Frankel - Is He Serious???

[Observer]

I simply can not believe what I'm reading in this article regarding Ghostzapper & TV coverage in statements made by Frankel.

Not really surprised that he's already most likely backing out of the Suburban .. because the horse needs more time following his hard winning return.

Can't argue that racing should get more TV time .. but not simply because it's Ghostzapper running .. how can a network rely on Ghostzapper being in a given spot???

And even if some TV network were to throw some crew together last minute to cover Ghostzapper .. the casual fan will still not remember him if he's going to spend his career on the bench.

It's not even been 1 year since this horse started routing. It takes a special horse to capture the imagination of casual fans .. it's even harder for a sprinter to do that .. but running so infrequently is not going to create the sparks we've seen from the likes of Cigar, Holy Bull, Smarty Jones, etc.

And the only way Frankel can prove Ghostzapper is the best horse in the last 20 years .. is to let the horse prove it on the racetrack .. in a race.

Frankel's Comments on Ghostzapper & TV (http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=28412)

[Tom]

Maybe he has been drinking his own milkshakes!

The guy is looney-toons.

[KingChas]

I thought BF lost it when he sheltered up in his little Belmont Tv room with his friend (she) instead of staying outside to watch Empire Maker win the Belmont Stakes.I sat in the rain.Maybe he had his reasons?

As for the nation paying attention to Ghostzapper.They are,my cohorts at work who become expert cappers at triple crown time every year say
"Ghostzapper she's the one thats going to be the favorite in the Belmont this year"............ :eek:
I didn't have the heart.... :lol:

[highnote]

I just read that someone from a winery bought a share of Ghostzapper.

The last time I remember someone selling a share of an older Grade 1 horse, the horse ended up with fertility problems. Anyone remember Cigar?

Call me cynical -- but do you think the owners might have known Cigar had fertility problems -- so they sold shares of him. Why do you think he raced for so long and didn't go to stud earlier?

I'm probably wrong -- but I'm just a natural born skeptic.

[J-bred]

What if they scheduled the race for network TV, and the racing secretary ended up putting 124 pounds on him instead of 123 and he ends up scratching? :lol:

The last time I remember someone selling a share of an older Grade 1 horse, the horse ended up with fertility problems. Anyone remember Cigar?

Call me cynical -- but do you think the owners might have known Cigar had fertility problems -- so they sold shares of him. Why do you think he raced for so long and didn't go to stud earlier?

Wouldn't the use of steroids be one cause of infertility?

[PaceAdvantage]

I thought BF lost it when he sheltered up in his little Belmont Tv room with his friend (she) instead of staying outside to watch Empire Maker win the Belmont Stakes.I sat in the rain.Maybe he had his reasons?

To the best of my knowledge, Frankel ALWAYS finds a TV somewhere in the RACING SECRETARY'S OFFICE to watch his horses run. I believe he is a tad superstitious, for whatever reason, about watching his horses from the stands....

[Suff]

Call me cynical -- but do you think the owners might have known Cigar had fertility problems -- so they sold shares of him. Why do you think he raced for so long and didn't go to stud earlier?

I'm probably wrong -- but I'm just a natural born skeptic.

With Todays science they can forecast many things including fertility. I've seen Yearlings sold with Bone Gaurantee's and the like.

I'm self taught on this so I could be wrong, but when you a see it written that a Yearling or Colt was a Buy Back? It indicates the animal did'nt live up to some explicit agreement and the breeder is forced to buy it back.

I see it often.. A $95,000 dolllar buy back, a $35,000 buy back , 10 grand buyback. I'm under the impression thats the story.

[KingChas]

To the best of my knowledge, Frankel ALWAYS finds a TV somewhere in the RACING SECRETARY'S OFFICE to watch his horses run. I believe he is a tad superstitious, for whatever reason, about watching his horses from the stands....

Never knew that-thanks PA

[Observer]

When they say a horse is a buy-back .. isn't it because the horse doesn't meet the reserve price set by the seller???

Check out this link: (see Price Protection)

Guide to Auctions (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:-Sp2nq6itUcJ:edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SN005+buy+back+reserve+fasig+tipton&hl=en)

[PaceAdvantage]

Back on topic...

It is a bit wacky that Frankel is complaining about Ghostzapper's lack of "following" among non-hardcore racing folks.

Frankel and Stronach hold all the cards with this horse, and they choose to put him on the shelf more often than not.

I don't buy for a second the reasons Frankel gives publicly:

Frankel believes that, in general, horses are running faster now than in previous decades, and that is one reason why they can't make as many starts.

"It's not the weakening of the breed," he said. "Horses are running faster now than they were 20 years ago."

Huh? So then, why aren't ALL of his horses making 3 or 4 starts a year? Makes no sense Bobby, unless Ghostzapper is the only fast horse he's ever trained...LOL

Having to race less often IS a sign of WEAKNESS!!! It has to be. We've all seen plenty of FAST horses over the years that didn't race much....it was because they were WEAK and got hurt often.

We've also seen plenty of FAST horses who ran LOTS. (Cigar, Skip Away, Personal Ensign, Xtra Heat)

So, I don't understand where he is coming from on this. It's probably just me being extra dense, but I doubt I'm the only one who is baffled a bit....

[Suff]

When they say a horse is a buy-back .. isn't it because the horse doesn't meet the reserve price set by the seller???

Check out this link: (see Price Protection)

Guide to Auctions (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:-Sp2nq6itUcJ:edis.ifas.ufl.edu/SN005+buy+back+reserve+fasig+tipton&hl=en)


Yes , Ive seen it used like that. I'm not sure if what I'm talking about is also called a buy back or somthing else? I do know, or at least I think I do, that high end bloodstock agents representing the buyer do get some physical gaurantees. Including the right to send the horse back at an agreed upon price. I'm hypothisizing a transaction Like the Ghost Zapper one, included a sperm sample?

[KingChas]

Frankel and Stronach hold all the cards with this horse, and they choose to put him on the shelf more often than not.






PA, I myself have accused the trainer for all wrongs in previous posts,you told me to look at owners also.
Maybe FS is holding all the cards on this one?
Maybe BF is talking through him?
This might be another one of Frankies what's best for horseracing shemes?

I don't know? :rolleyes:

[Observer]

Almost seems like the better he thinks his runners are .. the more conservative he is with them.

[JustRalph]

Bobby has been watching too many Seabiscuit re-runs.............


He wants to be a movie star

[Kreed]

GZ is a GREAT horse. the shizzle that sizzles. And I think you guys are way
too harsh. Frankel planned out 5 races for GZ, with the BC Classic or Sprint
as his last for the year --- man these are GRADE 1 races. Not ALLOWANCE/
OPTIONAL CLAIMERS ... lol. You guys don't respect the power of ALL G1 races.

[Suff]

I simply can not believe what I'm reading in this article regarding Ghostzapper & TV coverage in statements made by Frankel.

Not really surprised that he's already most likely backing out of the Suburban .. because the horse needs more time following his hard winning return.

Can't argue that racing should get more TV time .. but not simply because it's Ghostzapper running .. how can a network rely on Ghostzapper being in a given spot???

And even if some TV network were to throw some crew together last minute to cover Ghostzapper .. the casual fan will still not remember him if he's going to spend his career on the bench.

It's not even been 1 year since this horse started routing. It takes a special horse to capture the imagination of casual fans .. it's even harder for a sprinter to do that .. but running so infrequently is not going to create the sparks we've seen from the likes of Cigar, Holy Bull, Smarty Jones, etc.

And the only way Frankel can prove Ghostzapper is the best horse in the last 20 years .. is to let the horse prove it on the racetrack .. in a race.

Frankel's Comments on Ghostzapper & TV (http://racing.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=28412)

I recall the thread that addressed the Purse Structure for older Horses. Purses are weighted towards 3 YO's. The financial incentives get lower & lower for owners to run GZ. And troubling the matter is who will run thier best Horses for 2nd place money. Also, whats it cost to insure a horse worth potentially 100 Million that is racing? I'd bet that premium eats up a chunk of the 60%.

TV rights. If Ghost Zapper is the story he should get a piece no? Stronach buying in may as have much to do with charting his race strategedy as anything else.

Owners getting a piece of TV rights may not be a bad idea. Particulary if it is structured like Major sports. Revenue Sharing. If they can get 2 or 3 million from ESPN. Split it with the track, and cut it up for the field, obviously weighted heavy at the top.

I want to see GZ run often, as well.

[lsbets]

How can you expect people to tune in and watch GZ on TV - they'll think - yeah I heard of that horse, didn't he run in some big race last year? Its hard to build a fan base for a horse when he runs once a quarter.

[kenwoodallpromos]

This and short careers is why I insist if there even is an attempt to get a non-betting fan base it has to focus on trainers.

[highnote]

This and short careers is why I insist if there even is an attempt to get a non-betting fan base it has to focus on trainers.

Or jockeys. I'll got a race and look forward to seeing Jerry Bailey in the paddock and watching him ride.

I also enjoy seeing D. Wayne or Alan Jerkins in the paddock, too.

[dutzman]

Its hard to build a fan base for a horse when he runs once a quarter.

I second this......Frankel is wacky....in my opinion, its not like GZ had to work hard for his Met Mile victory

[lsbets]

From a business point of view, it makes no sense to take a chance with a horse whose first year stud fee will more than likely be 100K. I was surprised they even decided to run him at all this year, and Frankel's responsibility is first and foremost to his owner. That doesn't mean I like the way things are. GZ is the best horse we have seen in a long, long time, and I wish we could see more of him.

In terms of building a fan base, I don't know if jockeys or trainers make good figures to build a fan base around. Maybe if the Beulah twins started training. :cool:

To me, the real problem is a day at the races is too slow for most people. You watch the horses run once around the track for about a minute and a half, and then you wait 30 minutes for the next race. I even get bored at the track in between races (mostly because we are there with friends and I promised my wife I wouldn't be anti social and play 5 different tracks, so I get real antsy trying not to look at the simulcast to check the bets that I made before I left the house). Seriously, I think racing suffers from some of the same issues baseball does - the slow pace is not what sells in a McNow world, and in between races, the pace is sloooooooowwwwwwww. On an average day at any track around the country you do not need 30 minutes to allow people to get their bets in. Make it 20 in between - you'll get more people out. Don't charge for parking - you'll get more people out. Don't charge for general admission - you'll get more people out. TV ratings - get new sportscasters for the before race coverage - more people will be there when the race starts.

[46zilzal]

This one puts out so much per race that he might well need time between challenges in order to come back for another one. Unless you are the groom, it is tough to KNOW that.

[Tom]

Frankel says that track cushions used to be 2.5 inches thick, but nowadys they are 4 inches thick, and this makes horses run much faster!:confused:

That is why he cannot run GZ more often.

Accupolco Goldmaking a comeback?

Maybe it is time for an intervention?:D


But GZ a great horse?.....hold the phone. I have yet to see anything exciting about GS - he runs fast on a speed figure scale, but he has none of the pizz zazz of a Secretariate, Affirmed, Alydar, Forgo. Theses horses were champions - fun to watch. GZ is a seldom raced bore on the track.
I used to look forard to watcing Big Red take on Cougar II, Affirmed meet Alydar, Forgo meet anone, carry 137 pounds, spot them a furlong then mow them down.

GA has none of this. He might be fast, but he is just not exciting. Vanilla champion. Sugar free at that.

[46zilzal]

Takes the passage of time and comparison with many many others to see how good Forego actually was. Still have a show ticket when he ran 4th in the Derby. This one would almost break a track record at 7.0 then three weeks later tote 135 over 9.0 and ramble on to take the prize. To add to all of that he had very thin legs and was on the verge of breaking down all the time. Was it Whitely that trained him? Always was worried about those thin underpinnings.

Wish that Cougar II had just once had a dry track to go up against Big Red. Still think he would have run second, but since he had a horrible disdain for wet race courses, he was out running his hatred and still doing well. I was at Del Mar for his first two NA starts after being brought here by the old track announcer (Joe Hernandez) at Santa Anita.

[plainolebill]

I appreciated Forego, what I failed to realize was that there wasn't another one coming right behind him. We'd just had Kelso (not to mention Secretariat), then along comes Forego so I was expecting a perpetual string of great horses that would be around for years carrying big weight and winning long races. There may be lots of logical reasons for not running horses as much, or at longer distances, and for not running with the big weights - but speaking for myself - it really takes a lot of the shine off the sport. I'm nowhere near the fan I was 30 years ago.

[socantra]

TV rights. If Ghost Zapper is the story he should get a piece no? Stronach buying in may as have much to do with charting his race strategedy as anything else.

Owners getting a piece of TV rights may not be a bad idea. Particulary if it is structured like Major sports. Revenue Sharing. If they can get 2 or 3 million from ESPN. Split it with the track, and cut it up for the field, obviously weighted heavy at the top.


I think they need a pie before they start fighting about how to split it up. Horse racing is not exactly the major topic of conversation around the water cooler where I work.

ESPN is showing some signs of putting more into horse racing now that they actually have the big races. I think racing has to show them a fan base that turns up in the form of ratings before they start trying to jack them for more money.

socantra...

[Tom]

The Monday after the Derby, the only comments I heard at work about the Derby were, "Did you have the winner? What was his name again?"

Two weeks later, "No triple crown again. That Derby horse-whatshisname? turned out ot be anohter dud, huh?"

My favorite: "Was last year's winner the the race again? How'd he do this year?"

Not a lot of lingering interest out there.

[highnote]

The Monday after the Derby, the only comments I heard at work about the Derby were, "Did you have the winner? What was his name again?"

Two weeks later, "No triple crown again. That Derby horse-whatshisname? turned out ot be anohter dud, huh?"

My favorite: "Was last year's winner the the race again? How'd he do this year?"

Not a lot of lingering interest out there.

To be honest, I can't tell you who won the World Series last year. Did the Patriots win the Super Bowl? The Pistons win the NBA? I have no idea who won the Stanley Cup or World Cup. Tennis ... fuhgetaboutit... no clue.