Should colored saddle clothes be used in the Breeder's Cup?

[DJofSD]

Opinions vary. Some are traditionalist others want a change.

What's your opinion?

[TravisVOX]

The colored saddle cloths only work for horses on the rail. The BC has such dense fields you can't see anyway.

[Zman179]

The Breeders' Cup is probably the last event in North American racing where the announcers call is a must listen. To watch the BC races without sound is akin to watching basketball with both teams wearing white uniforms.

[ryesteve]

Personally, the standardized colors have never helped me at all. I can never make them out that well, and you can't even see the saddlecloths on half the horses anyway. It's far easier to find your horse either by the silks, the announcer, or the leader numbers at the bottom of the screen.

[Sailwolf]

Personally, the standardized colors have never helped me at all. I can never make them out that well, and you can't even see the saddlecloths on half the horses anyway. It's far easier to find your horse either by the silks, the announcer, or the leader numbers at the bottom of the screen.


You need a better computer monitor. I purchase a 20" within the last 6 months and I can read the numbers. What a difference!!!!!!

[Valuist]

Getting the color coded saddle cloths is one of the few things the NTRA has accomplished. It makes no sense not to have them for the BC.

[rastajenk]

I agree. They became standardized in the first place as a result of simulcasting; there are only one or two bigger simulcasting days in the entire racing year. It makes no sense not to do it for the BC. Tradition? I don't think folks will ever get misty-eyed and sway as they sing:
My brain goes soft when I see those purple towels
Tis autumn, the people are gay (and lesbian and transgendered too)
The lines move slow, all the clerks are rude and scowl,
But I don't care, it's Breeders Cup Day....

[ryesteve]

You need a better computer monitor. I purchase a 20" within the last 6 months and I can read the numbers. What a difference!!!!!!

I'm talking mostly about being at a simulcast, where you've either got a screen half that size (or less) in front of you, or you're looking at an old 19 inch TV from a distance of 10 feet or more.

[BIG RED]

I put yes because I have been so programed to look for certain colors. Big days at the track, esp. simulcasted races, you can't hear the call of the race over the roar of the live attendance.

I could see one exception, if a race was sponsored, say VISA, and they wanted their logo there. I'm sure they put up enough money to have that.

[delayjf]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and the Belmont use same color blankets

[Southieboy]

They Do. The Preakness came 1st in 2000, and the Derby and Belmont came in 2002.

You need color saddle cloths and caps (and Trakus) in order to see your horse

[Greyfox]

The O.T.B. that I frequent has the volume down on the TV's.
Too many tracks going at once.
So , no announcers.
With no sound, color at the finish line is huge.
Even then, some times it is hard to tell if the sun is shining at a particular intensity. I don't want to be hunting for silks every race that I watch.

[point given]

Trakus, is the future, the truth, the light !

This color debate should be off the table, if the all knowing BC administrators would only adopt the Trakus system, ala Keeneland. AND furthermore, every track should be employing this technology for every race. There is no good reason not to do so. This is a win win situation for all involved, fans, tv audience, race caller, etc. They can take a few bucks from that 20 % takeout they get and put it back into the product. NO ? ?

[boomman]

The colored saddle cloths only work for horses on the rail. The BC has such dense fields you can't see anyway.

Speak for yourself Travis! I can see the colored saddle blankets just fine and know where my horses are when they're used. Last year's Breeders Cup was a travesty, when I was watching with a large number of folks in Vegas, and everybody is screaming and hollering for thier horse and no one (including Trevor Denman in the Street Sense race) knows where any horse is in the field! The same color saddle blankets are a joke and should NEVER be used!

Boomer

[skate]

yes sir, different cloth colors, fine.

cameras are so far off, cloths get twisted (cover numbers), give me the colors and while we are at IT, please change #7 and #8, colors are too close.
orange cloth w/ green #, whatever. it'll save me from my next heart attack.

Dubui ? had Great camera cover, no trees helped.

[kenwoodallpromos]

all saddlecloths everywhere should be bigger!!

[ponyplayerdotca]

The colored saddlecloths are an invention of North American racing. Outside of North America, and traditionalists, won't hear of changing them because they don't want to concede that the North Americans have a good idea once in awhile. It really is all about semantics.

What's even more perplexing is that some N.A. tracks (like Keeneland) begrudgingly gave in to adding colored saddlecloths a few years ago, but refuse to use them for stakes races (still single color cloths for those). Can anyone understand THAT logic?

It's seems a simple decision. To those that find them helpful, it's a great enhancement to watching races on TV. To those who don't find them helpful, why would you care if they are different colors or not if you're not using them as a visual reference point?

YES, they should be colored all over the world due to simulcasting. Case closed.

[samyn on the green]

If Tom Durkin gets the BC back I say leave the traditional colors. It sets the day apart from every other. Each jockey has a unique set of silks on. If you take the time to to learn the silks you are OK.

However if Denman keeps the gig, the colored saddle towels are a must. The usally sharp Denman was a complete trainwreck last year and needed as much help as he could get.

[Southieboy]

Lets hope the first part of your 2nd statement doesn't happen. The BC needs a younger voice and not a dull one.

[ranchwest]

I don't aspire to be a race caller. I don't want to have to learn all of the silks. I want the simplest system possible, colored saddle cloths.

It seems to me that colored saddle cloths help the newbie. Why would we want to abandon the system only on the days when the most newbies are viewing?

[Southieboy]

http://www.ntra.com/content.aspx?type=other&style=red&id=4400

Let's spread the Word...

[trigger]

I don't aspire to be a race caller. I don't want to have to learn all of the silks. I want the simplest system possible, colored saddle cloths.

It seems to me that colored saddle cloths help the newbie. Why would we want to abandon the system only on the days when the most newbies are viewing?

Agree, just watch a newbie( or me!) at the track trying to find his horse on TV and the general confusion among the crowd(newbies and oldies) about many finishes....it's a major turn off to enjoying the races.
Also, they ought to tweak the Trakus chicklets so they follow the horses directly on the actual race TV picture (maybe like a balloon over their heads) as the race is going on. To keep the traditionalists happy, also have some TVs showing the races as now. I would bet that over time the "balloon" TV races would prove to be much more popular and draw in some new fans.

[ponyplayerdotca]

Trigger wrote, "Also, they ought to tweak the Trakus chicklets so they follow the horses directly on the actual race TV picture (maybe like a balloon over their heads) as the race is going on. To keep the traditionalists happy, also have some TVs showing the races as now. I would bet that over time the "balloon" TV races would prove to be much more popular and draw in some new fans."

===

If you watch any NASCAR races on FOX, you will see this type of "balloon" indicator over many of the cars as they circle the track.

The pointed triangle touches the top of each moving car and moves with the car on the screen. Above the indicator is the identifying car number and driver name for that indicator.

It seems to me, since horses move a little slower than stock cars, that a similar technology or graphics display could be created to do the same thing as trigger has suggested in his post.

Furthermore, offering the viewer a choice of video with or without the "enhanced graphics" package (I prefer to do without Trakus and the chiclets) would allow fans of one or the other to be satisfied, and everyone might be happy.