A Probable Dilemma For Racing

[Cratos]

The arrival of Rachel Alexandra’s winning ways and her connections taking the usual steps of placing her in races that is not normal for female horses to run in; especially if they are a 3yo female horse at the Grade 1 level is commendable and has been good for racing.

However, if Rachel is sat down for the rest of the year (and she probably should be given her racing campaign this year) racing might face a dilemma it had not anticipated and that is to have its championship day of racing, the Breeders’ Cup not have the probable Horse of the Year participate.

It is not unprecedented to have the horse voted as the Horse of the Year not participate in the Breeders’ Cup races because Point Givens and Spend A Buck did not participate, but neither of them had the “rock star” attraction of Rachel Alexandra.

Also, I don’t believe that Jess Jackson, Rachel’s owner will yield as he did last year when he allowed his champion, Curlin to run on the synthetic track at Santa Anita and Curlin finished 4th which was the lowest finish of his illustrious career.

All of this begs the question: “Why can’t racing have a permanent home for the Breeders’ Cup with three racing surfaces?” A race track with three ovals is not unique because both Saratoga and Belmont have them.

A Breeders’ Cup home located in a fair-weather state would be ideal and my suggestion would be to refurbish Hialeah (that will never happen) and have a 1 ¼ mile dirt track, an inner turf track at the 1 1/8 mile distance, and an inner synthetic track at the 1 mile distance.

[Imriledup]

I know this may sound silly, but i think there is at least a 1 percent chance Rachel races in the BC this year. She'll have two months off, i wonder if Steve can convince Jess to at least ship her to Santa Anita and train over the surface to see if she loves it. If she struggles a bit, than no harm no foul, but if she glides over that track like silk, they may change their mind. It certainly doesnt' seem likely, but anything is possible.

[Pick Six Syndicate]

It serves racing right if Jackson chooses to stick to dirt. Synthetic surfaces are unfair. Did anyone see those animals they brought in for last year's Classic?? What the hell was that? Curlin is the champ, and they brought in two animals that could run neck and neck with him. There wasn't anyone as good as Curlin to race him on dirt. I don't care if they were Magnier and the ruler of Dubai's best, this is the USA! Horse racing is supposed to be about a true sportsman like Jess Jackson buying the best horses, and giving them to a trainer like Steve Asmussen, and winning the big races in walk-overs with his Überpferd, his superhorse. There is an uspoken protocol that was violated and it is the entitlement that Jess Jackson has due from this game. The idiots at the BC don't seem to get the big picture. I hereby propose we build a new track, with eight concentric dirt ovals, over the neighborhood formerly adjacent to Pimlico. The Jess Jackson Permanent Breeders Cup Cunningham and Gallion Dome!

[kenwoodallpromos]

2006 to 2010 4 out of 5 BC host tracks (SA and CD) are owned by the 2 biggest players in racing in tracks owned and ADW sites (where the biggest increase in handle is supposed to be). Makes since from that perspective.

[PaceAdvantage]

Holy Bull had rock star attraction in 1994, was voted HOY and did not run in the BC.

[Norm]

All of this begs the question: “Why can’t racing have a permanent home for the Breeders’ Cup with three racing surfaces?” A race track with three ovals is not unique because both Saratoga and Belmont have them.

A Breeders’ Cup home located in a fair-weather state would be ideal and my suggestion would be to refurbish Hialeah (that will never happen) and have a 1 ¼ mile dirt track, an inner turf track at the 1 1/8 mile distance, and an inner synthetic track at the 1 mile distance.
I think that those who manage this sport have chosen a really bad time to sub-divide racing, creating an entirely new category of racing. If racing were a growing sport, then adding a new dimension might not be such a bad thing. But during these difficult times, when racing is shrinking, it seems ill-advised to add a new, entirely different racing surface. True enough, some horses love it, and this year's Breeders Cup will show us who the best chopped-up-rubber-tire horse is, who the best grass horse is, but we will not know, at least as far as the Breeders Cup is concerned, which is the best dirt horse. That will be determined elsewhere. Deciding national racing championships on polycrap makes as much sense as deciding who the national beach volleyball champion is while playing at an indoor, wood floor court. They are different sports. It would be o.k. to have a separate division if racing were growing, but it just isn't. This is the wrong time and it is hurting the sport.

BTW - I thing refurbishing Hialeah is a great idea, it was such a beautiful track.

[gm10]

It serves racing right if Jackson chooses to stick to dirt. Synthetic surfaces are unfair. Did anyone see those animals they brought in for last year's Classic?? What the hell was that? Curlin is the champ, and they brought in two animals that could run neck and neck with him. There wasn't anyone as good as Curlin to race him on dirt. I don't care if they were Magnier and the ruler of Dubai's best, this is the USA! Horse racing is supposed to be about a true sportsman like Jess Jackson buying the best horses, and giving them to a trainer like Steve Asmussen, and winning the big races in walk-overs with his Überpferd, his superhorse. There is an uspoken protocol that was violated and it is the entitlement that Jess Jackson has due from this game. The idiots at the BC don't seem to get the big picture. I hereby propose we build a new track, with eight concentric dirt ovals, over the neighborhood formerly adjacent to Pimlico. The Jess Jackson Permanent Breeders Cup Cunningham and Gallion Dome!
Unlikely that Curlin would have won on the dirt. He struggled with wanderin boy in the jcgc, a horse he had annihilated 6 months earlier. He was a horse who needed at least a temporary break before the BC. Henry and Ravens were peaking and very good animals. Better than Wanderin Boy to say the least.

[Bobzilla]

Personally I prefer the rotation of BC sites. But I wouldn't mind seeing a place like Hialeah get the event every 2nd or 3rd year. As for tracks having three surfaces, I've been thinking for awhile that this could be a reasonable compromise. I'm just not sure if it fits in with the industry objective of establishing a so-called "universal surface". I also have questions whether or not the country's major tracks, other than perhaps Belmont and Woodbine, have the infrastructure and acreage for it.

A facility with all three surfaces would offer many options. If the turf course becomes too soft then the races can be switched to the all-weather and there probably won't be too many scratches. If the dirt course becomes inundated to the point where safety is compromised then the option would be available to head over to the all-weather, too. Don't some AWSs firm up when they become wet and play a bit more like a dirt course anyway? On a somewhat related topic why can't a state of the art facility have a tarpaulin attached to the outter rail allowing water to flow to some drainage system behind the inner rail? I think it was Dan G who once referred to a Kerrison article suggesting this idea. Back to the three surfaces idea, horsemen would have an additional training surface to train their horses on if they prefer to train on synthetics in preparation for dirt races. I don't know if it's feasible but it sure seems like a solution where most would be happy.

Having gone to 16 straight Breeders' Cups until last year and having seen many different tracks, I still feel that my horse racing fan life experience will always be incomplete until I get that chance to experience the Flight of the Flamingo after the 7th race. I wish I had made the point to get down there while the place was still in operation for thoroughbred racing.

[KingChas]

Is this really a dilemma for horse racing?

Or the beginning of the end for the Breeders Cup?

[ryesteve]

Is this really a dilemma for horse racing?

Or the beginning of the end for the Breeders Cup?Only if they insist on running it in SoCal every year. I see this year as a blow against poly, not the BC.

[rokitman]

Only if they insist on running it in SoCal every year. I see this year as a blow against poly, not the BC.
Has next years track been named yet? I think it usually has been by now.

[KingChas]

Only if they insist on running it in SoCal every year. I see this year as a blow against poly, not the BC.

Agreed Rye,but very poor decision by BC committee,no foresight at all.

[andymays]

Has next years track been named yet? I think it usually has been by now.


California has disproportionate influence on Racing in the United States. Take a look at CHRIMS.

CHRIMS, a non-profit company jointly owned by the simulcast wagering companies in California, provides management and accounting reports that show information about handle, simulcast host fee, and takeout distribution calculations for live handle, outbound simulcast handle, and inbound simulcast handle.

Take a look at their customer list. Does it look like a lot of California companies on the list?

http://www.chrims.com/Customers.aspx


I'll probably start a thread about CHRIMS in the next couple of days and I'm hoping for everyones input. I am the least analytical person on the planet but I know this company affects everyone in different ways. For example:

CHRIMS merges the Equibase data with the CHRIMS pari-mutuel database.

http://www.chrims.com/RunnersDatabase.aspx

[gm10]

Is this really a dilemma for horse racing?

Or the beginning of the end for the Breeders Cup?

I think this is a real risk.

I'm not sure of the business model of such a venture, but there could be room for a real "World Championships", which rotates across continents. Given the very rich purses and huge popularity of racing in Dubai, Japan, Hong Kong, Oz, etc, I am actually surprised that this doesn't exist yet. Each year, the event would be in either Europe, Far East, North America, Dubai or Oz.

Most global sports have such an event (tennis being bit of an exception).

[Quagmire]

Has next years track been named yet? I think it usually has been by now.


Churchill Downs in 2010.

[46zilzal]

Some voters may rebel against those horses not participating in their showcase day. I have seen many a year when lack of participation cost a few championship consideration sort of a rebuff for not showing up for the blue bloods as if it was a snub to them.

[Cratos]

Holy Bull had rock star attraction in 1994, was voted HOY and did not run in the BC.


Yes you are correct to a minute degree, but Holy Bull’s popularity was with us the racing enthusiasts.

Rachel Alexandra’s popularity transcends racing fans and would be even larger if the NTRA would push her celebrity.

[castaway01]

Yes you are correct to a minute degree, but Holy Bull’s popularity was with us the racing enthusiasts.

Rachel Alexandra’s popularity transcends racing fans and would be even larger if the NTRA would push her celebrity.

you're overestimating Rachel's popularity, and NTRA has pushed her but no one cares about racing in 2009. There have been plenty of Horse of the Years who haven't run in the BC---sorry.

[Java Gold@TFT]

you're overestimating Rachel's popularity, and NTRA has pushed her but no one cares about racing in 2009. There have been plenty of Horse of the Years who haven't run in the BC---sorry.
Since the BC started I count John Henry, Spend A Buck, Holy Bull, Charasmatic (injured) and Point Given (injured). That's 5 out of 25 HOY's that didn't race in the BC races. is that your definition of "plenty"? The rest didn't all win but they raced. And in the first 2 years of the Classic were you going to vote for Wild Again over John Henry or Proud Truth over Spend A Buck? So that really amounts to 3 times in 23 years. Yep, that's plenty of times.

[46zilzal]

Rachel Alexandra’s popularity transcends racing fans and would be even larger if the NTRA would push her celebrity.
That is wishful thinking. While the sport needs stars, I checked out several newspapers locally, nationally and internationally and it got less coverage that the previous day's baseball scores did.

Hockey got ALL the news here without a single mention of her. ....and it isn't even hockey season.

[PaceAdvantage]

Yes you are correct to a minute degree, but Holy Bull’s popularity was with us the racing enthusiasts.You obviously weren't there on Woodward day at Belmont Park in the fall of 1994.

Other than a Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line, never before has a sizable crowd at Belmont Park given me chills as it cheered wildly for a horse as he seized command and thundered down the stretch the way Holy Bull did, AND as he came back to be saddled.

Now, I unfortunately did not attend Rachel's Woodward this past Saturday, but from what I hear, it was a lot like 1994 at Belmont.

[Cratos]

You obviously weren't there on Woodward day at Belmont Park in the fall of 1994.

Other than a Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line, never before has a sizable crowd at Belmont Park given me chills as it cheered wildly for a horse as he seized command and thundered down the stretch the way Holy Bull did, AND as he came back to be saddled.

Now, I unfortunately did not attend Rachel's Woodward this past Saturday, but from what I hear, it was a lot like 1994 at Belmont.

I was there to see the Bull and it is difficult for me to compare Saratoga to Belmont because of the difference in size of the two tracks.

However you are making my point and that is Rachel celebrity goes beyond the bounds of the racetrack. She is reminiscent of 1973 when Time magazine had Secretariat on its cover.

This is not to say that Rachel is a Secretariat in popularity by any means, but she does have popularity that will extend in my opinion beyond the short-lived celebrities of Smarty Jones and Funny Cide.

[46zilzal]

You know RA's popularity OUTSIDE the close knit racing fan group is UNKNOWN.

That is ashamed as racing needs its stars, but true nonetheless.

[PaceAdvantage]

You know RA's popularity OUTSIDE the close knit racing fan group is UNKNOWN.

That is ashamed as racing needs its stars, but true nonetheless.Bullshit on top of bullshit. People in my life who ONLY talk to me about racing around triple crown time, have been talking to me about Rachel Alexandra.

They know who she is, and they know she keeps beating the boys, and they are following her...

Once again, you couldn't be more wrong.

[46zilzal]

Bullshit on top of bullshit. People in my life who ONLY talk to me about racing around triple crown time, have been talking to me about Rachel Alexandra.

They know who she is, and they know she keeps beating the boys, and they are following her...

Once again, you couldn't be more wrong.
Relativity. No one talks about bull fighting outside of Southern Spain but it is the talk of the town there.

Our papers did not even carry the story of her race outside of a tiny byline buried beneath an ad.

[slewis]

PA + ZIL,

You guys are both actually right.

Although Rachel has drawn many non-racing fans to her interest and even some to the track who would normally never go, it could have been MUCH bigger.

I think NYRA media and management could have gotten much more publicity on her success and quest both prior to and after the race.

[Cratos]

Relativity. No one talks about bull fighting outside of Southern Spain but it is the talk of the town there.

Our papers did not even carry the story of her race outside of a tiny byline buried beneath an ad.


Maybe you should ditch that canadian rag which you are reading and subscribe to a New York paper; and you will better informed about Rachel