Request Steve Crist column

[andicap]

Could someone send me the Steve Crist column on the movie "Dreamers?"

Thank you.


Im shocked there hasn't been more discussion about the utter lack of marketing the NTRA did with this movie even though the Breeder's Cup is at the center of the plot and it is a wholesome family film that my 6 yr old wants to see.
They had a couple of minor league promotions but nothing major -- and the timing couldn't be better. Why no Breeder Cup ads in the theaters? Why no tie-ins with the TV advertising? Why none of the movie stars talking about the Breeders Cup races on press junkets? Why, NTRA, why???

[cj]

It is supposedly pretty bad according to Crist's review, at least from a racing fans point of view.

[keilan]

It is supposedly pretty bad according to Crist's review, at least from a racing fans point of view.


Is it going to win an Academy Award? – nope. My 9yo daughter and I went and it was a fantastic afternoon. If any of you guys have a young daughter or sons don’t miss this opportunity.

[cj]

Is it going to win an Academy Award? – nope. My 9yo daughter and I went and it was a fantastic afternoon. If any of you guys have a young daughter or sons don’t miss this opportunity.

Yeah, I never listen to critics! I'll be there with my girls, doubt my 18yo son will be interested though.

[JustRalph]

Andi, they have promoted the crap out of it on TVG.


I am getting sick of Dakota Fanning.........are there any other kids in Hollywood?

[Dave Schwartz]

We saw Dreamers on Friday. Although it is highly technically inaccurate, it is a very pleasurable movie to watch.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[lsbets]

I am surprised that there hasn't been more promotion from the NTRA on this movie. I never heard of it until TVG mentioned it the week it was opening, but when Seabiscuit was coming out, we were bombarded with stuff for the opening of the movie. It would seem to me that if there was a movie about racing that would attract families to the theater that the racing industry might want to get behind it to get families interested in going to the track. I haven't seen how the movie did this weekend, but I know just about everyone of my friends with a daughter under 16 is going to see it. I'd also be curious to see if it has a positive bump on the ratings for the BC this weekend.

[lsbets]

I just looked up the weekend - 2nd place $9.3 million. I would guess those numbers are pretty disappointing.

[DrugSalvastore]

I haven't seen the movie, but from what I understand, the film is based on the life of the exceptionally talented mid 90's filly Mariah's Storm.

For those who don't remember Mariah's Storm, here are some facts on her.

* She was 10-for-16 lifetime, with 8 stakes wins, 6 of which were graded stakes. She earned nearly $750,000 in her career. Her best moment came when she upset Hall of Famer Serena's Song as a 4yo.

* She was a very fast filly from a speed figure standpoint, she ran a lifetime top beyer of 120. Which makes her one of VERY VERY few fillies to run a 120 or better.

* She has been stellar as a broodmare. Her very first foal was a son of Storm Cat named Giant's Causeway. Giant's Causeway won 5 consecutive Group 1 races, on the lawn, in Europe. Nicknamed "the iron horse" he came to America and ran a narrowly beaten 2nd to Tiznow in the 2000 Breeders Cup Classic, despite making his first lifetime start on dirt, racing wide around both turns, and having his rider (Mic Kinane) drop the reigns inside the 1/8th pole. Giant's Causeway was no doubt Storm Cat's greatest son, and in his first two crops as a stallion, he is doing exceptionally well.

* Mariah's Storm sold for $85,000 at the KEE September yearling sale of 1992.

* She came from an exceptionally strong family. Mariah's Storm was a daughter of top stallion Rahy. She had great depth at all levels of her pedigree. Her sibling Panoramic was a Group 2 winner in France, and ran 2nd in the $1,000,000 Rothman's International in his only lifetime start in North America. Another sibling of hers was Air Zion, a promising stakes winning miler in Japan, who won 3 of 6 lifetime starts and earned over $600,000.

* Mariah's Storm ran in the 1995 Breeders Cup Distaff, and was drowned by the GREAT and highly under-appreciated Phipps filly Inside Information. Inside Information won the '95 distaff by a staggering 13.5 lengths in the supersonic final time of 1:46 flat. She destroyed a field that consisted of 8 time Grade 1 winner Heavenly Prize, 10 time Grade 1 winner and Hall of Famer Serena's Song, 5 time Grade 1 winner Lakeway, and other talanted fillies including Borodislew, Top Rung, and the previously mentioned Mariah's Storm.

[Valuist]

She was a top class mare. I don't remember her ever running on grass but she is the reason I will not hesitate to bet her son's (Giant's Causeway) offspring on dirt. If I remember correctly, Giant's Causeway almost won a BC Classic in his own right in his dirt debut, possibly losing narrowly in one of the Tiznow wins?

[the little guy]

I don't understand how people can actually believe if " Dreamer " is popular it will somehow transfer to increased popularity for racing. Did the same thing happen with " Seabuscuit "?

If you want to see a good movie I recommend " The Squid and the Whale ".

[DrugSalvastore]

She was a top class mare. I don't remember her ever running on grass but she is the reason I will not hesitate to bet her son's (Giant's Causeway) offspring on dirt. If I remember correctly, Giant's Causeway almost won a BC Classic in his own right in his dirt debut, possibly losing narrowly in one of the Tiznow wins?

She did run on the grass---she won the $116,000 MRS. Revere Stakes on the Churchill Downs grass. But, yes, she was mainly a dirt horse.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Giant's Causeway narrowly lost the 2000 Classic to Tiznow. In my opinion, Giant's Causeway was the best horse that day.

He lost his mind before the race---he held up the start for nearly five minutes, after blindfolding him and dragging him to the gate by his ears...he finally loaded into the gate. He raced wide around both turns...confronted Tiznow inside the 1/8th pole...and was turned back in the very late stages, but the fact that jockey Mic Kinane dropped the reigns inside the 1/8th pole, leads one to believe that the result might have been different had Kinane simply managed to keep the reigns in his hand.

Still, to run a narrowly beaten 2nd in the Breeders Cup Classic...first time on dirt, while overcoming a lot of adversity...it was a very impressive effort, even in defeat, for a horse who had a tremendously big reputation.

[DrugSalvastore]

I don't understand how people can actually believe if " Dreamer " is popular it will somehow transfer to increased popularity for racing. Did the same thing happen with " Seabuscuit "?

If you want to see a good movie I recommend " The Squid and the Whale ".

I've never head of that movie....but I'll rent it when I get some time.

I personally think a good horse racing video game will help racing a hell of a lot more than any movie ever could.

It's a shame that the NTRA failed so badly with it's recent video game release.

[Valuist]

DrugS-

You have a pretty good memory. Wasn't that the year they used the "moving camera"? I remember in the Juvenile you couldn't see Point Given until very late and I think he lost by a nose.

[DrugSalvastore]

DrugS-

You have a pretty good memory. Wasn't that the year they used the "moving camera"? I remember in the Juvenile you couldn't see Point Given until very late and I think he lost by a nose.

I have an excellent memory...I'm living proof that occasional pot smoking really isn't that bad for your memory.

It was indeed the year NBC used the moving camera.

I bribed a friend of mine, who worked at a local simulcasting parlor, to video tape the Chruchill Downs track feed for the Breeders Cup that year. I did that just because I wanted to be able to watch and study the head-on replays.

Harvey Pack and Dick Jerardi (sp?) did the Churchill simulcast feed that year. They (Churchill Downs) used the same old pan feed of the race they always use.

It was amazing to watch the same race from the two different feeds. Quite a few of those races looked very different...especially the Mile and Juvenile. The dramatic late rallies of Point Given in the Juv, and Dansili in the Mile, looked far more impressive on the in-house pan feed than they did on the NBC feed.

[andicap]

I just looked up the weekend - 2nd place $9.3 million. I would guess those numbers are pretty disappointing.

Not necessarily. It depends on how much the movie cost to produce. Kind of a no-name cast, I'd guess it didn't cost a lot to make. Then you've got DVD sales coming up -- family films do well in this area. I'll wager it makes money.

[lsbets]

I don't know that I would call it a no-name cast. Maybe a not big name cast, but it has Goldie Hawn's husband and that guy who used to be a singer. Too bad I can't remember their names. :lol:

[andicap]

I don't understand how people can actually believe if " Dreamer " is popular it will somehow transfer to increased popularity for racing. Did the same thing happen with " Seabuscuit "?

If you want to see a good movie I recommend " The Squid and the Whale ".

SeaBiscuit didn't help racing because again the NTRA blew the promotion. They gave away movie tickets and coffee mugs and all kinds of junk instead of using the film to get horse racing back into the public's consciousness as something to do -- the way poker on TV did with that game.
People just don't think of going to the racetrack or a nice OTB theater for an afternoon or dinner out because a) it's not in their frame of mind due to a lack of good promotion b) racing's image as something a little on the sleazy side.
For example when I led a company outing to Belmont Park 10 years ago everyone was shocked to see how nice it was out there in the backyard. They had assumed it looked like the New York City OTBs.

When a movie like SeaBiscuit -- and now Dreamers to a more limited extent -- comes before the public eye it gives the industry a great chance to "sell" the sport to an audience that for a very little while has an open mind on the subject because the inspiring (SeaBiscuit) or cute/family friendly (Dreamers) films are fresh in their minds.

Run an ad in a movie theater before a showing of Dreamers so a family which was charmed by the movie will tune into the Breeders Cup on Saturday ad maybe, just maybe, like what they see and schedule an outing at the track.
Have Dakota Fanning make appearances promoting the Breeder's Cup and the film.

Run tags to TV spots advertising Dreamers to promote the Breeders Cup races especially for ads running on NYC radio/TV stations.

at the Dreamers showings in movie theaters give away promotional material about the Breeders Cup coming up Saturday with a "how-to" pamphlet with information about horse racing. Emphasize the majesty and beauty of the animals and the fun of watching them race. Tell the great stories behind some of the horses in the pamphlet and play up horses like Lost in the Fog which are unbeaten and fast, fast, fast. (That captures the public imagination).
That's to the "Dreamers" crowd -- to other audiences you might emphasize the chance to win a lot of money in the pick 6.

Racing's marketing has long been unimaginative, unappealing ("Go, Baby Go," I rest my case), and underwhelming. Furthermore there is little cohesioin. NASCAR and the NBA are marketing machines because their national message is a united one. Racetracks put out scores of divergent messages from each other, sometimes emphasizing a great horse, sometimes the chance to win a lot of money, sometimes a nice day in a bucolic setting.

[DrugSalvastore]

SeaBiscuit didn't help racing because again the NTRA blew the promotion. They gave away movie tickets and coffee mugs and all kinds of junk instead of using the film to get horse racing back into the public's consciousness as something to do -- the way poker on TV did with that game.
People just don't think of going to the racetrack or a nice OTB theater for an afternoon or dinner out because a) it's not in their frame of mind due to a lack of good promotion b) racing's image as something a little on the sleazy side.

Poker got big because of the camera under the table that shows you the cards a player is holding.....I don't really see how that can relate to horse racing.

I don't see what good it is if people go to the track for an occasional dinner or outing either. You have to get those people to become fans or bettors, and that's not something the management of tracks are capable of doing right now...in my opinion.

With a video game--you can provide video tutorials about how to handicap, how to bet, how to understand many of the nuances of the horse racing game, and how to correctly watch a horse race. It would be a very positive step in the right direction for the game...and most of the people it will bring in, are younger people. This sport needs younger people WAY more than it needs older people.

It's my opinion, that some people who've followed racing for more than 30 years don't even know how to watch a race....you can't expect someone who shows up at a track or betting parlor for the first time to understand something like that.

[The Judge]

The way I started to play was I went to the track with some friends and I won. I couldn't read a racing form and I didn't know anything about trainers,jockeys, and on and on. I have heard lots of similar stories the only other one that I've heard as often was "my uncle played and he took me" or "my father played and he took me " as a child. You have to get them there and get them to put down the $2.00 the rest is magic. Its a beautiful sport. Knowledge comes from wanting to know why I won or why I lost, what's this paper that everyone is reading and what does it mean. Get them there first.

[toetoe]

Casey's Shadow to LITF in three steps ...

Trainer is Llotd Romero;

Romero also trained Hallowed Dreams;

HD was rideen by S. Carmouche, the Fog Jockey.

[andicap]

Casey's Shadow to LITF in three steps ...

Trainer is Llotd Romero;

Romero also trained Hallowed Dreams;

HD was rideen by S. Carmouche, the Fog Jockey.

Has Carmouche even been in a Kevin Bacon movie? :)

[cj]

Has Carmouche even been in a Kevin Bacon movie? :)

Of course, he was "Hollow Man," you just couldn't see him!

[toetoe]

Reportedly, he was seen doing the swamp-thing in the reeds with Adrienne Barbellboobs.

And it's LLoyd, not Llodt. Sorry.

[GameTheory]

I don't understand how people can actually believe if " Dreamer " is popular it will somehow transfer to increased popularity for racing. Did the same thing happen with " Seabuscuit "?
Yes it did, actually. It didn't last because the horse racing industry hates its customers, especially new ones, but there was most definitely a surge of interest.