Triple Crown Not Great For Horse Racing....

Sponsors caught on big with the Belmont Stakes.Draft Kings, Burger King, Monster Energy etc.

NAASCAR is a bunch of cars repeadetdly going in circles with no betting involved but thier events are huge and sponsors pour in the big money. If Horse racing can continue getting real sponsors (not Pat's Horse Pellets), it can be bigger than NAASCAR.

[Arletta]

Originally Posted by helicopter11

Sponsors caught on big with the Belmont Stakes.Draft Kings, Burger King, Monster Energy etc.

NAASCAR is a bunch of cars repeadetdly going in circles with no betting involved but thier events are huge and sponsors pour in the big money. If Horse racing can continue getting real sponsors (not Pat's Horse Pellets), it can be bigger than NAASCAR.

No way

[dellinger63]

I can only speak on my personal experience and say numerous people I know who were completely indifferent to horse racing tuned in and became fans albeit, not sure whether permanent, all because of AP and the Triple Crown. More than a few plan to visit Arlington this year, which can't be bad for the sport. My entire collection of racing/handicapping books are out on loan and I've taught about a dozen on how to read a racing form, leading into the Belmont. A few have even signed up for Derbywars and some are now tuning into ATRAB daily.

Point is if other's have had a similar experience to what I have, AP winning the triple crown was undoubtedly good for the sport and may have slowed the decline just a bit.

[CheekyBird]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

I can only speak on my personal experience and say numerous people I know who were completely indifferent to horse racing tuned in and became fans albeit, not sure whether permanent, all because of AP and the Triple Crown. More than a few plan to visit Arlington this year, which can't be bad for the sport. My entire collection of racing/handicapping books are out on loan and I've taught about a dozen on how to read a racing form, leading into the Belmont. A few have even signed up for Derbywars and some are now tuning into ATRAB daily.

Point is if other's have had a similar experience to what I have, AP winning the triple crown was undoubtedly good for the sport and may have slowed the decline just a bit.

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!"

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

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by helicopter11

Sponsors caught on big with the Belmont Stakes.Draft Kings, Burger King, Monster Energy etc.

NAASCAR is a bunch of cars repeadetdly going in circles with no betting involved but thier events are huge and sponsors pour in the big money. If Horse racing can continue getting real sponsors (not Pat's Horse Pellets), it can be bigger than NAASCAR.

maybe eventually. nascar keeps going south...so anything could happen. between the two, i'd rather get my ass beaten than have to watch a nascar race.
did watch the f-1 from montreal the other day tho...but 70 laps is a lot easier to stick to.

[GenuineRisk]

All I know is that I'm mentoring a STEM teaching thing this week, and when I asked the kids if they'd seen the Belmont, a third of the hands went up and they were excited to talk about it. These are 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.