Big Brown Talk

A google search for "Big Brown and Curlin" brings up 256,000 different results.

They are also both mentioned almost daily in the various horse racing publications generally read by those who follow the sport.

The subject has many interesting angles-will one or the other or both run in the BC Classic?, will Big Brown perhaps run in the BC Turf?, Will Curlin skip the classic and just go overseas?, will a Match race be set up between the two horses? and on and on.

In the blogosphere and elsewhere, many state they are tired of the whole thing, won't go to see Big Brown Run, aren't interested in Big Brown and can't wait to see Big Brown retire etc.

But I wonder if this is entirely true. Big Brown drew a nice crowd at the Haskell and will probably draw a nice crowd this Saturday for the Monmouth Stakes. Curlin has been less controversial and attendance figures for his races have not been as impressive, but you can bet if they were to meet in a Match Race, many eyes would be at the races and glued to the TV Set.

Looking at the Sports end of this game Big Brown does keep the Sport interesting and even relevant. Sports always need Villian's and the somewhat unlikeable handlers of Big Brown fit the bill. Throw in a bizarre run in the Belmont Stakes, mix in some crazy Rick Dutrow quotes and you have a story people will read about and watch.

Weekend Notes

With big races this past weekend at Belmont and Woodbine, there was movement in the TBA Standings with Tough Tiz's Sis (Filly & Mare division); Ventura (F&M Turf), Forever Together (F&M Turf), and Champ Elysees (Turf) all gaining points in the Standings.

When checking out our standings, you will note we have a new sponsor of the 3 year old colt division-- Trainer Magazine.

It's been said that if you put 2 horse racing fans in the same room, you will get one thing-two people who do not agree on anything. In this vein should horse racing be marketed as a sport or gambling or perhaps both?? I lean on the side of both-remember that gambling drives the horse racing train but I think we can market sports fans who love competition, bring them into the game and they will love betting and rooting for this sport. Check out Railbird's post with lively comments from all sides of the coin of this debate.

Getting them in the tent

Ask any good carnival barker and he will tell you it is all about getting them into the tent. NYRA on the last day of the 2008 Saratoga Meet, announced free admission to everyone and as a result a strong crowd of 28,000 plus showed up, more fans than showed up 2 days earlier on a Beautiful Saturday to see Curlin Run in the Woodward.

This Friday on Opening day at Belmont, General Admission on Opening Day is free and there will be $2 off the clubhouse admission of $5.

This may seem like common sense, which would call for automatic dismissal when brought to those in charge of track management, but why not always have free admission to get into the track-especially no charge for General Admission? I can see a small fee for clubhouse admission, for space considerations alone at some tracks, but charging for general admission never made sense to me. Why charge people to come into your gates only to ask them to pay some more money again at the windows??

The handle is a product of the churn and the more people to churn the higher the handle. The don't charge you to walk into a casino. Why would they? The casino's know their product, they know it works and they know, like any good carnival barker, that all they have to do is get you to come to the tent, then they got you once you are in. If the tracks can put out competitive fields, i.e a good product, forget the general admission charge. Of course without the good product, nothing happens, and I lobby for the free admission on the assumption (dangerous..I know) that the product on the track is also being focused on and improved everyday. The tracks are competing for bodies here, and the entertainment options available are greater than ever-the major team sports, the growth of NASCAR, MMA, High School Sports, and of course 900 channels on Cable TV and anything you could possibly think of on the Internet.

Rather than occasional free admission days, NYRA and other tracks that charge a fee for general admission should ban it entirely. Over the long run, attendance and handle will increase with the greater exposure to the product.

Exit Saratoga

The 140th Saratoga Meet is now in the books. Like every Saratoga Season before it, it seems like opening day was only yesterday. Luckily, I ended the meet in my grandstand seats sitting in glorious sunshine, so unlike the opening day rainstorm.

I exited Saratoga yesterday with my trusty companion, walking slowly out the gates, much like the rest of the crowd, for we know there will be no racing the next day at the Spa. The last day reminds me so much of my childhood on the day before the 1st day of school..that bittersweet feeling...hopeful of what is ahead, yet sad of what we leave behind. We know we have to go, and just like summertime for a child, too much of Saratoga is not a good thing. The season should be short, just like summertime for a child, but even though we know if it went on forever it would be ruined and no longer special, part of us wants it to go on forever.

The final day saw 28,578 come through the gates, and 872,627 overall. For all that came, memories were made, for me I remember the following:

Commentator winning the Whitney again

The stretch drive duel between Proud Spell and Music Note in the 'Bama

Ginger Punch by a nose in the Personal Ensign

The Travers Photo finish between Colonel John & Mambo in Seattle

Curlin taking care of business in the Woodward

Watching Alan Garcia beaming with Joy after winning the Hopeful and
clinching the Jockey Title

Some final shots from the closing day at the Spa:



Leading Jockey Alan Garcia heading to the Track for the 2nd Race aboard Pals First Lady



The Post Parade before the Hopeful Stakes



Shade descends upon the Grandstand & Clubhouse as the final race ends and the sun sets upon closing day at the Spa

Professional Curlin

Standing at the rail just past the finish line watching Curlin was watching a true professional athlete at work. He knows how to win and won the Woodward at the Spa before 22,572 appreciative fans. I was never worried watching the race. Maybe some expected a complete romp, but I was happy with the performance, the time was solid and the Beyer figure was 112. Do I think he walks on water? No. But I am happy to watch the Horse of the Year continue his career as a 4 year old instead of running off to the Breeding shed. Was this enough to bring in new fans and label him a spectacular horse to save the industry ? No, but I can't blame Curlin for that. You can't blame NYRA for marketing the horse either (although most fans I spoke to at the meet disliked the tacky themed poster). They have to market someone and with Big Brown staying at the Jersey Shore this summer, Curlin is the horse NYRA had to market.

Having seem him run now 3 times in person, from the Belmont in '07, the Breeders Cup in '07 and now at Saratoga, you definitely see how this horse has matured and grown. Physically he is such a fit horse and beautiful to see in person.

As he came onto the track Saturday a splattering of applause begin on the clubhouse end of the track as people recognized Curlin. Then when Tom Durkin annouced the # 5 horse as Curlin more applause followed. When he came back to the winners circle after galloping out after his win, the crowd gave a warm applause. Here are some photos from the day:



Photographs waiting to get the perfect shot as the Gate is loaded for the Woodward



Curlin walking back to the Winners Circle after the Woodward Win



Curlin getting a hose down as the handlers are in the Winners Circle



Asmussen and Albarado in the Winners Circle



Offspring at the Rail--training him well

Saratoga Last Weekend Notes

Friday is Twilight Racing-1st post 2:45 pm.

21 year old Jockey Jackie Davis, daughter of retired Jockey Robbie Davis, makes her professional debut today at the Spa aboard 2 year old NY bred Shifty Guy in the 5th race.

Curlin draws the 5th Post in the Woodward Stakes at morning line odds of 3-5. The odds will drop and I figure he will go off at 2-5 or maybe even 1-5.

If you are gonna pick anyone else to win, pick Divine Park. Trainer Kiaran Mclaughlin is red hot, he has won 7 of his last 13 starts since Travers Day and now sits atop the Trainers Standings at the Spa with 16 wins.

With Curlin taking the Horse of the Year, then winning big races as a 4 year old including the Dubai Cup, where does he stand among the greats? For a interesting read on this, check out writer MaryJean Wall's take on her blog "Celebrating the Horse".

Weather looks good for the weekend with Sun forecast for the entire Holiday Weekend. There is a chance of a shower or 2 on Saturday but not a washout and the latest forecast has the showers staying south of Saratoga on Saturday.

Attendance for Saturday to see Curlin run? I'll throw out a prediction of 26,200. Sunday is cooler giveaway day so expect the usual spinner inflated figure of about 55,000. Closing Day on Monday should bring out about 20,000 or so.

NYRA goes Marketing

After barely mentioning Curlin's presence in June at Belmont Park for the Man 'O War, NYRA has finally gotten smart and pulled out the marketing engine for Curlin's debut at Saratoga this Saturday in the Woodward. The website for NYRA prominently mentions Curlin and they even have a page called "Curlin's Corner". The website itself could still be much better and interactive than it is, but it is light years ahead of where it was this time last year.

So Curlin gets the Key to the City of Saratoga Springs and posters will be given out to the the first 20,000 fans to enter the track. What do you think the attendance will be? Charlie Heyward, president of NYRA, is looking for 30,000 according to his interview with Sherry Ross of the Daily News.

Attendance was up for week 5, with thanks going to the dry weather all week. As been the case all season, rain will keep the crowds down, sun will keep the crowds coming. I don't know if we will see 30,000 there on Saturday. Seems a tad too optimistic. If memory serves me correctly I think about 22,000 were there the last Saturday of the meet when Lawyer Ron took the Woodward. Figure curiosity about Curlin will bring in another 4000-6000 for a total of 26,000-28,000 total fans in my estimation. My gang going with me this Saturday increased from 8 people to 12 with 4 of the 12 being 1st time visitors. Imagine seeing Curlin on your first visit to a racetrack ? With many out of towners already gone and school starting this week for many kids, it will be tough to bring in really huge numbers. If they actually exceed 30,000 NYRA will be more than satisfied.

Travers Day Recap

One can argue all day about the quality of this years 3 year old crop running in the Travers. But each year after I walk out of the Track on Travers Day towards Siro's to drink and discuss the days events I look for two things-will I have memories of the day and did I have fun. The 2008 Travers was an affirmative Yes on both accounts for me.

----The crowd was 40,723. I thought the crowd was a pretty good # and my pre meet guess of 42,500 on The Equispace blog Toga contest was the closest allowing me to finally break my maiden in the contest.

----The weather was even better than I expected. Some of the morning forecasts predicted a little bit of humidity but there was none to be had. In fact the weather was incredible, a far difference from the oppressive humidity of Travers '07

----A roar went up in my section of the grandstand when Slambino in the 7th race came across the wire at 88-1. One of my gang had him in a show bet prompting the immediate "why didn't you bet him to win" post race wise guy comments. A even greater roar went up when the pay amounts went up on the board showing a $105,914 trifecta and $1,523,188 superfecta. No one actually hit the $2 superfecta but there were 2 bettors who had the 10 cents superfecta that paid $76,159.40.

----I often find that horseplayers disagree on who is a good jockey and who is not. I am no expert but this Alan Garcia kid looks to me to be a good jockey. He won 5 races yesterday and seems really good on the turf. He is now the leading winning jockey in the meet.

----Visionaire won the Kings Bishop, coming out of the clouds with Alan Garcia on board. I had J be K like many others. Of course when the race was over the horse looks like a no brainer to pick especially at those odds, paying $15.60 to win.

----The Travers Stakes itself was one thrilling race. The crowd gave it's usual pre race roar as race caller Tom Durkin announced that "They're in the Gate" Then the horses got off clean and the crowd roared louder. As the horses turned and came down the final stretch Mambo in Seattle made a move on the outside of Da'Tara and caught up to Colonel John and they both barreled toward the finish side by side. We all leaned forward as it was obvious they would stay this way to the finish and we would need to look closely at the finish. I thought Mambo in Seattle had him at the wire and many in the crowd thought so too. We waited and waited and then Colonel John's # was posted first with Mambo in Seattle and then Pyro third. Even when they showed the replay a couple of times it was so hard to tell who won they were so close. Give me a race like that and who cares if Big Brown is not there.

----With 12 packed races and many long shots hitting in the undercard, it was a fun day. It was then off to Broadway and Caroline Street for the usual post race revelry. As one person I bumped into later said so simply: " I love this town"

Ginger Punch Prevails

22988 were on hand to watch Ginger Punch take the Personal Ensign Grade 1 Stakes in a thrilling race at the Spa. With Ginger Punch winning the Go for Wand in come from behind fashion the 1st weekend and the Proud Spell/Music Note duel last week, the fillies and mares have put on quite a show this meet. I was going nuts watching today's stretch drive from my seat and shakily snapped this picture with my cell phone as Ginger Punch makes her move in mid-stretch against Lemon Drop Mom. From my seat at the eight pole looking towards the finish line it looked like Lemon Drop Mom won by a nose, but the photo revealed Ginger Punch got up in the final jump.

It was a thrilling Friday on this Travers weekend with Ginger Punch winning again as well as several photo finishes and a 44-1 winner in the 7th (Quick Comeback), part of a $23,323.00 winning Trifecta payout.

The Spa was jumping with near perfect weather today and with the full turf fields and long shot winners spread out throughout the day, it was a ton of fun. I can't wait to be back Saturday for The Travers.

It will be a Derby Like field for the Mid Summer Derby with 12 horses. The betting will be spread out with no clear cut betting choice. Who do you like? I will take a shot with Harlem Rocker, Mambo in Seattle and Macho Again. Enjoy the day, enjoy the card, enjoy the Spa.

Make it mean something

In the blogosphere the big doings has been talk about the NTRA Marketing Summit and how to sustain fans, particularly younger fans under 30 in this industry.

There is the usual entries-market it as a sport vs. market it as gambling, lower takeouts, customer service, etc. Well, this weekend under sunny skies the track will be packed at Saratoga. Why don't we look at the reasons the track will be packed this weekend and work on marketing that year round:

1. It is an event. ie : "The Travers"
2. The meet is short and not too long
3. You can bring in your own food/beer/wine etc-customer friendly to the everyman fan
4. Graded Stakes races, quality races, full fields, horses you know by name are racing
5. It is cool to be there-great crowd mix

To me in my opinion the other tracks are not as packed because the meets are way too long, poor fields, poor customer service and not cool to be there. Sure there are other problems, early horse retirement, drugs, synthetics, etc but if we run meets year round that have meaning and properly market those specific meets on TV, Internet, with a Standings System (see right hand column- TBA Standings), you have something to go on. Anyway, if you are at the track this weekend, look around and formulate your own ideas on what works and what does not.

Common Sense

So Yesterday around 5 pm or so I am driving down the highway listening to Ch. 126 on Sirius to "At the Races with Steve Byk" and Trainer Bobby Ribaudo (Trainer of Sword Dancer Winner Grand Couturier)is on and he says something like- If we are so concerned about what drugs we put into horses and we want them to be natural why would we run them on a unnatural surface (synthetic)? He also said something like, what about all that synthetic stuff the horses are now breathing into their lungs?

The above is not an exact quote as I was driving at the time and don't drink and drive or write and drive. But you get the point. Good old fashion New Yorker talking from the heart and thinking out loud. I'm thinking-wow, common sense. Where is the common sense in this sport? We need the head leaders of this sport to listen to guys like this. Maybe our Thoroughbred Bloggers Association com padres at the NTRA upcoming Marketing Summit can push some more good ole common sense down the pike.

Linda Rice hits the Trainer Superfecta

Congratulations to one of my favorite Trainers Linda Rice who hit the Trainer Superfecta in the 6th race at the Spa Today, as all 4 horses she saddled in the 6th race, a $80,000 5 1/2 furlong turf race for 3 year olds and up, came in 1-2-3-4 in the 9 horse field.

The horses were Ahvee's Destiny, Canadian Ballet, Silver Timber, and Karakorum Elektra. Lest you think she did it with 4 favorites, she did not. The win price on Ahvee's Destiny was $20.60. The exacta paid $248.00; the Trifecta paid $914.00 and the Superfecta hit for $3,490.00.

Todd Pletcher picked up a win today and leads all trainers this meet with 12 wins. Richard Dutrow Jr picked up 2 wins today and is now in 2nd with 9 wins. Linda Rice has 6 wins for the meet (tied for 5th in the trainer standings).

Monday Morning Saratoga Notes

It was a sun splashed weekend at the Spa, highlighted by the thrilling stretch run between Proud Spell and Music Note. Proud Spell now stands atop the 3 yr old Filly Standings. Of course with the Breeders Cup on a Synthetic Surface, don't expect Proud Spell to be running this October in the BC.

It felt downright strange to have a complete weekend of sun at the Spa. 32,344 were there on Saturday with a "spinner" inflated crowd of 65,598 coming out on Sunday. For an interesting monetary breakdown on the #'s and handle on a spinner/giveaway day check out Steve Zorns Blog.

Due to a family commitment I arrived at the track late today and was told that the coupon for the giveaway shirts were all gone. The place was mobbed when I first got there with many spinners carrying 10 shirts at a time. I find the giveaway days for the most part to be annoying as the non racing spinners just tend to crowd up the track with no interest or regard for the racing. Luckily the spinners departed early with most of them gone by the time the feature race, the John's Calls Stakes went off. With the spinners gone, I got a great spot along the Paddock fence to see 17 year old John's Call lead the Post Parade.

The picture above is of a sun splashed Cornelio Velasquez aboard Dancing Tin Man, 2nd half of a $27.60 exacta ticket I managed to cash in on the 7th race on Sunday.

The highlight of the weekend and the meet thus far was The Alabama Stakes. For all the bad things we hear about the sport, if that race doesn't get your heart racing, I don't know what does.

Sweet Home Alabama

Seems like only yesterday I was sitting in the Grandstand on a beautiful Sunny August day watching the Alabama Stakes. Carl Nafzger trainee Lady Joanne riden by Calvin Borel, was the 9-2 third choice behind Panty Raid and Octave. Lear's Princess, who was near the back of the field early, followed Lady Joanne into the final stretch. The pair battled through the final furlong, with Lady Joanne holding off Lear's Princess in the final strides to prevail by a neck in 2:03.62.

Well, a year later and the 'Bama Stakes features a strong 6 horse field of 3 year old fillies. Oaks winner Proud Spell (2nd in the TBA standings) will be challenged by Music Note and Little Belle. The caveat here is that Music Note could be a morning scratch if Goldophins Stable decides to run her against the boys in the Travers Stakes next Saturday. In this corner, I hope Music Note stays in the Alabama. I am more excited to see her run against these 3 year old fillies rather than see her run next week in the Travers. Also keep an eye on Sweet Vendetta, winner of the Black Eyed Susan at Pimlico and Muska, last years Demoiselle Stakes winner. In short this race has alot of Juice and should be fun.

The 'Bama crowd at the Spa always seem to be lively and this year, with Sun (ok , some clouds mixed in and a chance of showers) forecast and The Sword Dancer on the undercard, expect a big crowd. I had some extra Grandstand seats and I had many takers when I offered them to the first responder. With nice weather, the eagerness to enjoy a sunny day at the Spa is suddenly a commodity.

Attendance has also picked up with 19,000 plus on Wednesday and Thursday this week and 20,000 plus on Friday. Last years Alabama Stakes card drew 33,083. Based on the encouraging #'s this week and the nice forecast (so far) for Saturday look for a crowd between 32,000-35,000. With a new giveway day on Sunday, and an even better day forecast-the long sleeve T-Shirt-expect a strong "spinner" # of 55,000 plus. The giveway shirt is white with a cheap looking silk screen photo imprint on the front and sure to lose it's shape after one washing but that will not stop the spinners from coming out.

More Curlin and Big Brown back and forth

The Soap Opera continues.

Curlin owner Jess Jackson challenges Big Brown to run in the Woodward at the Spa on August 30th, promising he would donate $50,000 from the Jackson Curlin for Kids Fund to the non-profit Belmont Child Care Association if Big Brown came to the race.

Of course, to the surprise of no one, Michael Ivarone of IEAH says no with a comment that the offer was "sad"

After snubbing NYRA's summer meet including the Travers and Woodward, Ivarone now waits for NYRA to bend over and set up a mid September turf race for his horse.

Crazy.

18 Days in the Books

We are officially at the half way point of the 36 day Saratoga Race Meet. On the 18th day we had what else-rain. It rained all day today- it was heavy at times-and 4 more races were taken off the turf for a total of 24 races taken off the turf thus far this meet..

So the biggest stories thus far at least from my vantage point are:

1. The Weather--Rain, Rain, and more Rain. Even when the day starts out sunny, rain comes in at some point and rains at least part of the day. The rain has often times been very heavy-including opening day, Friday August 8th, resulting in a cancelled card after 2 races, and today. We also have had lightning and hail, by my count on 3 different race days at the track.

2. Attendance-down from last year. Attendance through the first 18 days this year totaled 405,616, down 18.9 percent compared with the 500,280 fans who attended the first 18 cards last year. This includes a rain shortened card on August 8th.

3. Curlin to run in the Woodward--Just the shot in the arm the Spa needed. Curlin will run on August 30th on the Dirt in the Woodward.

4. Pletcher--Todd Pletcher has returned to the top of the Trainer Standings with 10 wins including 5 wins for his 2 year old's (out of 15 that ran)

5. A better second half of the meet--With such lousy weather everyone has been pointing to the last 3 weeks which feature a strong Alabama Field-Proud Spell, Little Belle and possibly Music Note, a full Travers Field (including possibly filly Music Note) and Curlin in the Woodward on the last weekend.

The weather calls for more rain through Thursday but Sunny for Alabama Day and the long range forecast calls for nice and dry weather for the last 10 days in August.

The Sun will come out Tomorrow

An all day rainstorm on opening day, 18 races taken off the turf over 14 racing days and now a rain and hailstorm resulting in a cancelled card on Friday after 2 races run. The handle lost for the day was about 2.5 million, and when the meet is over many will point to the lower overall handle and attribute the soft economy as the main reason. In this case it is the weather, just crazy weather over the 14 days of the meet run thus far. But there are 22 days left, the Alabama, Travers and Curlin are still to come and the weather has got to get better, right??? I remain the optimist, gas is down to $3.78 (if coming up the Northway, get off Exit 10 and 2 cheap stations yards away on the right side) the sun is shining today and a day at the Spa is still better than a day anywhere else this time of year.

On a programming note, the Arlington Million and Beverly D. Stakes from Arlington Park will be on ESPN today at 4:30. Will Einstein add to his points total (440) in the turf division against this strong field going in the Million?

No Graded Stakes Races This Weekend @ the Spa

The 3rd weekend of the Saratoga meet will have no Graded Stakes Races. Thats right, no Grade I, no Grade II, not even a Grade III. The best NYRA can do is 4 overnight Stakes on an 11 race card for Saturday. The feature race on Saturday, a NY Bred race for Fillies and Mares -The Yaddo Handicap, has been moved to Sunday as they could not fill the field for Saturday.

A weekend without a Graded Stakes race at Saratoga just does not sound right. Bad enough the weather has put a damper on the meet thus far but now we have a weekend with no Graded Stakes racing. A "boutique" meet like Saratoga should have strong fields with Graded Stakes racing on the weekends-end of story. That is how it used to be and in a perfect world we could go back from The Summer Place To Be too The August Place To Be with a 4 week meet and Graded races every weekend-The Whitney for week 1 The Alabama for week 2, The Travers for week 3 and The Woodward/Hopeful/Spinaway for week 4.

Lets get back to making the meet an event with the best racing every weekend instead of the best racing on some of the weekends. Compact the meet, increase the quality of the racing cards and bring in more people per day over a shorter period of time. The net attendance/handle should even out, at least in my way of thinking. Or is just about the simulcast and putting out a card every day.

Week 3 Day 1-Sights @ the Track

Week 3 is underway at the Spa. Despite rain in the morning the sun came out when racing began. 16,651 came out on a Wednesday to watch 6 maiden races and Sackatoga Stable/Tagg trained Doc n Roll win the feature race. The crowd today was pretty good and everyone seemed eager to come out and not use an umbrella. The cost of Gas around here has dropped about 25 cents in the last week and the mood seems much more upbeat around the track. Without an umbrella in my hand, I was able to walk around , take in the sights and snap some photos.


The morning begins as usual with rain showers, washing out the tours


Sunny with Dark Clouds to the North-typical of weather so far this meet


But the rain holds off as the sun shines as Vicarious wins the 3rd


The Paddock awaiting today's horses


The Bell that gets rung at 17 minutes to Post


Javier Castellano aboard 2 year old Yes I'm Clever before the 5th race


Javier Castellano after winning on 2 year old maiden winner Yes I'm Clever


Till the next time...

Dark Day Notes

Dark Day Notes-8/05/08

- Speculation continues on Big Brown and where he will run (or if) next.

-If Curlin runs the Woodward will the Big Brown crew take a shot and run?

-Day one of the Fasig-Tipton Preferred Yearling Sales is complete. See sales results here.

-A very worthwile Charity Benefit sponsored by Horse Society takes place Tuesday 8/5/08 at Saratoga Trackside Favorite Siro's Restaurant to benefit Old Friends, a retirement facility for Kentucky Thorougbreds. The good thing about this event is that you get in for only 30 bucks and all of your 30 bucks will go directly to the good folks at Old Friends. The event kicks off at 6 pm with drink specials, complimentary food , music, an auction and other fun stuff.

--Mary Lou Whitney owned horse Ninth Client, a 2 year old maiden, an ode to Former New York State Luv Gov Spitzer, won the 5th at Saratoga in a dead heat to appropriately (you can't make this stuff up) named Skipadate. It must have been theme day as Paradise Playgirl won the 4th and Under Serviced won the 3rd.

Monmouth biggest winner on Big Brown's Haskell Win

Was Big Brown's win in the Haskell at Monmouth a good win or not?

Like many others I was rooting for him to lose. I am sick of the whole IEAH/Dutrow/Kent back and forth. But despite all that, like many others, I did watch the race today (Thank you who ever invented the DVR). For me it is a good win-the splits were good, the final time was good and he was able to run down Coal Play when it counted. Is he the Super Horse that many described him as before the Belmont? To me, no way, but he did win a Grade 1 race and a win is a win is a win. If he failed to catch Coal Play everyone would be saying he sucked, but he did catch him, so he deserves credit.

The #'s on attendance and handle were winners for Monmouth, especially compared with a so far soft Delmar and Saratoga meet attendance wise. Alot of people came out to Monmouth and this shows me that that people will come out to watch a Horse they know by name and are familiar with, even if they dislike the Handlers connected with the Horse. The Haskell drew record wagering of $4,257,409, with a single-day record total handle of $17,642,954. Attendance was a very nice at 45,312. Don't forget the people who watched it on TVG, ESPN Classic or DVR/TIVO'd it for later watching. Could you imagine how much BB would increase Travers Day handle and attendance @ Saratoga if he ran? What if he runs at Suffolk Downs in the Mass. Handicap or Philly Park in the Pennsylvania Derby? You think those two second tier tracks would not love to have BB run and fill the stands up?

People love to go too sporting events to see stars, even if they can't stand the handlers surrounding the star or even the star himself. Look at all the talk about Manny Ramirez this week-love him or hate him- the man sells tickets. I know I have started flipping on ESPN Sportscenter late @ night to check out how Manny is doing out west.Horse racing is no different than any other sport. Give us an exciting athlete we know, with a story to follow, good or bad, and we will come out.

Saturday Morning Notes

The Saratgoa Race Track today will get no break again this Saturday 08/02/08-with showers and heavy thunderstorms forecast as coming in. This will no doubt keep the numbers down again. The Grandstand only seats about 8000 with most people staying outside. The weekend attendance figures particularly get hurt by bad weather as Saratoga has a large "backyard contingent" that picnics in this area with many locals coming for the day. However if you have ever had a picnic in the rain, it sucks, and people stay home. In contrast, yesterday, Friday was sunny up at the track and Constant Companion MBA and I felt a nice breeze. The place was pretty lively and 19,435 came out for a non-twilight racing day.

In todays feature at the Spa, look for 3 year old filly, Indian Blessing, currently # 3 in the TBA standings to move up the ladder with a win today. Maybe bet her in a late double with a horse in the 11th race to pick up some gas money. If you don't feel like getting wet you can choose online horse racing

Over at the Paulick Report, you can find an article on CNET founder Halsey Minor, who is interested in buying and restoring Hialeah Racetrack in Florida. What caught my eye is this quote from Minor:

"The number one thing I’m going to do is work on putting fans in the stands. Everything I do is going to be designed to make the day more interesting. The day’s got to be shorter and faster. You’ve got to find ways to help people figure out how to bet and without looking at complicated forms."

This frank talk is what I find refreshing and needed in the sport. First of all make it a sport with gambling not just gambling. Encourage fan education, promote standings like the TBA standings on the right side of this column and keep it simple. How many of us after years or reading the form, still get confused when looking at it. It is great for the expert handicapper that goes to Saratoga and bets all those races plus the simulcasts all day from Monmouth, Arlington, Delaware Park and Finger Lakes but the hodgepodge of numbers and inside terms scare away most fans who just end up picking favorite #'s or cute names because the program/form/whatever is so damm confusing to them.

If you want to sell a car the old adage is always KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid). Why can't we do the same with racing?

A real cool place to go

It is many a predictable pattern of many Saratoga Visitors on Saturday to hit the Track, then have a drink or two at Siro's, Horseshoe Inn, or other similiar establishment then to downtown for eating at many of the various restaurants and more drinking on Broadway and Caroline Street.

For those in the area this Saturday, I recommend two other options-both at the same location-The Saratoga County Arts Council at 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs (at the corner of Broadway & Spring-right by Congress Park). At 5 pm is the opening for an art exhibition of the original Travers posters from the last 25 years by Greg Montgomery, the artist, and book signing for The History and Art of 25 Travers by Vic Zast and Greg Montgomery. Montgomery's posters are the signature image of the Travers. They are the longest continuing series of sporting art in the world now standing at 25 years. His posters are very colorful and original and I look forward every year to the new one coming out.

At 8:00 pm in the same building the Saratoga Film Forum will show "Lost in the Fog" a self titled documentary about this fantastic horse who was only with us for a short time before succumbing to cancer. I only saw Lost in The Fog run once live, in the Kings Bishop at Saratoga-He just shot out of the gate and kept coming. The fans were in awe watching this beautiful animal sprint.There are a few races that when I want to recall, I close my eyes and see it again crystal clear in my head-the Kings Bishop run by Lost in The Fog is one of them. Head over to Brooklyn Backstretch for a nice interview with the filmmaker John Corey. I saw "The First Saturday in May" at this building. It is a cozy little place and a great place to see films year round.

Here comes the Sun

I had touted Western Fable, a 1st time starter in the 5th race at the Spa on Wednesday, but Double Domino (out of Pletcher's barn) and Dougie finish 1st and 2nd with Western Fable placing 4th.

A strange sighting at the track today-we made it through the entire card without any rain. After week one of seeing Saratoga become a vast wasteland of gray skies, no crowds and many declaring it dead and out we actually had a day of sunny skies at the track. As evidenced by the photo on this post, some folks actually came to the track today too. The attendance was a so-so 12,128. I don't know what the 2nd Wednesday did last year, but my guess is that it was definitely higher than 12,128.

Interestingly, I found the restaurants this past weekend in Saratoga to be packed, despite the low turnout at the track, evidence that people are spending their money somewhere, just not at the track. According to the Daily Gazzette some restaurants in Saratoga Springs had their best first week ever.

I guess we will have to get a few days in a row of sunny dry weather to see if the fans ever intend to come out in a more larger fashion.

Week 2 Starts -Tip of the Day

Week 2 gets underway and in Race 5 we have a 2 year old Maiden Special Weight for 2 year old NY State Breds on the Turf for a $56,000 purse. In these types of races I like to play the stable angle. The # 5 horse is Western Fable a 2 yo colt bred and owned by Flying Zee Stables. In 2008 Flying Zee Stables have placed 1st,2nd, or 3rd 80 times out of 185 starters for a in the money % of 43%. Yours truly spoke to Carlos Martin, the trainer of Western Fable, after being introduced to him by a mutual friend and trainer who was a guest of mine this weekend. We spoke with him Saturday after the Whitney card and Carlos was very high on a couple of his horses running this meet, particularly this 2 year old colt Western Fable. The morning line on him is 6-1. # 1 horse Dougie out of Zayat Stables LLC will be the bettors 1st choice (morning line 3-1) so I think you will be getting this horse with good valve.

Sarotaga Race # 5-July 30th
Horse # 5-Western Fable

Who's Hot, Who's Not

Crazy weekend at the Spa. Recovering from 3 straight days of betting, watching, drinking and eating downtown. Too tired too blog but here is my view on who's hot and who's not for the first week at the Spa

Hot
Commentator
Cribnote (2 yr. old out of Violette barn)
Munnings (2 yr old of sire Speighstown)
Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds-our group bumped into him after Macho Again took the Jim Dandy-he was real pumped up, and why not-despite the slow time it is still a Graded Stakes win at the Spa.

Not
The weather-except for Friday, the weather hammered the track and hurt attendance
Attendance/On Track Handle-the windows seemed real light-especially on Jim Dandy Day when I barely had to wait at the windows-the clubhouse and grandstand was very quiet all day. Already more turf races moved off than all of last year. Forget about attendance equaling last year after this week of weather
Da'Tara-no way Da'Tara could sprint with Mint Lane and be there at the end

Weekend Picks-Saratoga

The big money race on this "Win and Your In" weekend is the Whitney Stakes. When I think about this race I always think about Onion upsetting Secretariat in the Whitney Stakes after Secretariat won the triple crown in '73. This photo is a head on shot of the final stretch Drive.

Twilight Racing Day Today-the weather is sunny, breezy and DRY-however the turf is still wet so everything but the Lake George is off the Turf, or so they are saying this morning. I will be at the Track all weekend so look for a wrap-up with photos on Monday as weekend blogging will be limited due too track festivities and the like.

Weekend Selections:

7/25/08-Race #3-Hamsa $2 to Win
Race #8-My Princess Jess/Zee Zee -$2 Exacta Box
7/26/08 Race #8-Bustin Stones-$20 to Win (The Alfred G Vanderbilt)
Race 10-Notional/Grasshopper/Commentator-Tri Box $2 (The Whitney)
7/27/08 Jim Dandy-Grade II--Pyro -$5 W/P/S

Total Blog selections ROI to Date: $0

Best Bet-Bustin Stones-#3 in the TBA Standings in the Sprint Division-Look for him to rise up the standings after Saturday's race. The horse is rested after missing the Met Mile. He is 6-0 and Look for a big Winners circle for Local owner Roddy Valente. Valente is a owner of RJ Valente Gravel Inc. about 20 miles from the track. He got into this game in 1992 and this would be his first stakes winner.

Thoughts and Photos from Opening Day 2008

Wow, that's alot of Rain!! I have been at Saratoga many times before during a drenching shower or thunderstorm but this was the longest sustained rainfall I can remember at the Track while I was there. Constant Companion MBA and I arrived in perfect time for post time and my $2 bet on Star Player paid off a tidy $10.20 which became my seed money for the rest of the day resulting in an overall 10 race net payoff of $11.80. Kudos to all of the die-hards, 18,127 strong, who showed up and braved the rain. Of course upon leaving after the 10th race, It was an absolute monsoon, so after staying dry in the Grandstand in Section O, we got drenched anyway walking to our car. We ditched a visit to Siro's and went straight to an excellent dinner at Maestro's in downtown Saratoga. Missed the fellow TBA bloggers who made it to Siro's but think I saw one over in Section M. Here are some photos from the day:


Winning $16.60 Exacta Ticket in the 2nd-Cognito/Brave Victory; When you only bet $2 at a time, this ticket is like gold.


Wright Street Entrance-12:30 pm -light drizzle at this point.


Lookin at Her at 1/8th pole in nice stretch duel with Fiddlers Afleet in the 5th Race


The Canoe featuring Winning Travers Stakes Colors (Street Sense)


Looking from our section in Section O towards Clubhouse area


Final stretch drive of the Schuylerville Stakes on very sloppy track/heavy rain

Bring on the Mudders

The forecast for Opening Day looks bleak. Expect Showers around the 1 pm post time, than the probability of steady rain by the 4th or 5th race.

Such a shame as last year was such a sunny beautiful day to be at the Spa with 30,000 plus fans. Last year as a whole featured good weather over the 36 day meet. Good weather is essential to this meet. Never mind the economy, keep an eye on the weather to better forecast the attendance for this meet. Sunny days keeps the locals coming and the spur of the moment crowd. The backyard picnic area is a huge draw, but not so fun when 2 inches of rain are forecast. Luckily for me and my Constant Companion MBA, we have seats under cover in the Grandstand and will be taking in the races from there with limited walks to the paddock and for people watching. Our camera will be with us and I will post photos from Opening Day. Rain or no Rain it is still the Spa and I would rather be nowhere else. Like Christmas when I was a kid and baseball opening day the anticipation for the Opening Day at the Spa is such a great feeling. Tommorrow I enter Heaven on Earth and stay there for 36 racing days over a 42 day time period.

Just for fun I will try to handicap this meet and post occasional picks. I figure my picks are as good as the old guy standing outside the Wright Street entrance gate to the the track who charges you for his picks. He is always there, and when you ask him how he did the day before it always the same: "7 winners on top, 4 exactas and 1 pick 3". You think it would mix it up just to keep everyone on their toes. My goal is always to leave the track with enough money to pay for my drinks later that evening. If you have more lofty goals, please consult with the more astute handicappers out there.

I will stay away from the turf races with the rain forecast. In the 9th race-the Grade III Schyulerville Stakes for 2 y.o. fillies, I like a $2 exacta box on Ocean Colors, Boom Town Sally. (#1,8 ex box) and in the 5th, $2 to win on Storm Hope.(#5, Win). Total Investment: $6.00

Opening Day Facts

With Just one day to rest up for Opening Day at Saratoga here are some figures to ponder...

Best opening day attendance at the Saratoga Race Track - 32,913 (2002)
Best opening day on Track handle-3,789,795 (2007)
Best total opening Day handle-15,533,027 (2006)

The opening day attendance this year should be strong-but not a record. Last year, under a gorgeous sunny sky with low humidity, attendance was 30,052. The photo in this post, taken by myself on opening day 2007, gives you an idea of the pristine weather that day. The weather is forecast to be more iffy this year, with higher humidity and possible rain, so lets go with 29,285. I expect on track handle (reflective of the feel good atmosphere at Saratoga) to be strong at 3,700,000 with total on and off track handle (more reflective of the less than stellar economy) dipping a bit to be about 14,500,000.

Overall I am sticking with my position that attendance overall for the meet will be very strong. Contrary to the "sky is falling crowd" who love to trumpet how terrible the economy is doing and how people are choosing gas over food-I see no starving people in the streets of Saratoga. The restaurants are packed, the Caroline street bars are elbow to elbow, the hotels from Clifton Park at Exit 9- up to Wilton at Exit 15 are booked (the track is off Exit 13 and/or exit 14), and everyone who came up last year is here now and the mood is festive. The uniqueness of this meet, the generally strong fields and the draw of the Saratoga scene seems to trump current economic conditions.

Interview-Michael Amo (Thorofan)

I recently had the opportunity to interview Michael Amo, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Racing Fans Assocation aka Thorofan . We talked about the genesis of the group, background of the founders, involvement of NYRA, and the goals of Thorofan.

They’re in the Gate (TITG): Mr. Amo-How did the idea for Thorofan come about?

M. Amo: Last fall during the NYRA franchise negotiation, we noticed that the fans were not asked for input. Fearful that our favorite pastime could be destroyed by the wrong bidder, we were very concerned. We began to explore the role the fan has played in the industry across the nation to date. Very little evidence could be found, save a focus group. We wondered why. After all we are an integral part of the sport, why shouldn't our "voice be heard?" A small group of fans from around the state began to have regular brainstorming meetings to think what might be down. The result was, "Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc or Thorofan."

TITG: Is the Group Non-Profit and do you have your 501(c)3 filing?

M. Amo: Yes in New York State. We are working on our 501(c)3 application.

TITG: Tell me a little about yourself and the vice chair Joanne Yepsen and the Secy/treas. Niki Lee Rowe? How long have you been a fan and how did you become a fan?

M. Amo: After graduate school, a few us went to the 1978 Belmont Stakes. I was hooked. I haven't missed a Belmont since then; waiting for the next TC. I have been coming to Saratoga since 1980. Along the way I have "raced" at Gulfstream, Oaklawn, Santa Anita, Hollywood, Fairmont, Pimlico, Monmouth, Suffolk, Fort Erie, Fair Grounds, Retema Park, Sam Houston, Keeneland, Churchill and Turfway. Niki Lee Rowe is the horseman. She grew up in southern California riding competitively. Exercised Thoroughbreds at Garden State, Monmouth, Bowie and Belmont. She spent years living on working breeding farms in California. Joanne Dittes Yepsen is local Saratoga fan. She is passionate about her home track and racing in New York in general.

TITG: What does Thorofan hope to accomplish on behalf of the fan?

M. Amo: We want to give the fan a voice. To do that we most first mobilize fans like ourselves. With a critical mass of Thoroughbred racing fans our voice will be heard. We want to enrich the fans experience through tangible benefits, education, interaction and advocacy. We want to use our voice to take positions on critical issue to the fans facing the sport and industry. These issues will come from the fans. What they want we want.

TITG: Can you outline some short term and long term goals of the group?

M. Amo:
Long Term Goals
1. Enhance fan enjoyment
2. Enhance fan knowledge of the sport
3. Enhance fan handicapping skill base
4. Gain cooperation with other organizations in the thoroughbred business community
5. Continually develop a substantial and growing membership
6. Continually research and develop new fan benefits
7. Continually research and develop positions on issues important to the membership and the sport
8. Procure funds through corporate memberships, fundraising, website advertising etc. to fully fund TRFA’s administrative costs so that all member dues will be used for the enhancement of our members’ enjoyment, knowledge, and participation in the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

Goals – 2008

1. Develop cooperative working relationship with NYRA
2. Develop cooperative relationships with all Thoroughbred Racing vendors III.
3. Develop special non-voting corporate memberships
4. Develop a substantial website to enhance member interest, knowledge, and enjoyment
5. Develop bus trips for members to New York racetracks
6. Have presence at signature events at all NYRA tracks
7. Develop seminars and programs for members
8. Have a membership base of 10,000 by December 31, 2008
9. Have a 2009 membership renewal rate of 90%


TITG: I noticed that NYRA is a corporate contributor. What exactly does that entail?

M. Amo: NYRA has not contributed any money to our development efforts. They have provided us with a location at the Saratoga Race Course to register new members and offer some basic education programs. We are grateful for their help. But we are totally independent of NYRA. We are about the voice of the fan, not marketing.

TITG: Can Thorofan be an independent fan driven organization, running independently of NYRA as far as what it hopes to accomplish?

M. Amo: Absolutely. We want to work with racing venues in New York and elsewhere to improve the fan experience.

TITG: Can we expect Thorofan to have a presence at Belmont and Aqueduct once Saratoga closes its meet?

M. Amo: It is our desire to work with NYRA at all their locations. We are also hoping to reach out to other tracks. We are planning a trip to Keeneland in October to begin the discussion there. We have had members join from Michigan and ask if there might be a Michigan chapter of Thorofan in the future?

TITG: Do you have any plans to open branches of the club at other areas of the country such as Kentucky, California Etc.?

M. Amo: Yes if their is a sufficient interest and fan base.

TITG: What is the cost too join and what are the benefits to members?

M. Amo: The 2008 membership is set at $25 discounted to $20 for on track registration. Members will get discounts from DRF, Thoroughbred Times and local area businesses. The membership card if used to its fullest will generate benefits many multiples of the dues. That will always be our philosophy.

TITG: What do you see as the issues that need to be addressed in this sport?

M. Amo: As fans we all can list a number of issues that need attention, drugs, takeouts, etc. Once our membership base is established we will reach out to members for input and direction. We want to be the collective voice of the fan.

TITG: Do you have plans to advocate actively on behalf of members needs such as horse welfare, promotion of the sport, use of drugs in the sport, gambling and ADW issues, etc?

M. Amo: Yes, if that is the desire of the membership!

TITG: Will non board members have a say in Thorofan advocacy issues?

M. Amo: Absolutely, our website will become more interactive and solicitive of member input. We are already trying to set up committees of the Board and are looking for members to participate. Anyone one interested should contact us at Board@thorofan.com.

TITG: What is your website?

M. Amo: www.thorofan.com

TITG: What has the reaction in the racing fan community been thus far.?

M. Amo: Very positive. We have all facets of the industry participating in our meetings.

TITG: Where do you see the sport of Thoroughbred Racing and Thorofan in 5 years?

M. Amo:I hope it grows and fans are drawn back to live racing. If NASCAR can do it why can't Thoroughbred racing? Unfortunately, the data suggest otherwise. I don't think the industry will be righted by "marketing schemes." Rather, I think if we get back to what racing is about, the fabulous Thoroughbred race horses, than our sport has a bright future.


Comments: Well , there you have it. Mr. Amo is an enthusiastic fellow and don’t be surprised when you see the Thorofan Table at the track this summer, if he is the person working behind the table.
We have had a number of “Fan” groups start up this summer including the very promising SAFC and HANA. This sport needs activism from the fans if things are too change for the better. If Thorofan sounds interesting to you, look for the Thorofan Table as you enter the Sarotoga Race Track near the entrance to the Grandstand or check them out at their website: www.thorofan.com.

The Baby Race and Beyond

I love the 2 year old "baby" races that have popped up at Belmont, and will be run at Delmar and Saratoga. They hold much allure for me as it does for others such as teresa over at Brooklyn Backstretch

I love going up to the Spa in the summer, picking a horse in a 2 year old baby race and then following along the way-maybe a Derby or Oaks winner, maybe a Breeders Cup Juvenile racer, maybe not. I bet many races, and forget very quickly, but for some reason the names of the horses I bet in the baby races always stick with me for years later.

Today in the 3rd race at Belmont Cool the Economy , a 4 year old runs in a fillies & mares allowance for $50,000. I saw her break her maiden at Saratoga in 2006. I brought my daughter and son to the track with me and my daughter picked Cool the Economy, I placed $2 on her and won a nice payoff of $14.00 when she finished 1st.

She then raced next in the Spinaway at Saratoga, finishing 5th. She did not become a champion but is a solid horse placing in 6 races out of 10 lifetime starts. Everytime she runs, I place a small wager on her. It reminds me of that 1st Hot summer sunny day when anyone can pick a winner in a baby race and dream that they have just witnessed the beginning of something special. I remember how excited my daughter was after Cool the Economy won and I walked out of the Great Old Track that day relishing the delight we had, all for a $3 general admission ticket.

So yes, today $2.00 too Win on Cool the Econony in the 3rd at Belmont

Summertime Attendance

Among my wish list for racing is for shorter meets, with better fields and more relevance to the racing days and dare I say a racing season. Belmont, Aqueduct and many others are just way, way too long. Yesterday, in the waning days of Belmont's Spring meet, just over 4,350 managed to pass through the gates at Belmont. Meanwhile, at Delmar, on Opening Day, 43,459, a record crowd came out. Next Wednesday at Saratoga for Opening Day will also see a strong turnout. Despite high food and gas prices if you give people a good product they will come out.

Why dilute the product with long drawn out meets with weak fields? The State racing associations love it but the fan (remember him) does not.

At Belmont today there is a race of interest to me. In the 4th race, a 2 year old maiden race, Prince Charming at morning line odds of 6-1 will be running. He is by 2002 Breeders Cup Juvenile Winner Vindication, who died last week.

Saratoga Open House-July 20th

It's not too early to think about what to do this weekend. If you are in the Saratoga Area and want to check out the Track, I suggest the Saratoga Open House at the track. Opening Day is July 23, 2008, but on Sunday, July 20th you can come to the track between 11am-4 pm and check it out. There is no actual pari-mutuel betting going on but The National Steeplechase Association will presenting a total of five races - four jump races and a training flat race, all featuring Thoroughbreds prepping for one of the seven Steeplechases during the Saratoga meet.

Best of all the event is Free. Free is always good. It is a good day to just walk around, check out the track in a non rushed atmosphere, walk around the backyard, check out the grandstand and just look around the grand old track. There are also Handicapping Seminars going on at various times throughout the day. I have attended these seminars in the past and they are helpful-especially if you are someone who is not an expert. There will be food vendors and the like there, and all proceeds go to an assortment of charities and non-profit groups. I like to stop in every year at the Open House for an hour or 2, as it charges me up for Opening Day. For more information click here

Sunday Ramblings

What I love about this sport is the discussions it generates. Like Baseball it is a sport of numbers, predictions, situations etc. After Curlin's second place finish in the Man 'O War at Belmont yesterday (before a small but Curlin adoring crowd of 8,420)we all can now speculate and discuss where Curlin goes from here. I thought his second place finish for his first time on grass was decent. I would hope they would "stay the course" and continue on turf. I think Curlin is one of these horses that constantly adjusts and will improve on his second time over the same surface.

For now, Curlin ships to Saratoga, not to run in the six week meet, but to train on the Oklahoma Training Track. At this point I have the feeling that they will bring him back to the dirt and point him to the BC Classic.

At Belmont today, in the 6th race, I have a feeling Sightseeing, can take this race. He is overdue for a win and has been in races with much better horses.

Thoroughbred Racing Fans Association

The “Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association” (TRFA) is now officially off and running. This new, non-profit membership organization is designed to give racing fans a ‘true voice” in the sport. Its mission is to foster growth of Thoroughbred racing by giving fans an organization to actively support their interests. The official website is www.thorofan.com

“Our goal is to enhance fan enjoyment of Thoroughbred racing. In the process, we hope that fans, whether regular participants or new-comers, will more fully experience the excitement of racing,” said Michael Amo, Chair of the association’s board of directors.

I recently had the opportunity to meet Mr. Amo and other founding members and they are one dynamic group. They believe that without the fan and horseplayer, racing does not exist. Like many of us they looked around at the recent troubling issues in thoroughbred racing and saw that no one was asking the fan what they thought. They have assembled an assortment of fans and horseman alike including advisory board member, Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga Stable LLC.

The buzz words they spoke about too me were “advocate, educate and excite”.
They will be very visible at Saratoga Race Course this summer with a regular table in the grandstand area. Fans can join the TRFA at the Track this summer or on-line at the TRFA website.

It has been a busy week as fellow bloggers Dana of Green but Game and Jessica of Railbird Media launched the Self Appointed Fan Committee with a simple agenda of making sure the fans voice is heard.

I believe the tide is turning as the fans out there are finding their voice and are not afraid to use it.

Promotion of the Product

Received this e-mail from NYRA today. Looks like they are finally learning that you must promote the product-Great horses running on your track.

ESPNEWS to televise Man 'O War Stakes

I believe we must promote horse racing as a sport first, with focus on the "product", that being our great, beautiful race horses. If we promote the great horses, give people standings (see right side column for TBA standings) to understand and make going to the Track and betting easier, we can succeed. Well one step forward as ESPNEWS, found on most cable systems, will televise the Man 'O War Stakes featuring Curlin on the Turf.

If you cannot get to Belmont, you will at least be able to see the race live.

National Museum of Racing to Show The First Saturday in May

The excellent documentary titled "The First Saturday in May" will be shown all summer long at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs NY. For those planning a trip up to the Track this summer take a walk across the street to see this film. You can find my prior movie review here. For the full schedule along with information on the Museum itself click here

Denis of Cork done for the year

Denis of Cork, the Belmont Stakes runner up will miss the remainder of the year with a hairline fracture. His Trainer David Carrol was pointing him to the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on opening weekend of the Saratoga meet and then the Grade 1 Travers. His owners did state they look forward to his 4 year old campaign. Lets hope we see him run in '09. So looking ahead, who is left to run in the Travers? Well, Nick Zito said he will run Belmont Stakes winner Da Tara (3rd in 3 yo colt standings) as well as Anak Nakal. Dwyer Stakes winner, Mint Lane, might also run.

This is why I love Race Call announcer Tom Durkin

One of the joys of going to Belmont or Saratoga is listening to The race call by Tom Durkin-he is just amazing, always calling the horses in the right order, putting the right amount of excitement into the call and when needed, injecting humor. This call from yesterday's card at Belmont says it all.

Early indicators on Saratoga Attendance

In the media and blogs
out there, talk has begun as to the attendance at the upcoming Saratoga meet (July 23rd-Sept 1st). One columnist thinks it is a no-brainer.

He feels even at $10 bucks a gallon for gas the crowds will be there. While I am not quite as optimistic, all early indications are that the crowds will be still going to the Spa. This is by no means scientific but my evidence so far supports the theory that attendance will be good. My yearly request for reserved seating came back with the usual seat locations. Had ticket sales been slow, the seating location would be better. I thought with an early submittal for seats and the poor economy I would get a better location. With my seats in hand I called NYRA yesterday to reserve seats at the track dining facilities for days when I have guests coming up to the track with me. I was told the various track restaurants are filling up quickly with 3 of the 4 "sit down" restaurants already sold out for Travers Day. The Popular "Porch" restaurant located on the track level of the clubhouse is sold out for every Saturday of the meet-selling out quicker then they usually do according to the representative I spoke too. Tickets at the Turf Terrace Restaurant are also near sellout.

I feel overall attendance will be flat when compared with last year. Some of the mid week days will be down and I still prefer a 4 or 5 week meet like it used to be instead of the current 6 week format. I could be wrong, but I do not see the drastic turn down some people forecast. The New York City crowd will come up less, but I expect more locals to spend a day at the track to make up this shortfall. When you have a relatively good local economy in the Saratoga Region, a decent size population of locals too attend, and a short meet with history and relevance you will still draw. Things are tight with gas and food prices but it appears from the non-scientific evidence I have seen thus far, that people are budgeting elsewhere and will continue to spend money at the Spa.

Thoroughbred Racing Fans Association

There is a new non-profit racing fans association group formed which for now seems like it will start out focusing on the Saratoga Race Course. Not much is known right now but I did ferret out the official mission statement from the meeting minutes of a recent Saratoga County public meeting:

The Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association (TRFA) is a non-profit membership based corporation designed to foster growth of the Thoroughbred racing industry by providing racing fans with an organization that will actively support their interests. Our goal is to enchance fan enjoyment and knowledge of Thoroughbred racing and skills in handicapping. TRFA, in cooperation with other organizations in the Thorougbred business community seeks to retain existing racing fans and develop new ones for the industry by creating membership rewards.

Thus far no website yet, and the only local press I found was here Appears the Mike Kane of the National Museum of Racing (also located in Saratoga) is affiliated with the group. This is a good thing as he is a knowledgeable racing fan and big racing historian.

I will be interested to see who else is affiliated with the group and how involved they plan to be. Hey at least this a group for "fans" unlike the recent government hearings which made no mention of the fans. Stay tuned for more information as it develops.