Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

J. DeFelice — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:26:59 GMT

I am a former race horse owner and still a handicapper!

There are certain facts to first agree on- a decline in attendance, betting, and quality racing. The public is really not conscious of racing except during the triple crown races, and barely notices the Breeders Cup.

States are financially strapped to meet their budgets and see taxing parimutuel as a sin tax like cigarettes and alcohol taxes. There are still 13 states that don't allow any form of parimutuel ( I happen to live in one) so access even through the internet is impossible. My major suggestion is to get uniform racing , betting,and rules through a national panel made up breeders, owners, track operators and patrons,(etc...) and take the rule making bodies out of the hands of the states. If you legalize betting in those thirteen states you raise revenues and provide a more consistent product for all. Secondly the takeout on betting should be consistent from one locality to the next. I think the over 20% on "exotic " bets is discouraging. Australia limits its racing calendar to but a few days each week (Monmouth has tried this), lower the takeout and raise the purses will encourage more participation! By the way it will also raise the revenue raised by an international industry that is being lost by the USA.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Soltero — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:06:48 GMT

Many great ideas, but what about developing more jumps racing? That would be a great outlet for so many of the horses who are not competitive on the flat. Look at the program they have in England --many horses have a chance at a second career.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Denmark — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:04:36 GMT

Hildegard hit on something. PR takes an expert and the tracks which are loaded with nepotism, hire from within for this very important job. There is an art to PR work. Talk to any non-profit organization and they'll tell you that PR is the most important part of fundraising. Bob M. is a great handicapper but PR - I think not. Mike W. talks but doesn't make any friends for racing. Hire professional PR people!

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Kevin Stafford — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:48:53 GMT

Having participated in several of these studies over the years - I think they know all the good ideas out there. It's always wise to revisit the "voice of the customer" to see what is trending and/or what has changed, but so much is out there that is common sense or that they've known for years and either will not or can not act upon.

Some of you touched on it previously - tv exposure is sorely needed to grow the sport - which in turn will generate more wagers, interest, relevance, discussion, etc.

- First and foremost, folks need to know about us. They need to know racing exists. Don't laugh - because many out there think racing ended in the 1800's or that the Derby is the only racing day of the year.

- 2nd they need to know where they can find us (i.e., regular tv broadcasts). Right now this would be TVG or HRTV - but let's be honest, only diehard racing fans know about those, and even if they did stumble upon them, think of the experience for someone who didn't know what was going on - lots of numbers, fractions, times, and terminology they aren't used to. There's a lack of familiarity that would probably scare them away quickly.

- 3rd they need to know "why" they should even care to find us (i.e., incorporate standings or find some way of tying each race together so that not just the KY Derby matters. Think of this as the "why should I watch the Stephen Foster?" question). At least for the upper-echelon graded stakes (which lets face it - would be our best shot at marketing the sport to new fans).

- Lastly, we need to improve the education/experience of those we do get to tune in and care rather than assume they are blue-blooded bettors who want to jump right in and launch a $500 Pick 6 ticket while arguing the fractional splits of the 5th race at Turfway Park. This can be tricky because you want to find the right balance of new fan education while not boring the pants off of the diehards with non-stop "feel good" stories. Suffice to say though that they aren't going to stick around for long if they feel like the only idiot in the room who doesn't know what a superfecta or "blinkers on" means. Folks usually get caught up here arguing over how any broadcast of the races should be produced - but it really goes beyond that. As fans of the game, think of how often you've wanted information that ought to be readily available to you - only to find that you don't have access to it in horse racing. Now contrast that to sports like Football and Baseball where the public has rampant access to statistical information. ALL of that is part of the "education" process and needs to be more readily available to the public - and it should be "easy" to find rather than forcing me to browse hundreds of search pages on my phone.

Basically right now our sport is a jumbled mess of inaccesibility (I can't even wager on Oaklawn through my regular betting acct, for example), irrelevance, and tarnished public perception.

Any fundamental changes incorporated should be evaluated using these factors. Will this improve the accessibility of the sport to a larger fan base? Will this increase our relevance and help us tell our story to the national media and sports fans so that they will better understand "why" our major races matter? And will this play out positively or will it reinforce a negative association with "playing the races"?

I'll end with one other controversial point: Sometimes addition through subtraction can be a good thing. If we bemoan watered down fields and a certain level of cannibalizing of horses between competing tracks - maybe contractoin would be a wiser option than contraction? Just something to think about.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Jason — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:30:27 GMT

Resurface the worse track in the world! Churchill Downs! I've watched it like a hawk. It has retired more horses than any other track I know. I hate the derby and breeders cup when run there in the rain. Soaked, it's as hard of cement and broke bones in the best 5 horses, leaving a barely grade 3 Giacomo to win. As it drains, it gets so cuppey, it strains tendons and ligaments. Why don't trainers say any thing? SAY SOMETHING!!!

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Tales Untold — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:59:43 GMT

When I heard that Zenyatta would be at Oaklawn, I spent 4 days at the track in Hot Springs just to gaze upon her beauty and meet her, and it was my 1st time at a race track. Awesome!!

but, I havent been back.

Marketing and promoting horse's can change so many things in racing if people were only willing.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

EJMitchellKy — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:58:25 GMT

While there are much bigger issues to tackle--such as creating a national governing body--it seems there are some changes racing could make that don't require legislative action or sophisticated market analysis.

For one, drop the admission fee at all racetracks. I have to believe tracks will make up the revenue in concessions and wagering.

Second, tracks could do a better job coordinating their stakes schedules and post times to allow more time for fans and bettors.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Easy Goer — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 04:18:25 GMT

Repeat after me: It's all about the horses.

Generally, two types of people watch horseracing. The first type are those who wager on the sport, and the second group is women. Obviously, wagering is shrinking due to increased competition from casinos and other gambling opportunities. Because of this, racing needs to target women.

I was one of those horse-obssessed little girls. I loved horseracing and fell madly in love with the Black Stallion and Man O War. I moved on Easy Goer and Open Mind, Criminal Type and Ruhlman. Then I saw the 1990 Breeders Cup at Belmont Park, and my entire view of the sport changed. I watched racing from 1987 to 1990 and I never saw a breakdown. On BC day there were three deaths. To this day I can tell you their names: Mr. Nickerson had a heart attack in the sprint. Shaker Knit fell over him and also had to be euthanized. Then Go for Wand in the Distaff. I left racing until Smarty Jones and Funny Cide.

As an adult who watches the sport, I am extremely conflicted. There is so much cruelty and horror in the sport that I love. I find it difficult to watch races live because there are so many breakdowns. I never watch low-level claiming races because even if the horses make it through the race safely their future is bleak and will probably end in the slaughterhouse.

The world has changed. In the past, racing could hide these ugly realities from fans. Now the information is out there and racing authorities have to deal with these issues before it can attract new fans.

I invited a friend to visit some of the horse farms with me prior to the Breeders Cup. She wasn't a fan, but she had so much fun at the farms. Churchill even opened the track for the morning workouts and she was really excited about the sport. However, I would never be brave enough to invite her to an actual race because she might see something horrible, and then she would blame me for bringing her to see a noble animal flailing on the track before he/she is euthanized.

Racing has to get serious about drugs, breakdowns, and aftercare for the retired athletes. If these things aren't dealt with the fan base will continue to shrink. Women are the future of racing, but they won't come until they can watch the sport and ENJOY it without waiting for the other shoe to drop.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Rachel — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 19:25:47 GMT

Reconnect to the horse? There are hundreds of thousands of people connecting with their horses every day...showing, competing, endurance, jumping, dressage, reining, trail riding...why can't racing connect with the people who already are connected?

Race Day Drugs

Lots of Whips

Rescue Mentality

That's how they see racing.

PS Re: Martin Panza's remarks. Yeah, that's it...take away from the bread n' butter horses so a few cream puffs at the top can race 6 or 7 times in their life and get whisked away to the breeding shed...to heck with the 4 year-old filly going in her 71st race ♥ at the $6250 claiming level (who pays out at the window the same as Z) who needs this filly around anyway...let the rescues deal with her "mediocre" career.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Hildegard — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 13:45:57 GMT

Racing has so many problems, there isn't going to be any magic bullet to fix it.

Racing doesn't know who its base is. Is it the participants (owners, trainers, breeders)? Is it the players (handicappers, gamblers, degenerate gamblers)? Is it the fans (those who follow the horses/people)? It's a bit of all, but the needs of each are totally different.

The participants want to make money on their investment. The players want a fair shake at making money (or at least losing fairly). The fans want to see beautiful animals perform and get to know some of the human personalities.

The fact that there is no governing body for North American racing means that reaching out to all sectors of the base is close to impossible.

But, new participants, players and fans are not going to be recruited as long as the sport appears to the layman as a poor investment, corrupt, and abuse-ridden. And nothing turns a non-race fan off faster than the slaughter issue.

Further, new participants, players and fans are not going to be recruited as long as the sport doesn't appear anywhere on television or in print media with POSITIVE stories. Before the Derby last year or the year before, the only story on CNN Headline News about racing was a paddock accident that resulted in a euthanasia. Really? They couldn't come up with anything else? Where are racing's PR people to head these stories off at the pass? Does racing even have PR people?

And, the layman is going to have a difficult time connecting when most really good horses stick around for maybe a season or two. So why not make the jockeys and trainers the stars? Most probably aren't personalities, but racing is missing opportunities. Where's the coverage about Chantal Sutherland and Rosie Napravnik becoming the first female jocks to win their big races? That's an opportunity missed.

But again, no governing body, no mission, no action.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Louis — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 05:31:09 GMT

Lower the Mutual Takeout. Lower parking, admission fees, racing forms, programs. Lower, or middle class people can't afford to go very often to the track. Especially with gas at $3.80 a gal. Expenses of going to the track is very expensive. When takeout was 6%, a person could last a lot longer, before going broke. Now 18% is taken out every race. 10 races, that's what, about 90% takeout for the total pool of money for the day? If people had a better chance of making money, they would go to the race track more often.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Denmark — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:53:31 GMT

After a day at Santa Anita where another horse broke down, I'm beginning to wonder how many more days at the races I have in me. Last weekend, Always a Princess went down. The trainers marched on the PTB and insisted on a new dirt track or they would walk. Well, they got the track and horses are injured or euthanized to a much larger degree. Is it time to hang up the horse shoes?

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

LauraJ — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 02:15:10 GMT

@Denmark, Bluesthestandard is currently living the good life and enjoying carrots at Old Friends.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Sam Anderer — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 23:54:09 GMT

A national commission, such as found in the NFL, NBA, hockey league, etc., is needed. But because of the betting in horseracing, willing to "bet" the states will raise all kinds of disagreement over control. Also all of the different state commissions and organizations such as the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protection Societies. Everyone wants to retain their little fifedoms.

As for Eightbells, yes, he admitted that at the recommendation of a vet, the vet administered Winstrol once a month. It was evident that Big Brown suffered withdrawal, and that even Curlin had problems later in the year. As for Da'Tara, it is anyones guess.

Running a horse according to a "mathematical equation", was explained not too long ago on one of these blogs. This, along with the chemicals explains why stamina, endurance, and depth have disappeared.

My cats don't get any medication without the vet telling me everything I need to know, and then I research it on the net.

TVG is juvenile. Prefer HRTV.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Truth — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:17:55 GMT

I agree with most of the comments above. One thing that sours many people (especially horse lovers) is how the horses are treated on/at the track AND after they are no longer winning on the track. many of them end up (here in PA) at New Holland. The tracks, trainers, owners, jockeys need to get proactive in finding homes/new jobs for these wonderful athletes. Why can't the tracks have ex-racer day? Invite owners riders in the area to bring their exracers in and demonstrate what their doing in the after racing lives. Sponsor competitive shows before a race card. It would bring in new people to the racetrack and spark interst in adopting an exracer.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Pedigree Ann — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:50:47 GMT

It wasn't me who asked about Blues the Standard, just for the record.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Sal Carcia — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:20:41 GMT

Ann, the NTRA was a success at many levels. IMO, it was the racetrack owners that ultimately made it ineffective. Its marketing campaigns were brilliant in my estimation. The game was moving up the rankings of popular sports then and not down as it is now. Also, their lobbying effort were quite good and I suspect they still are. And I miss the oversight role they played a few years ago. The question to me is does it make sense for the owners of the racetracks to support such an organization?

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Denmark — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:48:14 GMT

Pedigree Ann asked about Bluesthe standard. Back in April 2006, Blues was entered in a 10,000 claiming race though his previous owner had taken an xray that showed a possible broken sesamoid. The new trainer entered him anyway. There was a huge outdry on Thoroughbred Times page that went 22 pages long that caused the new trainer to scratch him though he said it was because of "fever or somesuch thing" Happy ending - Kristen Mulhall paid the "trainer" $10,000 for Blues and he lives happily with her. Blues was a grade 2 winner and finished second in the 2003 breeder's cup. His original owners once stated the Blues was a member of his family.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

amfcf — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:07:56 GMT

Identify who ["...the latest report into the hands of the people who have the wherewithal to accomplish meaningful change..."] these people are so that Ms. Goncharoff's (and all the rest of us) wish can come true.

One quick idea (and I've got many, many more): get tracks to band together to promote 'Racing Across America'. VIP Passes, Prizes, Welcoming Committee, Tours, access to the 'no access' areas, etc for those participating in a Racing Across America series. Highlight key races in the series, promote/get to know the horses/trainers/owners involved in the series. So what if some of the particulars during a specific series change (i.e. horse is sold to new owner or God-forbid gets injured), there's always a story to tell.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Jimmy Z — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:17:46 GMT

Can you imagine what the NFL owners would do if they were allowed to have betting at the stadiums! How about NASCAR? Do you know how much money they would make by allowing their fans to bet at the racetrack. We are in a very envious position but can't pull it together.

We need a national league or organization to govern the industry. And it's never going to happen through volunteerism; no one in this industry wants to give up the individual power they have.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Dawn in MN — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:22:22 GMT

As usual, another what-can-we-do-to-save-racing piece.

I was a big fan as a kid. I watched every single televised race I could. I was 13-years-old when I watched Ruffian's match race live on television. After my heart was broken, I was away from the sport for over 30 years. I'd watch the occasional televised race if it happened to be on television when I had time to watch. Always with my heart in my throat fearing a break-down.

Just my luck, I happened to be watching the Preakness the day that Barbaro sustained his fatal injury. I started reading The Bloodhorse, Thoroughbred Times, NTRA, and ESPN sites daily looking for updates on Barbaro's condition. I was hoping that veterinary medicine had come far enough that he might recover to know the warmth of the sun on his back, and the peace of the pasture. During that time my interest in the sport was re-kindled.

I did not become an FOB, they freaked me out a little bit with the comments in baby-talk etc. Not to take anything away from the FOBs, I have always said; "to each his own." I bet that a lot of the FOB's were new or returning to the sport, and I believe that every single fan is important.

I think the comments here that seem the most practical are the ones that agree that a national governing body would help a lot, and the "free-to-the-common-man" television coverage.

In my opinion the whole point to the Sport of Kings is that the common man can watch the King's horses run. We can place bets for entertainment and experience that thrill of ownership during the race. We get to see, and appreciate the most beautiful and refined domestic animal in the world. A recent similar article touched on that concept of "ownership."

When I was a kid there was plenty of coverage. What happened? What needs to be done to get that back? A national governing body is a good place to start. A good house cleaning is in order!

Life At Ten anyone? How can it possibly take that long to make a decision folks? A penalty for foul play is handed out in real-time on other televised sports. By the way, penalize the jockey? Are you kidding, the jockey and the track official penalized? Wow, that is hard to stomach. Nobody but the trainer is to be blamed. Nobody ever explained what was wrong with her. What did the veterinarian find?

Horse slaughter anyone? How can the sport possibly allow this, how could anyone think this is o.k? Shut down the pipeline. Not one single Thoroughbred should ever end up there. Not one. Running at-risk horses, on drugs? That is not sport, it is cruel greed. Natural causes, or humane euthanasia, by a veterinarian. Period.

There are always great ideas on this topic in the comments. In the time since I returned as a fan little to no progress has been made. My opinion of the NTRA is not very high. By the very title of the organization I would expect leadership. I don't see the NTRA doing a very good job of leading or promoting. Nice logo though...similar to logos used for other more successful sports.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Kim R — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:42:36 GMT

First & foremost...put the "athlete" in the spotlight! Everyone in the TB Racing industry should take a page out of the play book written by Team Zenyatta. What they did was create a human interest story that people couldn't get enough of. Obviously, not every horse is going to achieve what Zenyatta achieved. But, if race tracks everywhere embraced the fact that the horses are the "star" and made them more "local celebrities" by giving the general public more access I think people would hold the sport in higher regard. Additionaly, provide PROOF that every TB that doesn't have what it takes to make it as a racehorse is provided for and cared for when their work is done. As someone that volunteers to find homes for TB's when they're done racing, I find myself stuck between a rock and a hard place. While I love to watch a race and find it exhilirating, it breaks my heart that for every horse I see on TV, in the limelight, there are at least 1,000 others that will meet an uncertain future for no other reason than they may not be fast enough. What people don't seem to grasp is that for all of these horses that never make it in the "big time", they are begging to find a job that is better suited for them. Unfortunately, many horses don't get that opportunity.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

gotigers1948 — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:52:49 GMT

Denmark, Please tell me about the Blues the Standard item you referred to in your comment. I would like to know about this incident.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

Pedigree Ann — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:22:11 GMT

Sal, the NTRA wasn't instituted to be a governing body, only a public relations outlet. But I agree, it has been a dismal failure.

A central governing body would be able to control medication rules, currently mandated state-by-state decisions. How could NASCAR operate if you had differing engine restrictions in each state? Or the PGA if there were different club restrictions in each state?

A central governing committee would be able to promulgate uniform "rules of racing" so that all stewards everywhere would be working from the same page.

And so on.

re: Sounding Off - By Eric Mitchell

turkskid — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:44:34 GMT

Everyone that has responded so far has made very astute observations. I find all the betting yak-yak on HRTV and TVG extremely boring. I want to know more about the horses, not handicapping. I would like to see the major networks cover more racing -- not just the satellite stations -- and I also wish that a couple of the TVG commentators would grow up and quit clowning around on the set. Thank goodness for the pause button and fast forward.

I know that the industry will never be completely free of breakdowns. Horses break down out in the pasture and in other venues, not just at the track. However, when a horse breaks down at the track, it's like pulling teeth to find out what happened to the horse. Sometimes the race results will mention the horse's fate; most of the time they won't. A couple of years ago I could e-mail the tracks directly to find out about a horse that had broken down or was pulled up and someone at the track would answer...now, I can't get a response of any kind. We need to mourn and honor the ones we lose.

You also cannot find out any information about horses that are no longer racing unless they're a big name like Rachel or Zenyatta. Sweet Catomine had a large fan following but you never hear about her any more. What's happened to her? It would be nice if the Bloodhorse website -- or one of the racing networks -- were to have a "where are they now" segment.

Lastly, TV stations, sportcasters and newspapers need to realize that not everyone is interested in football, baseball, basketball, hockey or golf. Who knows, ratings and readership might increase if they showed more than the last 30 seconds of the Kentucky Derby.