Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

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re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Zev — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:14:06 GMT

The Breeder's Cup has completely lost their way. The vision of the BC creators was fairly on the mark.

They wanted a true focused national championship to show off their sport. They planned to rotate venues around the country and have the event shown on network broadcast television. The goal was to bring the general public in to racing beyond the Triple Crown and to create a national championship for the sport. It worked and within a few years the Breeder's Cup became the Super Bowl of racing.

Unfortunately current management has strayed so far from the creators vision that one wonders about the warped perspective of the Breeder's Cup decision makers.

First and foremost the diluted event produces more handle but is no longer special and does not reflect a championship event. Too many races produces weaker fields and makes the event far less special.

Secondly the TV broadcast hops around from channel to channel from day to day and you need a routing map just to watch the telecast. It was far better on one broadcast network on one day. No one from the general public can follow the Breeder's Cup or understands the format of the races.

Third the live event is so overpriced that it makes it impossible for most people to attend. The second Breeder's Cup at Aqueduct in 1985 cost $1.50 per seat throughout the whole facility. The service charges alone for tickets are now ten times that amount. In 2010 I spent a thousand dollars for a pair of tickets to the event. That is more than three hundred times what a pair of tickets cost me in 1985.

Lastly the choice of sites by the committee makes no sense. Churchill Downs does a terrible job, The track seats are grossly overpriced. The sight lines are terrible and the customer service there is non-existent. The decent seats go to Breeder's only and the public is supposed to lap up the leftovers at absurd prices and like it.

Santa Anita is much better than Churchill but no place should have the event more than once in a four year period. From 2008 to 2013. Santa Anita will host four Breeder's Cups with Churchill hosting the other two.

I've attended the Breeder's Cup at Monmouth, Lonestar, Woodbine, Gulfstream, Belmont, Aqueduct and Hollywood Park (I didn't make it to Arlington Park). Each venue brought something different to the table. Some were better than others, but they all were special and unique and all in many ways were better than Churchill Downs.

Competition always produces better results than monopolies. Variety is the spice of life and the national racing scene needs to be involved in the venue rotation if the Breeder's Cup is ever to become a National event again.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

tom mallios — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:22:28 GMT

in an industry that is not only assumed for underhanded things.rather than deflect those opinions,they welcome them by opening up another can of worms.this back to back decision reeks of kick backs.kickbacks,not to the industry but to the clowns or the stooges making these decisions(take your pick).i am a new yorker.the ideal place to have the BC is churchill downs.they have a track that can accomodate any distance.their spacious seating and dining area are ideal.unfortunately for them,they probably did not play the under the table game.the clowns running this industry have destroyed it.they hide behind the racinos,they say purses are going up.wake up and smell the coffee you mental midgets.this is a gambling game first.it is not a spectator or made for tv sport.adjust your marketing to attract serious players,not the weekend phonies who root for horses that

one time,then go into hybernation til the next big event comes up

tom m

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Lammtarra's Arc — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 20:09:25 GMT

Age of reason- I agree with you about Zenyatta, BUT BUT BUT....your comment makes no sense! How can a horse like Zarkava Be France restricted?...that is like saying and American horse is USA restricted.....Also Zarkava won the worlds biggest race :)

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

JayJay — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 03:11:38 GMT

Age Of Reason : Yeah, isn't it refreshing ? And yes, thanks to Pete's blog, we can say her name without having to start a war.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Age of Reason — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:34:10 GMT

JayJay,

Thanks to Pete Denk we readers of Bloodhorse.com are finally able to have intelligent discussions about a certain horse (whose name starts with Z and rhymes with Mondatta--catch my drift?) without being shouted down by She-Lost-Get-Over-It yellow journalism. There was a certain former troll on these forums who loved to refer to Zenyatta as "the state restricted poly champion". As if a horse's greatness is somehow defined by the surface or region where they happened to run most often. Heck, by that same rule I guess Zarkava was a French-restricted grass champion!

As far as synthetics go, I think Pletcher got it right when he stated back in '07, "In a perfect world we would train on polytrack and run on dirt". And yes, the lower incidence of career-ending injuries on synthetics has a significant fringe benefit to racing by keeping its stars around for longer periods of time. Does anyone honestly think that Zenyatta would have still been around at 6 had she raced on the East Coast? Would Richard's Kid be setting two track records at age 7 in the East? I don't think so.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

JayJay — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 05:41:03 GMT

I really don't have a preference whether a horse runs on artificial or dirt. Poly became a popular topic (here at bloodhorse) because of Zenyatta, it was the main excuse for people who didn't want to recognize how great she was (and still is).

I've seen people post that dirt is the only surface, and I think that's true for the great horses of the past. Horses of our generation are no longer durable so I think the debate about synthetic vs dirt is really a moot point. It doesn't matter where they run, they just get injured early and quite often. I've said before, I'll be happy if these 3 yr olds run against overmatched horses all the time if it means they'll run past their 4 yr old season.

Pete : Thanks for the info on CC and EP. Are you doing THS for the Arlington Million ? Nice to see some imports in the race, I'm leaning towards spencer/o'brien's horse and I'll probably go all Inn.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Age of Reason — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 03:07:02 GMT

Midnight Lute,

Well said! Now you know why the British racing press seemingly had more respect for Zenyatta than many of our own writers. Well, that and the fact that one of their champions (Twice Over) was left for dead by Z and Gio Ponti in the stretch of the Classic. I would personally love to see Del Mar host a Breeders Cup, at least once. Although polytrack is supposedly death to the traditionally speedy types, the rather short (for a major track) homestretch at Del Mar might help negate that.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Lammtarra's Arc — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:02:38 GMT

Exbourne - Not everyone was against SA Poly track...if they were it was because it was laid by a bunch of amateurs, just like when they relaid the dirt. Poly IS the best way to assure that more International horses come over to run in the Breeders Cup "WORLD" Championship. All you people compalining about Artificial surfaces should take a long look in the mirror and get through your thick heads that only the BC Classic has any significance for you all, and your dirt racing. The rest of the dirt races are pointless to anyone else who is not American. Saying that Your whole rant above is really quite amusing, Just like the Title Breeders Cup WORLD Championships...

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Pete Denk — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 15:17:12 GMT

No published workouts for Creative Cause or El Padrino...

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

JayJay — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 06:16:08 GMT

Congrats Old Old Cat, and good luck with your first homebred. Hopefully you'll come back and share your experience specially if you and your horse makes it to the big races.

Alpha looks to be a lock for the Travers but I'm guessing he'll be a heavy heavy favorite. I'm excited at a possible rematch with Gemologist now that Paynter is out. At least something to make it exciting.

Who else is left ?? Where's creative cause, el padrino ??

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Old Old Cat — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:32:17 GMT

Next year I will have my first homebred racehorse in competition as a two year old filly. Her mother was a stakes grass horse and I am looking forward to qualifying for one of the BC events at Monmouth Park (or somewhere else close by). Two years ago when I paid my BC nomination fee it was with the idea of hopefully competing. If all the events are on the west coast, I threw my money away. Speaking for many breeders/owners, it's not fair to collect money for an event years in advance, then change the rules to exclude all but the very very wealthy.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Ukkmac — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:19:44 GMT

Best BC venue, period. It is borderline ridiculous to blast the choice of Santa Anita for the 2013 BC. I live in Kentucky and have been to 16 straight Cups. The best venue by far is Santa Anita. No weather issues to worry about the first weekend of November like Arlington, Belmont, Monmouth, and usually Churchill. At Santa Anita, your general admission ticket gets you right close and on the apron unlike any other host track. There are plenty of hotels that don't break the bank. You don't need to take a train to the track. And add that the nightlife and food options are second to none, I say that SA should be the permanent home or at least a part of a three track rotation. SoCal does it right and the othe other venues pale in comparison. Stay home and bet it at your home track, isn't it all about the card-quality anyway? Can't wait until November 2012 and 2013. Gods choice BC, it was a no-brainer.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Rachel NH — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:38:35 GMT

Actually, I've got to the point this year that I just hope I can get to see it on television...only HRTV and NBC Sports Network will televise the first 14 Breeders’ Cup races...

Up here where I live, Comcast doesn't even offer HRTV.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Blind Luck — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:19:51 GMT

Ok, Santa Anita does have a dirt track now, PLUS, beautiful weather. Enough Said.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Kevin — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:46:56 GMT

My only bet of the Day, #5 at Del Mar in the 2d.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Criminal Type — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:20:55 GMT

Damn, Shanghai Bobby out. I like Southern Honor in this case.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Mary Zinke — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 19:08:14 GMT

Pedigree Ann, No, unfortunately, I changed some of my picks due to the scratches and I didn't hit the super.

(Last) chance for Nereid today in the Mabee. I like her and City. 4,6,3 are my top picks.

I hope Street Sense's daughter, Vitameta, runs well against the favorite, Kauai Katie in the Adirondack, and I like Southern Honor's chances better with the scratch of Shanghai Bobby.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Paseana — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:05:05 GMT

Saying that the choice of location for the Breeders Cup involves a "bidding" process is just plain inaccurate. It's more like an application for hosting privileges (and, I might add, an application for getting fleeced). True, there's a certain amount of prestige accrued to the hosting facility, but the only actual revenues collected by the host are those related to concessions. The Breeders Cup even pockets the parking fees! The Breeders Cup does pay the operating expenses for the two days, and there is certainly a "rental fee" that they pay simply for the use of the plant, but that's about it.

Concerning returning the BC to Hollywood Park, that's never going to happen, and it's not just because the future of BHP is in such limbo right now. All one has to do is remember that NOT ONE American dirt-prepped and dirt-campaigned horse even hit the board in any main-track BC race when it was held two years in a row on Santa Anita's Pro-ride! Any suggestion that they might return to a synthetic surface ANYWHERE would produce a domestic outcry and yes, even boycott, that would be heard to the far corners of the country! Del Mar seems to think that the only thing they need to do to get the BC is to widen their turf course. Believe me, that's the least of their worries! Previous hosts Arlington and Woodbine have also been self-eliminated from consideration as well.

I agree to a certain extent about the overloading of the Breeders Cup program. The Turf Sprint is totally useless as far as I'm concerned, and the addition of a Juvenile Sprint is not only dumb, but in just it's first year, it had a huge impact on the outcome of the real BC Juvenile, imo. If Secret Circle had been in the Juvenile itself, I think it's unlikely that Hansen would have won that race. It's pure speculation, of course, but needs to be considered.

While I love the Filly & Mare Sprint as a stand-alone race because of the extremely high class level it has carried since its inaugural, it's still too bad that we won't have the opportunity to see some of these classy girls take on the boys anymore.

I think a turf race for 2yos is a good idea, but it should be just one for open-gender. Adding a 2yo filly turf race was totally counter-productive. I'm fine with the Dirt Mile (as long as it's on dirt and run at a mile) and the Marathon. I actually enjoy them both.

I do believe that, because of the return to a dirt surface, the climate, and the size of the market, the Breeders Cup will end up making Santa Anita its permanent home eventually. Not exactly in line with John Gaines's vision, but I do see it happening.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Pedigree Ann — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 14:17:58 GMT

Mary Z., I hope you boxed the Tri! Good picking.

Why can't the BC be run at Hollywood Park, its very first venue, if the powers that be want it on the West Coast? Or at Aqueduct instead of Belmont if it finally ends up in New York again? Both have held it without incident in the past. And the weather at Churchill or in NY can be quite pleasant in late October/early November; I went last year and until the sun set and it got a bit cool, one couldn't have wanted a nicer day. (I have photos to prove that it was a sunny day, despite what reports may have said.)

Monmouth has the problem of no 7f chute - why run two sprints at 6f? (Indeed, why run two sprints at all; the best girls did fine without their own race. And, why have two juvenile turf races? There are barely enough 2yos who are established as quality stakes horses on the turf to fill one race. But I digress.)

The BC's problems are many and varied, most of their own making. The bad financial deal for the racetracks by the BC hogging revenue has reduced the number of tracks wanting to host. The introduction of 'consolation events' - the Dirt Mile and the Ladies' Sprint - watered down the fields for the main races. The turf sprint has no reason to be, since 'turf sprinters' in this country is not a division of any particular strength. Desperately trying to increase Euro participation with the turf juvie events, which come after most Euro juveniles have settled into their winter metabolism. Bad ideas piled on top of one another.

Hint to the management: claiming that your event is the "World's Championship" when it is clear that it is nothing of the sort just makes you look ridiculous. Wishing doesn't make it so.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Criminal Type — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 11:23:48 GMT

This is totally off topic, but, Did anyone happen to see My Miss Aurelia's race on Wednesday ? And if you did, did you notice she did not change leads in the lane? Her rider tried to get her to change leads twice. One attempt was very noticable since she bobbed and weaved, the other not so noticable. She may have finally switched over to her right lead right before the wire, but with the other horse inside her, I couldnt tell for sure. Im wondering if this is because she is still feeling her shin's. Anyway, I thought it was significant that she didn't want to run on her right lead. Also noticed Midnight Lute is having a good showing on the track this weekend with his babies, also The Green Monkey has had 2 second place finishers...go figure.

It looks like the weather will cooperate and Saratoga will be dry today. That being said I think the two favorites will win the 2 yr old stakes races today..The race I found more interesting was the 8th race an allowance on the turf going a mile and a sixteenth over the inner turf course which will be pretty deep after the rain yesterday. I personally like And Why Not in here for Michael Matz. She gets Rosario this time and I think she has a good shot. She's a nicely bred Street Cry filly who was 3rd at Del Mar last out. Don't know why but I have a feeling that Thisizsparta (never count out Jerkins at the Spa) and Bourbonstreetgirl will be heard from in this one as well. Glamour and Glory looks go off as the favorite, however if it comes off the turf, your MTO entries of Scampering and Draw It, may have the advantage.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Matthew W — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 05:26:24 GMT

I think the N Y Bred,In Harms Way, has a big shot in the Saratoga Special tom...'think he will sit back off the pace battle and come a runnin--'think he's a horse of quality! At Del Mar, I fancy a couple of fillies tom: race 6: #7 Special Charm, (8-1), and race 9, # 12 Miss Oops (9-2)....

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Matthew W — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:26:16 GMT

Am playing several at Los Al tonight! Race 4: #5 Fishie (4-1)....race 5: #2 Hidden Dash (7-2)....race 6 #4 Secretly Famous ((5-2).....race 7: #9 Mane Event (6-1)....race 8 I like two: #2 Checkspeed (20-1) and #8 Perrys Affair (9-5)....last but not least is my play of the night! race 9: #5 I'll Be a Dasher (8-1) and you can take that to the bank!

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

duchess — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 01:23:58 GMT

Slew Dee-va,

You pointed out that only three tracks had bid on the Breeder's Cup.

As my husband owns a business (though nothing racing related) I can point out the following can often be true in business dealings:

* preparing and presenting bids can be expensive in both time and money (and the more money is involved generally the more time and money a company has to pump into its bid and presentation)

* businesses often put out unofficial feelers to see if they have any chance at all in landing a bid before expending the time and money in preparing one

* if a company gets unofficial feedback that they will not be truly considered, they will usually not bother sinking its time and resources into preparing the bid

So - just because only three tracks put in official bids for the Breeder's Cup, it does not necessarily mean that only three tracks were interested in hosting it.

There might have been other interested tracks who were unofficially discouraged from bidding.

re: Breeders' Cup goes back-to-back at Santa Anita

Matthew W — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 00:51:30 GMT

My last three first time starters have won impressively! Yesterday ay Del Mar I had Mechaya,she only paid $5 but she was the most impressive maiden winner of the meet so far!I love the angle of taking a horse out of dual first-time-winners!Last night at Los Al I hammered the first timer Matabari, (I also gave her out!), and she crept up from her opening odds of 6-1, to a fat 11-1, and she won by 1 1/2 lengths, which, at 300 yards, equates to a seven length thoroughbred win! Today at Del Mar I loved Midnight Ballet in the first, and if you haven't seen the race--do so! She must've made up twenty lengths, and she made up seven in the last 1/16! 8-1, and I hammered her, as well! Now if I can get my other big play home today I will be really stylin! Race 10, Del Mar: I boxed the fave, #9 Run On Residuals (5-2), with # 10 Sparkle Joel (15-1), and I played Sparkle Joel win/show! just had to bite on those big odds....