The new battle cry for the overmatched!

Not to mention that ABC/ESPN will probably have all these crazy camera angles where you will not be able to see the number on the saddlecloth, but maybe pick up a color. At least if it was color coded you would have some idea where your horses are.
God is right about the silks theory too.

At least we will have Trevor there to give us an accurate description to what's going on. :rolleyes:

b stutts has tear roll like old indian in tree hugger spot:tro:

It is another example of how little energy is devoted to the comfort of the fans and their ability to follow a race as it is run. The "Let them eat cake" mentality
prevails while the handle everywhere else in the sport this year is down.

Hopefully one day the BC brain trust will actually come to believe that the event actually needs to be marketed to the comfort of the bettors if they want to maximize the handle they enjoy. The argument that bettors will play no matter what is not completely true and hopefully is proven this year when popular trainers like Mott and others stay home and hopefully the antipoly players stay away enough to get the Empires attention.

:D

Casino Drive is 1/1 morning line

Go Bananas

The BC marketing guy who did the Blood-Horse Q & A on that site Friday claims Trackus will solve everything. This completely ignores the fact that only a few tracks now have that technology, not all viewers care for it, some people prefer to watch horses rather than "chicklets" and that not everyone in attendance will be able to view a monitor even if it has Trackus (check the temp seating at recent BCs to verify this). The bottom line is that they just don't care.

I was thinking about this today and honestly I cant believe people defend this style of showing the races. What other sport has the camera angles changed during the action. I dont want to hear about autoracing or golf. But if you are watching a football or basketball game they dont switch camera angles during the play. And if they show an angle other than behind the pitcher in baseball, you almost cant follow what is going on. But these genius directors feel the need to switch angles 10 times during the race. Why not give us different shots during the replay of the race since they have 30 minutes between the races and the actual race usually only takes 2 minutes to run. Having the races in HD is a obvious plus though.

Since when is Mott not going?

It is almost like they feel compeled to show angles from down low to try to show how fast the horses are going (ala auto racing). Nobody cares about that angle. If they want to play around with the angles do it during the marathon and maybe the turf. But I do not need to see 18 different angles in a race that is only going to take 68 seconds. Chuck is right, show them after the race. We want to see as much of the field as possible from the normal perspective, period.

personally i like Trevor's call. i know many here don't BUT if we have trouble following our horses how can we give any race caller grief, for these 2 days.

Again, Crist says what many can't
 

If you haven't seen Steve Crist's most recent zippy column, it takes dead aim at the silly braying for various horses to run in the Breeders' Cup "for the good of the game". For instance, John Pricci had one of those impassioned and idiotic calls for Zenyatta to run in the Classic that I thought was a particularly special display of grandstanding. Crist cuts to the core and is especially right here:

The theory seems to be that horsemen should ignore their own expert opinions about what would be best for their horses and run them where they don't really want to, because somehow this will send horse racing to the top of the charts and energize an apathetic general public.

When it comes to virtually any aspect of the game's qualities or deficiencies, Crist consistently can be counted upon to get it right and express it best. His work alone makes the DRF Plus subscription worthwhile...

Spare me, please, 'For the good of the game'
By STEVEN CRIST

http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=98991

NEW YORK - In these final days before the Breeders' Cup pre-entry deadline Tuesday, we've been hearing a lot about how various owners have a duty or obligation about if and when to run their horses under the banner of "for the good of the game."

This is why Curlin is supposed to run in the Classic despite his handlers' lack of enthusiasm for racing on a new synthetic track; why Zenyatta is supposed to take on the boys instead of being odds-on in the Ladies' Classic; why Commentator and Vineyard Haven and even Zarkava should be entered despite their connections' clear preference to call it a year.

In a sort of twisted version of "My country, right or wrong," owners and trainers are supposed to participate in and support the Breeders' Cup because this will draw more television viewers, create new fans, and attract hordes of new advertisers and sponsors.

Like the avatar.... the classic Philadelphia Athletics logo from the Connie Mack era, the "White Elephant"

For the good of the game? Then why is the BC at SA this year and next?

What will draw more television viewers, create new fans, and attract hordes of new advertisers and sponsors is a competent marketing strategy. There is so much that can be done to bring in the young, old, female, and male. It is a perfect sport for Radio. Ideal! But, aside from your far too limited week day show Steve that is all we have.
They can never seem to get there heads around the idea that the owners and trainers are already doing their part by putting the best trained athlete's out there. Makes me crazy. I am going out there anyway. I love watching the championships whether they will actually crown one or not. The entire two days being around a community of horse players and horse lovers does it for me.

Maybe I am in the minority and i didn't read Pricci's article but running Zenyatta in the Classic isnt really that bad of an idea is it? I understand they have Tiago but she could sweep to horse of the year if she were to win the race couldnt she? She is proven over the surface unlike the other main contenders so she certainly has the home field advantage. I dont think that her going in the Classic would draw more than 12 extra fans or coverage and I dont think it would have any "effect on the sport" but I would be interested to see how she matches up against the big boys.

In the Land of the Blind the One Eyed Man is King.

At least the one eyed man can see over the dashboard without a booster seat

I think the same Chuck..She's beaten everything in the female divison..Why not take a shot at the boys? So many before have zig-zagged around it and we never really ever got to see they could have..She looks to be somethng special and one that could very well beat Curlin and Big Brown etc.

Course then, we'd be crying out for a match-up between her and Zarkava :rolleyes:

I'm not saying that she should or is even good enough but it isnt that much of a stretch to see her in there. Though the good of the sport theory is laughable since virtually no one outside of hardcore fans have even heard of her before.

Why wouldn't Casino Drive try the BCC. Do you think he should be afraid of that awesome 3yr old division or is it that really scary older horse division? There are about 6 or 7 horses running that even belong in a race like the BCC, and it if wasn't for the euros, that number might be 4 or 5.

I was referring to Steve Crist......

The one eyed man can often be blinded by excessive hair in the face...

Owner's don't have an obligation to run anywhere they don't desire, I think it is just a wish to some of the interested observers of the game to have someone step fwd and take risks in the game, to add some juice to the game. All I know is we would have never had a great story as in Seabiscuit/War Admiral match race if they ran today. Since everyone optically speaking mostly seems interested in protecting their horse's reputations these days.

it's supposed to be the place where the best gather. two starts really doesn't say much about the horse. some who are supporting him coming to the classic most likely feel zenyatta is too lightly raced to do the same, and would rather she stay vs females. not a lot of consistency in what should or shouldn't happen with racing. i can only imagine the vitriol that would be spewed if casino drive was trained by dwl.

I hear you, and in part I agree. However, I think this is taken to an extreme. We have seen, time and time again, fans, the general public, whatever you want to call it -- hold owners accountable to some nonsensical standard. Tafel with Street Sense, Jackson with Curlin, and the list goes on and on. Another aspect that is nonsensical is the person who emphatically states "If I owned . . . I would . . ." -- yeah, just like people who say if they won the lottery . . . It's an extreme sense of entitlement, feeling cheated, and holding people to some standard that doesn't exist. It often seems like much more than a wish, and it's BS.

Taking risks in the game cost money. It has a price attached to it. Some people don't know and don't understand the price. Others do. It's also not about the money sometimes. It is about whatever the owner wants it to be about. This has always been a business of self expression. As they say, nobody will ever have everybody like it. I have never critisized an owner like Tafel or Jackson because they didn't want to race in a particular race. I never would say they weren't sportsmen or they cheated the fans or anything of the like. The decision not to run is often used as blame for the state of the sport and business. I think the people that blame might be to blame.

Eric

well of course owners have every right to run their horses where they wish, good of the game or not. after all, we all know the best thing for the game would be for the best horses to remain in training, when owners know the best thing for themselves is to make money and stay in the game-hence the quick route to the shed when they get a top horse.
but, for the same owners to take umbrage when fans and media don't give the kudos to those horses for staying in against weaker competition (zenyatta for example), they've got no one to blame but themselves. zenyatta could take hoy, she could get her praises sung to the heavens should she take on the boys, but she 'deserves' to stay vs females according to her owners. no, if he wants her to be considered as being great, then she has to PROVE it, not just make everyone assume.
that filly has beaten her peers time and again, and has the best three year old and best older horse coming west to run on an untried surface. i think they are wrong for skipping the chance to put her where she really deserves to be. this nonsense that fillies shouldn't run vs boys is absolutely ridiculous.
as for zarkava, i think they're doing the right thing with her. as for curlin, i appreciate jackson for taking him west. we all know curlin would have been gone long ago but for the legal issues...but so what. jackson could very well have remained on the east coast, and i don't think anyone would blame him.

and of course if the bc folks are unhappy with a possible watered down product, it's their own fault for giving owners too many choices for those two days. rather than adding all the other racing, they should have increased the purse for the classic. but then, we all know it's handle they're after, and the bc gets all handle for all bc races. they're killing the golden goose imo.

Talk about a bunch of nonsense. It's a business that is dying.

It's like the Jets owners being pissed at fans because they won't accept the inflated seat license and season tickets in the new stadium. They conpletely overlook the fact that the product they've had on the field the last 30 years has sucked...it's the fans fault!

I wish she would run because it would very simply be,
interesting.

Well another horrendous business decision by a few tracks (synthetic) have given the owners just another excuse on a list of excuses that is already the size of the U.S. tax code.

But isnt the point of the article ultimately that the "sport" of racing is far less importnt than the business of racing? That the mainstream attention that supposedly would come to racing if it had these high profile matchups dont really translate into more dollars invested in the pools? That the overall product on the track on a daily basis and better treatment of its core customers is a far bigger issue than Curlin or Big Brown but gets far less coverage from the press?

Racing has it's collective head up it's ass and they prove it every chance they get. The ADW situation is still a problem and I don't know what has been done or not done, just know I can't wager many tracks online. TwinSpires is taking Telephone bets Only for Santa Anita (Oak Tree). Slightly less inconvenient. I wonder since the Breeder's Cup is it's own deal if I will be able to advance wager online this year since it is at SA. not taking a day off work for the lesser Friday filly/ mare championships.

Dont forget that the tracks in CA were forced to install synthetics by the racing board. fast trigger fingers all around.

Or is the BC concept becoming antiquated and has lost it's lustre? You would think a million dollars and more would be incentive enough, apparently not for all.

I hear you and I don't disagree with anything you said, On the subject of Curlin he has very little to lose in my mind, if he runs and wins he goes out a hero, if he loses an excuse is already in place, the track is to blame. I don't see how running in the BC Classic is a bad business or sporting decision, it defies logic to me.

"I'll take 5% of YOUR pick 6 ticket and you can have 5% of mine".

Those EXTRA cashes come in handy.:rolleyes:

INSURANCE

Casino Drive would crush her :)

1 day is right 2 days is stupid..asking huge prices for tickets on fri is stupid along with inflated hotels ect..make it 1 day of championship racing .

No, they don't owe us anything. They can do what they want with their horses. Period. Christ is right that them doing some of the things we want as fans won't increase the fan base one bit. But I think he fails to consider something that is very important and that's what happens to the existing fan base when owners continously do what's good for them and forget about what's good for the game. Keep doing things to drive away the existing fans and there will be no sport to bring new ones to.

Owners also can't complain when people don't give them the support and praise they think they deserve. If the Zenyatta people make one sound in support of their horse for HOY, I'd lose all respect I have left for them. If they want to make her case, they should be in the Classic. Let the horse make her own argument. There is something to be said for being sporting. After all, even though this is a huge business, it's still a sport. At it's core, it's still about one thing....my horse is faster than your horse. While nobody HAS to do anything, it's why you gain more respect for a guy like The Aga Kahn. He didn't HAVE to run Zarkava in the Arc. But he knew he had a once in a lifetime kind of horse and he wanted her to PROVE her greatness on the track. She did and because of her owner being as sporting as he is, she'll go down in history. Because of Zenyatta's owners, she'll be forgotten in a couple of years. Again, they don't owe us anything. But I think that sometimes, they forget what it was like to be a fan instead of an owner. They absolutely do cheat the fans. That's not to say that sometimes they don't have legitimate reasons but in the end, it's still cheating the fans.

They lost me when they tinkered with the lineup up races of not leading off with the sprint. I'm also not too fond of the BC Filly Mare race, Miss Alleged, Makaybe Diva, Borgia, and more recently in the Arc remind us fillies can compete in turf races against the boys. Some races have become too watered down.