Tag: The Paddock

I became a fan of the Thoroughbred industry as a young teen.  Someone gave me some back editions of the Thoroughbred Record magazine, and I was hooked.  Soon I began subscribing to the Thoroughbred Record.  I bought stallion books.  I would save my money to subscribe to the Daily Racing Form in April so I could follow horses on the Derby Trail.  I would be glued to the television when Derby prep races were aired.  The Triple Crown was a must watch for me.  I studied everything I could about thoroughbreds.

I recall many weeks when I could not wait to get home from school to see if the latest edition of the Thoroughbred Record arrived, so excited to see who won the Gravesend at Aqueduct, the Donn Handicap in Florida, or if Spectacular Bid won the next leg in the Strub Series.  Those days are long gone, but my status as a “casual lifelong fan” remains today.  Can you imagine having to wait a whole week the get the results of the biggest races?  It didn't deter me, or cause me to lose interest, so imagine the avenues by which to keep the casual fan interested today!

The Thoroughbred industry needs to tap into a segment of the population that may be pivotal for securing the well being of the business.  The “casual lifelong fan” can play a key role in offsetting the negativity that surrounds the industry today.  Is there not a need for the casual fan to be able to give a truer perspective of racing at their workplace, or on their social media platforms, to counter the ravings of individuals who react so harshly when they learn of more racetrack equine fatalities?  Can the casual fan not provide an attractive target group for advertisers on television or the internet?  Would attracting young people by letting them know the history of the sport, and learning the stories behind the horses and people help change the negative perception within the culture?

I recall reading those old back-dated Thoroughbred Record issues from the 1970s, and articles from racing insiders lamenting the fact that attendance at baseball games had surpassed horse racing.  My how times have really changed!  Other sports have surpassed horse racing by far when it comes to attendance levels.  Racing needs to promote itself and attempt to reach the casual fan.  People would grow to love the sport if you could get them to the races.  If they could meet the people in the industry and know the heart of some person who loves to clean stalls and “rub” horses for a living they would come away with a different perspective.  I strongly encourage industry leaders to make the horse industry more accessible to the casual fan.

When the focus is on the gambling aspect rather than the beauty and splendor of the sport, the horses and the people who care for them don't matter much.  Targeting only the gambler won't sustain horse racing in this generation.  It's too easy to remain detached and only concerned about the wagering aspects.  If the casual fan is not targeted, racing will suffer.  Gamblers can always find another avenue with which to gamble.  But when the wonder of the horse and the human stories surrounding them are presented, you create a true fan base.

You can't pay the bills that way, with the casual fan, right?  If the current trend continues, who knows if racing will survive.  Give the pure beauty of the Thoroughbred industry a chance.  Perhaps some gung ho teen like I was will go to vet school and develop something to improve animal health.  Perhaps some great young mind will be a whiz at marketing, and another a genius at improving safety.  The key to racing's survival may well be in capturing the imagination of some young child whose parents take him or her to Presque Isle or Lone Star, or Fonner Park where they see the animals and people.  Perhaps  a visit to the farms, and laying their hands on a foal might spawn a lifelong joy for the horse.

I am not interested in betting on horse racing, but I enjoy going to a race track occasionally.  I love going to the paddock to see these magnificent animals.  I enjoy the sights and sounds, and watching the people take in the scene.  Can the industry not benefit from the casual fan?  I love to watch baseball, but I only attend a game or two a year.  Racing would benefit from attempting to attract casual fans to the track or the farms.  They may never gamble as I choose not to gamble, but they might buy refreshments, or find an outlet to write letters to the editor hoping to contribute something to the cause of changing public perception or the thinking of those in the industry.  They might visit a track museum, and their children might be mesmerized like I was and become a lifelong casual fan who would advocate for the sport of kings, or as I prefer to call it, the sport of the casual lifelong fan.

Brett Beasley
Casual (Lifelong) Fan of Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing
Creal Springs, Illinois

*************************************

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please write to info at paulickreport.com and include contact information where you may be reached if editorial staff have any questions.

The post Letter To The Editor: Racing Needs Casual Fans, Too appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Brett Beasley letter of June 9 was so complete in the analysis of the changes in racing since the 1970s-'80s that I must write to say “Amen.” Our Loblolly Stable was active during that era (1972-'95) and enjoyed some success: three Champions and 100-plus stakes wins primarily at home in Arkansas and New York.

However, by the 1990s it was necessary to disperse Loblolly to dissolve a marital partnership. Loblolly disappeared and Shortleaf Stable appeared. (I grow trees for a living­ to afford to race horses.) Both endeavors require patience and long-term commitment.

After a dozen years of Shortleaf racing only a few head, my pedigree analyst son Ed (trained by Bill Oppenheim) encouraged me to get serious again in 2010.

What I quickly recognized was how different the industry had become in the 15 years since Loblolly was dispersed and especially since I entered the sport 50-plus years ago.

The primary difference I noted was how rigid modern trainers have become about insisting on weeks and even months between starts. This is completely contrary to how Hall of Fame trainers operated in the “old days.” We've known and raced against some of the greats: Woody Stephens, Allen Jerkens, LeRoy Jolley, Laz Barrera, Mack Miller, Jack Van Berg, and others.

I recall Conquistador Cielo in 1982 winning the Met Mile on Monday and the Belmont on Saturday for Woody. Indeed, in 1980 our colt Temperence Hill ran three races in 13 days for Joe Cantey; his third was winning the Belmont Stakes. “Lazy SOB,” I recall Joe commenting.

Cox's Ridge at 3 in New York in 1977 from August to November ran nine times, winning eight stakes with races spaced at 15, 12, 16, 14, 14, and 12 days. He was often loaded with 130 pounds in the handicaps. He had 27 starts in two-plus years. But, he was not a Champion. Seattle Slew got in the way, but he was a great sire.

We could go on and on with Champions Vanlandingham, Prairie Bayou, and countless others making noise during that era, all following the same routine. Doc Lavin in Goshen, Ky., was a major factor in our success. Wise man. Good counsel.

One can always conjure aberrations to the norm to make a point, but the patterns of earlier racing are very different from today. However, despite the trainers' new ideas, the horses don't run any faster, stay sound any longer, or show any significant improvement from 50 years ago. Racing fans are missing about half of what they once enjoyed in racing. I've given up trying to change their patterns.

And breeding was very different then. Syndication of stallions was 36 shares. Four breeding rights were reserved for the farm. Then the Breeders' Cup came on. Four more seasons. How will the stallion ever cover them all? Vets learned and equipment improved. Credit to John Gaines for his forward thinking in racing and breeding, which was opposed by virtually all major players. Tradition.

But more than any other change is that the media covers the sales and amplifies their importance far more than racing. Of course, that's where the advertising money is. Breeding to race is passé and only a few do that nowadays, unlike the earlier era when racing was king and the sales were thought to be for the major breeders' discards. Commercial breeding and sales now dictate industry affairs and sales horses are much improved.

I also recall the sales of the 1970s and '80s. Most buyers sought only pedigree and often never looked at the horses on the catalog page. Good for Loblolly. Cantey had us focus on the “splendid individual” with pedigree as a secondary consideration with Doc Lavin advising. Cox's Ridge and Temperence Hill were the results. Soon, conformation and scope became the order of the day and now buyers mostly hone in on the same horses. We now mainly raise our own horses at Stone Farm, a bluegrass establishment in the Hancock tradition, and at McDowell Farm in Arkansas.

I'm still confident that the “throwback horse” will prevail disproportionately to their numbers, but that doesn't mean it is a healthy environment for the industry in the long term.

John E. Anthony, President
Shortleaf Stable, Inc.
Hot Springs, Arkansas

*************************************

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please write to info at paulickreport.com and include contact information where you may be reached if editorial staff have any questions.

The post Letter To The Editor: John Ed Anthony On The Disappearing ‘Throwback Horse’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Arizona horse racing needs a phoenix to rise from our current ashes….

The last few days I've had discussions with numerous individuals in the Arizona horse industry, all of which pertained to the current state of horse racing in Arizona. Almost all have asked — what happened?

So much has happened, or perhaps is not happening. First let's look at the Arizona Racing Commission. In my opinion the current commission is made up of individuals who don't understand the industry that they oversee, lacking the knowledge and skills to ask the questions that need to be asked. Nor do they seem to be able to do a deep dive into a question and answer. This is not any fault of their own. They simply lack experience and knowledge. In this industry you need to know who the honest players are and aren't. You need to invest the hours walking the backside and visiting the farms because you need to know the answer before you ask it at a commission meeting.

We've gone months with no real answers. Questions sit in limbo. We are now at critical dates. The railing at one of Arizona's tracks needs repair/replacement. Experts tell me it takes two to three months for the new railing to be delivered and another one to two months to put into place. That takes us to early November. That is doable but the railing must be ordered soon. One of our tracks had various problems with equipment breaking down. Now is the time that someone needs to either be working on the equipment or ordering replacement equipment.

We have another track that had its deal to sell fall through. So many questions with no answers to those who have invested heavily in racing in Arizona based on approved permits.

The commission needs to understand what powers they have and how to use that for the greater good of the sport. They need to know if they can revoke permits based on failures to provide answers/agreed resolutions and following through on live dates. Their job is to know if the OTBs can be placed into receivership should they revoke all current permits in order that OTB money can still be generated for future purses. They should know if a horse can run with or without horseshoes.

At this critical time, I would expect the commission to clear their calendar and hold weekly meetings to address what many see as an emergency for Arizona horse racing. Failure is not acceptable because we have the ability, the powers…we just need the commission and director of racing to desire saving horse racing in Arizona.

Will they prove to Arizona horsemen & women that they have that desire?

Rory S. Goree'
Former Arizona Racing Commissioner

*************************************

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please write to info at paulickreport.com and include contact information where you may be reached if editorial staff have any questions.

The post Letter To The Editor: Arizona Racing Is At A Critical Crossroads, And Its Commission Is Unprepared appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post