enjoy this once in a lifetime horse, and I can guarantee you she will run at some point in the 1 1/4 mile races. And when you get a horse as special as she is, it is much more enjoyable to watch her run and be glad that she isn't being whisked away to the breeding shed.

Lance S:

Would you be so kind as to tell me at what time the Sports South channel will show the Woodward? Here in South Carolina I get Sports South and Fox Sports through ComCast, but the newspaper TV guide came today and there's no mention of the race on the schedule. Also, what about the Pacific Classic? Many thanks in advance for your help.  

Mr. Hammonds:

I appreciate the tone of your article about the television situation. At least it is sympathetic to those fans, myself included, who will not be seeing the Woodward and Pacific Classic this weekend because we don't have TVG or HRTV.

There is another B-H blog that's covering the same subject. In contrast, fans concerned about the television issue on that blog are apparently considered naive and are being talked down to.  

Its all fine for those of you that can afford the Sat. Networks and get TVG and HRTV or even fox sports south or whatever. In my neck of the woods the midwest all those channels are not offered on any cable company.  TVG was taken off Direct TV's list of channels so I canceled my service.  Dish Network does have this programing but only on its most expensive packages. I used to go to my local OTB but alas the state I live in made sure it was closed.

I agree with Soldier Course about being talked down to.  Why would I want to spend $85.00 of my hard earned dollars for two channels because thats what it would cost me if I went with Dish Network in my area to get these channels and 100 more I don't need. I racing wants to get back what it once was it needs to be more accessible to the public and not just geared to the hard core gambler / handicapper.  

Lance S:

I have you to thank for being able to see Rachel Alexandra win the Woodward Stakes in real time today. You mentioned Sports South here on this blog, I tuned in about 5:20, and there it was. If I had not read your comment I would not have known that TVG's programming of the race was being shown on Sports South.

I hope others who otherwise would not have been able to see this race found your comment and their regional Fox Sports channel.

Thank you.

I have Direct TV and get only TVG not HRTV. However I have to pay $20 over the basic rate for the package that includes TVG. I pay it but am not happy about it.

There has to be something we can do to get races like this shown on the major cable networks. I think I missed the race of a lifetime.

No TVG OR HRTV or online betting or a racetrack close to bet here in good ol' Kansas City.  A lot of race fans but we only get to watch pretaped after the fact races. I still love horse racing but it is as if I live in the North Pole

I guess I should check my Dish invoice. Something I have not done in years. But when I dropped Direct TV for dish due to the fact that they carried TVG it was part of the basic package. I hardly ever watch HRTV.  Very poor production, and uninteresting on air personalities for the most part. I don't see the need for 2 horse racing channels anyway.  The industry should have bought TVG when it was on the market.

NPR,(National Public Radio) not exactly known for it's horse racing coverage just did a short spot on RA's wins!

No HRTV and TVG available in my area. So, I had to watch the race in replay on YouTube.

Funny, I know plenty of people who don't watch races and don't go to the track who do bet on them... the way they bet on everything else.

I was in East Lansing MI at the Michigan State game on Saturday.  After the game, I went to a national chain sports bar and asked them to find the Woodward for me.  First, I was told that they could not do that because they have customers that come in and ask to sit in  specific sections so they could watch a specific game.  When I pointed out that they had the Georgia v. Illinois game on at least 4 seperate TVs, they agreed to look for me.  Then, when I told them it would be on TVG or HRTV, and they looked at me like I was crazy.  The manager said "I'll see what I can do".  He came back and told me that he had received an email from coroprate HQ of "all the sporting events" that were being held around the country and that "there's even some car racing, but no horse racing".  He then told me that he could not pull up the satellite guide station and look.  It's a sad state of affairs when what was probably the biggest race of the year can't even make the email list of events at an establishment like that.  Thankfully, I had my DVR set at home so I was albe to watch it. I agree with the previous posts that Rachel is THE horse to bring the sport to recognition with the general public.  If the industry can't make the most of a golden opportunity like this, then we're in trouble, folks.    

I'll be seeing the race when I get my weekly podcast from ITunes. My computer is old and my ISP is terrible, and I live in an apartment where sat. dishes aren't allowed (if I can only get the telemarketers to believe that....) My big beef is that ESPN couldn't even be bothered to post the results! I was at a baseball game with family and at 6:30 grabbed the hubby's Blackberry- he has the ESPN link set right up. At 8:00 PM EST, there was still nothing there, so I went to the CNN link (and from there to SI.com) and FINALLY got the results. Horse racing a niche sport? Yes, but so is Premier League soccer on this side of the pond, and ESPN seems to have found room for that. And really, does bowling in whatever form outperform horse racing in the ratings? NBC is supposed to be doing something next year for the WEG in Lexington- maybe that can be piggybacked into more horse racing coverage back onto NBC?