Things that s*uck!

[shanej974]

1. Smarty Jones happened 4 years ago already. His run was magical and the whole sports world was tuned in to the Belmont. The sport would be far healthier and more mainstream if Smarty had won that day.

2. Barbaro's breakdown. Difficult to even bring up, but from a mainstream/fan standpoint, think about the Barbaro/Bernardini duel that might have developed that day and beyond. The sport suffered a huge beatdown that day.

3. No triple crown winner since 1978. The sport flat out needs this. Obviously the industry has changed, but I'm not sure if winning the triple crown is more difficult then before (think 1948 to 1973, 6 out 8 years where bid ended in the Belmont).

Nothing profound here, but I love this sport and I want it to regain the mainstream status it once had.

[Cannon Shell]

I happen to think that Smarty Jones or any horse winning the Triple Crown will actually hurt the sport in the long run. I feel this way simply because they would retire the horse at the first sign of anything going wrong (like losing) which would probably turn off more mainstream fans than ones that would be gained. If the owner of the winner happened to be one of the mega rich, the sport would become fodder for mainstream columnists to tee off on the greed of the sport (a lot of which would be true).

Plus as i have stated before, fans that dont bet arent not really doing much to help the sport because 99% of the income is generated by betting. Maybe you could make the arguement that fans would eventually start to bet but that seems unlikely. Realistically mainstream's attention span is probably too short for horseracing.

The Triple Crown season is great fun and the Derby run up is probably the most interesting time of the year for horseracing in general. But the underlying issues that trouble the sport have almost nothing to do with an individual horse winning the Triple Crown.

It sucked that Autism Awareness went down.

[Scav]

It sucked that a friggin tractor worked for 9 race out of 10 at Oaklawn today....

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by Scav

It sucked that a friggin tractor worked for 9 race out of 10 at Oaklawn today....

huh?

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I happen to think that Smarty Jones or any horse winning the Triple Crown will actually hurt the sport in the long run. I feel this way simply because they would retire the horse at the first sign of anything going wrong (like losing) which would probably turn off more mainstream fans than ones that would be gained. If the owner of the winner happened to be one of the mega rich, the sport would become fodder for mainstream columnists to tee off on the greed of the sport (a lot of which would be true).

Plus as i have stated before, fans that dont bet arent not really doing much to help the sport because 99% of the income is generated by betting. Maybe you could make the arguement that fans would eventually start to bet but that seems unlikely. Realistically mainstream's attention span is probably too short for horseracing.

The Triple Crown season is great fun and the Derby run up is probably the most interesting time of the year for horseracing in general. But the underlying issues that trouble the sport have almost nothing to do with an individual horse winning the Triple Crown.

having a tc winner would drive down ratings and excitement in the first few years after. no one would expect it again too soon--the excitement right now is in the hoping. if we have a derby/preakness winner this year, just think how huge the belmont would be. but if we had a tc winner this year, next year wouldn't make a blip on the screen.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I happen to think that Smarty Jones or any horse winning the Triple Crown will actually hurt the sport in the long run. I feel this way simply because they would retire the horse at the first sign of anything going wrong (like losing) which would probably turn off more mainstream fans than ones that would be gained. If the owner of the winner happened to be one of the mega rich, the sport would become fodder for mainstream columnists to tee off on the greed of the sport (a lot of which would be true).

Plus as i have stated before, fans that dont bet arent not really doing much to help the sport because 99% of the income is generated by betting. Maybe you could make the arguement that fans would eventually start to bet but that seems unlikely. Realistically mainstream's attention span is probably too short for horseracing.

The Triple Crown season is great fun and the Derby run up is probably the most interesting time of the year for horseracing in general. But the underlying issues that trouble the sport have almost nothing to do with an individual horse winning the Triple Crown.

Or even make plans before the end of thier 3 yr. season....Street Sense, Hard Spun and now; Pyro.....this is also killing the sport.

[ArlJim78]

in this era, I can't imagine a TC winner ever running again after the Belmont.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

huh?

Did you see the 9th race at Oaklawn?

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

in this era, I can't imagine a TC winner ever running again after the Belmont.

That horse would be the ultimate "stud" prospect

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Hickory Hill Hoff

Or even make plans before the end of thier 3 yr. season....Street Sense, Hard Spun and now; Pyro.....this is also killing the sport.

that's almost too late to make a deal--majestic warrior had his done last fall!

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by Danzig

that's almost too late to make a deal--majestic warrior had his done last fall!

Does pay to win early in a graded stake or show some promise, it's off to the breeding shed way too early.....this is what's killing the sport!

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by Scav

Did you see the 9th race at Oaklawn?

i just picked up on that. what is this world coming to?
I love the way he kept calling the race.

[Linny]

The only way I root for a TC winner is if it's a gelding.

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I happen to think that Smarty Jones or any horse winning the Triple Crown will actually hurt the sport in the long run. I feel this way simply because they would retire the horse at the first sign of anything going wrong (like losing) which would probably turn off more mainstream fans than ones that would be gained. If the owner of the winner happened to be one of the mega rich, the sport would become fodder for mainstream columnists to tee off on the greed of the sport (a lot of which would be true).

Plus as i have stated before, fans that dont bet arent not really doing much to help the sport because 99% of the income is generated by betting. Maybe you could make the arguement that fans would eventually start to bet but that seems unlikely. Realistically mainstream's attention span is probably too short for horseracing.

The Triple Crown season is great fun and the Derby run up is probably the most interesting time of the year for horseracing in general. But the underlying issues that trouble the sport have almost nothing to do with an individual horse winning the Triple Crown.

Derby-Preakness winner no doubt would be good. Little beats Belmont and racing in general on that kind of day.

Triple Crown winner? You are probably right.

[KY_Sasquash]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

huh?

The starting gate wasn't removed from the track in the 9th at Oaklawn so as soon as the field came around the turn into the top of the stretch all the horses pulled up due to the starting gate still being in the same spot as it was at the start of the race.

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

in this era, I can't imagine a TC winner ever running again after the Belmont.

And to think that our last two TC winners had fantastic 4yo seasons. Now we would even wonder if they would race one time after a TC.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I happen to think that Smarty Jones or any horse winning the Triple Crown will actually hurt the sport in the long run. I feel this way simply because they would retire the horse at the first sign of anything going wrong (like losing) which would probably turn off more mainstream fans than ones that would be gained. If the owner of the winner happened to be one of the mega rich, the sport would become fodder for mainstream columnists to tee off on the greed of the sport (a lot of which would be true).

Plus as i have stated before, fans that dont bet arent not really doing much to help the sport because 99% of the income is generated by betting. Maybe you could make the arguement that fans would eventually start to bet but that seems unlikely. Realistically mainstream's attention span is probably too short for horseracing.

The Triple Crown season is great fun and the Derby run up is probably the most interesting time of the year for horseracing in general. But the underlying issues that trouble the sport have almost nothing to do with an individual horse winning the Triple Crown.

Well said, and I completely agree except that...

Originally Posted by Linny

The only way I root for a TC winner is if it's a gelding.

El Gato Malo! Georgie Boy!

Originally Posted by Danzig

having a tc winner would drive down ratings and excitement in the first few years after. no one would expect it again too soon--the excitement right now is in the hoping. if we have a derby/preakness winner this year, just think how huge the belmont would be. but if we had a tc winner this year, next year wouldn't make a blip on the screen.

That's not at all obvious to me. I think a TC winner WOULD create some short-lived fan interest that would translate into television viewing the next year. But as CS says, it's not likely to translate into betting. And, unless it's a gelding, the longterm fan impact will be minimal, too.

I just thought of a video poker analogy that a few here might appreciate. Don't bother reading this if you've never played video poker! Sometimes it seems like drawing the royal flush is never going to happen. But when the miracle finally occurs, I don't think, "okay, that's the last one I'll see for a long time." Rather, I'm thinking, "it happened! it can happen again!". All of a sudden every draw to a 3-card-RF has some interest. For awhile, at least. [alright, maybe it's the kind of analogy you think of immediately after playing about 10000 hands of video poker... Anyone else in Las Vegas this weekend?]

--Dunbar