Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance : Patrick Patton

What is Twitter Good For?

cdawahare — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:09:00 GMT

By Patrick Patten, Handride

Well what was once a trickle is now a full blown tsunami. Twitter is here, and whether people know what it's good for or not they are tweeting and clogging up blackberries and phone in-boxes by the millions. (FYI no one really knows exactly what Twitter is good for, hell the people running it can't make a dime off it.) I was not a early convert. In fact, I have had my doubts about its viability and still do. However, let me give it a go and tell you (horse racing fans & industry) what I'm looking for out of your tweets, and how I think it can be useful.

The easiest thing you can do to your Twitter is turn it into an RSS. The TBA uses twitterfeed. I like the idea of putting out the TBA stories out there via Twitter, but I wouldn't want to put a huge RSS on Twitter. Something that would post more than 25 stories a day might just turn into noise and as a follower I'd probably stop following. The truth is there are many ways of getting an RSS feed and Twitter is not the easiest. So, tread lightly on this front: Maybe just your favorite stories, or the "hot" stories of the day, headlines etc.

Make Twitter public. This is probably the biggest hurdle for the racing industry. Yes I can log on to Twitter and see your tweets but how does that benefit anyone else? It doesn't. The TBA grouped together to form the Twitter tab on the homepage. Now someone who doesn't have Twitter can see what we're talking about and follow our links. Take your Twitter feed and display it somewhere. Not every post will make sense or be "topical" but it does add personality. The back and forth a twitter feed can have with another member might look confusing to a person who can only see one side, but it is what it is, people can figure it out.

Horse racing information is probably THE perfect fit for Twitter. Things like scratches, carryovers, and changes are a good start. However, I would love someone to twitter from the rail about what horses look like, action on the tote board, a funny pic of something happening at the track right then and there. I'm not sure you can call this news, but it does have value. The way a horse looked before a race after the race is run is worth $0, before the race is run is a different story. Twitter allows that value to come out because it is real time and short. Imagine a day where virtual stable tweets you your stable workouts. Image a clocker just putting out little comments about workouts. You could have the same thing at sales.

Twitter is all those things, but it can't stand alone. Don't expect anyone to get a hundred thousand Twitter followers unless you have a name like Shaq or Brooke Burke. I think of Twitter as a public Instant Message conversation w/ everyone at the same time. That idea can't possibly stand alone, it has to be leaning on something. For the TBA it's inside our homepage and adds a little character to our TBA feed, and some members post their tweets on their site. This "conversation" might be more difficult for industry folks. Are they willing to share a conversation?

To all the tracks out there I'd encourage you to collectively come together somewhere (maybe the TBA homepage email me: contact@tbablogs.com) and everywhere, and I'd include and encourage the writers to do the same thing. A conversation is only as good as those partaking, if you're talking to yourself you know you're not a good Tweeter.

Consider some of these Tweeters as Industry: BloodHorse, TTimes, NYRAnews, NTRA1, Beulah Park, Johnleemedia, NYRAComm

And of course the one you need to follow: TBAblogs

And And you can follow all the TBA members who Tweet over at the homepage 2nd tab.

What If There Was No Curlin?

cdawahare — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:19:00 GMT

By Patrick Patten, Handride

Look, I'm on the fence too. I think Curlin is a horse for the decade: An absolute monster who has proven his mettle on more than one continent. He is a horse whose races will be watched years from now, both wins and losses. HOWEVER, I don't believe he's a lock in the Breeders' Cup Classic, so instead of trying to come up with an excuse I'll just pretend he's not in the race and let reality provide the need or non-need of an excuse. He's not a speedster so he wouldn't affect the pace of the race anyways.

What is the pace of this race? I'm guessing Smooth Air and Fairbanks play a game of "You take it. No you take it. By all means you take it." Colonel John, Raven's Pass, and maybe Go Between should occupy the second flight. I'm imagining a pretty bunched up group with not a lot of pace. Now, all the jockeys are probably thinking the same thing, so look for a surprise horse to try and steal away early or entering the final turn.

We all know that the track has made it a little easier on the early speed types, but with none in here I'm looking for a horse who might make the middle move and keep that pace going. (Remember we're pretending Curlin, who fits that bill perfectly, isn't in the race). Raven's Pass interests me when I read his trip comments. He's rated, led throughout, sustained his run over 1f, and gets the hands of Dettori - sounds pretty enticing. In fact, both Duke of Marmalade and Henrythenavigator have some good things going for them, but I'm not betting an all Euro trifecta (famous last words?). Duke might have peaked a while back and the Arc was a sign for a horse going downhill, and Henry might have the same case of being tired. So, I'm left with the Americans who have nice middle moves. I've seen Smooth Air do it, and while that's a bomb of a pick, I feel good that he'll outrun his odds. Go Between is on the rail, which has been a death sentence recently at Oak Tree, but Gomez is the best jockey in the country and I'm sure he could get a donkey home in any race.

If there was no Curlin:

Top Pick: Raven's Pass

Minor Awards: Smooth Air, Go Between, Tiago

Is It Time to Change the Triple Crown Format?

cdawahare — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:12:00 GMT

By Gene Kershner & Patrick Patten

Back in June, Gene mentioned briefly on his EquiSpace blog that it might be time to change the format of the Triple Crown races. Heresy, you say? Well, number one, he wouldn't change the venues (although Pimlico is not located in the best neighborhood in the world) and number two, he wouldn't change the distances, as both have extreme historical significance. What we do propose is a change in the dates that the races are scheduled. Actually, the idea is only to change the dates of two of the races, which only would affect one weekend. Why not change them to the First Saturdays of May, June and July 4^th weekend.

Why would this work?

It would provide more time for the horses to recover from minor scratches or injuries suffered in the previous race. It might actually make it harder for a horse to win the Triple Crown as the Preakness might not be so "skippable."
It would increase the time for drama to build between the races and heighten awareness to horse racing over a three month period, not a seven week period as it is now. One of the best shows this past year on cable was Mayweather/De La Hoya 24/7. Imagine a camera crew following around the jockeys, trainers and connections for a reality TV show after the Derby, and possibly with the Triple Crown on the line.
It sets up the premier summer races (Haskell - First Saturday in August, finishing off with the Travers in late August) with nice spacing where a horse could skip one and have two months off to the next marquee 3yo race. Maybe NYRA would then move the Travers back to the First Saturday in September to spark attendance in the Spa's final weekend?

With any idea, there are counter-arguments and reasons not to change:

Frank from That's Amore Stable blog points out that "the longer time between races, the higher likelihood that another track will schedule a richer race in between and steal the Kentucky Derby winner, thus rendering the series useless. That's why Spend A Buck's (1985) name doesn't appear in the Preakness or Belmont annals -- he skipped both to win the Jersey Derby with a big purse and a $2 million bonus." An excellent point, and another change to be considered is to increase the purses of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes (both currently $1M purses) to eliminate this potential situation to arise.

The tradition and history to win three Grade 1 races in a six week span could diminish, in some folk's eyes, the accomplishment over the shortened time span of the current Triple Crown scheduled. But it's not like we're introducing the designated hitter here. The Triple Crown has gone through many incarnations.

So, which side are you on? Let's not burn the authors at the stake here, this is pretty middle of the road.

The Blogosphere

cdawahare — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:41:00 GMT

Courtesy of Patrick Patten

There are great things being written by more than just me (-modesty).

One of my favorite horses Better Talk Now is not retiring, but his good buddy is as Foolish Pleasure notes.

Keeneland in the Philippines was a great read and I do like photos by GoGirl Racing.

Speaking of photos, I'm a fan of graphs and maps and this post by Fran at Hoofblog really nails how great the differences our between state's law when it comes to vets.

Maryjean Wall shows how easy it was to come up with Carriage Trail.

Striding Thoroughbreds takes note of a milestone for a jockey.

Superfecta notes the background on Tam Lin.

If I Hit the Lotto on Tuesday I'll buy TVG and fix racing... You're Welcome

cdawahare — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Courtesy of Patrick Patten

I play the lotto not because it is the worst odds imaginable, not because I don't realize it's a "stupid" tax, but it allows me to write these dreams out like I really have a chance. TVG is up for sale, and the NTRA has always been a fan of the channel. So why not buy it outright, and do something good with it. My suggestion: Fix racing with it.

I'd buy TVG and then buy every wagering & broadcast signal "exclusively." Then I'd let every track I bought a signal from buy into TVG and form an LLC. Getting over the pie-in-the-sky hurdles of winning the lotto, getting cooperation, and having something work in racing, it's not that bad of an idea.

The basic structure is that the tracks form an LLC to obtain both wagering and televising rights exclusively from themselves (the tracks) and let the LLC sell signals back to everyone based on common interests.

Assume the blended rate is 20%. Each party entering the agreement agrees that the LLC will pay members 8% for exclusive gaming and television rights that the LLC can sell. What each track will pay for a signal from the LLC is left up to the members of the LLC.

How I see it working:

NYRA, Tracknet, Keeneland, Podunk Downs join the LLC. They are each free to purchase other signals outside the LLC, but anyone purchasing members signals goes through the LLC, including LLC members.

Purchasing Signal:

An ADW platform asks to purchase signal - Flat fee is 14%. Rebates can be had depending on how many customers they have, and handle wagered, treat them as they treat their customers.

ADW w/ Television access- Flat fee is 14% Extra rebates can be had if they purchase the exclusive television right (separate from wagering) of certain tracks, they can have that track's signal cheaper. The wagering rights are separate from the television rights (this fixes the current mess w/ one sentence I'm pretty sure).

Tracks - Flat rate is 12%, the rate can go up or down depending on purses/race, race days, breakdowns/starter, drug policy, whatever they see fit to put here.

Money: The LLC is for profit. If the LLC can buy for 8% what it sells for 11% then the money left over (after an operating budget approved by everyone in the LLC) would be split amongst member tracks based upon last years all source handle and/or some other mechanism.

Weakness & Solution: Allow tracks of certain size (size can be handled in various ways, but lets just say handle under X dollars) to partner their signal with others so as to create better competition, a quality vs quantity situation. The LLC does not have complete a la carte pricing where a buyer can pick and choose tracks as they need but a buyer could buy the NYRA, Traknet, invididually and then West Coast (could be GG, PM, Emd) or the Mid-Atlantic group (MTH, PHA, Md) etc.

Trigger the start. Sing up tracks one by one, but they won't have the contract go into effect until X% of wagering dollars is linked up. If you get 25% of the tracks on board the other 75% will undercut and win, so pick a target and use that to get everyone on board. No one left behind.

Strengths: A reason to cooperate.

The Largest Problem Facing Racing - It Ain't the Papers

cdawahare — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:23:00 GMT

Let's try and have a good debate, at least one better than the one tonight.

Every sport has image problems. The NBA had the Jailblazers, the NFL still has the Bengals, MLB battles drugs, and the NHL is well, if you've heard of it, it's the hockey league. Many in our industry point to the NHL as another sport going through rough times. Like horse racing, paper coverage is dwindling, it gets low ratings, and its season is said to be too long. It's horse racing but on Ice! Well, no not exactly.

Ice Hockey's image battle is with irrelevancy. Talk to a hockey fan about teams South of of the 40^th latitude (approx Denver), and even they think those teams are pointless. The Stanley Cup needs big market teams to do any business at all in the post season, and while VS. gives the NHL a singular "marquis" platform the channel isn't also known as the "World Wide Leader." Is hockey relevant in the US? Who knows? That's the problem.

Horse racing's major battle isn't with irrelevancy. For example, the Kentucky Derby is still a draw on TV, and some see it rebounding. It's always listed as a top must-see-before-you-die event, and participants (horses and jockeys) are listed among top 100 athletes all the time. So, America knows the Derby. The Derby will always be relevant.

(Source)

The major image problem with horse racing is gambling. Yep, the thing that keeps us in business is also the same thing putting us out of business. I'll just cut straight to the examples:

At home tonight you'll probably catch an "Only Vegas" commercial. What are they selling? I'll say it's not gambling. It's everything but gambling if you've seen the ones I've seen. It's only when you get to Vegas that you see signs for the "Loosest Slots in Town" and "Players Rewards."

The NFL has different categories for injuries: Questionable, Probable, Out, and records who does and does not practice throughout the week. Does that help the fan more or the gambler more?

How many people know someone who isn't the biggest fan of gambling, and has a negative opinion of you going to the track on the weekend? How many of those people who chastise us also participate in fantasy football, are in a March Madness bracket, join a survivor pool. They don't even realize they're gambling. How many of those people ask us to put $2 on the nose of some horse in the Derby.

Ok, so go ahead have at me. I don't want to hear arguments about how the Asians, Norwegians, South Africans, or Australians do it. I see this as a cultural problem, and those cultures are vastly different than ours.

I'm also NOT against marketing gambling. Look at the Vegas example. They market the gambling once you're there. That sounds about right. How many of you have been on a track tour? Where's the first place you go? I doubt it's the window to learn the parlance of betting. You have to give people a sporting hook.

My Eyes Glaze Over When Someone Says ADW

cdawahare — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:01:00 GMT

Courtesy of Patrick Patten

I believe the most pressing issue in the sport is the ADW issue. And yet when someone talks about it I wonder if it would hurt that bad if I stuck a fork in my ear and twisted. Talks are again being, well talked, and not much is coming from them accept acrimony. Shock I know.

And who can blame them? Not me. If you put three people in a room, all who represent a group with different incentives and motivations what do you expect? There is no way they reach a common goal as someone, maybe all of them, have to give something up. While it would be nice if they played nice, hugged it out, or did some actual work it's not in their best interest. Oh, it's in our, the fans, best interest, but we're not represented on this panel, and it would be 1 on 3, we'd still probably lose.

I've said it before (and been made fun of), but horseracing doesn't need a commissioner, it needs a moderator. Get someone not attached to the sport with an accounting & law background, have everyone approve of that person and let everyone present their best case. In the end the moderator puts out a couple plans and everyone is forced, coerced to sign up for one of them. What leverage does the moderator have? Image. No one wants to look bad, be called out as being out of touch, especially if 2 out of 3 sign on. It's not perfect, but better than the current forum sniping we see.

If you'd like to learn more about ADW issues and get involved there are two groups I know of. HANA is a fan startup specifically focused on takeout. The Horseplayers Coalition is outside the NTRA but currently working with it & lobbying on tax issues. There's a membership fee for the Coalition, but you become a member of NTRA advantage, very worth it.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

cdawahare — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:04:00 GMT

Courtesy of Patrick Patten

Whether I was listed as being there or not (Esther what did I say for you to forget me? ;-D ), I was in fact at the NTRA annual marketing meeting. A group of fans put together what we believe to be an easy first step (NTRA marketing report) in helping our sport become viable in today's "connected" world. I've spent the last week writing about my experiences, and mostly gushing over how great it was. It's been said I'm now in the NTRA pocket, and I can't disagree too much. I was bowled over with their enthusiasm and interest. If it was an act, there aren't enough Oscars to go around, and if it isn't, well one weekend isn't the end of this story.

Alex wants us to hold the industry's feet to the fire. So, I wanted to list here, specifically, what I'll be looking for and (when).

The best idea that came from the package was the idea for a VP position for online/offline marketing. I know this is the best idea, because so many other forums from the weekend could have been helped by a person we described. If, as John Della Volpe said, "the smartest people are outside your company" then it flows, there should be someone in the company watching that all the time. Tracks are singularly attacking some of the issues that face the sport on a national level: after racing care, take-out, and safety, safety, safety. Our group hopes that what being done at the grass roots level can be brought up to the national level with more observation and a point person to motivate things. I'd like to see a VP position by Feb 1^st.

"Take Back Saturday" was our rallying-cry to the industry to do more to make Saturday must see viewing. It is a first step in changing the image of our sport. One of the easier changes we hope to see in the new year is "Charity-capping." Pair up Hank Goldberg with a celebrity at the track, give them real money, and have them wager. The largest bankroll at the end gets both bankrolls and a check from the NTRA. The camera needs to be over the shoulder as both parties make their wagers. Furthermore, we'll be looking for tracks tying in their online/offline communities to coordinate an event for the winning charity that could air on TV weeks later. Charity Capping I'd like to see in the new ESPN shows NEXT YEAR.

"Take Back Saturday" also means a retooling of "Win and You're In" which is creating small islands of races, but little continuity to bring people back. For example, Presious Passion ran this weekend, but he was already in the BC Turf. What did this race mean for him? Isn't Einstein our American star this year? We're proponents of standings to affect gate choice or create year end bonuses. We're not in favor of the NTRA taking over or telling tracks what to do; we're just for getting everyone to relate the meaning of all the stakes races. With the additional categories the NTRA can also act quicker to create context than others. I'd like to see an announcement to get members to weigh the stakes after this year's BC and before the Eclipse awards.

I need schwag. The merchandise needs to change. We all agree that the stars of the industry are the horses, and yet when you show up to the big days of racing much of what is on sale has the track name or the event name; much of which is 50% off the next day. If horses are the stars, then the owners are our teams. I'm hoping phone calls are being made right now to the Phipps', Reddam's, Overbrook's, Ramsey's, and other camps with famous silks. I want t-shirts, golf shirts, mugs, hats as soon as possible.

I left the easiest thing for last. It's easy because it's already happening. Include us fans more. Our ideas are sometimes out-there; unencumbered by laws and budgets, but given the right setting we can produce concrete analysis and suggestions, and think outside the box.

An Introduction

cdawahare — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:03:00 GMT

Courtesy of Patrick Patten

My name is Patrick, but I'm regularly known by my blog name, Handride. I am part of a group of Bloggers, the TBA, that formed around 3 years ago to help themselves generate readers, and to help gain more fans amongst casual watchers. In the three years since we've climbed to over 40 blogs from Japan to New York and all places in between. We've had a blogger at the Breeders' Cup & Kentucky Derby, in official capacity, but we've been everywhere unofficially, and that's the point of a blog. We've got in touch with those casual watchers, we set out to find, by being casual fans ourselves. Though we take the sport very seriously, we're just not on the inside.

We're going to use this space to relate the story of the casual fan across the nation. Like no two casual fans are alike, I doubt you'll see two of us cover the week in racing the same way. Some of us will focus on the experience, the local fare, the back story, the forgotten stories, and the historical stories. We'll highlight the great blogs we see; we'll try and be everything to everyone. Not an easy task, but one that's worth pursuing.

Thanks for looking over here. Check back soon for the first post out the gate.