NTRA (or whomever)

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by boswd

They need to market it towards the 18-30 crowd.

Exactly. More specifically, they should market it to the college crowd. I took my buddies to the track when I was in college and they loved it. And now, with the smart computer guys at college studying poker, or trying to play perfect Blackjack strategy, count cards, whatever -- the biggest thing horse racing has to offer is the POSSIBILITY of an edge. The crowd I'm referring to doesn't play slot machines much. They are not suckers. But show them a game where they might get an edge (over the crowd), and they will get interested. The NTRA should run an ad during the World Series of Poker that's on now until November. You know, show the mutuel pools on Breeder's Cup Day -- "You think a $100,000 pot is big, try $10 Million..." that sort of thing.

[robfla]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Exactly. More specifically, they should market it to the college crowd. I took my buddies to the track when I was in college and they loved it. And now, with the smart computer guys at college studying poker, or trying to play perfect Blackjack strategy, count cards, whatever -- the biggest thing horse racing has to offer is the POSSIBILITY of an edge. The crowd I'm referring to doesn't play slot machines much. They are not suckers. But show them a game where they might get an edge (over the crowd), and they will get interested. The NTRA should run an ad during the World Series of Poker that's on now until November. You know, show the mutuel pools on Breeder's Cup Day -- "You think a $100,000 pot is big, try $10 Million..." that sort of thing.

While I agree that whenever I take a friend to the track for their first time, they usually love it, you really cant compare the statistical "edge" in poker to horse racing.

You can scoop a $2500.00 pot in poker and pay $5.00 rake. (0.2%)

You win a $2500.00 pick 4 and you are, depending on which track, paying approx $500.00 rake (~20%)

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by robfla

While I agree that whenever I take a friend to the track for their first time, they usually love it, you really cant compare the statistical "edge" in poker to horse racing.

You can scoop a $2500.00 pot in poker and pay $5.00 rake. (0.2%)

You win a $2500.00 pick 4 and you are, depending on which track, paying approx $500.00 rake (~20%)

You're correct of course. I was more comparing it to the games where it is not possible to have an edge -- slots, roulette, craps... all the "house games". That's the emphasis that needs to come across in marketing it. I guess I see pari-mutuel betting as similar to a poker pot, except that the takeout is much higher than the casino rake, and there is more than one winner splitting up the pool.

[TropicalStorm]

Market forces dictate what gets on the frontpage of the sports section, not the NTRA. The NTRA does a good job with the sport it is just that there is not as much interest as there is in other sports like football.

Rachel Alexandra really is not that great of a story either. Horse racing has done a good job of bringing attention to her and may actually overhype her. When you end your year in early September it really is hard to be very excited about any horse. Fall racing is the best racing of the year and she is not taking part in any of it.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by CrossfireHurricane

Market forces dictate what gets on the frontpage of the sports section, not the NTRA. The NTRA does a good job with the sport it is just that there is not as much interest as there is in other sports like football.

Rachel Alexandra really is not that great of a story either. Horse racing has done a good job of bringing attention to her and may actually overhype her. When you end your year in early September it really is hard to be very excited about any horse. Fall racing is the best racing of the year and she is not taking part in any of it.

you MUST be employed by the NTRA to come up with this responce..

How exactly is Rachel overhyped??

and the NTRA is worthless. Justindew's (the real Justin Dew by the way) initial post was spot on.

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

you MUST be employed by the NTRA to come up with this responce..

How exactly is Rachel overhyped??

and the NTRA is worthless. Justindew's (the real Justin Dew by the way) initial post was spot on.

Heading to the store to stock up on water and supplies.

[Bobby Fischer]

poker would have been just as successful if they had marketed it as a historic spectator sport. [/yea right]

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Heading to the store to stock up on water and supplies.

I was going to add... for the first time.. but I didnt want to hurt his feelings again.

[TropicalStorm]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

you MUST be employed by the NTRA to come up with this responce..

How exactly is Rachel overhyped??

and the NTRA is worthless. Justindew's (the real Justin Dew by the way) initial post was spot on.

Rachel is overhyped in the sense that the sport marketed her too hard considering they got a total of 3 real races out of her and only 1 was on national televion.

NTRA is not worthless either. Without them you would get absolutely no promotion at all. It is the fault of state legislatures that the sport is not marketed well.

Back to Rachel, if you look at her races she really did never take on a great horse. I think you can make the argument that there are 3 fillies/mares that would give her a run for her money and she did not race against any of them.

I am fairly certain Icon Project would beat her in a 10f race. The Canadian filly is also very dangerous and you have Zenyatta. Rachel would have lost if she kept running this year. She is much like Curlin was at the age of 4. A horse that was going backwards going into the fall, probably due to a difficult schedule. You have to race in the fall if you want to be considered a great horse. The fall is when 3yr olds mature and when many top older horses target their big race. Rachel was well managed but I suspect she would have been beaten by any 1 of the 3 fillies/mares in the fall. I don't think she would have even been competitive with Icon Project in a 10f race.

[Gander]

Originally Posted by CrossfireHurricane

Rachel is overhyped in the sense that the sport marketed her too hard considering they got a total of 3 real races out of her and only 1 was on national televion.

NTRA is not worthless either. Without them you would get absolutely no promotion at all. It is the fault of state legislatures that the sport is not marketed well.

Back to Rachel, if you look at her races she really did never take on a great horse. I think you can make the argument that there are 3 fillies/mares that would give her a run for her money and she did not race against any of them.

I am fairly certain Icon Project would beat her in a 10f race. The Canadian filly is also very dangerous and you have Zenyatta. Rachel would have lost if she kept running this year. She is much like Curlin was at the age of 4. A horse that was going backwards going into the fall, probably due to a difficult schedule. You have to race in the fall if you want to be considered a great horse. The fall is when 3yr olds mature and when many top older horses target their big race. Rachel was well managed but I suspect she would have been beaten by any 1 of the 3 fillies/mares in the fall. I don't think she would have even been competitive with Icon Project in a 10f race.

I love Rachel but I have to admit I kind of agree with most of your last paragraph, most specifically Icon Project.