Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Giddup — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:40:58 GMT

Call me crazy but I think you can probably get all the fantasy you need by just going to the track and trying to hit the pick 4 or superfecta.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

trackjack — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:16:22 GMT

Needless to say, I have enjoyed this article and comments and believe that fantasy stables can help this industry if marketed correctly.

I won the roadtotheroses.com contest this year. My wife and I will be guests of Churchill Downs for next years Oaks and Derby and the additional cash prizes will allow us to stay the week in Louisville and attend this years Breeders Cup at CD. Thanks Churchill Downs for a great contest!

NYRA used to have a similar contest for Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct but stopped a few years back.

Perhaps a nationally marketed contest similar to roadtotheroses.com, starting with Haskell/Jim Dandy weekend, continuing each weekend leading up to the Breeders Cup, tied in with nationally televised segments, would help promote this great sport. It can be done!

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

mike rullo — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:24:01 GMT

the racing industry needs to support derby dreamer, this can save the sport if it's done properly. everybody that loves the sport sign up at derbydreamer.com

and enjoy the best sport created.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Cangamble — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:48:19 GMT

As a horseplayer who loves playing Fantasy Football as well, I think the best way for it to work is to focus only on jockeys and trainers to keep it simple so as to appeal to the fringe audience. But I can see it taking off if the right people run it.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Herman — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:03:28 GMT

Thank you for this article. You hit the nail on the head. Fantasy Horse Racing can only help our industry. I have bought a couple of stables on DerbyDreamer.com. It is a lot of fun, helps to understand horse racing and seems to be enjoyed by proper handicappers as well.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Owner — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:13:12 GMT

I have a question, when Churchill Downs closes their race track for training for three days to host a big festival and I am paying a day rate to have my horse there do I get invited for free drinks? I haven't seen the invitation yet.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

stanley — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:52:21 GMT

interesting article. the future for fantasy racing stables is mindboggling. Racing has a way of viewing everything as "a competitor". if racing executives would "join up" instead of labeling and looking at the world thru the eyes of a monopolist they would see the many benefits & obvious costs of not "joining up."

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

C. G. Dean — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:24:58 GMT

Fantasy Sports is a great example for racing to copy. All or most of the data is free and the hold on some of these leagues/contests is very high. I've been is some where they take in $50,000 and pay out $20,000. That's a takeout of 60% and you have to shut people out after the contest maxs out. Because the price of getting involved is free, people don't mind the 60% takeout. Racing needs to copy this model with free data/stats for all bettors and charge them higher takeout on their wagers. Racing will get much more money that way and will have many more bettors because the price to play is free.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Stephanie — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:33:31 GMT

I don't exactly meet the demographics but as a 28 woman with 1 child I LOVE playing the fantasy horse racing games when they are going on. I have played the Road to the Roses for 4 years now and it is great. I wish more people would start or promote fantasy games like Winstar and Vinery did this spring. It is a easy way to get light advertising out and teach people about picking horses.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Adam Lazarus — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:12:25 GMT

The world of fantasy sports is an open entree to horse racing. Its no secret that horse racing needs more fans/bettors/owners. The fantasy sports world got me hooked on horse racing to the point that I have gone from a weekend player to a horse owner. If any racing fan knows of a friend or a person in there office who plays fantasy baseball/football invite them to the track one weekend I bet you can turn some of those fantasy players in to horse players and potential owners in the process.

This sport needs new blood/new ideas.

re: Fantasy Sports: An Opportunity - and a Competitor

Mike D — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:05:36 GMT

Agree with comments. Fantasy sports has grown in sports where the leagues have cheaply (or more often freely) licensed the data that underpins the game. The past performance data for horses, trainers, jockeys, etc. is so expensive and closely controlled that it makes market entry (by a Yahoo, an ESPN, etc.) and their innovation unlikely.