Final Turn : breeders' cup

A Dig At Dirt - By Mark Popham

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:05:00 GMT

The best European result, six wins at the 2009 Breeders’ Cup, means euphoria? Not necessarily so.

Santa Anita, with its Pro-Ride synthetic surface, may have evened things up between the Europeans and North Americans—five wins to the transatlantic invaders in 2008 and a record six out of 14 this year, and that was without Coolmore and Godolphin being at their most effective.

But reverting to dirt in 2010 at Churchill Downs and the likelihood of the same at Belmont Park in 2011 is a distinct turn-off.

While turf has always been no problem—except in cases of excessive heat and humidity—dirt is now the big no-no of world racing.

Even Dubai in 2010 will have switched to Tapeta over dirt at the new Meydan, yet many of the major racetracks in the United States have failed to change their traditional surface to an artificial one, which is both safer and more widely accepted worldwide.

The refusal to face up to global trends threatens to leave American racing, still uniquely also heavily dependent on medication, even more isolated than it has been previously.

Despite the Breeders’ Cup’s inability to provide free entry and hospitality to overseas contenders—unlike Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore—European raiders have flocked to the Breeders’ Cup, with 31 last year and 30 in 2009.

This is because American horses were seen as providing the best opposition, and the Breeders’ Cup therefore lived up to its title of World Championships.

But a World Championships on dirt is a non sequitur. Artificial surfaces, which have provided training for some 30 years in Europe, recently celebrated their 20th anniversary of racing in Britain and have spread to France, Ireland, and beyond.

There are no dirt surfaces in countries with quality racing outside of America and the adherents of such tracks—be they breeders, owners, trainers or racetracks—may have to suffer temporary economic upset if a change is made, but they would be much better off in the long term.

While California has changed to artificial surfaces through mandate, other jurisdictions, most notably Keeneland, have also chosen to do so.

It is time that such iconic venues as Churchill Downs and Belmont Park faced up to their responsibilities to the racing public and the sport in general and take the only possible way forward.

No matter how many diehards there are, those in charge have a duty that transcends narrow mindsets and temporary economic hardship to provide racing surfaces that will both
satisfy public opinion and give horses safer racing.

High levels of fatalities are grist to the mill of increasing vocal animal activists, and artificial surfaces are much safer in this regard.

For this reason alone they should be adopted, but the other big argument in their favor is worldwide acceptance.

Santa Anita hosted the Breeders’ Cup three years prior to 2008 on dirt—in 1986, 1993, and 2003—and the European winning tallies respectively were one, one, and three. The 2003 victories of Six Perfections, High Chaparral, and Islington were all achieved on turf.

This year two of the six wins—Man of Iron (Marathon) and Vale of York (grade I Juvenile)—came on the Pro-Ride surface, with strong contenders from Europe in virtually all the other races on the artificial surface.

The Classic (gr. I) would not have been such a good race without Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over, while the same applied to the Dirt Mile (gr. I) in which European runner Mastercraftsman was sent off as the favorite.

I fear we will see a depleted challenge from Europe in the next two years if the main surface is dirt, with the principal challenges being restricted to the turf races, which have provided the great majority of European victories at the Breeders’ Cup.

Both American and European racing will be poorer for that.

Hopefully, Breeders’ Cup officials will insist the World Championships beyond 2012 are run on an artificial surface or else the title will become meaningless.

European horses have been as good as American horses for years, if not better, but dirt is not a level playing field, whereas Pro-Ride, Polytrack, and Tapeta nearly are.

Mark Popham is the European correspondent for The Blood-Horse.

Breeders' Cup Implications - by Peter Land

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:13:00 GMT

I have had the pleasure to witness two Breeders’ Cup World Championships live, as an observer at Monmouth Park last year and as an active participant this year at Santa Anita. Leaving the breathtaking vista of the San Gabriel Mountains, I contemplated the decisions we made in the last 12 months and the short- and long-term implications for the Breeders’ Cup. Let me share some of those thoughts.

Creating Two Championship Days

There is zero doubt in my mind that we made the right decision by moving all the female races to Friday. While I respect the arguments from the traditionalists who preferred the original Breeders’ Cup races to remain on Saturday, consider this:

• In a scan of 10 of the top major media markets in the U.S., Zenyatta’s victory received nearly four times as much coverage as Ginger Punch’s win in 2007.

• In those same markets, Friday’s complete race card received about 10 times as much coverage as it did during the inaugural 2007 event.

• ESPN2’s rating for the last hour of the Friday races was 27% higher than it was for the same time period in 2007 and “SportsCenter” ran a 2-minute, 30-second spot feature that honored Zenyatta and set the stage for Saturday.

We drew more attention to the world’s best fillies and mares, attracted more fans to the sport, and helped create a rising star in Stardom Bound and a megastar in Zenyatta. Had Zenyatta run on Saturday, she surely would have shared the spotlight with Raven’s Pass and Curlin.

Tickets

We didn’t get this one right. When we first looked at ticket pricing and locations with our partners at Oak Tree and Santa Anita, we focused on two core ideas:

• Offer fans a wide range of options.

• Develop pricing that was in line with other global championship events and other sports and entertainment events in the Los Angeles marketplace.

Our market analysis showed our pricing this year was clearly in line and in many cases lower than local teams like the Dodgers and Lakers and at parity with events like the Ryder Cup. And of course, when we finalized our ticket plans and pricing in March, the economy was much stronger.

That being said, in retrospect, I wish we had provided more lower-priced options for fans and for horsemen, and we also should have allowed more people to choose to come on one day rather than requiring the two-day purchase. We have made the commitment to address both issues in 2009.

Santa Anita, Round 2

We believe the Breeders’ Cup must reach more young people and grow exposure for the sport. This was part of our strategy, albeit unprecedented and controversial, to stay in Los Angeles two years in a row.

Based on the results in terms of attendance and media coverage, it seems like this strategy has been sound. The Los Angeles entertainment community embraced our event. The celebrity connection with this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships was featured for the first time in magazines like GQ, Marie Claire, People, US Magazine, Vanity Fair, and LA Confidential and on national television programs like “Access Hollywood” and “Extra.”

We had a wonderful blend of old and new Hollywood at the track, including stars from Emmy Award-winning programs like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Sopranos,” and “Entourage” to legends like Mel Brooks and a host of other “A List” celebrities including Pierce Brosnan, Dennis Hopper, Amy Adams, Mary-Kate Olsen, Allison Janney, and Kurt Russell. We were also fortunate to have representation from the sports world in Joe Torre (both days), Al Michaels, Avery Johnson, and several Olympic gold medalists. We were warmly embraced by California, as evidenced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attendance on Saturday.

In the world of brand development, one year does not a success make; however, I feel confident if we stay the course, we can expand the Breeders’ Cup brand and racing’s fan base here and abroad while preserving the traditions inherent in presenting championship racing at its best.

Peter Land is the chief marketing officer for Breeders’ Cup Ltd.

...And Then Some By Evan I. Hammonds

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Michael Tabor strolled down the apron at Santa Anita Park, shielding the bright California sunlight with a baseball cap and a dark pair of shades. Peering out at the Pro-Ride surface the morning before the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships would begin, the Coolmore principal answered a simple question with a repsonse that was as clear as the day’s view of the San Gabriel Mountains.

“The more the merrier,” he said when asked of the new 14-race format for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships weekend. “It’s more opportunity for the owners to recoup some money. And at the end of the day, we’re the ones footing the bill…and then some.”

While the nation’s economy, and now the global economy, is retracting by the hour, the Breeders’ Cup great expansion of 2008 should be great news for the industry. In 2005, the yearly payout by Breeders’ Cup was $22.5 million. This year, the two-day program alone offered $25 million in purses and the entire stakes program’s payout was $31 million. What segment of any market can boast those kind of figures over the past three years?

With three new races added to the traditional eight grade I events last year, and three more tacked on this year, the theme for the 25th running of the Breeders’ Cup was one of expansion and experimentation. With that certainly came some growing pains, and those were clearly on display.

The draw for post positions on the Tuesday before the event was a case in point. Selecting the posts for 14 championship-caliber races with hundreds of horses requires some order and organization, which was lacking as owners, those who could fit in, were shoehorned into the racing office to draw 10 of the races. Left out in the hallway, many owners and trainers were unable to decipher the proceedings.

If an owner and a trainer have a horse running for $1 million or more in a grade I race, they ought to at least be able to hear where they’ve drawn. Four of the “big” races were drawn later in a made-for-TV event in Santa Anita’s Frontrunners restaurant, with hardly a mention of the other events. It was like relegating the others to the “kiddie’s table.”

The “more the merrier” theme didn’t play out that well for Tabor and associates, as they wound up on the short end of the stick on the track with no wins and three placings. But the European contingent has to be feeling quite merry following their domination of the U.S. horses throughout Day Two. Want more European participation? Wait till next year.

However, some don’t share Tabor’s view of the Breeders’ Cup’s expansion.

A lot of fans were overwhelmed by the volume and overlapping names—Juvenile Turf, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Filly & Mare Turf, Filly & Mare Sprint, Turf Sprint—you get the idea. If horseplayers are confused, it’s going to be a tough sell to the public. But what you can sell to the general sports fan is a great day, or two, of racing, and the athletes on the field over the two days more than delivered. From top to bottom, Breeders’ Cup ’08 was perhaps the best racing ever; dazzling and dizzying all at the same time.

Too much?

One owner/breeder looked away from a replay monitor late in the day Oct. 25 and said, “I’m about ready to pass out.” It wasn’t from excitement; it was from exhaustion. He suggested one less Breeders’ Cup race a day.

But if you took away one on day one, which would it be? From Ventura’s sparkling win in the Filly & Mare Sprint Friday morning through Zenyatta’s spectacular performance in the Ladies’ Classic (gr. I), the new Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Day format was top drawer.

A race from Saturday? There were bang-bang performances all day, from Desert Code’s strong close in the Turf Sprint to Goldikova’s reincarnation of Miesque in the Mile (gr. IT) to Midnight Lute’s spectacular repeat in the Sprint (gr. I). All of this was capped off by Raven’s Pass’ electric upset in the Classic (gr. I). With Henrythenavigator second, the pair turned Santa Anita into Ascot with a mountain view.

Time will tell if the Breeders’ Cup’s growth spurt is a move in the right direction. From what we saw over the weekend, we can’t wait until next year to find out.

Evan I. Hammonds is executive editor of The Blood-Horse.

A Higher Standard - by Alex Waldrop

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:07:00 GMT

The health and safety of our human and equine athletes, and the integrity of our sport are our highest priorities. These fundamental principles will guide the newly formed National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance.

The formation of the Alliance is the culmination of several months of feedback received from virtually every segment of the industry, including fans. The reforms fall into five key areas: medication and testing; a safer racing environment; injury reporting and prevention; safety research; and aftercare of our retired racehorses.

Fifty-five tracks and every major horsemen’s association in North America have joined the Alliance. Many owners, breeders, horsemen, and jockeys have expressed their support, and a plan for enlisting added support is in development. Alliance members are aware of the significant financial costs the industry will incur by implementing these reforms. But to their credit, Alliance members have come to the realization that doing nothing would, in the long run, be far more costly.

Despite broad industry support of the Alliance and assurances that reform costs would not be pushed off on our customers in the form of higher takeout, I would speculate that overall fan reaction will range from cautious optimism to a healthy dose of skepticism. Should we be surprised? After all, many of our fans feel like they have seen this movie before.

Nearly six years ago to the day, a group of former students at Drexel University almost pulled off the biggest heist in the history of our sport when they manipulated the wagering data of the Breeders’ Cup Pick Six. The NTRA hired a high-profile individual, along with a talented team of security experts, to assess our industry’s tote system. The result was an outstanding set of recommendations to improve the industry’s tote infrastructure, many of which have yet to be enacted. In fact, six years later, we continue to operate under a fundamentally flawed assumption: that our customers will tolerate the changing of odds well after the horses have broken from the starting gate. In hindsight, we should also have had Mayor Rudolph Giuliani hold our industry’s feet to the fire until we enacted the important reforms his team recommended.

A series of catastrophic injuries in high-profile events, admissions of steroid use by some top trainers, skepticism of bettors after repeat violations of medication policies, and the economy have resulted in double-digit declines in our business in recent months. I am an optimist and one who believes our industry has many good stories to tell relating to integrity. In many respects, our drug testing is better than that of the Olympics. And I believe the overwhelming majority of our horsemen care deeply about the welfare of the horses from which they derive their livelihoods. However, to overcome current negative public perceptions of our game, we must act, and our actions must be meaningful, swift, decisive, and transparent. Those aren’t my words. They are yours—pulled from thousands of interviews we have conducted with our customers.

To this point, the industry response has been encouragingly on the mark. In a short period of time, important reforms have been identified and implemented. The goal of banning steroids from racing competition by 2009 is within reach and demonstrates the industry does have the structure to act uniformly and nationally. The Alliance will lead to further structure and uniformity, and an accreditation process similar to that utilized by other state-regulated industries (think insurance and health care).

What was missing, at least until recently, was sufficient transparency. Enter Tommy Thompson, a former four-term governor in Wisconsin and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Washington, D.C., law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Gov. Thompson, a former Thoroughbred owner, and Akin Gump have been given the task of providing periodic public updates and an annual report card on the industry’s efforts to implement safety and integrity reforms.

The governor’s lone request was that he would have the independence to call it as he sees it. We agreed wholeheartedly and asked that he hold the industry accountable. It is my hope that in the not-too-distant future we will look back to Oct. 15, 2008, as the day the industry began to hold itself to a higher standard. Our customers, our human and equine athletes, and the hundreds of thousands of honest, hard-working individuals who make their living in this sport and industry deserve nothing less.

Alex Waldrop is CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association

Thanks, Cozzene - by Sean Feld

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:19:00 GMT

The passing of Cozzene Oct. 8 made me reflect on what my life would have been without our “introduction” when I was young. His presence has been a constant thread throughout my life, beginning when I was about 3 years old. When most kids were watching “Sesame Street,” my dad would keep me occupied by putting in videotapes of past Breeders’ Cups. My favorite Breeders’ Cup to watch was the one held at Aqueduct Nov. 2, 1985.

Some of racing’s greats were on hand that day. The roster of horses that competed included Pebbles, Gate Dancer, Turkoman, Precisionist, Storm Cat, and Lady’s Secret. However, the one I will always remember most was the winner of the Mile (gr. IT), Cozzene. I think what caught my eye at that time was his color. What kid doesn’t love a gray horse? I would watch his race over and over and root for him in the stretch every time. While growing up, family and friends who were into racing would often ask me who my favorite horse and jockey were. I would reply enthusiastically with, “Cozzeeeeeene and Kiss McCarron!” That would always draw a chuckle from the questioning adult.

A few years later, my father, Bob, went to work for Team Valor and helped sell ownership shares in a horse named Star of Cozzene. Included in that ownership were John and Jerry Amerman. In 1991, Star of Cozzene ran third in the same race his sire had won years earlier. He then went on to win the 1993 Arlington Million (gr. IT), and in the process earned more than $2.3 million.

Due in part to the success of Star of Cozzene, the Amermans decided to start a stable of their own and called my dad for advice on their new venture. With a plan in place, my dad attended a yearling sale at Keeneland in 1995 with trainer Ron Ellis in search of a few yearlings that would become the start of Amerman Racing. Wouldn’t you know that in that first crop they bought a colt by Cozzene. The Amermans named him Another Star, a tribute to Star of Cozzene. Another Star went on to earn nearly a quarter-million dollars, and he broke a track record at Hollywood Park with “Kiss” McCarron aboard.

By the age of 9, I had learned how to read the Daily Racing Form. With my new hobby firmly in place I handicapped the entire card for the 1996 Breeders’ Cup at Woodbine. I picked one horse per race and my dad bet $2 to win on each selection.

Watching the races on TV turned out to be tedious for me that day, as a majority of my picks finished second or third. Not one had been able to get to the wire first…that is, until the Classic (gr. I), where Cigar was the odds-on favorite. Once again, Cozzene came into my life. My pick: Alphabet Soup, a son of Cozzene who was also very eye-catching, and was also ridden by “Kiss” McCarron. Turning for home, the nearly white Alphabet Soup hit the front and held off the charge of Louis Quatorze and Cigar to pay $41.70, a small fortune for a 9-year-old.

This past summer, Cozzene came into my life again when I took an internship at Gainesway Farm, where he had stood at stud since 1986. Years earlier, on my first trip to Lexington, my dad had taken me on a visit to Gainesway to see Cozzene in person. Little did I know, I would be working at the farm while a student at the University of Kentucky. I will always treasure the picture I have standing in front of my “hero” at the farm.

I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for Cozzene’s success as a racehorse and sire I would not be where I am today. He was my first favorite horse, and he is what sparked my interest in racing. Last year, the Amermans and my dad purchased a Cozzene filly at Keeneland and named her Fourth Power, because she is the fourth Cozzene they have bought over the years. This year at the Keeneland September sale, they bought their fifth Cozzene, a filly out of Mysterieuse Etoile. I can only hope that those fillies will be able to keep the Cozzene thread alive in my life. If not, it has been a great run.

Thanks, Cozzene.

Sean Feld is a senior at the University of Kentucky and is the Kentucky representative for Bongo Racing Stable.