Triple Crown Not Great For Horse Racing....

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by ghartman02

I grew up in Horse Racing, my Dad owned them, and all I really cared about was our horses. Then in 1969 I went to the KY Derby for the first time and fell in love (also went to Keeneland and did the same). Then in 1973, I saw Secretariat win the Derby, and when he won the Belmont I became a fan. So who knows what this will do. Can you get excited in the 4th race at Monmouth on a Friday? No, but you can love the horse and betting. I'm not a hot shot gambler. However, I love the sport and often times I break even. Example: I can go to a Cincinnati Reds game and drop $30 for a ticket, $30 for a couple of beers, maybe a dog and a drink and my day is $70 or so. I can go to the track and I can spend $70. At the Reds game my wallet is empty, but at the track, even if I come home with $50, the day cost me $20 and on a day like BlueGrass Day at Keeneland, that's cool. If I win a few, and I come home with $80, I got paid $10 to go to the track! In 1977, Poor Seattle Slew was kinda boring so he didn't get the press (until later), and 1978 Affirmed had Alydar which made that thrilling. Hopefully with smart marketing, and knocking of heads the sport can be the great sport it is...we just got to get people to find out about it!

i'm not a hot shot gambler either...but i love it. doesn't matter if it's a big day or a small one with rats running.
lol
i'll never forget at AP, i bet a horse, was told 'why'd you do that, it's a rat'. and then i got to laugh at the reaction from brian when that rat won! man, that was a fun day. i need to go back there.

Originally Posted by CheekyBird

This is a topic of conversation that interests me tremendously. Not only because I have come to love the game/sport, but I am also a marketing consultant.

I have been following horse racing since 2011. I am a 30-something (read: desired/targeted demographic). I was first introduced to the Triple Crown at a Preakness fundraising event some 10 years ago, and have held or attended Triple Crown parties off and on through the years.

I had no idea what went on in the horse racing world between the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. I wasn't curious, and I didn't care. As a 20-30 something year old, other activities occupied my interest. But I loved the pomp and circumstance of horse racing when those three events occurred, and the events helped me raise a lot of money for my charitable organization.

I had "for fun" wagering opportunities at the parties (which was basically picking who we thought was going to win). However, the first fundraising event I mentioned above was at Pimlico, but I don't recall wagering on anything, and there certainly wasn't anyone in our group who knew anything about how to bet.

Fast forward to 2011 where, at a casino that was showing the Derby in the "sportsbook" lounge, my hubby and I, on a whim, decided to bet the Derby. We were given a quick primer by one of the cashiers on how to bet: Win, Place, Show, Trifecta & Superfecta. We were flush with slot machine money, so we bet a ridiculous amount of money on to win, and a trifecta box. We scored! Big time!! Beginners/dumb luck, but I thought... Geez, what an easy and fun way to make a lot of money. Ha!

For brevity's sake, here's the reason for my post. In the hopes of attracting my peers to the game, and with the excitement of the triple crown hopes this year, I held a Derby, Preakness and Belmont party. Here's what I observed:

1. While our buddies were interested in the Triple Crown chase, they knew nothing about the rest of the field in any of the races, except for the favorite. I did do some explaining of the points system.

2. There was very little interest in the wagering aspect, even when shown how much these races had paid in the past, and provided little cheat sheets that I had put together on how to wager.

3. They found the NBC coverage very enjoyable, especially the food/drink traditions, and seeing sports celebrities (particularly) at the Derby.

4. My Belmont party this past Saturday was held at the casino. We reserved several tables and it was extremely festive. The only drawback was that we had NYRA coverage on the TVs, not NBC coverage. So, I could sense some boredom since there was no "pomp and circumstance" to be seen. F/more, the coverage was not in HD. Very disappointing. Also, wagering lines were extremely long with "regulars" betting on other races.

5. Hubby and I had to field a lot of questions like "What is MTP?"

6. I can tell you that the atmosphere in the casino was electric once the race began. People abandoned their slot machines to find a TV. And then the applause at the end of the race. WOW!!! Just WOW!!!

7. And then it was over. Our friends expressed no further interest in the rest of the card, nor did they express curiosity about the races on at other tracks being displayed on other monitors. Off they went to the slots and the table games while remarking how fantastic it was to witness history.

8. Of our group, there was one couple that stuck around with hubby and I for the remainder of the card. It was a couple that had won the $2 superfecta in the big race.

Moral of this story? Win and you're "in!"

Those are some valid points but try explaining the game of football to a non-fan. They may not even care of the rules, they just root for their home team. Horse Racing doesn't have HOME TEAMS, brackets, elimination rounds, playoffs. Horse racing is one of few sports where you can duck and dodge your competition for an easier spot.
What exactly are non horse racing fans rooting for? Their favorite number or color? In that case ,you will have an easier time bringing in 6 year olds as fans in the game than a 32 year old.

[CheekyBird]

Originally Posted by helicopter11

Those are some valid points but try explaining the game of football to a non-fan. They may not even care of the rules, they just root for their home team. Horse Racing doesn't have HOME TEAMS, brackets, elimination rounds, playoffs. Horse racing is one of few sports where you can duck and dodge your competition for an easier spot.
What exactly are non horse racing fans rooting for? Their favorite number or color? In that case ,you will have an easier time bringing in 6 year olds as fans in the game than a 32 year old.

Challenge is that we are trying to create horse racing fans when we should be creating "horse races" fans.

To explain: I am a football fan but, though I love horse races, I would not say I am a "horse racing" fan. I love to pick a race, handicap it, and see what happens. Occasionally, I will watch a race just for the sport of it, but that is very rare. I may be the exception on this board.

I suppose the major issue for me is that there are too many variables when it comes to horse racing; i.e. what is the trainer's intent, is this race a prep for another race, is the horse 100%, etc., etc.

It is easier (for me) to be a fan of say, football. I know when my team gets on the field, it is their intention to win.

As a marketer, I'm confident we can attract more people to this game. I'm just not sure some people who have always done it a certain way are willing to listen to new ideas.

[CheekyBird]

This!

By then the sun had blessed the horizon with orange, and the shadows were stretching down the homestretch pretty much along the same path that American Pharoah had traveled as a swift, narrow slice of history. As it turns out, the day’s racing card wasn’t over yet. Out of the twilight, the call to the post sounded, and it rang clearer and more vividly than I’d ever heard it before, like an old song that comes on the radio and reminds you why you loved it, and the memories that hang on it, in the first place. Night was slow falling, and that was a very good thing.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/ki...n-generations/

[munster705]

Originally Posted by helicopter11

Those are some valid points but try explaining the game of football to a non-fan. They may not even care of the rules, they just root for their home team. Horse Racing doesn't have HOME TEAMS, brackets, elimination rounds, playoffs. Horse racing is one of few sports where you can duck and dodge your competition for an easier spot.
What exactly are non horse racing fans rooting for? Their favorite number or color? In that case ,you will have an easier time bringing in 6 year olds as fans in the game than a 32 year old.

Non horse racing fans aren't rooting for anything because they are not watching. That's my whole point. I honestly do not think that, in the long run, what AP has done will do much of anything for horse racing. In the end, those of us that loved horse racing prior will still love horse racing now and those pople that were not fans before have already forgotten about horse racing. We should be trying to figure out how to permanently pick up new fans instead of hanging our hats on what 1 horse did for a 5 week stretch. That juice is already gone. Most tracks are still hurting and can't get the handle that they need to stay alive.

[CheekyBird]

Jay Hovdey's thoughts on this very subject, today on Steve Byk's show.

http://www.thoroughbredracingradione...y=12&Itemid=35