"Evil Empire" Stuff: Churchill Downs Denies Derby Media Credential To Caton Bredar

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Wasn’t her husband once the racing Secretary at CD?

Bad blood?

In a world where Johnnie what’s his name and Tara Lipinski? Are working a national racing show and Caton Bredar is forced out of a local TV gig, what the hell is next.....?

Yes, Doug Bredar was the racing secretary in the past at CD.

This is just CDI doing what CDI does. Pathetic.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Tom

CD downs caters to the weaker minds, not the best ones.

The product they are selling is NOT horse racing.
All you have to do is watch one of the Derby broadcasts and that is obvious.
Disgraceful little whores putting on a social event. Nothing more.

The unique success of the Derby as an American institution is precisely due to its status as a social event.

I would caution handicappers here. Where American racing is successful- the TC, the Breeders' Cup, Del Mar, and Saratoga- it has a significant social event component. It always has- think of the traditions of Royal Ascot, and the "sport of kings".This obviously isn't the element of the sport that appeals to everyone here, but it is nonetheless crucial to the sport's future.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

I would caution handicappers here. Where American racing is successful- the TC, the Breeders' Cup, Del Mar, and Saratoga- it has a significant social event component. It always has- think of the traditions of Royal Ascot, and the "sport of kings".This obviously isn't the element of the sport that appeals to everyone here, but it is nonetheless crucial to the sport's future.

I agree.

Consolidation would be wildly painful for a lot of people (it always is), but the formula for success is less racing overall and more of those boutique meets in places that are also a kind of vacation destination. There's no reason to be running so many tracks when there are horse shortages and with internet/phone access everyone can bet into the same pools. We could easily get a ton of operating leverage with fewer tracks.

I'm not naive enough to think it would be easy to accomplish politically, but that's the formula that would work economically.

[Tom]

I don't know, but is the half time show crucial for the success of football?
Maybe the game suckls sop bad now is because it keeps focusing on people who
show up for the hats and ignore us the other 364 day a year.

Give me a Finger Lakes or a Prax that runs day in day out, establishes patterns,
has some repeatability. Boutique meets have no interest for me at all.

Keeneland is like a county fair that shows up once a year, sell you tickets for unsafe rides and gives many of you food poisoning, then sneaks out of town after dark. PARX is the corner diner, there every morning with a coffee and donut waiting for you, and you know the guy's name.

[GMB@BP]

I am just not going to be anything CD other than Derby weekend, F them.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Tom

I don't know, but is the half time show crucial for the success of football?
Maybe the game suckls sop bad now is because it keeps focusing on people who
show up for the hats and ignore us the other 364 day a year.

Give me a Finger Lakes or a Prax that runs day in day out, establishes patterns,
has some repeatability. Boutique meets have no interest for me at all.

Keeneland is like a county fair that shows up once a year, sell you tickets for unsafe rides and gives many of you food poisoning, then sneaks out of town after dark. PARX is the corner diner, there every morning with a coffee and donut waiting for you, and you know the guy's name.

1. If enough people were showing up the other 364 days of the year, you might have a point. But they aren't.

2. I would argue that it is very myopic to assume that the only benefit of pageantry in sports is to bring rich people in that one day of the year.

You mention the Super Bowl halftime show. No, of course it isn't key to football's popularity. But take a look at the amount of money that the NFL expends making the Super Bowl into a gigantic event that even non-fans care about. Why do they spend that money? Is it because they are idiots who don't understand the marketing insights of horse racing handicappers on PA? I doubt it.

They spend the money because it promotes football's brand. Which has a number of secondary effects-- (1) it does bring some people to the sport (who watch a Super Bowl and then watch some more football after that); (2) it draws advertising and sponsorship revenue; and (3) it creates a larger group of people who have a positive image of football, which helps when there are calls to curtail or restrict the sport due to injuries, concussions, CTE, etc.

And it also promotes football as something beautiful and important people, tastemakers and celebrities, enjoy and want to participate in. I can tell you specifically that I have been to Laker games at the Forum and Staples Center where there were fans who clearly knew nothing about basketball who asked me where the celebrities were sitting.

The Kentucky Derby is enormously good for horse racing. It gets us national attention, exposes millions of people to the sport, associates the sport with celebrities and tastemakers, and generates advertising and promotional revenue. The sport would be far worse off if it, in fact, looked inward and tried to cater only to the folks who bet on TVG 5 days a week or infest the Aqueduct grandstand on a typical Friday. No sport survives long on only its hard core fans.

[Tom]

1. If enough people were showing up the other 364 days of the year, you might have a point. But they aren't.

Then catering to the hats and champagne crowd is not helping the game.
It is giving CD one good day.

The Kentucky Derby is enormously good for horse racing. It gets us national attention, exposes millions of people to the sport,

Who then don't show up the other 364 days.

Maybe if the game focused on the core fans, it might figure out why no one gives a shit any more.

[Denny]

I don't think the racing media is doing us or the sport any good just focusing all it's attention on stakes racing and the big names and big outfits.

Get the public interested in betting more than once or twice a year.

There's racing going on 364 days a year - as Tom pointed out.

Promote that!

[pandy]

What a scummy move by Churchill, despicable.

[Franco Santiago]

Originally Posted by Tom

They already have decided what races other people can use to qualify.
Now, who can cover the event.

Your idea if probably on their list of things to do.

Right after "Rape customers with pricing" and "kill kittens in the infield right after Our Old Kentucky Home."

Remember that kid on the bridge in Deliverance?
He is now the GM at CD.

Weeeeeeeee. Weeeeeeeee.

"Looks like a sow to me."

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

No sport survives long on only its hard core fans.

Care to elaborate? I gotta question this thinking

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

Care to elaborate? I gotta question this thinking

Sure. All successful sports rely on a combination of regulars and more occasional, wealthier fans. For instance, stadiums contain both thousands of season ticket holders (regulars) plus expensive private boxes for rich people who come to 5 games a year. If you don't go after the latter group you are leaving money on the table.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Sure. All successful sports rely on a combination of regulars and more occasional, wealthier fans. For instance, stadiums contain both thousands of season ticket holders (regulars) plus expensive private boxes for rich people who come to 5 games a year. If you don't go after the latter group you are leaving money on the table.

I looked it up. You’re right. The price of the boxes shocked me. I cannot believe the prices.

[Tom]

Those dames in hats at Derby are buying boxes?

[BIG49010]

Prices are crazy, I had two of the worst seats, I think they were $80 dollars in 2000? You could sit down, that's about all you could say, no elevation change from Front row to 50 rows back, so all you could see was person's head in front of you! According to Stub Hub they are $375!