Breeders' Cup Changes -- AGAIN!

[joeya]

"The 2008 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will hold all five of its races for female horses on the first day of the two-day event, Friday, Oct. 24, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., the Lexington-based Breeders’ Cup announced today.

It marks the first time a major thoroughbred event in North America has focused an entire day on female championship racing.

Nine other Breeders’ Cup races will be contested on Saturday, Oct. 25. Seven are open to both male and female thoroughbreds, including the marquee event, the $5 million Classic.

The Breeders’ Cup will total a record $25.5 million in purses for 14 races, including $8 million on Friday’s card, more than doubling last year’s Friday program.

In another change, the Breeders’ Cup also announced that it has renamed the $2 million Distaff to the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic, which will be the premier race on the Friday program.

The $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, $2 million Juvenile Fillies, the second-year $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint and the new $1million Juvenile Fillies Turf also will be Friday.

The Breeders’ Cup said it is developing a series of championship festivities designed to promote the new Friday format, including programs focused on women’s health.

“By shifting some of our traditional Saturday races to Friday, we ensure that Friday stands on its own as an international competition of the highest level,” Breeders’ Cup president Greg Avioli said in a release. ”This new format provides a great stage to showcase the talents of the best female thoroughbreds in the world.”

The 2007 Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park marked the first time that the event was conducted as a two-day format. It consisted of 11 races and $23 million in purses, with three new races Friday.

Added for this year are the Juvenile Fillies Turf, $1 million Turf Sprint and $500,000 Marathon. The second-year Juvenile Turf and Dirt Mile have been shifted from Friday to Saturday."

So now we have ungraded races as part of the Saturday card? They are going to keep going and going until they completely screw this up and completely diminish the importance (and interest) in this big day.
<br>

[Marshall Bennett]

They already screwed it up by having it at Santa Anita . Hopefully between now and then they'll figure out what surface to use .

[DJofSD]

Wow.

Why is it the things I would like to see changed (colored saddle clothes), don't and then the things I think should be left alone are changed.

I will admit that fillies and mares are second fiddle to the boys but when it comes to wagering opportunities, I take 'em as I find 'em. If the turf races for the distaff side produce a betting opportunity, I guess I'll have to make adjustments -- maybe.

Is it just me or does it seem like the BC is becoming less of an event each year?

[Tom]

Let them play with their toys - the BS is meaningless this year. You do not run the championship races at a minor leauge track with a an unproven retread track. The JCG is the Classic this year. There will be no HOY.

And ALL of California racing is minor league now.

[46zilzal]

Is it just me or does it seem like the BC is becoming less of an event each year?
Lone Star was the beginning of a big slide.

[added money]

Let them play with their toys - the BS is meaningless this year. You do not run the championship races at a minor leauge track with a an unproven retread track. The JCG is the Classic this year. There will be no HOY.

And ALL of California racing is minor league now.


Agreed...Racing in California has been largely irrelevant for years so it makes perfect sense (not!) to hold the BC west of the Rockies not once but in two consecutive years. With most of the quality racing taking place in the Eastern and Central time zones the only way this decision makes any sense is if the BC board of directors watch an exclusive diet of TVG commentators breathlessly hyping the local product.

We pulled all of our stock out of there years ago discussed with the small fields and lack of opportunity to run.

[CyberBet]

I have been hearing some rumors and I am sure it is just posturing by Churchill but Santa Anita may lose the Breeder Cup THIS YEAR to Churchill. Churchill has said bring it on according to my source. Funny after they (CD) are the ones that said they can't keep losing money on the event. :lol:

I am sure this is just hot air but if my source is correct you will have heard it here first!

Do not ask me to reveal a name because that will NOT happen.

[46zilzal]

I have been hearing some rumors and I am sure it is just posturing by Churchill but Santa Anita may lose the Breeder Cup THIS YEAR to Churchill.
That would be a welcome LOGICAL alternative.

[CyberBet]

That would be a welcome LOGICAL alternative.

Well then we know it won't happen!!!:lol: Logic and horse racing is about the same as oil and water.

I did tell my sourse to put down the crack pipe.

[rokitman]

I have been hearing some rumors and I am sure it is just posturing by Churchill but Santa Anita may lose the Breeder Cup THIS YEAR to Churchill. Churchill has said bring it on according to my source. Funny after they (CD) are the ones that said they can't keep losing money on the event. :lol:

I am sure this is just hot air but if my source is correct you will have heard it here first!

Do not ask me to reveal a name because that will NOT happen.Losing money on the event? Say who?

[CyberBet]

Says Churchill in a recent article. I will see if I can dig it up.

Something about the Breeders Cup keeps most of the profits and that Churchill is left with the scraps. That is why they did not go all out to get the '09 event.

Let's see if I can find the article now.

[CyberBet]

Here is one article. (http://www.drf.com/news/article/92159.html)

Not the one I read but close enough. The article explains that the BC basically rents Chuchill for what they would normally make on a Friday or Saturday. I would say they need a new deal! Maybe my scraps comment was a bit overboard but that is a lot of money that Churchill does not recieve.

Who would want the headache of a BC for what you would make on any given Saturday? Not I my friend.

[toetoe]

Tom,

I submit the BC is meaningless, or close to it, PERIOD.

[TommyCh]

The talk of installing a dirt track is curious. What about the CHRA mandate? The track problems combined with granting the BC to Santa Anita for 2009, I have a sneaky feeling the 2008 edition will not be held at Santa Anita. Or they'll install dirt to KEEP the BC.

Monmouth was a predictable disaster. This "Girl Friday" junk, and Friday/Saturday instead of Saturday/Sunday only serves the purpose that if they don't care about me, the weekend warrior, then why should I care about them? And that spills over into Saturday.

Last year's Dubai festival was more fun than the Breeders Cup.

[Indulto]

Tom,

I submit the BC is meaningless, or close to it, PERIOD.tt,
If there is a belated switch, I hope Belmont will be the beneficiary of the Breeders' Cup braintrust. As the idea of lumping all races for females on a single day is obviously an attempt to attract women to racing (A brainstorm lifted from Capital Offense's playbook? ;)), it would be interesting to see if New York were indeed fertile ground for this approach without an accompanying fur coat giveaway.

I'd like to hear Grits' opinion on whether this is actually insulting to women since those races are being relegated to the lesser of the two days.:D

Seems to me that re-grouping races based on surface would make more sense, especially from a handicapping standpoint.

I support the suggestion somewhere that carding all the BC races for Juveniles together on a Saturday subsequent to the Classic in order to showcase next year's potential champions and thus stifle the sadness of any newly-crowned HOY's sacrifice of superstardom to service on "Shed Row." :lol:

What a potentially perfect primetime Pick Four that would present! :jump:

[eastie]

Wow.

Why is it the things I would like to see changed (colored saddle clothes), don't and then the things I think should be left alone are changed.

I will admit that fillies and mares are second fiddle to the boys but when it comes to wagering opportunities, I take 'em as I find 'em. If the turf races for the distaff side produce a betting opportunity, I guess I'll have to make adjustments -- maybe.

Is it just me or does it seem like the BC is becoming less of an event each year?

what's wrong with colored saddlecloths ?

[Marshall Bennett]

I wish they'd alternate between CD and Belmont every year . At least everyone would know what lies ahead . Also I don't see either of these tracks having issues with synthetics in the near future . If they do , I doubt interest will be at a level to where anyone cares anymore .

[DJofSD]

Colored clothes -- I want them. Where are they?

[onefast99]

Bring the BC back to NJ we promise better weather and a lot more "visible" improvements to the track. Gov Corzine will attend the pre-race bashes as they look for an encore act to Frankie Valli probably the Turtles or someone as famous.

[Grits]

Indulto, here's an organization that earnestly believes I am, along with thousands of other women, coming to the racetrack on what will now be racing's NEXT TO BIGGEST DAY to be educated on Women's Health Issues. I'm coming to the track for my health, and what else, a pelvic exam?

THIS is the most stupid angle I've ever read in regard to getting women to a racetrack. I couldn't begin to be, remotely as insulted, as they should be, embarrassed.

. . . Braintrust..........Oh, beyond words!!!!:lol:

As a woman, I try, and sometime with great difficulty, to never lose my sense of humor. To that end, let me tell y'all. I've got a few c notes that says, "there's either a hat contest or a 18 kt gold jewelry bracelet that's a door prize in the festivities--somewhere".


"The Breeders’ Cup said it is developing a series of championship festivities designed to promote the new Friday format, including programs focused on women’s health."

tt,
If there is a belated switch, I hope Belmont will be the beneficiary of the Breeders' Cup braintrust. As the idea of lumping all races for females on a single day is obviously an attempt to attract women to racing (A brainstorm lifted from Capital Offense's playbook? ;)), it would be interesting to see if New York were indeed fertile ground for this approach without an accompanying fur coat giveaway.

I'd like to hear Grits' opinion on whether this is actually insulting to women since those races are being relegated to the lesser of the two days.:D

Seems to me that re-grouping races based on surface would make more sense, especially from a handicapping standpoint.

I support the suggestion somewhere that carding all the BC races for Juveniles together on a Saturday subsequent to the Classic in order to showcase next year's potential champions and thus stifle the sadness of any newly-crowned HOY's sacrifice of superstardom to service on "Shed Row." :lol:

What a potentially perfect primetime Pick Four that would present! :jump:

[foregoforever]

(colored saddle clothes)

Careful what you wish for. I guarantee some marketing hack in the BC offices is thinking about pink saddlecloths for Ladies Day.

[added money]

"The Breeders’ Cup said it is developing a series of championship festivities designed to promote the new Friday format, including programs focused on women’s health."


Maybe they intend to make the saddle cloths PINK :rolleyes:

[devilsbag]

I'm coming to the track for my health, and what else, a pelvic exam?

If Trevor Denman has as much trouble finding your pelvis as he did spotting Street Sense in the Juvenile, you could be in for a long afternoon.

"Out here moving like a virgin."

I'll now be crawling back into lurkerville.

[JPinMaryland]

how comes they have listed on Sat. a dirt race, the dirt mile or something. Arent they running on synthetic? What am I missing again? :confused:

[Indulto]

Indulto, here's an organization that earnestly believes I am, along with thousands of other women, coming to the racetrack on what will now be racing's NEXT TO BIGGEST DAY to be educated on Women's Health Issues. I'm coming to the track for my health, and what else, a pelvic exam?

THIS is the most stupid angle I've ever read in regard to getting women to a racetrack. I couldn't begin to be, remotely as insulted, as they should be, embarrassed.

. . . Braintrust..........Oh, beyond words!!!!

As a woman, I try, and sometime with great difficulty, to never lose my sense of humor. To that end, let me tell y'all. I've got a few c notes that says, "there's either a hat contest or a 18 kt gold jewelry bracelet that's a door prize in the festivities--somewhere".

"The Breeders’ Cup said it is developing a series of championship festivities designed to promote the new Friday format, including programs focused on women’s health."They can't even keep horses healthy, what will they advocate for women -- steroid use?

I don't know about jewelry, Grits, but somebody should get "crowned" for this. Does anybody know the names of the "braintrust" members who approved this and specifically who came up with the idea?

These are the "marketing experts" who came up with "Go Baby Go." Coincidently, "Baby" then went ... OFF-TRACK!

These guys had a guaranteed winner, and just had to make changes in an industry where tradition matters. The time to spend money on fan recruitment is when there's no other racing-related activity going on to distract them from the message. Make them want to find out more.

The first emphasis should be on the horse. Show video of 1) beautifully conformed thoroughbreds running free in a pasture, 2) equine retirees in adjoining pastures racing eachother along a common fence, 3) horses nuzzling their handlers after prancing over to see what kind of treat is in store for them, 4) saddling great thoroughbreds at Saratoga, 5) riders up with great jockeys on great horses and follow them on their way to the track for a subsequent great performances (show Jaipur-Ridan as often as possible, 6) re-tell the bittersweet, rags-to-riches stories of Shoemaker, Hartack, and others, etc.

The second emphasis should be on today’s youth. For the long-term, show kids participating in the various thoroughbred racing orientation and education programs. For the short term, show humorous ads like a boxer-shorts bettor sweating out a photo finish while watching at home. He hits the exacta and just as he utters a Marv Alpert-like “YESSSS, ” his wife walks in and he sweeps her up and carries her into the bedroom. The door closes and then you hear the wife say in a muffled tone, “Oh, Baby, you’re my superfecta.” :lol:

Track management and horsemen: These NTRA/BC clowns are wasting your money. Get them out of there and start talking to real bettors and fans. We're worth the effort.

[Grits]

Executive Officers, Breeders' Cup Ltd.
Gregory C. Avioli, CEO
Peter Land, CMO
Matthew Lutz, CFO

Breeders' Cup Limited Corporate Officers
Bill Farish, Jr., Chairman
Gregory C. Avioli, President
James A. Philpott, Jr., Secretary
Matthew Lutz, CPA, Treasurer

Breeders' Cup Limited Board of Directors
Greg C. Avioli, Antony Beck, Reynolds Bell, Jr.Robert N. Clay, Donald Dizney William S. Farish Jr.,Tracy Farmer, Terrence P. Finley, R.D. Hubbard, B. Wayne Hughes, G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Robert T. Manfuso, Satish K. Sanan, Joseph V. Shields Jr.

Breeders' Cup Limited Members & Trustees 2007-2008
Josephine Abercrombie
Helen Alexander
John Amerman
Gregory C. Avioli
James E. Bassett III
Antony Beck
Reynolds Bell, Jr.
Boyd Browning, Jr.
Alice Chandler
Robert N. Clay
Brownell Combs II
Robert Cromartie
Donald R. Dizney
William S. Farish
William S. Farish, Jr.
Tracy Farmer
Terrence P. Finley
James E. Friess
Thomas Gaines
Lucy Young Hamilton
L. William Heiligbrodt
R.D. Hubbard
B. Wayne Hughes
G. Watts Humphrey, Jr.
Roy Jackson
Brereton C. Jones
John T.L. Jones, Jr.
John T.L. Jones, III
Tom Ludt
Wayne G. Lyster, III
Robert T. Manfuso
Robert McNair
Leverett S. Miller
Clem Murphy
Maria Niarchos-Gouaze
Charles C. Nuckols, III
J. Michael O’Farrell, Jr.
James A. Philpott, Jr.
Ogden Mills Phipps
Dan Pride
Satish K. Sanan
Richard T. Santulli
J. V. Shields, Jr.
John G. Sikura
Frank Stronach
Mark Taylor
D.G. Van Clief, Jr.
Christopher Young
__________________________________________________ ________________

Owners and breeders exclusively.

Amazing, this many folks in charge; and they roll out Women's Health Issues!!!

I still cannot believe it. I truly cannot.

[dutchboy]

It does seem like a silly idea. However, I did read an article years ago in regard to the huge success of Hong Kong racing. Before it became such a success someone had the plan to target all of their advertising toward the young single female office worker. Theory was that the men will go where the young women are. In their case it worked out pretty good.

[Indulto]

Maybe Helen, Alice, Lucy, and/or Maria can explain it for us. Better still, perhaps Mr. Land will pay us a visit in the future.

http://www.ntra.com/blogprint.aspx?blogid=11&year=2007&month=10&day=2 (http://www.ntra.com/blogprint.aspx?blogid=11&year=2007&month=10&day=2)
NTRA BLOGS
By Alan Mann… But "Win and You're In" surely seems to have caught on, and I now sense some momentum in the daunting effort to market the event effectively. We read last week of the probable expansion of the series next year. And now, the Breeders' Cup has hired a new Chief Marketing Officer to "spearhead" the marketing effort for the 2008 event at Santa Anita. Peter Land brings a wealth of relevant experience, including five years as the director of marketing communications for the NBA (a position I imagine he's glad to not hold now).http://www.breederscup.net/content.aspx?id=28147 (http://www.breederscup.net/content.aspx?id=28147)
PRESS RELEASES
Peter Land named Chief Marketing Officer of Breeders' Cup Limited
… Land will be responsible for the integrated marketing of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the Breeders' Cup Challenge, Breeders' Cup Stakes program and Breeders' Cup Foal and Stallion nominations. As such, he will oversee sponsorship, event planning and marketing, television, advertising, digital marketing, merchandising, licensing and communications for the organization.

… "As we looked around the sports and entertainment marketing environment, Peter truly stood out," said Avioli. "His experience with the Olympic Games , the NBA, the PGA TOUR and other successful events and properties will be a substantial asset as we continue to innovate and explore new ways to build on the brand equity of the Breeders' Cup."

Most recently, Land managed the sports, sponsorship and multicultural divisions of Edelman. Among his clients, which spanned several industries, were Canon, Duke University, GE, Johnson & Johnson, NBC Universal, NY Road Runners, PGA TOUR, Samsung and Unilever. He also managed several marketing communications programs in the fashion, music and television areas.

"The Breeders' Cup is already a stellar event on the global sports landscape," Land said. "Working together with the teams in New York and Lexington, we have an opportunity to take the brand and the event to new heights. The roster of marketing partners, including our broadcast partner ESPN, are enthusiastic about the Breeders' Cup and will be pivotal to the long-term success of the event."

… Land serves on the advisory board of the Women's Sports Foundation and the City Parks Foundation and on the board of the entertainment marketing program at NYU's Stern School of Business and the National Sports Marketing Network. …

[Indulto]

It does seem like a silly idea. However, I did read an article years ago in regard to the huge success of Hong Kong racing. Before it became such a success someone had the plan to target all of their advertising toward the young single female office worker. Theory was that the men will go where the young women are. In their case it worked out pretty good.I'd love to hear more details about this.

How about a matchmaker handicapping contest for singles where prizes are dinner-and-a-movie dates with next closest finishing member of the appropriate gender or orientation.:jump:

"It was a dark and stormy night when your mudder nosed me out for second place at Hollywood Park." :D

[Shenanigans]

Are these people smoking crack???? What non-horse racing network is going to be willing to show TWO days of racing?? NONE of them. Therefore, BC is just shooting themselves in the foot by placing ALL the filly and mare races on friday. I beg to differ with the folks that think the filly and mare races "play second fiddle" to the other races. The Distaff has produced some of the best racing moments in BC history. The Filly Juvenile has produced some very nice fillies also.

[Tom]

Not to mention many people outside of racing actually have JOBS!
If nothing else, racing remains the most absurd excuse for a sport ever. Run by idiots at every level. When was the last time a World Series game was played on a weekday afternoon? Racing will get in about 50 years. Dolts. What other sport could totally destroy all credibility of it's champioship event in less than a year?

[russowen77]

Not to mention many people outside of racing actually have JOBS!
If nothing else, racing remains the most absurd excuse for a sport ever. Run by idiots at every level. When was the last time a World Series game was played on a weekday afternoon? Racing will get in about 50 years. Dolts. What other sport could totally destroy all credibility of it's champioship event in less than a year?

I am truley just asking here. I have no expertise in this area at all. Why would this seperation destroy credibility of the breeders cup. They love the damn thing in Europe and if Asia gets really involved the pools will be huge.

Why is it so important to be done on a weekend if it is a world event?

[JPinMaryland]

One would have to guess that TV ratings would surely help this sport hence the questioning of friday racing. Newspapers dont even cover horse racing anymore, my guess is we are simply observers to the end game.

The last afternoon baseball game was probably somewhere early 70s. I'd guess 1973..

[JustRalph]

Why is it so important to be done on a weekend if it is a world event?

you have really got to be kidding Russ?

[PaceAdvantage]

And I thought giving the 2009 BC to Santa Anita couldn't be topped this year. Boy, was I wrong.

Nothing like taking one of the most exciting races (the now renamed Distaff) and assigning it, effectively, to the kiddie-table known as Friday's BC card.

Splitting the BC over two days is a questionable idea in and of itself, but to now actually go and move IMPORTANT races to that day is really stretching the credibility of this organization.

Imagine, if you will, that being the normal racing fan, you have a job, and you can't watch the Friday BC races. Now imagine that the Personal Ensign / Winning Colors Distaff was run in 2008 instead of twenty years earlier. Yup, that race, which transcended the sport itself that memorable afternoon, would have been run on some nondescript Friday while you were stuck in your cubicle.

[Tom]

Why is it so important to be done on a weekend if it is a world event?

It's a bunch of damned horse races, of little importance to 99% of the people of the world. No one is declaring Friday a holiday - so people who work will miss the day.

[Tom]

The last afternoon baseball game was probably somewhere early 70s. I'd guess 1973..

Yankees-Boston....and I missed it - I had to work! :lol:;)

[melman]

Tom and PA---You guys just don't understand things as well has the "big boys" in racing. :jump: Here is the Breeders Cup president Greg Avioli "The initial response from the Breeders Cup family, including ESPN, has been EXTREMELY supportive and enthusiastic". You little guys don't matter, your not part of the Breeders Cup FAMILY. :jump:

Is it any wonder that horse racing is in trouble.

[Grits]

Overnight, Breeders' Cup continues to morph. The release that was on the site yesterday has changed; yet it remains, still, an extremely stupid attempt to market thoroughbred horseracing by attaching to it, a "concern" that they believe will have appeal to women nationwide.

They can trot this bit of stupidity out until they're loaded in the starting gate, but they're not going to get more women to a racetrack by hustling women's health.

These are horses, not humans. We are not watching, or WAGERING --which is the real crux of this matter, along with SPONSORSHIP-- on female human athletes.

This is not the LPGA. This is not Women's Tennis.

These men in charge at Breeders' Cup, Avioli and his new cronie, Peter Land.......they're possibly having thousands upon thousands of Breast Cancer Pink Ribbons pins ordered. (Those are always effective.)

Yep, you go boys 'cause that's gonna generate a whole lotta new female bettors.
__________________________________________________ _______________
As the release states this morning:

The Ladies' Classic, the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the new Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf will take place on Friday. In addition to the championship events at the track, the Breeders’ Cup plans to develop a series of Championship festivities designed to promote the new Friday format, including:


--Cause-related programs focused on women’s health
--On-site initiatives for fans and other guests of the event
--Consumer promotions in the Los Angeles marketplace and on a national basis
--Simulcast events in multiple markets throughout North America
--Special merchandise designed for Championship Friday
--First of its kind sponsor activation elements, broadcast and other media programs designed to support both the racing and charitable components

In 2007, the Breeders’ Cup crowned four female champions – Indian Blessing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Maryfield in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Lahudood (GB) in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and Ginger Punch in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“The initial response from the Breeders’ Cup family including ESPN, our marketing partners, nominators and Trustees has been extremely supportive and enthusiastic,” said Breeders Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli. “By shifting some of our traditional Saturday races to Friday, we ensure that Friday stands on its own as an international competition of the highest level. This new format provides a great stage to showcase the talents of the best female Thoroughbreds in the world.”

Breeders’ Cup officials are in discussions with several prominent non-profit women’s organizations and plan to select its partners in March.

“Combining the best of Filly racing with devoting a day to women’s health is a great development which ESPN is proud to join. The Breeders’ Cup keeps raising the bar in the presentation of world championship horse racing,” said Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisition.

[Tom]

Tom and PA---You guys just don't understand things as well has the "big boys" in racing. :jump: Here is the Breeders Cup president Greg Avioli "The initial response from the Breeders Cup family, including ESPN, has been EXTREMELY supportive and enthusiastic". You little guys don't matter, your not part of the Breeders Cup FAMILY. :jump:

Is it any wonder that horse racing is in trouble.

What am I , the "funny uncle" in the attic? :eek::lol:

[Tom]

"Honey, I think I found a lump today!"
"C'mon, let's get you to Santa Anita right away."

Look at how those stupid ladies hats have drawn crowds to the Derby every year!

Hey, maybe we can bet on the pregnancy tests!

MuttonChops giving pap smears......the possibilities are endless.

[DrunkenHorseplayer]

Obviously all the races should be on a Saturday but it's far better to put the other races on a Friday than a Sunday. Kentucky Oaks Day, a Friday, does just fine and you don't want to go head to head with the NFL.

[turfbar]

Let me chime in, I think the move is genius marketing to women's health, women will be climbing the gate to get in, now I don't agree with it but it is brilliant.
Horse racing is entertainment and if they can make a few extra bucks on WOMEN (admission, food, some $2 bets) they will have achieved new level of sports marketing.

P.S. the old days are gone fellas and never coming back:(

PSS don't tell the old lady but when we go to SARATOGA it's not all about the horses:cool:

Turfbar

[Grits]

"Honey, I think I found a lump today!"
"C'mon, let's get you to Santa Anita right away."

LOLOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Spoken urgently, by Dumb and Dumber, aka Avioli and Land.

Absolutely, priceless!!!! :lol: I'm laughing so, I've got tears in my eyes:lol: .

Tom this has to be one of your best. LOLOLOL

[rastajenk]

This is the first morning I've read about the new changes, and, like most everyone else, I find them appalling. But, on the question of using a workweek afternoon as opposed to Sunday, I agree with the Drunk above. You just can't go head to head with the NFL.

At the place I work, we use more clerks on a Friday than on a Sunday...not just during football season, but year round. I always thought that was curious, but the numbers are there.

For me, the question will be (after getting past the nonsense that fillies & mares should be shunted aside and then given their own flimsy pedestal), since it's at Santa Anita, will they use SA's usual post time on Friday, and get some of the afterwork crowd in the East, or will they move it up so it fits an ESPN time slot in the middle of the afternoon on the Atlantic side? The smart thing would be to start at 3 or 4 in the East and run into the evening. But since it's the smart thing, it is probably the least likely.

[David-LV]

"Honey, I think I found a lump today!"
"C'mon, let's get you to Santa Anita right away."

Look at how those stupid ladies hats have drawn crowds to the Derby every year!

Hey, maybe we can bet on the pregnancy tests!

MuttonChops giving pap smears......the possibilities are endless.


Funny, funny.:D :D

_________
David

[TommyCh]

rastajenk,
That's not a bad idea to try to hit the late afternoon crowd in the East and Midwest. But at that point, I'm settling in on handicapping the Saturday races.

The female thing is bad. Some of the better horses this year figure to be on the filly/mare side. I WORK ON FRIDAYS. As do MANY people. So I'll miss those races. Even if I handicap and bet ahead, who cares if I can't watch the damn race?

Glad to see horse racing on the forefront, beause this smacks of Ruffian/Foolish Pleasure and Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs. It's sexist, condescending and patronizing to women, and it hurts racing, all in one fell swoop. That list earlier in the thread of all the people involved: seems like someone in there would have a brain. A few heavy hitters in there. I hope some columnist finds out who's idea this was.

As the great Albert Brooks once said: "I have seen the future and it's a bald [marketing] man from New York!"

I am tired of these "sportsmen" not giving a damn about the fans.

[alysheba88]

Cant believe how badly they have screwed up the BC. Almost ruined it.

May be time for a boycott.

But one thing I dont think is much of an issue is the Friday thing. Churchill and even Pimlico can draw crowds before their big Saturday. If I am a fan I schedule a vacation day well in advance so I dont miss. I understand for some people that may not be an option.

I think if anything this might be deliberate. To tie in with their absurd SA "strategy". Meaning they can use the time change as an "excuse". Saying we are having at SA forever so more of our "fans" can watch it. Pushing the post times to like 3 or 4pm (PST).

Maybe one of their marketing strategy for "ladies day" will be seminar on "How to know whether your hubby is a problem gambler"

Maybe they should change to three days and have the two year old races on one day and just market to 18 and under crowd

[Richie]

Hey for FWIW, I suggest going to www.breederscup.com and email your displeasure. First they do poly, then again, then change races, what a bunch of fools.

[Grits]

Hey for FWIW, I suggest going to www.breederscup.com (http://www.breederscup.com/) and email your displeasure. First they do poly, then again, then change races, what a bunch of fools.

I'm not sure a great deal of benefit would come in writing, at this point. What do the bettors and fans of the sport know?

One may anticipate the standard form reply of:



Thank you for your recent email to the Breeders’ Cup.



The decision to move the filly and mare Championships to Friday was made to provide a showcase for the world’s best Thoroughbred female athletes, to position the Ladies’ Classic as the finale of its own Championship day and to provide fans with a better understanding of the races that make up our two-day World Championships. All of Saturday's races, with the exception of the Juveniles, continue to be open to both genders.



It is our strong belief that this new format will help draw new fans to our sport and our event -- and give us an opportunity to raise funds for worthy non-profit organizations.



We recognize that it might be difficult for some to watch the television broadcast on a work day, which is why we are making all of Friday's races available live on breederscup.com.



We understand and appreciate that not everyone will agree with our decision; and the Breeders’ Cup management certainly respects your opinion. However, we hope that you will give this new format and Championship day a chance and remain interested in the variety of activities surrounding the 25th running of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in October.



Sincerely,



Breeders’ Cup Limited

[DJofSD]

We recognize that it might be difficult for some to watch the television broadcast on a work day, which is why we are making all of Friday's races available live on breederscup.com.

This smacks of arrogance and ignorance.

Not being able to watch it while at work has more to do with it being during a work day and not having a TV to watch. What these yahoo's don't seem to understand is people get paid to do a job which does not include sitting in front of a computer monitor watching races over the internet. And unless you're working at a small firm or are the boss, most companies will have blocked access to such sites, if not making it out and out against company policy to use the companies computer resources and time to pursue personal activities like watching sports!

[Pace Cap'n]

How about adding a day, Thursday, for geldings. Brought to you by the NTRA, aka "Eunuchs 'r us".

[Tom]

Why not add Wednesday, too - for the 2 year old - don't the get thier own showcase? And Tuesday, obviously, all the grey horses get thier day. Monday, we could have the turf races..........mabe we could just have the entire fall season become a championship season, where we settle eclipse awards through a series of races spread out over September and October?
Like we used to do, at Belmont, before the BC came along. :rolleyes:

Breeders’ Cup Limited Brains

[Grits]

It is our strong belief that this new format will help draw new fans to our sport and our event -- and give us an opportunity to raise funds for worthy non-profit organizations.--Breeders' Cup Limited


In the reply to an email, this release continues to morph from the original. Indicating that we are conducting and sponsoring with our wagering dollars, what amounts to, a Friday Fund Raising Event for the non-profit of Breeders' Cup's (our) choice. The beneficiary, apparently, to be announced in the near future.

We are all capable of choosing any charitable event of our own choice such as a Relay For Life benefitting MS, a 5K run benefitting Breast Cancer, a Silent Auction and Dinner for March of Dimes, and so on. There is no end to the list, and I take part in such events.

So, why should I rely on Breeders' Cup to choose who I want to give more charitable funds to?

I write a check to a non-profit. This goes in with my annual tax return. We both benefit.

On BC's "Next To Biggest Day" when the handle is counted, and the percentage for BC's charitable entity is set aside, and the check is presented..........who will be the beneficiaries of such grand generosity?

You and I? I don't think so. Though, its you and I that are providing the GIFT, while Breeder's Cup Limited will get the write-off and the acknowledgement.

NOT ANYWHERE HAS BREEDERS' CUP UNLIMITED INDICATED, WE, AS A CORPORATION, WILL PROVIDE MATCHING FUNDS, ALONG WITH A PERCENTAGE OF OUR HANDLE FROM FRIDAY'S WAGERING BY FANS.

THE BETTORS AND FANS ARE PROVIDING THE FUNDS HERE.

THIS, GENTLEMEN, IS ARROGANT; AND PRESUMPTIVE.

Maybe I am all wrong here. Afterall, Breeders' Cup is targeting women on this particular day, and I am one. .

When you think about it though, the owners provide the fees for nomination to BC, the racetrack provides the venue, the bettors and fans provide the handle............what EXACTLY does Breeders' Cup provide on this day?

The braintrust, obviously.

[Indulto]

How about adding a day, Thursday, for geldings. Brought to you by the NTRA, aka "Eunuchs 'r us".And I thought they just sold Operating Systems. ;)

[Kelso]

Maybe one of their marketing strategy for "ladies day" will be seminar on "How to know whether your hubby is a problem gambler"



And the day lends itself to catchy slogans, such as ... "A chance to learn if that lying bastard is really at the track." :rolleyes:

[Kelso]

mabe we could just have the entire fall season become a championship season, where we settle eclipse awards through a series of races spread out over September and October?


Hey, why not? Look at the fortunes the format has made for NFL and MLB owners ... a meaningless season as prelude to some streaky, second-rate teams getting hot over an extended playoff schedule. Belly up to the bank, boys!

[Grits]

For those entertaining the thought of emailing Breeders' Cup. I wouldn't bother. I've read three more replies.......it is a form reply, indeed.

Breeders' Cup is certainly not interested in bettor/fan concern.

Of course, to us, this is no surprise, as these are the very people that gave the event to Santa Anita, a track with more problems than any track in North America, two years running.

John Gaines is spinning in his grave. He was such a fine man. What a shame.

[Grits]

A step backwards.

Notes from MaryJean Wall, who for many years has covered racing for the Lexington Herald Leader:

Complete story at Equidaily:

A colleague brought up a bona fide question concerning tinkering with something that wasn't broken. Would the 1988 Distaff be recognized as one of the greatest races of all time if it had been run in front of only half the audience it actually had by racing it on a Friday?

Personal Ensign wore down Kentucky Derby heroine Winning Colors in that '88 Distaff to win by a nose and retire undefeated -- an event that people still talk about 20 years later.

If that race had been run on a Friday, you never would have heard about it. The race would have been relegated to insider knowledge of the sport.

Avioli's reason

Breeders' Cup President Greg Avioli said the reason the filly and mare races were chosen for Friday was because no other sport has an all-day female championship program of multiple events. For example, he said, the women's U.S. Open in tennis doesn't hold this distinction because it is not a day of multiple events for women only.

Moving the Distaff to Friday, televising it on ESPN somewhere around 6:30 or 6:40 p.m. on an all-filly day "will give this race the type of coverage it deserves," Avioli said.

He's either right on in his prediction -- or he's playing the violin while the Distaff, known henceforth as the Ladies' Classic, burns into oblivion.

And that business of bundling ladies' day with women's health issues only begs the question: What can we expect on the Saturday portion of the Breeders' Cup -- free prostate tests for all the men to follow a day of discussions on breast cancer?

I wish I could say this was an April Fool's joke. Sadly, it is the future of an event that worked great in its original form and should not have been changed to begin with into a format over two days.

[TommyCh]

These are equine females, NOT HUMAN females!! I really gotta think non-racing-interested marketing people, both male and female, had a hand in this.

And about those saddle blankets...

[alysheba88]

Next announcement will be only Female jockeys on Friday.

Julie Krone coming out of retirement

[Shenanigans]

"Honey, I think I found a lump today!"
"C'mon, let's get you to Santa Anita right away."

Look at how those stupid ladies hats have drawn crowds to the Derby every year!

Hey, maybe we can bet on the pregnancy tests!

MuttonChops giving pap smears......the possibilities are endless.

OK, I think I'm going to puke.

[alysheba88]

War Emblem coming back for Gay Pride Day. Special Races- look out for special saddle cloths

[DJofSD]

OK, I think I'm going to puke.

Must be morning sickness.

[Indulto]

http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=10656 (http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=10656)

Fillies and mares take center stage on Breeders' Cup Friday… 2008 Breeders' Cup Schedule of Races

Friday, October 24

$2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies [G1]
$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
$1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
$2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf [G1]
$2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic [G1]

Saturday, October 25

$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
$1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
$1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
$2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1)
$2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1)
$2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1)
$3 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1)
$5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)
$500,000 Breeders' Cup MarathonOkay, here’s the biggest blunder of all -- moving the Classic from its position as the climactic HOY-determining finale of the whole event. Is it fair to assume the Ultimate Pick Six will not terminate in the Classic, either, besides no longer being comprised of all G1 races? So much for an Ultimate High Five on the Classic. But how attractive is the High Five on Sat. when there shouldn’t be a carryover from BC day.

One thing this excerpt has done for me is to help me visualize the sequence that IMO could ultimately prove the biggest handle attracter. It also alternates surfaces for co-venue support and speeding up races, if necessary (suppose SA's non-turf surface -- whatever it is -- again requires crosstown substitution?). I've always wanted a Pick 4 on the two most unpredictable races, the Sprint and the Mile, with the Classic.Friday

$1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
$500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon
$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
$2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies [G1]
$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
$2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1)

Saturday
$1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint
$1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
$2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1)
$2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)
$2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1)
$2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1)
$3 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1)
$5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)This way we’d get:
a) a G1 P6
b) two G1 P4s
c) four G1 P3s
d) a Juvenile P4 for Fri. night primetime
e) two Juvenile P3s
f) a potential carryover P6 from Fri. to Sat (time for $1 min, at least on Sat.)

BTW how can they call a race restricted by gender a “Classic?” I don't advocate an accompanying baby wellness promotion for the proposed format, so kindly refrain from referring to it as "Diaper Day." ;)

[Tom]

Maybe they'll throw in a mule race and a quarter horse race in the middle of the day.

[DJofSD]

Tom, you forgot about appaloosa's.

Might as well throw in a JR race too.

[DanG]

If someone has to work on Friday and misses a few of the female stakes, I can see how that would annoy them / but / that aside for a moment…

For the life of me, I don’t get the outcry over splitting the days and / or separating the sexes. Many examples from the Oaks / Derby, Black Eyed Susan / Preakness to the sports festivals like Royal Ascot, World Series of Baseball / Poker…even the Daytona-500 is now a 4+ day festival.

If we can get a Presidential campaign shoved down our throats for almost two years, we can at least get 2 or more BC days to end our season.

If anything it will give far more press to the mare who wins her GR-1 and if she is extraordinary; she always has the open classic option. For every Personal Ensign example there are many great mares that were lost in the shuffle to the male classic winners.

Our BC will eventually expand beyond these two days imo and I don’t see the negatives, but I see by this thread I’m clearly in the minority.

[Marshall Bennett]

Maybe they'll throw in a mule race and a quarter horse race in the middle of the day.
Yeah , and toss in a couple $5000 claiming races for good measure . :cool:

[JustRalph]

I give 2-1 the server at Breederscup.com crashes before the 2nd race of the day.....on Friday............ :lol:

[jma]

I actually don't have a problem with two days of Breeders Cup either. It's a fun day, and as Dan pointed out, there are a lot of two-day racing festivals around the world. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad.

However, why not Saturday and Sunday? That's the part I don't get. Maybe the track would be in such need of a cleanup after Saturday that Sunday wouldn't work? I'm not sure. It's not a TV ratings thing---I'm sure ESPN2 or whatever would air a second day. Maybe the future will see a Saturday and Sunday event.

[njcurveball]

However, why not Saturday and Sunday?

Three letters

N F L

[ryesteve]

I see by this thread I’m clearly in the minority.I think I'm in an even smaller minority; my preference would be a one-day/two-venue setup, and then have them run the races Ohio-style. But of course that'll never happen, because it'd mean Pletcher couldn't saddle each of his 27 entries personally. But as a viewer, it'd make for a much tighter, fast-moving telecast, with the most welcome result being that I wouldn't have to listen to nearly as much Jeanine Edwards.

[njcurveball]

my preference would be a one-day/two-venue setup.

I totally agree with you and think the optimum way to do this would be to have 3 tracks involved, one west coast, one middle america, and one east coast. Have the races 15 minutes apart and focus more on the racing than the commentators.

For example, one year have Santa Anita, Lone Star, and Belmont. The next Del Mar, Arlington, Fair Grounds or Gulfstream, etc.

Do the 11 or 12 races in 3 hours and let the other tracks run their handful of races before or after the big show.

Jim

[DanG]

I think I'm in an even smaller minority; my preference would be a one-day/two-venue setup, and then have them run the races Ohio-style. But of course that'll never happen, because it'd mean Pletcher couldn't saddle each of his 27 entries personally. But as a viewer, it'd make for a much tighter, fast-moving telecast, with the most welcome result being that I wouldn't have to listen to nearly as much Jeanine Edwards.
That’s a great idea Steve & Jim!

One point of contention though…I LOVE Jeannine Edwards as a commentator and as a person!!! :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:


http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/img_0060.JPG

[JustRalph]

Three letters

N F L

Don't forget it is also the final weeks of the Nascar Chase.....The second most watched sport in America

[DJofSD]

I totally agree with you and think the optimum way to do this would be to have 3 tracks involved, one west coast, one middle america, and one east coast. Have the races 15 minutes apart and focus more on the racing than the commentators.

You've got to be kidding. No way, Jose.

[alysheba88]

The problem with multiple venues for same year event is you would lose all promotion of the humans. Trainers couldnt be at both sites. More importantly you wouldnt have the best jockeys riding. Cant be in two places in once.

You need to have one site.

I dont have a problem with two days nor with Friday and Saturday. Just think they are adding too many races.

And its gotten too gimmicky with the constant changes of the order of races. Used to be you knew every year which races would be run and when. They made some changes which were fine, but now its like changes every year. They are ruining a great event. Ruining it

[DanG]

The problem with multiple venues for same year event is you would lose all promotion of the humans. Trainers couldnt be at both sites. More importantly you wouldnt have the best jockeys riding. Cant be in two places in once.

More good points 88!

I give up…I say we open Hialeah for one day a year and let Harvey Pack & Muttonchops run the entire broadcast. :ThmbUp:

[alysheba88]

More good points 88!

I give up…I say we open Hialeah for one day a year and let Harvey Pack & Muttonchops run the entire broadcast. :ThmbUp:

Id be in favor of that, lol. Others have mentioned making Hialeah the permanent site and I also think that would be a good idea.

They could even run a short meet. Like two weeks.

[ryesteve]

More importantly you wouldnt have the best jockeys riding. The flipside to that is that you wouldn't have the same dozen guys riding in each race. Also, as it stands now, some jockeys often have to decide which mount they want in a given race... choosing between mounts in consecutive races just seems like an extension of that to me.

[njcurveball]

Trainers couldnt be at both sites.

I know I will anger the PETA members here, but I seem to recall Bobby Frankel staying home to take care of his dog.

Point being that the guy saddling the horse will probably be the same, but the "face guy" will just have to be interviewed via satellite.

Trainers run horses on both coasts for major stakes all the time. Check the triple crown trail and usually you will see a guy like Pletcher entered at a few tracks, perhaps with his horses running at the very same time.

Jocks will just have to figure out where they have the best shot. One of the best ideas they had was the Sunshine Millions. It isn't the case in racing these days where you have someone like Arod who is much the best.

The guy riding the best horse in the world may not even make the top 10 list of some of the experts on here.

This is 2008 and the public has 300 channels to choose from on a lazy Saturday afternoon. They want action, I cannot see someone hanging on through 10 minutes of analysis just to see Mutton Chops. :eek:

[DrunkenHorseplayer]

I think I'm in an even smaller minority; my preference would be a one-day/two-venue setup, and then have them run the races Ohio-style. But of course that'll never happen, because it'd mean Pletcher couldn't saddle each of his 27 entries personally. But as a viewer, it'd make for a much tighter, fast-moving telecast, with the most welcome result being that I wouldn't have to listen to nearly as much Jeanine Edwards.

I've felt for years that this would be the best format. One venue for the dirt races and another (possibly in Europe) for the turf races.

[ManeMediaMogul]

There is an interesting perspective at www.racehorsereport.com (http://www.racehorsereport.com)

[alysheba88]

The flipside to that is that you wouldn't have the same dozen guys riding in each race. Also, as it stands now, some jockeys often have to decide which mount they want in a given race... choosing between mounts in consecutive races just seems like an extension of that to me.

Then why not have all the races in one day? The argument against that now is jockeys would get tired

[alysheba88]

I know I will anger the PETA members here, but I seem to recall Bobby Frankel staying home to take care of his dog.

Point being that the guy saddling the horse will probably be the same, but the "face guy" will just have to be interviewed via satellite.

Trainers run horses on both coasts for major stakes all the time. Check the triple crown trail and usually you will see a guy like Pletcher entered at a few tracks, perhaps with his horses running at the very same time.

Jocks will just have to figure out where they have the best shot. One of the best ideas they had was the Sunshine Millions. It isn't the case in racing these days where you have someone like Arod who is much the best.

The guy riding the best horse in the world may not even make the top 10 list of some of the experts on here.

This is 2008 and the public has 300 channels to choose from on a lazy Saturday afternoon. They want action, I cannot see someone hanging on through 10 minutes of analysis just to see Mutton Chops. :eek:


We arent talking about major stakes or preps here. These are supposed to be championships

[ryesteve]

Then why not have all the races in one day? The argument against that now is jockeys would get tired
I never heard that argument... I figured they were afraid that the bettors and viewing audience would get tired...

[njcurveball]

We arent talking about major stakes or preps here. These are supposed to be championships

So if there is a Grade 1 stakes day at Belmont and the West Coast riders don't come East to ride, they downgrade those races?

Pino rode Hard Spun in the Classic. Albarado rode Curlin. Last I checked, they did a pretty good job. I am trying to see your point, but this is 2008 and there is no TOP 5 list any more. Most of the "super" trainers with multiple breeders cup horses also have multiple assistant trainers.

If you keep the turf races at one venue, then the foreign jocks and trainers would also be fine.

[alysheba88]

I never heard that argument... I figured they were afraid that the bettors and viewing audience would get tired...

Have heard it a few times.

To me would be just a fabulous day of racing if they put them all on one day.

[njcurveball]

Have heard it a few times.

To me would be just a fabulous day of racing if they put them all on one day.


I think we found some common ground here! :ThmbUp:

[alysheba88]

So if there is a Grade 1 stakes day at Belmont and the West Coast riders don't come East to ride, they downgrade those races?

Pino rode Hard Spun in the Classic. Albarado rode Curlin. Last I checked, they did a pretty good job. I am trying to see your point, but this is 2008 and there is no TOP 5 list any more. Most of the "super" trainers with multiple breeders cup horses also have multiple assistant trainers.

If you keep the turf races at one venue, then the foreign jocks and trainers would also be fine.

We are not talking about grade ones. We are talking about year end CHAMPIONSHIP RACES. People want to see the best compete against the best.

I probably care less then anyone on this board who rides my horse. Or any horses. But its not what I think its what the connections think. They want the top jockeys on their horses. They arent going to support something that forces them to put what they would consider second tier jockeys on their horses. And jockeys shouldnt have to be in position to choose which venue they go to. This is horses Super Bowl. There should be dignity here. Would be bush league to have different venues.

They are taking the dignity away as it is with all these ridiculous changes

[njcurveball]

Would be bush league to have different venues.



Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so we can agree to disagree here. I could name 50 riders capable of winning a Breeders Cup race. I could also name a bad ride for just about any major jock you said was better than they are.

This game is about opinions and you are certainly entitled to yours. :ThmbUp:

Just remember that television ratings drive the product and the telecast is going to be a challenge to keep getting TV time with 30 to 45 minutes between races these days.

Jim

[alysheba88]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so we can agree to disagree here. I could name 50 riders capable of winning a Breeders Cup race. I could also name a bad ride for just about any major jock you said was better than they are.

This game is about opinions and you are certainly entitled to yours. :ThmbUp:

Just remember that television ratings drive the product and the telecast is going to be a challenge to keep getting TV time with 30 to 45 minutes between races these days.

Jim


Again, I would not necessarily disagree. I care less about who rides my horse then just about anyone. As far as the TV time, solution is pretty simple. Just run with less time between races. But at same time they shouldnt be sacrificing handle for TV ratings. The object here isnt TV ratings. There is a fine line.

[Tom]

We are not talking about grade ones. We are talking about year end CHAMPIONSHIP RACES. People want to see the best compete against the best.



I don't agree - way too many races now. It is not about champioinships, it is about GREED. The BC is now diluted into an pathetic excuse for an event. IF it were about championships, it would one track, one day, 7 races. Like it use to be. A BC Marathon???? Give me a break. The races they added last year were irrelevant side shows. They were to the BC like an undercard stakes is to the derby - time killers.

[46zilzal]

The entire industry is in DIRE need of establishing a platform to test stamina at graded stakes levels in order to find the genetic pool that will bring that aspect back into the thoroughbred or in a decade or so the ONLY distance racing will be on the lawn.

There has not been a solid or professional chef de race added since Run the Gauntlet. We need to balance speed with stamina and one will not know where that source is unless there are races to test it.

[alysheba88]

I don't agree - way too many races now. It is not about champioinships, it is about GREED. The BC is now diluted into an pathetic excuse for an event. IF it were about championships, it would one track, one day, 7 races. Like it use to be. A BC Marathon???? Give me a break. The races they added last year were irrelevant side shows. They were to the BC like an undercard stakes is to the derby - time killers.
What are you not agreeing with? I agree with you. I guess I should have said its supposed to be about championships. The context of that comment was saying I DIDNT like the idea of two venues

[Pace Cap'n]

The solution is so simple...

Calder showed the way several years ago...

Just run the dirt and turf races AT THE SAME TIME!

[Semipro]

WHY ALL THIS DICUSION ABOUT HYPOTHETICAL VENUES THAT FRANKLY AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN?

[Tom]

What are you not agreeing with? I agree with you. I guess I should have said its supposed to be about championships. The context of that comment was saying I DIDNT like the idea of two venues

I mean I agree.....it's been a long day.:rolleyes:

[Indulto]

... For the life of me, I don’t get the outcry over splitting the days and / or separating the sexes. Many examples from the Oaks / Derby, Black Eyed Susan / Preakness ...Crist leads the heavy hitters weighing in on the Breeders’ Cup braintrust’s latest brainstorm:

For DRF subscribers:
Changes dilute Cup's appeal
By STEVEN CRIST 2/29/2008… By dismantling the sport's greatest single card of championship races, it is … taking aim at one of the few things in the game that needed no fixing.

… that the six newer and eight older Cup races will henceforth be jumbled together and then separated along gender lines seems to have bewildered or offended every segment of the sport's fan base. …

… it has created the impression that the nominal stewards of the Breeders' Cup have either lost their collective minds or surrendered them to new-age marketing gurus with a spotty regard for the event's history and appeal.

… instead of running the sport's definitive championship races on a single afternoon, the vision of the Cup's founders, we are muddling them up with novelty events, watering down the soup to make it last an extra day.

… Virtually every woman turf writer, blogger, and Internet poster who has weighed in on the new plan appears to find the idea offensive and patronizing rather than charming. …

… the motivation for all these changes appears to be the hope that Filly Friday can become a second huge moneymaker for the Breeders' Cup, just like Churchill Downs draws huge crowds for both the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. …

… precisely such a hope has been pursued with other racing events and all have been failures.

… Pimlico has struggled to draw 15,000 people the day before the Preakness even with the Pimlico Special and Black-Eyed Susan on the card. Belmont couldn't even get 10,000 people to come out for a Friday Acorn Stakes the day before the Belmont Stakes despite forcing 25,000 people to buy tickets for both days. Oaks Day is a unique, regional phenomenon, a virtual civic holiday in Louisville, not a blueprint for presenting major sports events on Friday afternoons. How many businesses in the greater Los Angeles area are going to shut down Oct. 24 for Breeders' Cup Filly Friday? ...Sounds like the only way to make any Friday format work is to run it at Churchill Downs. No reason the two days couldn’t shift to Sat./Sun. in other venues, particularly in L.A., where the Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup used to be run on Sundays. A primetime Juvenile Pick four would have little competition on Saturday evening and what self-respecting racing fan is going to miss the main BC races to watch non-playoff football? If the NFL game turns out to be a dud, the non-racing types might well switch channels.

For DRF subscribers:
An idea whose time has passed
By JAY HOVDEY 2/29/2008… If the intention of Breeders' Cup officials was to spark public reaction at the decision to have an all-girls Friday card … , congratulations. This one is impossible to ignore, at least by anyone writing for this particular page.

Most of the time, fine-tuning a successful enterprise like the Breeders' Cup has been no more intrusive than a touch of spackle here and there on the Sistine Chapel. …

… But when a second day was added in 2007, all bets were off. This was a sea change so radical that only the hard-core horseplayers fell in line, figuring at the very least there would be full, bet-worthy fields and exotics galore. Who cared if it was a Breeders' Cup Lite?

.. "I thought it was a joke," said one racing broadcaster, whose name will be withheld because he/she might want to get work someday on a Friday Breeders' Cup telecast. "And I wasn't the only one. What does that say about an idea when that's your first reaction?"

It says, whoa there - where's your sense of history? …

… Other ideas on that BC boardroom table included bagpipes instead of buglers for the call to the post and ballet costumes on the outriders.

… The Breeders' Cup can do anything it pleases because it only answers to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association - or is it the other way around? …

… It is a shame, though, to see the best of the female half of the breed relegated to an unproven, low-rated, weekday Breeders' Cup telecast when they had enjoyed 24 years in the spotlight. . …And now the charge of the Light Brigade:

http://www.drf.com/news/article/92658.html (http://www.drf.com/news/article/92658.html)
Letters to the Editor
By DRF READERS 2/29/2008
New Cup alignment seems more sexism than promotionWords (almost) fail me as to Ladies' Day at the Breeders' Cup. Management may have consulted the advertisers, but this move is, frankly, insulting.

… Until the Breeders' Cup is run over Saturday and Sunday, most of ESPN's target audience will be at work. It comes across as: Hey, I have a great idea! Let's shove all the girls onto a day where no one will see them, but the Turf Sprint gets to go prime time immediately.

… What makes more sense, if you're going to package something, is to move all the 2-year-old stakes to Friday. Package it as a preview to the future, etc. …Friday grouping a foolish decisionMy response to "Breeders' Cup Friday card now all-female" (Feb. 29):

You've got to be kidding me.

This is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. … The Breeders' Cup people are really trying hard to make a mockery of the Cup, trying their hardest to mess up a good thing both by producing too much of it and dividing it up in a really foolish manner. ...

... Leave it alone, please.Recent changes veer from plotted courseDoes anyone in Breeders' Cup actually gamble? With money I mean, not just with the Cup itself. …

… I personally know and love many excellent female horseplayers. Problem is, they are outnumbered perhaps more than 20 to 1 by male horseplayers. And, with no disrespect, the per capita wagering is probably several times that ratio. But the Breeders' Cup in its infinite wisdom seems to be doing its best to turn BC Friday into a circus. Maybe they should have all female jockeys on that day also.

With changes like these and running at Santa Anita two years in a row, Breeders' Cup is breaking with strongly built traditions and much-anticipated venues that are (or were) the essence of what the Cup is all about

[betchatoo]

As a horse racing enthusiast I agree that the Breeder's Cup should be a one day event of Champions. I'm not stuck on it only being 7 races. I like the turf sprint, for example, and could see a program of 9 or 10 races (but not a freaking marathon).

However, as a gambler I like the fact that these other races add large fields of competitive horses and potentially huge payoffs. So, if these idiots are going to ruin what should be one great championship day, why not do it on back to back Saturdays when you can maximize your TV audience and your gamblers?

The downside to all of this is all the time between races. Gets boring (hell I love the horses and I watch college football between the Breeder's Cup).Today's new gamblers are used to having the cards dealt immediately at the end of the last hand. What's the solution? Maybe running stake races from different venues from across the country between races? Does this dilute the Cup and make it look to common?

[Tom]

Hey, here's a dumb idea ( listening, BC people?)

Let Friday's races be on Twinspires and Saturday's on Youbet. Why not totally screw this thing up? :rolleyes::p

[Grits]

DRF's, Steven Crist, is the most prominent, the most beneficial writer, to not only the fan and the bettor of this sport, but as well to the BUSINESS interests--whose job it is to run this game in a way that would improve, and benefit their earnings base--their bottom line .

Every single time this man sits down at a keyboard to voice his thoughts, he turns out an opinion so exacting, so well thought out, based upon his years in the game--on the business side and as a bettor/fan--ultimately, time and time again, he presents and exposes the lack of leadership, the poor decisions of those that make up the managing hierarchy of this sport.

While having done so in a way that is served up with a dose of common sense, noting business practices that have shown to be unsuccessful, and researching online comments and concerns felt by fans/bettors, Crist provides the egg to cover the faces of the "gel haired boys in leadership positions at Breeders' Cup Limited and Madison Avenue" and the "old guard blueblood board members" of BC backing the decisions.

Steven Crist and Andrew Beyer have forgotten more, regarding, what would benefit the sport of Thoroughbred racing than all, of the sitting board members of every "governing body" involved in the product. They have more knowledge than these decisionmakers will learn in the next decade. And this applies not only to the big days; but as well, to managing the game on a daily basis.

These two men should be invited in as consultants, due, not only to their knowledge and expertise about the sport, but also for their ability to listen to those involved each day, and understand that in doing so, one makes better decisions. Ones that benefit all, not simply a few.

Too, they should be paid, handsomely, to educate the managing youth--those having less knowledge--the aforementioned, gel haired suits.
______________________________

Indulto wrote:
Crist leads the heavy hitters weighing in on the Breeders’ Cup braintrust’s latest brainstorm:

For DRF subscribers:
Changes dilute Cup's appeal
By STEVEN CRIST 2/29/2008

Quote:
… By dismantling the sport's greatest single card of championship races, it is … taking aim at one of the few things in the game that needed no fixing.

… that the six newer and eight older Cup races will henceforth be jumbled together and then separated along gender lines seems to have bewildered or offended every segment of the sport's fan base. …

… it has created the impression that the nominal stewards of the Breeders' Cup have either lost their collective minds or surrendered them to new-age marketing gurus with a spotty regard for the event's history and appeal.

… instead of running the sport's definitive championship races on a single afternoon, the vision of the Cup's founders, we are muddling them up with novelty events, watering down the soup to make it last an extra day.

… Virtually every woman turf writer, blogger, and Internet poster who has weighed in on the new plan appears to find the idea offensive and patronizing rather than charming. …

… the motivation for all these changes appears to be the hope that Filly Friday can become a second huge moneymaker for the Breeders' Cup, just like Churchill Downs draws huge crowds for both the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. …

… precisely such a hope has been pursued with other racing events and all have been failures.

… Pimlico has struggled to draw 15,000 people the day before the Preakness even with the Pimlico Special and Black-Eyed Susan on the card. Belmont couldn't even get 10,000 people to come out for a Friday Acorn Stakes the day before the Belmont Stakes despite forcing 25,000 people to buy tickets for both days. Oaks Day is a unique, regional phenomenon, a virtual civic holiday in Louisville, not a blueprint for presenting major sports events on Friday afternoons. How many businesses in the greater Los Angeles area are going to shut down Oct. 24 for Breeders' Cup Filly Friday? ...

[alhattab]

I like the BC move for when races are out west. If you run the Distaff at 5:30 PDT you're in Prime Time for a very large share of the country's population. If the simulcast venues do this right it could be a winner. The schedule doesn't need to be set in stone and when back East you could put the lower-level events on Friday and move the Distaff and J-Fillies back to Saturday.

[Indulto]

DRF's, Steven Crist, is the most prominent, the most beneficial writer, to not only the fan and the bettor of this sport, but as well to the BUSINESS interests--whose job it is to run this game in a way that would improve, and benefit their earnings base--their bottom line .

Every single time this man sits down at a keyboard to voice his thoughts, he turns out an opinion so exacting, so well thought out, based upon his years in the game--on the business side and as a bettor/fan--ultimately, time and time again, he presents and exposes the lack of leadership, the poor decisions of those that make up the managing hierarchy of this sport.

While having done so in a way that is served up with a dose of common sense, noting business practices that have shown to be unsuccessful, and researching online comments and concerns felt by fans/bettors, Crist provides the egg to cover the faces of the "gel haired boys in leadership positions at Breeders' Cup Limited and Madison Avenue" and the "old guard blueblood board members" of BC backing the decisions.

Steven Crist and Andrew Beyer …
… should be invited in as consultants, due, not only to their knowledge and expertise about the sport, but also for their ability to listen to those involved each day, and understand that in doing so, one makes better decisions. Ones that benefit all, not simply a few. ...On many levels, I regard Crist as the racing fan's greatest resource. I recently proposed that he officially serve on the NYRA board, but poster tlg pointed out that might be a conflict of interest. This article shows why. Indeed what makes him so readable and influential is that he consistently shares the reasoning behind his opinions and, more often than not, his logic is impeccable.

What sets him apart is his willingness and thoroughness in addressing so many areas; not just handicapping and betting. I once thought he should be appointed as the Commissioner of Racing, but then who would replace him as the outspoken objective observer, competent concerned critic, and insightful influential inquisitor whose “schizophrenic success story” deployment manifests his amusing alliteration advocacy.

Beyer is a bird of another feather. A master storyteller capable of inspiring the horseplayer and enabling him with weapons of mass confusion, he is an agent of controversy, whose opinions often denigrate and aggravate as much as educate. The consistency of his commentary’s entertainment level IMO eclipses the utility of his speed ratings, which overwhelmingly influence DRF PP user participation in the parimutuel pools. As Beyer’s benefactor in that regard, Crist will have to bear responsibility for that predicament until the DRF is willing to incorporate the Moss figures in its print edition.

[o_crunk]

cosigning Indulto's comments on Crist. There's a small tidbit at the end of his article on Saturday in the DRF. Crist mentions the Crulin replay from his race was up on dubairacingclub.com within minutes of the race without any sort of the proprietary software or user registration mumbo-jumbo that is de rigeur in American horseracing. Thought that was an astute observation.

Both DRF blogs are pretty damn good resources. Think they've tapped into something there.

[JPinMaryland]

you know if ESPN isnt going to cover horse racing on a weekly basis, almost any set up is going to have problems. I see this as the larger problem.

OTOH I guess last fall they did the "win and your in" deal which did produce several decent weekend telecasts so I suppose they are thinking about that. I suppose the win and your in idea was done to generate TV ratings. Which is good.

However, it's hard to see how a friday telecast of filly events is designed to draw a larger tv audience. I would have to assume they came up with this bull shit in consultation with the tv people. I guess... :confused:

Having two venues with a European venue for turf races is a nice idea but isnt the east coast like 5 hours behind western europe? How would that work?

I'm not altogther sure two venues is impossible. Heaven knows you can find 25-30 top jocks. If you split it by dirt/turf though how many turf races would you have? OTOH, if you did have a separate turf venue w/ a handful of races this would mitigate the jockey problem, if it does exist.

Two venues would be idea for tv, with more races per time period.

[Indulto]

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43871 (http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43871)
BC Official: Friday 'True Championship'
by Tom LaMarra March 2, 2008… The move to a “Filly Friday,” as Breeders’ Cup marketing consultant Chip Tuttle called it, has met with some criticism within the industry, as does most change. But Avioli said he sees nothing but upside.

“I guarantee you there will be more attention called to this race this year than any time in history,” Avioli said of the $2-million Ladies' Classic. “Change is hard in our industry.”There you go, again, braintrust. Keep acknowledging and demonstrating how you ignore fan input.… Peter Land, hired last October as chief marketing officer for Breeders’ Cup, said Feb. 29 the bolstered Friday program is attractive to ESPN and should help lure some local sponsors.

Land, however, also said the decision to move the Ladies' Classic to Friday “was a racing decision first. The intent behind it was to create two separate but equal championship days.”

Land said having the Ladies' Classic on television at roughly 6:40 p.m. Eastern time is a “dream scenario. From a sports perspective on a Friday evening, we’re not really competing against much.”I would love some clarification as to how it was a “racing decision first.” Has the concept of “separate but equal” ever worked well in this country? Mud-Wrestling, perhaps? There may be little TV programming to challenge ESPN now, but TV is one industry where change IS easy. A blockbuster movie TV premiere could do them in. Or even a Rockford Files marathon.… Breeders’ Cup officials said there should be news soon on race sponsorships. There will be changes; none of the races currently are referred to by sponsor name. Now why do you suppose no sponsors are on board yet? Probably because they would prefer female-oriented organizations as sponsors for Friday. This might work if men found the sponsors interesting as well.

A natural would be the Miss Teenage America Beauty Pageant Juvenile Fillies. But what an opportunity for the Filly and Mare Turf powered by Midol? What could be more fitting than a Victoria’s Secret Filly and Mare Sprint or a Playtex Ladies’ Classic?

[Tom]

If they are foing to show the races on Friday evening, then great - but don't dilute the real championship races with the new crapola. Run whatever fills Friday and put the real show on Saturday.

This whole thing is looking more a Disney opportunity than racings biggest day. Breeder's Cup harness Friday night?

[DanG]

It’s 1968 and I’m telling someone at a bar about a year end championship day for fillies and mares where millions will be paid out and given national TV exposure. He asks about the males and I mention they will have massive purses on the following day. He looks a little stunned that the industry has joined in a concerted effort to hold such a championship and says he’s looking forward to it…

Fast forward to 2008…

Reading the selective press clippings and the posts of serious players you would think an asteroid is heading straight for the Whitney box at the Spa. I don’t quite understand the uproar, but the next time people say no one cares about racing, let them read the passion that turning the BC into a two affair produces.

[Marshall Bennett]

They're stretching it to say the least . The Breeders Cup is suppose to be about
championships . A typical Spring weekend often features better races than we'll
see in some of these races . At first I thought more would be better , not anymore !! :cool:

[DJofSD]

Fast forward to 2008…

Reading the selective press clippings and the posts of serious players you would think an asteroid is heading straight for the Whitney box at the Spa.

Close -- that's actually going to happen in 2012.

[DanG]

Close -- that's actually going to happen in 2012.
LOL

No worries DJ…

We can shoot these things down now. Worst case scenario is some asteroid shrapnel in your martini at Siro’s.

[Indulto]

http://www.kentucky.com/302/story/334802.html (http://www.kentucky.com/302/story/334802.html)
Readers blast 'Ladies day'
Not much support for Breeders' Cup move
By Maryjean WallJudging by the e-mails and phone calls I've received this week, I have to wonder if the Breeders' Cup is, how shall I put this gently, out of touch with racing fans.

Rarely have I seen reader response like that inspired by … all-fillies program assigned to Friday of the two-day event.

… only one person responded in favorof moving the … filly races to Friday.

All other e-mailers and phone callers were visceral in voicing their disappointment over the move. These people weren't happy with the new two-day format that began last fall; they're extremely unhappy now to see the fillies relegated to their own program.

… I am reprinting portions of their e-mails.… "Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The racing industry shoots itself in the foot woo. Most once again. Moving the filly races to Friday, particularly the Distaff and Juvenile Fillies, not only makes the fillies second-class 'citizens' but also shows complete disregard for the racing public the industry is trying to ordinary working stiffs will not have the ability (or desire) to take Friday off to watch the races." … he would "encourage all fans to vote against this regressive action by boycotting the betting windows and their television sets this Breeders' Cup Day(s)."… "Why do we need gimmicks? Why do we need 'women's health' information on Breeders' Cup days? What kind of nonsense is this?

Does someone need a horse race to get health information? Do I go to the doctor to get information on horse racing?

"The sport is dying and this is what they think will make it better? Does anyone think that women are going to come to the races just because the fillies and mares are running?

"Who thinks this stuff up?"… "Going to two days was ridiculous. Now this awful rearrangement is beyond any bit of sense whatsoever."… "I imploded when I read about the most recent changes to the Breeders' Cup ... I, and a bunch of other young women who are involved in the horse industry, either via ownership or by working directly in the business, were all offended by the proposed changes ... If they wanted to spotlight the fillies, why not have all the filly races on Saturday?"… "They make one bad move after another and I can only imagine what might be next."… "I wish they never moved ANY of the races to Friday to begin with. I so looked forward to that one special DAY of racing and now since I work Fridays, I feel I miss out on some good racing."... Just a few fans checking in, Breeders' Cup, and hoping someone is listening.At least now we know DG has some company out there. ;)

[skate]

For Me, all this Super this and Super that is crap.


Hey, i enjoy the game, over any other game, ever. I do not need a "Number One". i keep quite, because others feel the need for a number "1". to me it is hypetype.

Number one is BS, you and i know, if they play again next week, the results will be different, most always.

[DanG]

At least now we know DG has some company out there. ;)[/font]
LOL! :D

Sorry I don’t agree with something you feel so strongly about Indulto. After about 28 more hand picked press clippings I’ll try and see things your way! ;)

[joanied]

I thought about emailing 'the powers that be' about the Filly Friday concept, but maybe we could start a petition right here on the forum like you guys did for a few other things...maybe it will stop this maddness.
I am sooooo against putting all the fillies & mares on Friday's card I could spit blood.
Whaddayasay...a petition?

[thespaah]

Wow.

Why is it the things I would like to see changed (colored saddle clothes), don't and then the things I think should be left alone are changed.

I will admit that fillies and mares are second fiddle to the boys but when it comes to wagering opportunities, I take 'em as I find 'em. If the turf races for the distaff side produce a betting opportunity, I guess I'll have to make adjustments -- maybe.

Is it just me or does it seem like the BC is becoming less of an event each year?I am getin gto the point where the BC is another oh well let me look in and see what's what....I used ot take every BC Satruday off from work. Have drivven hundreds of miles just to bet the races( I live in NC, buckle of the Bible Belt...They ain't no gamblin' allowed here ,son.) This year I just DVR'd the card and watched later on...BTW, BC races are tough to hit. Just look at the payoffs....Huge bomb longshots, not necessarily a bad thing, but ya gotta ask, where is the form in these fields....Anyway, the people at BC Ltd continue to tinker what was onc a great day of racing..Change for the sake of change will always be disasterous.

[thespaah]

Tom, you forgot about appaloosa's.

Might as well throw in a JR race too.Oklahoma Paint horses..Like thy used or may still race at Remington

[Indulto]

LOL! :D

Sorry I don’t agree with something you feel so strongly about Indulto. After about 28 more hand picked press clippings I’ll try and see things your way! ;)DG,
As you've pointed out previously, agreement on our part constitutes suspicious circumstances. My first reference to you was because Crist addressed your contention directly. The next was because I'm still waiting for someone here to second your position. ;)

Anyway, here's a few more from the cherry tree (I cannot tell a lie -- I'm unfair and unbalanced.:D), but it does seem like Pricci is straddling the fence here:

http://www.horseraceinsider.com/blog.php/On-The-Line/comments/breeders-cup-celebrating-gender-or-widening-the-gap/#comments
Breeders’ Cup: Celebrating Gender or Widening the Gap?
By John Pricci February 29, 2008… Just like American voters who now appear ready to embrace their social and cultural differences, wouldn’t it be better if all of us engaged in racing either as a business or a sporting and cultural pastime hold our differences closer?

I bring this up because of a simmering undercurrent created almost instantly by Breeders’ Cup’s decision to create an all female racing program on Day 1 of its World Championships this fall at Santa Anita.

… To those who took offense to changing the name of the Distaff to Ladies’ Classic, I offer this challenge: What kind of response do you think you’d get from the average person under age 40 if you went Jaywalking like Leno and asked them to define the word distaff? Whatever the guess, I’ll take under. In Breeders’ Cup terms, the marriage of Classic to Ladies’, or Filly & Mare Classic, elevates the race in the eyes of casual fans.

… With their Ladies’ Day concept, Breeders’ Cup has gone back to the future as a marketing tool for the sport. In doing so it has put the spotlight on a vastly underappreciated segment of the racing business: women.

… The Breeders’ Cup people have had a shaky year. They missed an opportunity to bring European races into the “Win and You’re In” mix. They acted hastily in awarding Santa Anita a second consecutive series in 2009 when less than a week later the NYRA franchise issue was resolved.

The Santa Anita scenario runs the real risk of discouraging European participation because of climate and turf course circumference considerations. The only foreseeable upsides are great Southern California fall weather and a gorgeous backdrop for television. That, and the chance that Friday’s races could be presented in prime time, free of World Series competition.

So let the women have their day on a national stage that all can celebrate. And the best of the equines, the Grade 1 types, can give Breeders’ Cup Friday the buzz it lacked last fall at Monmouth Park. Can we all agree it’s better to have loved and lost?COMMENTS
Vita Licari says:When I saw the article my first thought was and still is “ same ole, same ole, the old boys network does it again “. I’ve been watching the Breeders Cup since it’s the beginning and as far as I’m concerned the Distaff has every year been if not as exciting but more exciting as the Classic.

If horseplayers and fans aren’t as excited about the filly and mare races as much as the Classic going into the Breeders Cup it’s because they are forgotten in the media. I know that because of our laise’faire attitude in the past regarding using the media we are now a forgotten sport. But even when horse racing was in the media, the fillies and mares were an afterthought.

… Is there no surprise that when the championship days for racing comes about that once again the female gender of the sport is relegated to the lesser of the 2 days? Why don’t they put all the colt races on Friday and celebrate the fillies and mares on Saturday? Can you imagine the out cry and to do made if that announcement had been made? How unfair it is to do that to the colts! They are so much more important than the fillies and mares, how can you do this to them?!

You know what all the females in the industry would say? Now you know how we feel, get over it, we’ve had to for centuries. Take your medicine like we’ve been force fed all these years and tell us how you like it.

I’m sorry, this decision is bunk!Jeanne says:… As a female, who has discussed the change with other females, the concensus is that there is a scent of “separate but equal.” Only in KY is a day like Oaks Day a big deal. They run the G1 Personal Ensign at SAR on a Friday and attendance doesn’t suddenly jump up. Saratoga has hosts Ladies’ Days but it seems entirely removed from RACING. They set up a tent out by the spring and peddle jewelry and raffle off mall gift certificates and hairstyling services. Touching on women’s health is a nice touch and teaming up with a cause certainly does bring in some “mainstream press” but it ignores the many women who really do participate in the game. I’d rather see seminars all over the place to assist ladies in reading the Form and places where women in the industry and explain what they do and how others can get involved.

It is understood the Saturday is the traditional “big stakes” day in this country. Also traditional is the lining up of races on the card, generally from least to most significant, though other than the Turf to Classic finale to the day, the BC has not done so.JRP says: just because the inaugural Friday played to mixed reviews doesn’t mean it always will. What, if in the next two years from California, the Friday races were broadcast in prime time here in the East? What, if someday, Friday becomes Sunday? There would be no short shrift there in terms of liesure audience. Let’s see how the first one goes.Vita Licari says:It would be something if the Friday races being in California could be put on at Prime Time. However, what happens when we have the Breeders Cup back on the east coast? Unless they are at a track that has night racing.

I can complain until I’m blue in the face and nothing will change anyway, so I guess I should just play the wait and see game.

No use in saying anything else, the deed has been done.This is starting to sound eerily similar to Microsoft’s determination to shove Vista down peoples’ throats.

[Indulto]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/03/02/2008-03-02_the_day_at_the_races.html
The Day at the Races
by jerry bossert March 2nd 2008... TRIPPED UP: Does anybody like the Breeders' Cup idea of splitting up the races, running the females on Friday and the males on Saturday? Apparently no one does except the board of directors of the Breeders' Cup that thought of the ill-conceived idea. From several phone calls and e-mails from fans complaining about how the Breeders' Cup is ruining the tradition of the event, to several letters to the editor published in the Daily Racing Form along with two columns from that paper's chairman and publisher and its executive columnist, the true disgust with the Breeders' Cup decision becomes clear. This, along with the inexcusable decision to run the Breeders' Cup for the next two years at a race track whose future racing surface hasn't been determined or tested yet, leaves many to question the judgement of the high command. The Breeders' Cup was created to be the Super Bowl of horse racing, aA one-day contest to decide who is champion. Now it's spread over two days involving several divisions of horses that many fans simply don't know enough about or care about. Racing has once again turned something special into more horse manure. ...Opposition may not be unanimous, DG, but even you have to admit that it's been overwhelming.

Many of us have been looking for an issue to unite fans in order to establish a precedent for influencing the industry. This may be the one. Perhaps now is the time that the media would support the fans in calling for common sense reforms that the industry may not be able to ignore as it stuggles with other more perilous issues including, but not limited to a) MEC's imminent collapse, b) OTB's potential demise following NYRA's struggle to survive, c) continued migration of bettors/viewers off-track, d) dysfunctional signal pricing, e) competition from alternative forms of gaming, and f) adversarial relationships among tracks, ADWs, horsemen, and government.

The BC "braintrust" could silence their detractors and gain some now much-needed respect by admitting their recent initiatives were misguided, and express their willingness to listen to the fans who appear to be telling them 1) Don't move any existing G1 races from Saturday's card, 2) don't run consecutive renewals at the same venue, 3) don't risk horses or the event's integrity by running on an untested surface, 4) make it easier for the fans to follow the live action by using standardized colored saddleclothes, and 5) allow players of all bankroll levels to participate more competitively in all components of the wagering menu by implementing lower exotic wager minimums; particularly in the Ultimate Pick Six which can have no carryover.

We'll have to see whether the "Braintrust" can bear berating for anothe seven months. Apparently Messrs. Land and Avioli aren't afraid that Murphy's Law ("Anything that can go wrong will.") can make the trek from Monmouth to Santa Anita this year, even though its corallary ("Nothng is so bad it can't get worse.") already has. :bang:

[DanG]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/03/02/2008-03-02_the_day_at_the_races.html
Opposition may not be unanimous, DG, but even you have to admit that it's been overwhelming.

It sure seems that way Indulto, but it doesn’t mean it constructive energy spent.

Having a second championship day produces this much print and yet another “sponging” of a thoroughbred for example is on page-6 with Paris Hilton’s latest contribution.

http://ownership.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43886

Keep posting if you feel so strongly about it, but I’ll say it again; The level of outrage seems a bit much and it's probably more of a backlash over SA getting two consecutive cups than anything else. That move has Greg Avioli in the cross-hairs of most everyone east of the Mississippi and most certainly those north of the Hudson.

[Indulto]

It sure seems that way Indulto, but it doesn’t mean it constructive energy spent.

Having a second championship day produces this much print and yet another “sponging” of a thoroughbred for example is on page-6 with Paris Hilton’s latest contribution.

http://ownership.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43886

Keep posting if you feel so strongly about it, but I’ll say it again; The level of outrage seems a bit much and it's probably more of a backlash over SA getting two consecutive cups than anything else. That move has Greg Avioli in the cross-hairs of most everyone east of the Mississippi and most certainly those north of the Hudson.What's North of the Hudson besides Saratoga? :confused:

If one feels any given race or series of races has no significance beyond being an investment opportunity, then indeed no outrage is warranted. Perhaps a professional player is better off taking such a view of the proceedings. An investment lost to cheating is pretty serious stuff -- and deserves coverage -- but few industry management types need to have their minds changed regarding cheaters; only their will to go after them.

[DanG]

If one feels any given race or series of races has no significance beyond being an investment opportunity, then indeed no outrage is warranted.
I agree with your assessment of track managements “will”…but I only included that in an attempt for perspective. Obviously…it’s only my perspective because I am looking forward to both days of racing as a gambler…AND as a fan.



Squeeze it all into one gigantic day.
Split it into 2, 3…4 days.
Divide them by sex, age or color of jockey silks.
One day all grass, one day all dirt, one day they all run on Hostess Twinkies.
I frankly don’t know what else to say about it Indulto…I simply don’t feel the outrage that so many others obviously do.

[Tom]

It's like baseball and football - opnce great games, thoroughly diluted by adding a dozen or more crap teams for filler. BC used to be a special event, limited number of CHAMPIONSHIP races. What they added last year was alright, but don't call them BC races. And no adding to them, more dilution. If you want more action, add however many days of filler you wnat, but leave the original intact - one day of championships in the major catagories and call Friday what it is.......BC Greed Bowl.

What's next, splitting the Derby into two 10 horse fields?
Adding a Triple crown sprint race in April?

[Marshall Bennett]

Perhaps a " west coast " synthetic BC and an " east coast " Dirt cup . :cool:

[foregoforever]

Perhaps some of you who've been following this longer than I have can correct me on this. The histories of the BC's birth talk about providing a fitting climax to the racing season with a big day of racing, etc. They don't talk about it being created to become a self-contained money-making machine.

I'm not so naive as to think that money played no part in the original idea, and I can understand why the histories would down-play that aspect of it. But it seems that in recent years, the BC is always talking about "growing the brand", and there's a pattern of self-centered financially-based decisions that are contrary to the integrity (yeah, I know ... :lol: ) of the concept.

Awarding the races to Santa Anita two years in a row and this latest fiasco are only the two most recent examples. The bald-faced attempt at getting the new races designated as Grade 1's last year was perhaps the silliest of the bunch.

Then there's the win-and-you're-in concept. I particularly noticed a bit in the Mass Cap announcement that talked about Suffolk Downs sharing in some BC promotional costs as part of the deal. So there's some money changing hands, indirectly. The BC has already marginalized so many of the great traditional races. Now it appears that the BC can sit back and anoint less deserving races as win-and-you're-in and reap some "promotional" rewards from that. A nice way to reward your buddies and punish your enemies.

Add to that Churchill's griping about the financial aspects of BC day for the host track. I'm sure they were further delighted with the concept of losing a second day's revenue to the BC. Then there was NYRA's comment about being out of the loop when the new races were announced last year. And Steve Crist's comment about it being hard to tell whether the NTRA runs the BC or vice-versa.

All this indicates that the BC has become something of a monster, making all these decisions unilaterally and promoting discord. If they were making GOOD decisions, I wouldn't be concerned. The industry could use an enlightened autocrat in many respects. But instead of Peter the Great, we seem to have Ivan the Terrible.

[Kelso]

The artificial dirt crowd enlists the CHRB to impulsively shill for its products. Then it gets the Jockey Club to unabashedly endorse the most suspect of those products with consecutive BC's.

This is no "love at first sight" thing. Who's getting paid off here, and who's handing them the unmarked bills?

[MAGICHORSEMAN]

I am all for the two days of racing the BC. There is no way that anyone will miss any of these races with the race replays and VCR's etc. This will be great for racing and breeders. It can help add new fans to horseracing. I am not sure about having the BC at the same track for two years in a row. But I am sure they have a good reason. Perhaps the management at Churchill wanted just too much money.

I am sure the track surface will be in great shape by BC day. It will be a great two days of racing at the great race place.

[JustRalph]

I am all for the two days of racing the BC. There is no way that anyone will miss any of these races with the race replays and VCR's etc.

I haven't seen a DVR yet that can make a wager for somebody while they are at work.................

[Indulto]

http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43899
Commentary (http://opinions.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=43899Commentary): Insert Coin Here
by Evan Hammonds March 4, 2008... LADIES SING THE BLUES

While attempting to jazz up the two-day World Championships program, it’s likely Breeders’ Cup officials were less than pleased with the initial response to their "Ladies’ Day" announcement for their Friday program. It has drawn the ire of many racing fans, and quite frankly can be viewed as backward and degrading to one of racing’s key demographics: women.

Attendance, handle, and "buzz" on the inaugural two-day program last October at Monmouth was sluggish out of the gate, but lousy weather may have put a damper on Day One. Putting together a package of top-flight racing is a solid idea—an all-turf card would put too many eggs in one basket—and one thought to speed things up could be to play off Calder’s "Summit of Speed" and run all of the Breeders’ Cup races at a mile or less on opening day. That might put the Friday card on the fast track.http://www.horseraceinsider.com/blog.php/Zasts-TrackWords/comments/03032008-curlin-vies-with-ladies-day-for-news-coverage/#comments
Curlin Vies with Ladies’ Day for News Coverage
By Vic Zast March 02, 2008 ... Obviously, this is an issue with legs. Thoughts that crossed nobody’s cranium when the changes were made will surface soon. Just give it a reasonable period for unreasonable minds to get up in arms.

It’s obvious that Greg Avioli, the Breeders’ Cup president, isn’t a leader with performance anxiety. ...
... Regardless of whether or not one likes how he’s dismantling John Gaines’s dream – and people are all over the lot with their opinions, Avioli and team have fed new food into an old dog that was dying. By no stretch of the mind are the changes supererogatory.

For what it’s worth, in countries less strident than ours, Ladies’ Days are common to racing festivals. And, by the way, they are parties, not seminars or serious occasions. They’re usually one day in four or five days of racing, and they’re often the best attended. Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and Melbourne’s Spring Carnival lead the way in this regard. But the tracks’ marketing hacks, not the racing secretaries, are the forces behind making them popular.

Few women at foreign-based Ladies’ Days care a smidgeon about seeing female horses in competition, and it’s probably the same for their counterparts on this side of the pond. In fact, there isn’t much curiosity about fillies and mares anywhere, unless they are taking on males. The agenda abroad is about fashion shows, makeovers and having a day to celebrate. ...COMMENTS

carol says:... Well, the piece of the Web dedicated to racing & racing blogs was somewhat flooded by responses last week and most as you might guess haven’t been positive.

... We aren’t all trying to get away from hubby to chat with our friends when we attend the races and we don’t need a day dedicated to woman’s health issue to get us interested. The association between the two is beyond ridiculous. ... I find the BC marketing approach to Friday’s card an absurd way to garner attention to the filly & mare divisions. It isn’t necessary. ...

[DanG]

I am all for the two days of racing the BC. There is no way that anyone will miss any of these races with the race replays and VCR's etc. This will be great for racing and breeders. It can help add new fans to horseracing. I am not sure about having the BC at the same track for two years in a row. But I am sure they have a good reason. Perhaps the management at Churchill wanted just too much money.

I am sure the track surface will be in great shape by BC day. It will be a great two days of racing at the great race place.
Wow… :eek:

Dear diary; On 03/05/2008 I read a quote from a horseplayer who was…NOT complaining! :jump: :jump:

[bane]

The major problem is that we really don't have the tracks to accomindate the BReeders Cup, Belmont and Churchill are really it. All the California tracks have to me any issues: dates, surfaces and Hollywood its the Inglewood neighborhood. Arlington's dirt track still needs sometime for judgement, Gulfstream has been ruined, and Aquaduct is a dump now. Lone Star is still an option, Colonial would be perfect for Euro horses if the grandstand and location weren't holding it back. I think Monmouth did .. ok but I think the best places for it (again) would have been Hialeah. Which leads me too a question, if Hialeah opened for a 2 week meet, with a promised Breeders Cup every three years (at least) could it be turned into profit?

I know I am the biggest whiner of Hialeah and since Gulfstream is just a joke there is not one track in South Flordia that can host it now, and FL has some of the best racing in the country.

I like the Breeders Cup but its becoming a joke now and it's not funny since this is the race that has single handedly destroyed the D.C. International, ruined the Jockey Gold Cup (1 1/4 is joke), The Super Derby, Cigar Mile, and so on.

The Breeders Cup needs to learn from the lessons of The NHL more is not always good, it can really weaken your market and talent pool. These extra races are putting horses we would like to see in other races (making better fields and more exciting racing).

[bane]

Too add to that.....

Blood-Horse: Is there a place in horse racing
for Hialeah?

Durkin: Horse heaven. What a shame to see
her just sitting there. I always thought it would
be perfect as the permanent sight for the
Breeders' Cup....Hialeah was my first big job. I
love that place.

[Indulto]

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/16378126.html
Taking stock of race syndicates a scary proposition
RICHARD ENG March 7, 2008... Five filly and mare Breeders' Cup races will be run on Oct. 24, with nine male Breeders' Cup stakes the following day, all at Santa Anita.

The segregation has drawn poison darts from the media and fans alike. Admittedly, my first reaction was not good, either. But nothing like the venom spewed from other corners.

The outrage is misguided. The horsemen, fans and ESPN won't boycott Filly Friday because of perceived sexism. All the move does is create more Breeders' Cup marketing opportunities. The outrage masks more serious problems within the Breeders' Cup and the sport itself.

For example, awarding consecutive Breeders' Cups to Santa Anita was no magnanimous gesture. It smacked of desperation.

Churchill didn't want it unless it could make more profit. Belmont Park couldn't accept it because the New York Racing Association franchise was in dire straits. And don't you think Magna would rather have had the 2007 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita and the 2008 Breeders' Cup at Gulfstream?

That tells me there is something wrong with Gulfstream that is worth getting mad about.http://www.drf.com/news/article/92827.html
Letters to the Editor
By DRF READERS 3/7/2008... New arrangement raises possessive ire... There seems to be a misconception that Breeders' Cup Ltd. and those who took control of it a few years back own it. They don't. Those of us who have been betting on it since the beginning - who can recall every score, every near-score, every triumph, and every tragedy - are the real owners. And we shouldn't let the event we love be dismantled in front of our eyes.

... I cannot and will not accept this ridiculous rearrangement that effectively obliterates a quarter-century of greatness. What a shame. I wish I knew what we could do. ...

... Don't drink the Kool-Aid, people. And media: Don't pass out the cups.http://leftatthegate.blogspot.com/2008/03/breeders-cup-responds-to-filly-friday.html
Breeders' Cup Responds To Filly Friday Frenzy
Breeders' Cup officials have responded to the overwhelmingly negative and, from some quarters, emotional reaction to the announcement of the change in format for this year's event which will see all of the filly and mare races shifted to Friday. I know that Breeders' Cup President Greg Avioli is not afraid of controversy, and that he feels that debate and dissent is good for publicity. However, I don't believe that the Breeders' Cup was prepared for the torrent of criticism that has resulted. ...

... October 24 does fall smack in the middle of the World Series. And although the Series does not schedule games for Friday night, it is possible that a rainout would cause the races to go squarely up against the Fall Classic if they were scheduled later; and that obviously would not be good. Still, while there surely will be no competition at 6:40 PM, that's not a time when prospective or casual fans would be expected to be sitting in front of a TV.

[From a Chip Tuttle e-mail:]... This wasn't done on a whim by a bunch of guys on the BC Board. The process was deliberate and included a focus group of leading female and male sports marketing and horse racing executives. Keep in mind that the event has very low unaided awareness with the general public -- even self-identified sports fans who wager. The Distaff is a great name and has great heritage for the 3-5% who follow the sport on a regular basis (and who make up the passionate readers of the Thoroughbred blogoshpere). We have to look toward the other 95 percent like any other sport/brand that needs to bring in new audiences.

At the end of the day, the new format deserves a chance to succeed.There are so many interesting comments to check out at LATG, so I will leave the cherry picking to others -- this time -- though I would like to address this comment:... Steve D said...... Why are they so obsessed with new fans? They have put the cart before the horse. I have a feeling that any new fans that were created through last years Breeders' Cup found being a fan too difficult ...

... The Breeders' Cup belongs to the industry, the breeders, the players and the fans we already have. It is not meant to create new fans? How could it?

The Breeders' Cup will be a total disaster until it goes from a promotional vehicle to an appreciative vehicle. The people who have turned it into a promotional vehicle need to be politely asked to resign.

... Change is hard in this industry when you are trying to create a change that favors fans and bettors in the face of the wishes of the "racing executives" that were so thoroughly consulted by the Breeders' Cup. The "racing executives" are the assholes that make change so hard in the first place!

So don't lay the "Change is hard" bullshit on the bloggers, press, and fans who have almost unanimously rejected a dumb idea.

... Moronic changes should be hard, because you have passionate fans who don't want to see you ruin their sport's 2nd biggest day. ...Steve D captured the essence of my own feelings regarding this "Filly Friday" foolishness fueled by fear of football. However, failure to set a high priority on new fan recruitment is one reason the sport isn't thriving today.

Where will many potential teenage fans including females and football fathers be on Friday nights? At their local high school football games, of course! The BC CMO is right. There's little on TV to compete with on Friday night. Know why that is, Mr. Land? Your desired demographic doesn't watch TV on fall Friday nights!

Participation on successive days requires stamina and focus found in relatively few older fans. Back-to-back evenings poring through one's DRF detracts and distracts from the long anticipated experience of racing's biggest day. What % of Friday's losers will be jazzed for Saturday? The only reasonable justification for another BC day is to heighten interest in, enthusiasm for, and anticipation of Saturday's show.

IMO a "Juvenile Thursday (or Wednesday)" with a terminating Juvenile Prime-time Pick Four (JPP4) that also initiated a $.25 pick six ending in the first two races on Saturday would accomplish that objective. Saturday would start with the four non-G1, non-juvenile races preceding the all G1 Ultra Pick Six terminating, fittingly, in the Classic.

Non-stakes with identical age, gender, distance, and surface conditions preceding the JPP4 could provide previews for novice handicappers to be replayed prior to each corresponding main event as well as initiate a JPP6 climaxing in the G1 BC Juvenile with the potential to showcase next year's Derby and/or Classic winner.

Good changes aren't as hard as bad changes, Mr. Avioli. Let's see who's offended by this proposal! ;)

[Indulto]

http://www.troyrecord.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing&r21.content=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing%2FTopSt oryList_Story_1701644 (http://www.troyrecord.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing&r21.content=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing%2FTopSt oryList_Story_1701644)
Avioli to fans: So long suckers!
By Nick Kling March 12, 2008… Greg Avioli … has made it crystal clear he has no interest in knowing whether the Breeders' Cup appeals to us.

That is the only conclusion I can reach after evaluating recent decisions made by Avioli and Cup officials, and his reaction to the outpouring of disbelief from fans regarding those changes.

… I purposely waited several days after the second announcement before composing today's comments. I hoped the perspective of time and the chance to assess other opinions might temper my initial reaction. They have not. Several words come to mind describing various parts of these decisions: offensive, misguided and baffling are among them.

… Breeders' Cup founders created the event to accomplish several goals. Among them were to showcase the best the sport had to offer, crown seasonal champions and promote racing around the country. Scheduling the event at Santa Anita for two years violates the spirit of the founders' original intent. Placing it there also threatens to erode the caliber of the competition because of uncertainty about Santa Anita's troubled racing surface.

… Santa Anita's well-publicized problems with its synthetic racing surface have yet to be finalized. The decision by Breeders' Cup officials to trust Santa Anita may prove disastrous. When the inevitable uproar emerged from outraged fans, Avioli had a 'let them eat cake' response, saying, "Change is hard in our industry."

Here is the change needed. Racing should cut its ties to existing Breeders' Cup management and find people who care about current fans as much as they crave their schlock-driven world of sponsors, product branding and demographics.

Greg, let me know if you need the definition of "schlock." …http://www.saratogian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily;jsessionid=PnSnHXHNkKJhwV4n3hLJpL94cMGLv2 vH8DpW0tZh38GJyV4LQymx!1529331623?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTST%2FSports&r21.content=%2FTST%2FSports%2FHeadlineList_Story_1 717545 (http://www.saratogian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily;jsessionid=PnSnHXHNkKJhwV4n3hLJpL94cMGLv2 vH8DpW0tZh38GJyV4LQymx!1529331623?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTST%2FSports&r21.content=%2FTST%2FSports%2FHeadlineList_Story_1 717545)
Changes continue at Breeder's Cup for '08
By Jeff Scott March 12, 2008…The recent decision to move all Breeders’ Cup races restricted to fillies and mares to Friday and rename the Distaff the “Ladies’ Classic,” however, has many people wondering whether Breeders’ Cup officials have lost touch with what passes for reality these days in Thoroughbred racing.

… Breeders’ Cup Limited is operating under the questionable assumption that bigger is always better. If the Breeders’ Cup has been successful with eight races, why not try 14? Why settle for 24 “Breeders’ Cup Challenge” races when you can just as easily have 49?

The problem with this kind of thinking is that sooner or later one reaches a point of diminishing returns. And in most respects, horse racing reached that point a long time ago. Today there are too many foals being born each year, too many horses being offered at auction, too many races, too many graded stakes and too many Grade I’s. And now there also are too many Breeders’ Cup races. …http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/2008bc/ (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/2008bc/)
Take Back the Race!

Be sure to check out the text and signature tabs.


Our own poster, Saratoga Guy, weighs in with an Equidaily editorial:

http://www.equidaily.com/bestbet/opinion/2008/080312.html
When did 'lady' become offensive?
...And other notes on the recent announcement of 'Filly Friday'
by Seth Merrow 3/12/08The most instructive thing about the response to the recent Breeders’ Cup announcement of Filly Friday isn’t necessarily the content of the outrage itself, but rather that there was outrage at all over such a benign revamping.

It’s hard to get your message out there when it gets stomped on immediately. So the Breeders’ Cup organization might want to ask why that happened to Filly Friday.

… the critics of Filly Friday might also need to reflect, and ask themselves if the newly announced Day One changes are really ire-inspiring, or is the reaction simply a knee-jerk, conditioned by some prior BC announcements?

... So yeah, there are some problems with the Breeders' Cup [let's not forget the stubborn-headedness in sticking with those purple saddleclothes, either] but the outrage generated by Filly Friday really seems like much ado about nothing.

A group of racing bloggers have started a petition asking "the Breeders' Cup to reconsider these changes" and threatening a boycott.

Frankly, with venues grabbing 30% takeout rates on some wagers and the recent exclusivity problems that are gripping the telephone/internet/TV wagering side of the game, it's kind of disappointing that fans have picked as their topic of defiance the fairly benign Filly Friday concept. …SG,
Your refusal to acknowledge that the willingness of the fans to show their defiance is itself the most significant aspect of this phenomenon, is simply more evidence of the industry’s incredible insensitivity toward its customers. It would seem that most of us don’t regard the concept as benign. IMO, however, the Distaff’s name alteration is the least offensive of the announced changes as compared with the sacrifice of the all-championship-division Ultra Pick Six and the elimination of the Classic’s role as the event’s usually climactic conclusion. Consequently, I have to agree that organizing racing fan action on that basis alone -- and with the petition's stated objective -- seems like a tremendous waste of effort and resources.

[thespaah]

http://www.troyrecord.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing&r21.content=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing%2FTopSt oryList_Story_1701644 (http://www.troyrecord.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing&r21.content=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing%2FTopSt oryList_Story_1701644)
Avioli to fans: So long suckers!
By Nick Kling March 12, 2008http://www.saratogian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily;jsessionid=PnSnHXHNkKJhwV4n3hLJpL94cMGLv2 vH8DpW0tZh38GJyV4LQymx!1529331623?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTST%2FSports&r21.content=%2FTST%2FSports%2FHeadlineList_Story_1 717545 (http://www.saratogian.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily;jsessionid=PnSnHXHNkKJhwV4n3hLJpL94cMGLv2 vH8DpW0tZh38GJyV4LQymx!1529331623?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FTST%2FSports&r21.content=%2FTST%2FSports%2FHeadlineList_Story_1 717545)
Changes continue at Breeder's Cup for '08
By Jeff Scott March 12, 2008http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/2008bc/ (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/2008bc/)
Take Back the Race!

Be sure to check out the text and signature tabs.


Our own poster, Saratoga Guy, weighs in with an Equidaily editorial:

http://www.equidaily.com/bestbet/opinion/2008/080312.html
When did 'lady' become offensive?
...And other notes on the recent announcement of 'Filly Friday'
by Seth Merrow 3/12/08SG,
Your refusal to acknowledge that the willingness of the fans to show their defiance is itself the most significant aspect of this phenomenon, is simply more evidence of the industry’s incredible insensitivity toward its customers. It would seem that most of us don’t regard the concept as benign. IMO, however, the Distaff’s name alteration is the least offensive of the announced changes as compared with the sacrifice of the all-championship-division Ultra Pick Six and the elimination of the Classic’s role as the event’s usually climactic conclusion. Consequently, I have to agree that organizing racing fan action on that basis alone -- and with the petition's stated objective -- seems like a tremendous waste of effort and resources.
What a bunch of crap.
I am sick of this PC garbage. I am tried of the notion that we have the right not to be offended. I am sick of those who spend their days looking for things to bother themselves with. Screw 'em. \
Now, BC Ltd is acting foolishly by spreading out the BC races over two days.
I will not be watching or wagering in the BC this year in protest of the move of the races and the use of Sanat Anita( fake track) two years in succession.
As far as I am concerned, those who run BC Ltd can take their event and cram it where the sun don't shine.

[Tom]

Belmont Park will host the real Classic this year - the JCGC.
Real horses, real dirt, real champions.

[Pace Cap'n]

Perhaps there is a reason it is called the "Breeders' Cup" and not the "Bettors' Cup".

[Bruddah]

Very informative, bright innovative ideas and funny sarcasim. However, until the self appointed monied elite comes to the realization it should be all about the racing fans and their day, this sport will continue to decay.

They should follow the examples of NASCAR, BASKETBALL, BASEBALL which successfully market to the masses. The Hoity Toity psuedo Blue Bloods control this sport and market to themselves. These events, including the Triple Crown series are really the days the psuedo Blue Bloods have set aside for themselves. They have never asked for, nor do they want the "FANS" opinion. Leave your money at the turnstiles and ticket windows. It's all about show casing them. :bang:

[Grits]

Very informative, bright innovative ideas and funny sarcasim. However, until the self appointed monied elite comes to the realization it should be all about the racing fans and their day, this sport will continue to decay.

They should follow the examples of NASCAR, BASKETBALL, BASEBALL which successfully market to the masses. The Hoity Toity psuedo Blue Bloods control this sport and market to themselves. These events, including the Triple Crown series are really the days the psuedo Blue Bloods have set aside for themselves. They have never asked for, nor do they want the "FANS" opinion. Leave your money at the turnstiles and ticket windows. It's all about show casing them. :bang:

You guys remember that tune Don Henley wrote and recorded:

HEART OF THE MATTER

Bruddah, sweetheart, I think you nailed it.

[Indulto]

What a bunch of crap.
I am sick of this PC garbage. I am tried of the notion that we have the right not to be offended. I am sick of those who spend their days looking for things to bother themselves with. Screw 'em. \
Now, BC Ltd is acting foolishly by spreading out the BC races over two days.
I will not be watching or wagering in the BC this year in protest of the move of the races and the use of Sanat Anita( fake track) two years in succession.
As far as I am concerned, those who run BC Ltd can take their event and cram it where the sun don't shine.TS,
I agree with the second paragraph of your post, but I'm not sure who you're referring to in the first one. Please clarify so that I can address your response as it was intended, if warranted.

[Indulto]

... The Hoity Toity psuedo Blue Bloods control this sport and market to themselves. These events, including the Triple Crown series are really the days the psuedo Blue Bloods have set aside for themselves. They have never asked for, nor do they want the "FANS" opinion. Leave your money at the turnstiles and ticket windows. It's all about show casing them. :bang:Perhaps that's the explanation for racing's failure to fully embrace the key to it's future ... the off-track bettor/viewer.

[Indulto]

http://paulmoranattheraces.blogspot.com/2008/03/much-ado-about-very-little.html
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Much ado about very little
By Paul MoranLittle of late has prompted a reaction within racing circles as stinging as the backlash that has followed the recent announcement that the Friday afternoon expansion of the Breeders’ Cup Championships will be devoted to females.

This should have been no surprise. Breeders’ Cup officials said long ago that the first phase of expansion would not be the last and the decision to separate the sexes –running all races restricted to females on Friday – while not exactly enlightened is otherwise benign.

… In time, the Friday program will come into its own, provided that Breeders’ Cup officials, who are in need of a consultant more in touch with the wider fan base, refrain from more tinkering and allow the format now in place to gain the acceptance that will accompany maturity.

While much dismay has been registered in opposition to the changes in the Breeders’ Cup format, the more alarming development is the award of the event to Santa Anita both this year and next. The sport’s season-defining races should never be run on a synthetic surface – not once, let along in consecutive years. There is always the chance, however, that Santa Anita itself could save the day when it replaces its current dysfunctional main course with one made of dirt.How unusual that so unique a wordsmith as Moran would echo SG’s terminology (“benign,” “much ado about”) as well as his position.

Even more interesting is the recently unshackled Moran’s hesitance to unload on the BC officials when he has castigated other public figures for less.

Opinions can and should vary, yet this “what’s all the fuss about” response from both these commentators -- despite their acknowledging that fan reaction has been overwhelmingly negative -- suggests reality suppression similar to that practiced by Messrs. Land and Avioli. Moran and Morrow aren't required to agree with their readership, but they shouldn't dismiss us either.

[Indulto]

Responses to BC Changes seem spirited in several threads on the Derby Trail forum. Someone there received a response from the BC press guy:

http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20600 (http://www.derbytrail.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20600)
Jim Gluckson response to BC changes

[Kelso]

Very informative, bright innovative ideas and funny sarcasim. However, until the self appointed monied elite comes to the realization it should be all about the racing fans and their day, this sport will continue to decay.

They should follow the examples of NASCAR, BASKETBALL, BASEBALL which successfully market to the masses. The Hoity Toity psuedo Blue Bloods control this sport and market to themselves.

Sadly, the racing in-crowd is within perhaps a couple dozen slots-traps of never having to dirty their hands with racing fans again. Once enough machines are purring in their behalf, they'll have a sufficiently fat source of dedicated revenue to provide all the oats and bree they want. Expect all the grandstand and apron seats to disappear shortly thereafter ... Stronach-style.

[alysheba88]

I know boycotts never seem to work but am hoping people hold firm and not bet or bet less this year. Only chance of getting message across. Not putting one dollar through windows for BC. And BC has been very good to me over the years from a betting perspective. Enough is enough. Would feel like a sell out betting this year

[Indulto]

I know boycotts never seem to work but am hoping people hold firm and not bet or bet less this year. Only chance of getting message across. Not putting one dollar through windows for BC. And BC has been very good to me over the years from a betting perspective. Enough is enough. Would feel like a sell out betting this yearA8,
I agree it's important to withhold a measure of financial support, but I'm not going to let them stop me from playing my three favorite BC races: the sprint, the Mile, and the Classic.

This year I won't be battling traffic or betting trifectas on Friday, but if Santa Anita doesn't make it impossible for the average overage player to get in there on Saturday, I'm considering wearing some kind of protest slogan.

Any suggestions?