BEYER: Defining Zenyatta's historical role

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by HomerS

"assassinate the character"

Exactly what I am talking about. Molly Jo should be embarrassed. Such nonsense.

& the best PR machine since the 70's??? LOL thats why so many non racing fans are following Z's career

No horse in the past decade holds a candle to Smarty Jones as far as PR goes.

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

& the best PR machine since the 70's??? LOL thats why so many non racing fans are following Z's career

No horse in the past decade holds a candle to Smarty Jones as far as PR goes.

I'm not so sure Smarty Jones garnered any more non racing fans than Big Brown. Both horses had all of three weeks in the spotlight. I'm not saying Zenyatta is the PR machine this woman says she is but if you polled a thousand people at random to name a racehorse who ran in the last ten years I'd be surprised if Smarty jones would be holding the candle at the very top of the list.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Port Conway Lane

I'm not so sure Smarty Jones garnered any more non racing fans than Big Brown. Both horses had all of three weeks in the spotlight. I'm not saying Zenyatta is the PR machine this woman says she is but if you polled a thousand people at random to name a racehorse who ran in the last ten years I'd be surprised if Smarty jones would be holding the candle at the very top of the list.

Smarty Jones was connected to likeable people, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and got tons of coverage in mainstream media (even before the Derby). There was a story there...the horse who had a terrible accident, the dying owner, the blue collar family man trainer. Nothing was likeable about Big Brown but the horse. I know plently of people (myself included and a few other regulars on this board) who became attracted to the sport because of the media (overhyped or not) over Smarty, I've never heard anyone say they became a fan because of Big Brown.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Smarty Jones was connected to likeable people,

Decrepit car dealer for an owner, a trainer who wastes his time hunting, and Stew Elliot as a jockey?

That's a trifecta of likability if I've ever seen one.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Decrepit car dealer for an owner, a trainer who wastes his time hunting, and Stew Elliot as a jockey?

That's a trifecta of likability if I've ever seen one.

Obviously the media did not portray them as this.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Obviously the media did not portray them as this.

Your "likable connections" comment seemed to be a veiled shot at Big Brown's connections.

If you ask me - a slippery wop owner, a cheating trainer, and a drunk cajun jockey with a hot old lady are connections I can dig.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Your "likable connections" comment seemed to be a veiled shot at Big Brown's connections.

If you ask me - a slippery wop owner, a cheating trainer, and a drunk cajun jockey with a hot old lady are connections I can dig.

This doesn't come as a surprise considering you romantically write about raping and pillaging people.

[GPK]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Decrepit car dealer for an owner, a trainer who wastes his time hunting, and Stew Elliot as a jockey?

That's a trifecta of likability if I've ever seen one.

This factor alone should define Smarty's greatness.

[Gate Dancer]

Renowned author and longtime Washington Post columnist Andy Beyer will be Kurt Hoover’s guest on the first Inside Scoop of the Oak Tree meet at Hollywood Park on Saturday, Oct. 2.

It will be interesting to see what kind of a reception Mr. Beyer gets now......................

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Gate Dancer

Renowned author and longtime Washington Post columnist Andy Beyer will be Kurt Hoover’s guest on the first Inside Scoop of the Oak Tree meet at Hollywood Park on Saturday, Oct. 2.

It will be interesting to see what kind of a reception Mr. Beyer gets now......................

This guy is going to crush Beyer.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-A1ps_m7Jk

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Smarty Jones was connected to likeable people, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and got tons of coverage in mainstream media (even before the Derby). There was a story there...the horse who had a terrible accident, the dying owner, the blue collar family man trainer. Nothing was likeable about Big Brown but the horse. I know plently of people (myself included and a few other regulars on this board) who became attracted to the sport because of the media (overhyped or not) over Smarty, I've never heard anyone say they became a fan because of Big Brown.

Big Brown was a huge flop in the Belmont so I suppose no one wanted to embrace a loser.

As far as the "feel good" story I'm not so sure that captured the imagination of fans as much as SJs' courageous effort in defeat.

One thing Big Brown had over Smarty Jones PR wise was UPS.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Port Conway Lane

Big Brown was a huge flop in the Belmont so I suppose no one wanted to embrace a loser.

As far as the "feel good" story I'm not so sure that captured the imagination of fans as much as SJs' courageous effort in defeat.

One thing Big Brown had over Smarty Jones PR wise was UPS.

What were the tv viewership and attendance for their respective Triple Crown races?

[blackthroatedwind]

I am not a big Smarty Jones fan, and never was, but to deny that he was a fan/media phenomenon makes no sense. He definitely caught peoples' attention.....though this obviously dissipated quickly after the Belmont ( especially given his subsequent retirement ).

He would have drowned Zenyatta by the way.

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

What were the tv viewership and attendance for their respective Triple Crown races?

Someone answered that after your post, not surprisingly it is SJ.

This thread has been diverted from Beyer to a post on a facebook wall of a quote from a woman who I've never heard of.

I contributed to this as much as anyone so I will take back any comparison I made of BB to Smarty Jones and simply say if I polled 1,000 people at my local shopping mall to name a horse who has run a race in the last 10 years the top 3 would be
Seabiscut
Secretariat
Peppers Pride (I live in NM)

This says more about racing and the media than it says about the popularity of any horses named in this thread.

[tiggerv]

Why publish a generic "Zenyatta is overrated" article the day after Rachel retires? How about writing about the historical place of the retired horse instead of the horse with 2 races left? I know that Beyer is in LA and Z runs this weekend, but save the Zenyatta historical role article until after she finishes racing.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

& the best PR machine since the 70's??? LOL thats why so many non racing fans are following Z's career

No horse in the past decade holds a candle to Smarty Jones as far as PR goes.

Agreed

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by HomerS

How many people even heard of Smarty Jones before the Derby

What you said..

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by HomerS

How many people even heard of Smarty Jones before the Derby?

For sure for 6 weeks or so the Smarty fans were out in full force with hyperbole. And thats not unusual when it comes to the near TC winners. Is the norm more then the exception. But a little different here.

At risk of bringing out more angry fans would say the Easy Goer crew was at least on par with Zenyetta crew in terms of hype.

Think the East-Coast West coast divide is similar

besides californians & horse racing fans, who dont count anyway, there is NO zenyatta hype!!!

[Antitrust32]

All I know is that Smarty generated about a thousand times more hype in the "outside world" than Zenyaddayadda.

Funny Cide also, and Big Brown are ahead of Zenyaddayadda in the PR department.

Basically any horse that has come into the Belmont with a chance at a TC is ahead of Zenyadda in the PR department.

Rachel is ahead of Zenyadda in the PR department. People watched the Preakness.

[Arletta]

Popcorn anyone?

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