When equibase reports the handle at Cal tracks you see red blood, The feed from NY might have yellow snow but Cal is green with handle envy

There is no way in heck that the new fans that appeared because of Zenyatta will stick around in numbers great enough to positively impact the game. Did we gain a few new fans that will become regulars, most likely.

I think Zenyatta came along at the perfect time. This country needed a pick me up of sorts in the form of a positive story and someone or something to root for. I believe that's a part of why Zenyatta gained so much positive attention.

After all, we can't blame Zenyatta for voting for the wrong candidate, she clearly had nothing to do with the state of our economy, she already gets superior health care, and I don't think she has had any negative impact on the unemployment rate.

I'm looking foward to seeing her babies. Rachel's babies too. Oh $hit I just thought of something. What if their babies meet up in a race? AHHH!!! The saga will continue on. :eek:

Would you care to elaborate on the differences between California and New York in January?

The new fans from Zenyatta didn't even bet at the Breeders Cup based on the statistics.

The new fans are still riding tricycles.

:tro::tro:

Yes, lots of three year old humans were rooting on Zenyatta. Surely, all of those Winning Colors fans from circa 1988 are out there betting in bundles now as well.

You probably don't recall this, but a network news show (maybe 48 hours) in the mid 1990s featured Beyer on an episode about gambling. Beyer was presented as someone who took an intelligent approach to gambling, as opposed to a teacher from California playing in slot tournaments in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Beyer had a losing day for the cameras, but we did get to see Beyer drive off from Laurel in his Lexus.

I'm pretty sure it's on youtube.

I couldn't find it.

One of my fave eBay purchases of all times is the Kentucky Tavern bar mirror featuring the photo of Winning Colors crossing the finish line as the Kentucky Derby Winner.

Part of my thoroughbred racing shrine.

It's on the wall behind me, with the Kentucky Tavern mirrors of Unbridled and Ferdinand directly below.

I couldn't either. I could have sworn I watched it on youtube at one point. I'll try and find out.

'legitimate modern methods' you mean his speed figs? The same ones that some people say don't work. The figs that seem to be to good to be true.I never said Z will save racing but she did more FOR RACING as a legit superstar than any other horse this year. Every time she raced crowds were huge, agreed. Where are the 'BLAME FANS' or any other horse for that matter. You seem to think that unless you gamble you can't help racing? The thousands of young kids cheering for Z helped attendance in Calif at a time when negativity is rampant in horse racing.

Here's what I was thinking about while driving to work this morning listening to Steve's replay of yesterdays show talking about the HOY outcome.

If Zen gave us so many new fans, and a big fan base for Zen is in CA, and CA racing is doing so poorly, what's up with that? Has CA noticed any sort of positive impact due to the Zen factor? If not, when will the Zen fans start showing up at the tracks? Especially in CA.

Not being a smart a$$ here. Just really started to think about this question.

I'm not familiar with CA racing being on the east coast. Maybe I've missed something.

there is an organized boycott of Cali racing going on due to increased takeout.

playersboycott.org I still bet Santa Anita. How can anyone gauge what impact she will have on the future attendance? I hope the families who
came out in 2010 for Z find a new star and return in 2011 and so on.

Yeah right. I'm 38 and have been playing for years and don't consider the takeout when I have a chance to play. But all the new racing fans, many with their pretty teal and pink signs who came to see the dancing horsey, who mind you are going to do so much to help the game are now boycotting the track because of the incresed takeout. :rolleyes:

Mainstream media and society took so kindly to Zenyatta's overwhelmingly generous connections, her impeccable dance moves, and her wonderful story that there was nary a mention of her HOTY crown on any major news outlet in the sporting world. There was a headline yesterday morning on ESPN about Annie Duke starting a new pro poker league. There was nothing on NBC Sports, as Justin Dew mentioned, and they only televise 2/3 of the Triple Crown.

The stuff about her creating new fans and being so meaningful to the game is the latest in a line of disingenuous b.ullshit that we've been fed by the people around her for 2 years. The people who have any concept of this game and how to grow it know that 20,000 screaming sign waving fanatics are not going to prop up our dying sport unless they open their wallets and make a wager. How anyone continues to miss this is beyond me.

I can only pray it's over. The wrong decision was made, but I'm ready to accept it if it means we're done talking about it. I can only hope that a horse comes along and wins the Derby and Preakness so that he/she can be the main focus of the racing world and Zenyatta will return to where she belongs now, in the past.