Interview - Simon Bazalgette (Sovereign Series) Part II

This is part 2 of 2 part (Part 1) interview with Simon Bazalgette, the new CEO of the Jockey Club in England, and the head of racingUK. His recent announcement of the Sovereign Series has caught the attention of media world-wide. You talk about challenging the percieved wisdom, and note that there are people on your side. Can you talk a little about what it's like to change culture in an organization, and how you're able to do it. - changing a culture requires having a clear strategy, having strong supporters in key places, and then communicating clearly and widely - most importantly to show the positive side of what the change can deliver, and also dealing head on with the anxieties and criticisms that rise to the surface. Can you talk about some of the initial press? - interest in Sovereign - initial interest is very positive but we have a lot more to do to market the concept fully with broadcasters and sponsors. Equally, we are also seeing some voices who don't see the need for any change, so the debate is well and truly under way! Will you look to expand the sovereign to all categories after this initial run? Has there been an interest in sponsorship? - extending Sovereign - there is certainly an opportunity for other championships, for example in the area of sprints. However, we will go one step at a time. Mr. Bazalgette best of luck.

Interview - Simon Bazalgette (Sovereign Series)

I can pretty much find anything on the internet, and after yesterday's news about the Sovereign Series I made it a mission to get in touch with the brains behind the operation. And luckily I not only found Mr Bazalgette, but he agreed to an interview. Here is part I, of what I hope will be 2 parts: Your background seems to be in the music business, have you always had a passion for racing? My background is in a broad range of media and entertainment businesses, particularly music and broadcast. I have always been an occasional racegoer, but more as a day out with friends than through any interest in the sport. I got involved in the launch of Racing UK more because of my broad experience in successfully launching media projects. Coming from outside racing also gives the perspective to challenge the received wisdom as to how things should be done. You were once a director of marketing. What are the big hangups with getting horse racing back onto the front pages? Racing is a very insular sport and has focused more on its existing audience than generating a new audience. The main challenge is to understand that it is also competing in the media landscape where other sports have modernised or addressed the market much better than horse racing, and we need to gear up for this challenge. That's precisely why the Sovereign Series had been created. In America we deal with different states having different rules and just a littany of people in charge of different things. In what ways does having a national body help? How much of a hassle is it bringing horses to the different jurisdictions of Europe? Horse racing is complicated in every country, and there are different challenges in each country. However there is a common theme that racing focuses too much on internal competition, and not enough on the external competition from other sports and leaisure activities. This is the change of focus that is needed everywhere to meet the challenge of globalisation and the opening up of markets that is an inevitable long term process. In the UK we have been successful in rallying broad support for this. I would hope to see similar realisation in Europe and North America. Where did you get the idea for the Sovereign Series? The Sovereign Series was created as a response to the challenge for horse racing to address the plateau-ing of its influence in the mass media and with mass audiences. Other sports have addressed this (UK soccer in the early 1990s, F1, cricket in recent years are all examples of this) and it is clear that integration with media rights is a core element. So the aim was to use the tools and elements that already exist to come up with a conecpt that is simple to understand but also engaging across the season. Have you gotten any feedback from trainers or owners? Trainers and owners have been very supportive. Chris Wall, President of the National Trainers Federation, and Paul Dixon, President of both the Racehorse Owners Association and the Horsemen's Group both willingly gave public support to the launch. Europe doesn't really have to worry about full fields, but in what ways do you see this helping the sport, from the business side? In the UK it is always a challenge to ensure full and competitive fields, and in general we are reasonably successful. However, we would still like to see more of the best horses racing against each other in the UK - that is what creates the consumer buzz. Achieving this means more consumer interest, more racegoers, higher media and sponsorship values and a range of other commercial benefits. You've recently been apointed CEO of the Jockey Club. Congratulations. In what ways will that position help you further the Sovereign Series? The Jockey Club has around 50% of Racing UK and has been a powerful supporter since launch in 2004. It is becoming increasingly clear that even greater co-operation across racing media and commercial projects will yield greater benefits to British racecourses. In my new role I will be in the perfect position to develop this, generating greater commercial returns that can be applied for the long term good of horse racing. PART II

England Gets It!!!! - TBA Victory shortly

FT.com / World - Horse-racing to award £2m prize Being a limey myself I take great pride in the fact that the English have figured it out. Please read this article, someone at TOBA/AGSC, NTRA, please read this article!!! Highlights, and really the whole thing is highlights - "In 2010, [All Group 1 Races] will be renamed the Sovereign Series, and points will be awarded according to each horse’s place in each race." "At the grassroots level, there is nothing significantly wrong with flat racing, but the broader sports audience can’t understand why one horse is better than another,” "season lacked a narrative" "reduce the number of horses going abroad" Simon Bazalgette you are my hero!!!! Why this is better than anything the US has put forth: It encompasses all the Gr I's, not a selective few (TBA would like the US to use all Graded Stakes), they are going to spend more on marketing than on the prize, they have someone who gets it in charge.

Gr I Travesty

Didn't the Suburban used to mean something? Tom Fool, Kelso even recently it was won by some greats like Skip Away, Pleasant Tap, Easy Goer, and Broad Brush. This year's installment could be won by Rising Moon. Who? Exactly. The Mother Goose is also the same day, it should be a real showdown between Proud Spell and I guess the heat or the wind that she runs into, I mean seriously she'll go off at what? 1-1,000,000. I know it's the middle of the year, and I know many are waiting to restart their campaign in the late Summer, but we're talking about 2 of the great NY races attracting fields better labeled Grade III, or even overnight stakes. It's embarassing. I was thinking about going up to the Belmont this weekend, but now I'm not going further than 109S on the GSP (Monmouth Park), and maybe I'll remember to watch. I don't blame NYRA, I blame the nTra and TOBA, why not make these races mean something, shouldn't you be helping these tracks get quality fields, isn't that in your best interest? $650,000 in purses tied up in 2 terrible betting races, 2 terrible sporting events, and two black eyes on your supposed purpose for being. Blech!

How I'd Do It

Seeing that I'm voting for Obama in about 5 months you may think I'm an elitist snob. So, rather than argue that point I might as well put it to good use. There's a ton of posts on this site about how I'd do it, but let's just sum it up in one, right here, right now. The track owners and state horseman are invited to a nice hotel. Upon arriving they are given some nice gift baskets, and liquor... lots of liquor, and then the bargaining comes. Each track states how much they spend for their signals. All that money is pooled together and forms an LLC. The LLC purchases the exclusive signals from every track. The purchase price is based on a formula that incorporates things that are important to the horseman and track (how many days run, avg off-track handle, on track handle, medication, calendar cooperation). Then the LLC sells the signals back to the tracks also dependant upon factors that go into a formula. The LLC would generate money (buying and selling signals) which would pay for the accountants and lawyers needed, the rest of the money split by the owners of the LLC (all the tracks). The LLC, owning all the signals, ensures that every ADW gets access to every race. If an ADW is linked to a TV show maybe they get better rates dependant upon whether or not they show the race, how many TV's it's available on, etc. Exclusive TV rights would be separated from wagering rights. With a full calendar of racing organized by the LLC the NTRA has an easier time buying TV slots and packing in even more races for their shows. Every Saturday starting in July, 2 hours of country-wide racing, a race for every category. The AGSC/TOBA and NTRA join forces to give standings to the new Saturday show. Joe Casual Fan is intrigued. The show is more centered on the racing, and the Breeder's Cup (while it does show odds it's not the focus), and the sport, and all of a sudden advertisers aren't as scared off. They want in. Stars are already in place as every graded stakes race counts from Jan 1st on. The NTRA lines up advertisers with prominent owners (Think IEAH & UPS) to sponsor stables, from 1 horse to 10 horses every horse is covered. Winning circle interviews have a few more ads in them (saddle cloth, jockey pants, cap, NOT silks), but it's not as bad as NASCAR, one sponsor one owner. The money is split between jockey, owners, tracks, horsemen, and the NTRA. Sponsorship of the standings lead to season ending bonuses promoting racing more often and against tough competition. Win and You're In incorporates gate choice with points earned, coupled with a panel to choose 4 horses who may not get in on points alone. And with 3 paragraphs you fix racing. You get cooperation You get increased revenue You get more racing You get more fans And and this could all start with a group of bloggers that prove standings are viable in this sport, and that casual fans do have something to watch.

Context for NTRA

I mean who isn't talking about this? And now a follow up. Anyways, I wanted to talk about the critical flaw in our sport on a day where it might be easy to explain. How many of us have ever played baseball? Or basketball? Gone in the backyard to toss any type of ball with Dad or sit in his lap and watch the game? 99%, we all had gym at some point, right? How many of us have trained a horse or ridden a thoroughbred - .001%. With 99% of the population there is an innate concept of context for our major sports (baseball, football, and basketball) that comes from our recreational play. A casual fan flipping channels immediately understands 2 strikes two out, bottom of the ninth, or the 2 minute warning. The same can not be said for the sport I love. To a casual fan a $50 Alw looks very similiar to a Gr I $500k stake. The context of our sport comes from either a generational hand down or... well I don't want to say luck, but people have to seek out our sport to say the least. This is why the Stephen Foster will never be on Television. You want to put the Florida Derby on TV, that's easy, contextually it fits in to the Kentucky Derby. You want to put the United Nations on TV, that's not as easy but we're doing it, it's Win and You're In, so that needs a little explaining, but it's coming along. The Stephen Foster..? What's that to the casual fan? To me it's a stepping stone to the Eclipse for Older Horse. I get it. Everyone else; not so much. Win & You're In changed nothing about racing EXCEPT context, it's a brilliant premise. What horse racing fan doesn't know the winner of the Arlington Million will be in the Turf? There may be some long shot fliers along the way, but overall, it's a context change nothing more. Where W&YI comes up short is two fold: 1. It's Win and You're In and You can Wait, it doesn't reward racing. Easily fixed w/ an incentive for gate choice based on standings. 2. It doesn't include the entire season. I get that it would be asinine to have W&YI based on the Santa Anita Handicap, but what if a horse could start earning gate points in every graded stake in the country January 1st. Then when it comes on TV in July you already know where you stand and you have instant stories at any moment in time (like this weekend w/ the Stephen Foster). You put into context what we racing lovers already know. There is a professional level to this sport. Another note of context. In Dana's most recent piece she quotes how proud the NTRA is of Mr. Waldrop's blog getting 32k hits since it started April 10th. Well, just to let you know the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance is hot on your heels, we've gotten 29,747 with not a lot of name recognition. Proof that people are seeking out context! And while we're doing Dear NTRA. Dear NTRA please meet with like 5 of us, there's a few who are near your NY offices, just like 2 hours, we'll put together a presentation for you, covering a few things, Web 2.0, standings, increasing casual fans, marketing ideas. It can't hurt right?

Again with the Standings

You know me, I just won't let this kind of crap drop. There's going to be a huge let down now in the viewership of racing. There will be no headlines after the Stephen Foster next week, there will be no 7 hour coverage of the Suburban card. The casual fan's attention will be lost from now until the Breeders' Cup. There will be some bumps in attention: Win and You're In, the NEXT race for Big Brown, but it will not come close to the level we've had over the last 6 weeks. It's a shame. But not all hope is lost. Big Brown has racked up 515 points in the TBA standings. It's quite a lead, but not quite insurmountable. What if? Win & You're In guaranteed a starting gate spot, but gate choice depended on overall points. ESPN could talk about the horses who are gaining on Big Brown's standings #1 spot. Every graded stake race was important, and the casual fan could understand that in a number. You elongated the Triple Crown to be the whole season leading up the BC. You had real champions, based on real standings, giving trainers a real reason to enter. ok, you can click on the label for more of my rantings.

TBA Standings Outcomes

I'm just hoping this isn't Big Brown's (480) last race. If he wins he'll have a total score of 660, 3*180 for the TC wins = 540 +120 for the Gr I Florida Derby = 660 That would have only won the TBA standings once out of the last 5 years. Curlin = 840 Bernardini = 720 St Liam = 715 Ashado = 860 Aldebaran = 650 Look we all know the TBA standings aren't perfect and we can talk about the good and bad things about the above winners till were blue in the face. The point I'm trying to make is that I don't believe a HOTY race can be called over in the first weekend of June (if the Belmont is the last go round). Let's say Big Brown does it and retires the best hope would be Curlin (120) who would be 540 points a way. Gr I Stephen Foster + Gr I Arc + Gr I BC = 480, he'd be a little shy, but the Gr I Japan Cup could put him over. Which would be the better season? Triple Crown Winner or Dubai WC + Stephen Foster + Arc + BC + Japan Cup I'd have to side with Curlin on that one.

TBA Standings vs Money Earned

Looking at this I'd say the standings do very well for something no one pays attention to. Horses that are in the Derby that the TBA standings don't have: Z-humor - Delta Jackpot winner as a two year old Massive Drama - Hollywood Preview Winner as a two year old Majestic Warrior - Hopeful winner as a two year old. How many would cry if these guys were left out? Something should be said of the quality of 2 year old campaign, and the TBA standings don't do that, but should they be equal to the recent performances of 3yo's? I would say no Horses that are in the Derby that the TBA has, but the earnings don't: Bob Black Jack - World record holder for 6f and 2nd in the SA Derby Halo Najib - You got me here, he's been placed in all the right stakes, 2nd in the Lanes' End, 3rd in the Hutch, he's not great, but I'd take him over Massive Drama or Z humor. For up to date standings and what horses are doing when visit the TBA homepage

Why We Need Standings

The 3-point line, lowering of the mound, two-line pass: Sports have always adjusted their game for the benefit of viewership. Even history-laden sports like golf and tennis have allowed technology that creates a game hardly recognize-able from that played just 15 years ago. Horse racing should be no different. However, when dealing with a sport largely based on a relationship between human and horse there is not much to change. Other sports have changed to create offense. Higher scoring games are always welcomed, but you can't make a horse run faster. No one wishes to see an increase use of the whip. The changes that took place in those other sports were real and it caused the perception of the sport to change. Games that were 3-0 were boring, 13-10 were exciting (the non-forgiving purists obviously would differ). Allow me to make the point that standings in horse racing would change the perception of our sport while not changing the underlying race. Horse racing is a one off event: One race, one winner, next post time 30 minutes. There is only one special time when the collective casual racing fan's attention is held: The Triple Crown. [The Breeder's Cup Ltd. is trying to create that sense with its "Win and You're In," but it also rewards one win and wait.] For up to 6 weeks we're all, casual and hardcore fans alike, caught up in workouts, trainers, jockeys, weather. We know what's on the line: immortal glory. The rest of the season...not so much. The Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance's hypothesis is that standings can be useful and are possible in our sport. Taking the "word" of the American Graded Stakes committee that certain races are more meaningful than others, we turn the black-type heading into actual worth for all participants. Horses that compete in these graded stakes over the course of a year will establish themselves as dominant forces in their categories. This has been proven possible as many of our top 5 finishers are in the final 3 for their respective Eclipse category even while trainers & owners do not point their horses to win the TBA championships. Incentive and Legitimacy is everything; two things the TBA somewhat lacks. Usefulness? The points are Type 1st 2nd 3rd AlsoRan Gr I 120 80 60 35 Gr II 55 40 30 10 Gr III 15 10 5 0 BC 240 80 60 35 3yoClssc 180 80 60 35 A horse must win a Gr I to be eligible for year end awards. Why 120 points? Why do winning hockey teams get 2 points? I worked from a perspective of the smaller amount of opinion the better. The TBA doesn't have the authority to say how much more the Pacific Classic is worth compared to the Mother Goose. So we just thought winning a Gr I is better than winning two Gr II's and winning a Gr II is better than winning 3 Gr III's and went from there. Is it perfect? No, but in 7 years it has worked extremely well and is a good tool for knowing who are the top runners in the categories. - Foreign Gr I wins for American based horses count only for 1st 2nd 3rd - A horse can earn points in multiple categories that count to their main category (with more points or with a Gr I win)

Road to Eternal Greatness

Please leave comments on what you think Curlin's races should be for the rest of the year that would cement him as an all-time great. Personally, it would look like this: (Hey there is no rest for the all-time greats) 6/14 Gr I Stephen Foster (need a win of the CD strip right) 7/26 Gr I Whitney (though Ascot would be nice) 8/something Pacific Classic, train over the SA strip if it's not under water. September Go to France 10/5 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 10/25 BC Classic I'd like to see them take this on even with a loss in the Stephen Foster or Whitney (though I can't imagine to whom). Ok your turn, where does he go, does he go to Ascot in July, skip the BC for Japan in Nov? How do you work in the Arlington Million?

Open Letter to TOBA AGSC

I believe that the Breeder's Cup Ltd (BC)and their program "Win and You're In" (W&YI) is watering down the the American Graded Stakes program and marginalizing what the AGSC does on a yearly basis. The BC has now expanded to include 49 races. This is over 10% of the races that the AGSC grades, in just the BC's first expansion. W&YI races all result in the winner getting a spot reserved at the BC, thereby equating all races on the same plane. As a racing fan and as a person who is interested in bringing casual viewers to the sport I don't believe this to be in the best interest of the sport. The long term fan realizes the races aren't of the same caliber and the casual fan is not given a way in to understanding the heritage of the sport. Furthermore, the W&YI selection process for races is much more opaque than the AGSC and leaves some important voices out of the process. That process might become moot in the very near future as breeders/owners focus in on the advertisment sheet rather than their catalogue page. The W&YI races will have deeper fields and oppurtunities to beat horses of reputation which can be listed on an advertisement. Yes, these races are currently also Graded Stakes, but the impetus to race is the W&YI, not TOBA nor AGSC thus marginalizing their importance. I implore you and the AGSC to do something proactive about this. Sincerely, Handride I have solutions, but first you have to admit a problem.

TBA Awards Vs the Eclipse

Here was the final tally for the TBA And we hit all of them except F&M Turf. So, yet again I wonder why everyone still believes standings couldn't be implemented in our sport. Again the TBA standings aren't perfect; they are just an experiment that shows it can be done. On to the Derby Trail: Kentucky Bear shows his claws. And Jennifer Morrison covered this already, but WOW, it needs to be mentioned again. The horse looked great. He's inbred to Mr. Prospector, so I'm sure there will be doubters, but WOW. I saw the replay thanks to now being on FIOS (I get HRTV and TVG), and he looked like a real one to me.

How'd We Do?

Hi-lighted below are horses that were in the top 3 of the TBA standings. Again for all those people that say standings can't be utilized: The TBA standings are bare bones. These are standings in which no one looks to be on top, and yet the best horses always finish up there. The standings also promote change in our sport, but that's something entirely different. 2-year-old male: Kodiak Kowboy, Pyro, War Pass 2-year-old filly: Country Star, Indian Blessing, Proud Spell 3-year-old male: Curlin, Hard Spun, Street Sense 3-year-old filly: Octave, Panty Raid, Rags to Riches Older male: Corinthian, Invasor, Lawyer Ron Older female: Ginger Punch, Hystericalady, Nashoba’s Key Male sprinter: Fabulous Strike, Idiot Proof, Midnight Lute Female sprinter: Dream Rush, Maryfield, River’s Prayer Male turf horse: After Market, English Channel, Kip Deville Female turf horse: Lahudood(4th), Nashoba’s Key, Precious Kitten Jockey: Robby Albarado(5th), Garrett Gomez, John Velazquez 21/33

Happy New Year (here we go again)

Happy birthday to all my equine friends, and let the Derby trail begin! The TBA has made official its year end winners, and I'm excited to see how close we come to the Eclipse awards. The TBA isn't trying to mimic the Eclipse at all, in fact I think they are 2 sides of the same coin, but I'm hopeful that the TBA has all the big names. This year I don't think the TBA is too far off. The F&M Turf is a really close call so that could go any way, but the others I think we've nailed it. Again it's further evidence that a bare bones standings (points system) could work, and that when everyone says it's useless, they are just afraid of change. Disclaimer: The TBA uses it's standings as a launching pad to keep up to date with all the big name horses. Standings will only be legitimate when someone can put serious money behind it, and get trainers and owners to want to score high. I think the funny thing is that Lawyer Ron will be up for HOTY. He's deserving don't get me wrong. It's just sad that a horse like English Channel might be overlooked. It just goes to show the focus this sport has on dirt is sometimes at the expense of turf. The 2008 bracket will be filling up slowly but surely, keep the TBA homepage in your favorites and join our RSS to keep up to date on all that happens in horse racing.

Win and You're In Expanding

This will be a little of a follow up on why people should leave messages over at AGSC Do Something... Anything. (Gary West, yes that Gary West, left a message yesterday of support, why can't you do the same?!) Messages were also posted @ ThoroughbredChampions, Final Turn, Pace Advantage, Turfnsport, NYRAOnline, even ESPN. I've been a supporter of the W&YI situation since November 2006. That support was based on the presumption that W&YI only changes the perception of the sport and not the sport itself. However, if W&YI expands, as is their want, then they will change racing. W&YI is run by the BC Ltd, and by expanding they are laying down what are the important races leading up to their Breeders' Cup in their eyes. I'd rather that job stay in the hands of the AGSC which is compromised of owners, breeders, and track secretaries, rather than marketers and people who may use it as leverage for other causes unforseen today. Unfortunately, the AGSC holds on to an antiquated system that was set up prior to the internet, pp's, television, possibly the phone, who knows, just know it's old. It was set up back in the day when racing was the money maker and breeding was icing on the cake. Today, you have horses whisked away to the barn after a graded stake win to recoup their ever increasing cost as yearlings and juveniles. The owners are the ones laying out the cash in this sport, and in no way would anyone suggest anything that takes money or the ability to make money out of their pocket. However, recently some of started asking for different ways to assess their stallions, namely in durability. I read that as buyers, who are compromised of owners/breeders/trainers/pinhookers, want more specific information on what they are buying. Add in the fact that the BC Ltd is moving in on the AGSC turf and you have to believe it's now or never for the AGSC. The AGSC already knows the value of every stake in a more accurate manner than the 3 categories we see. So, why not open up the playbook a little and give these stakes their values. W&YI could still exist, but the AGSC would be in control. The catalogue page would be more accurate (which is what your charter says you should do) and you all could take the credit. Again, do something... anything. At the site you're free to put down your own ideas (Gary left his). Here's mine: Each race is given a value by the AGSC, and the WPS alsoran is given different weights of that value (100%, 60%, 40%, 15%). I would like to see every BC race at the same value and using that as par go through the other graded stakes. Now that means the Haskell and the Norfolk might be worth the same amount. True, in each category their will be stakes that have the same value, however when moving those points to the HOTY category they will be cut by a certain %. Meaning that 2 horses; one with the same amount of points in the F&M Turf as the other has in the Sprint would not be equally ranked on the HOTY page. I would do this because if you did it before the HOTY category it would appear that some categories might not be worth following or some might read it that you are slighting the Fillies and Mares. The AGSC then tallies the points at the end of the year and gives out awards. People love awards shows. The catalogue page gets a boost by being able to say you were in the top 10 of Sprinters in 2005, but it doesn't stop anyone from saying you were the Florida Derby Champion. It's just an enhancement. It also makes a little easier to market races (#4 vs #8 in the 3yo filly division). Finally, you get a reason to tackle the harder competition as a loss wouldn't be seen as an end to a chamionship campaign. Notice this is not at all like the TBA. The TBA just proves even the most basic standings can work to a degree while trainers and owners pay no attention to them. If the AGSC doesn't do this, they'll be out of business in 3 years.

Again w/ the Cooperation for Cooperation's sake

I'm only bringing this topic up again because Anonymous said I was bitter and what I was writing about wasn't real journalism (even though I've said numerous times that's not my goal). But, Crist is at it again (sorry sub req'd). Pointing fingers saying what's wrong with the sport then giving a Utopian result with no basis on how to get there. I'm not being bitter, I just want more out of him. My favorite sentence: "Instead, the well-intentioned "Win and You're In" program continues to stub its toe by overemphasizing the true importance of some of its races, pretending that anything being shown on an ESPN telecast should guarantee a horse a berth in the Breeders' Cup." This is the beauty of Win and You're In and w/ this sentence Mr Crist flat out proves he doesn't get it. People who watch horse racing on these weeks are given an automatic rooting interest and a reason to tune in come the big day. Who does it hurt by giving a long shot an entry into the worlds biggest race? Let's say there are real rankings, number 12 doesn't get in, who's upset other than their connections. Is losing the #12 ranked horse for a horse that might have somewhat of a fan following a bad thing? That's the extreme too. Most horse racing fans know that this W&Y in is just a show, and in the end most of the qualifiers would be going anyways. Steven, can I call you Steven? I think you have done wondrous things in the sport; have seen the game from every angle. I have a hard time believing you don't get this, or at least you're not willing to frame your arguments in a positive manner. Why not use your column to give solutions. How would you get tracks to cooperate? What would you do to connect the races to the BC? What do you make of the AGSC? These questions have been answered by the TBA ad naseum (check out label standings below), but the TBA amounts to a hill of beans compared to the media that you control. Here's an idea. Hijack the AGSC. Beyer gives out numbers for a what an individual horse achieves in an individual race after the fact. Why doesn't the DRF put up some bucks, and give values to every Graded Stake before the fact. At your control you know historically what the horses eventually won, money earned, and what path they took. Quantify it and use it and give it the BC wrapped in a bow. I'm not being bitter I promise, I just know that someone in your position can do something in a week of meetings that I've dreamt of for 4 years.

Fixing Win and You're In

Blog reader Steven Crist recently pointed out that "Win and You're In" isn't perfect (sorry sub req'd). Really it isn't, breaking news? Yeah, I don't think it's perfect either, and I was wondering what Mr Crist's solution would be. However, after 8 paragraphs of real journalism he lays out his big idea for fixing it. You ready?... Cooperation. Really? We can sit all these track owners and secretaries down in front of Mr. Rogers and in 30 minutes it will all be sorted. Huzzah! In more detail Crist would like to see only Gr I's used, and use the format to put the final nail in the handicap coffin. In fact, he sees the "Cup qualifying program ...streamlining and improving [the National Gr I schedule]." Couple of problems & Solutions: I don't know how happy Saratoga is putting all their eggs in one proverbial weekend basket. Wouldn't it make more sense to have 2 maybe 3 sites per weekend, and within the 2 hours show 6-8 races (maybe one per BC race category). Mr Crist would approve. Cooperation needs one thing:money. To get money "Win and You're In" has to be successful getting TV ratings. TV ratings mean ad dollars. And, ad dollars will turn horse racing on TV from being a cost to a source of revenue. And tracks like revenue. Horse racing needs not only to string together races, but horses in those races. "Win and You're In" works against this principle by allowing horses to win one race and possibly take the rest of the months off. It has to be tinkered to bring back horses more than once. What I'd like to see, and what I think "Win and You're In" is heading towards is something I first pointed out a couple years back: Standings. Crist is for standings & points, in the Derby. I honestly believe something akin to the TBA standings will be adopted. The TBA standings are hampered by 2 things: The current (totally flawed) graded stakes schedule and trainers that don't know it exists. However, with those 2 flaws our standings still work. What I'd like to see is in July when the sports world is absolutely dead and ESPN is begging for any news story not involving the police "The BC Challenge sponsored by WHOEVER" starts with standings already in place based on the years entire Graded Stakes. This gives the casual sports fan a jump start, and encompasses all the tracks to get a little good publicity. Then you continue with the standings up until the BC where the top 3 or 5 in each category have automatic births and/or gate choice. This will happen, and sooner than you think. Just keep supporting Win and You're In, it has to make money. Without money based on advertising the idea of a coherent season is dead. Prior ideas of getting owners to sponsor it, like the TCT, are dead in the water.

Win and You're In, duh

For those keeping track at home, but really if you want to keep up with the top horses you know where to go: Able One (NZ) - Mile Diabolical - Sprint Ginger Punch - Distaff Lawyer Ron - Classic My Typhoon (IRE) - Filly & Mare Turf And Bobby Frankel doesn't get it. Saw this first off Super's Blog, but had already started to write something about W&I that I've now trashed and you're seeing this. Win and You're In is not for you, Bobby Frankel it's for the fans. Everyone who has watched horse racing prior knows that this program is there to change the perception of horse racing and not the game itself. I'm sorry you don't get this, and it's probably not your fault, maybe the BC & NTRA didn't do a good job selling it to the trainers, which they should have done so you don't have Top Level trainers trashing it on any level. I can just see Mr Avioli reading Frankel's comments and slapping himself in the head, this was not what he wanted. Mr Avioli would have like to have read, "I really like this Win and You're In. Ginger Punch is a great filly and the BC is in the back of every trainers head when they have a good one like this. This takes a little pressure off the whole situation, but now I have to get back to work and make sure she stays fit and can perform again like this." Frankel I guess cooled down a little later for these comments.

New Car Smell

The Breeder's Cup had a lot of announcing to do these past couple of days. They have a new site and a new format. Let me give you my opinion. The Site Pluses - The emphasis on purple is way down. That's not a good thing, but a GREAT thing, it no longer looks like Prince designed the homepage. It's unfortunate that purple is the color of royalty, and since this is the sport of kings it was adopted by the BC, you just have to live with it. Content, content, content. This site is loaded with cool videos and pics sorted creatively but easy to find. Speaking of easy, ease of use is way up. It doesn't do everything I want, but compared to the old site this site is truly in the 21st century. Highlighting pics tells you the headline or the name of the race and you are presented with all your choices up front. It gives the Kentucky Derby site a run for its money. I think I might like this site a little more. The emphasis on the standings is way up, and I'm scared at some point the TBA standings will be a relic, but for now the BC standings aren't that useful and they don't use them to the degree the TBA does (ok that last bit should be in the minuses, so I guess I should start being a Debbie Downer). Minuses - The site doesn't grab you right away. You show up at BC.com and you are faced with choices, lots of them. The choices are top notch, but for someone going there for the first time, there's not much of a grab. ESPN does this the best with the large picture and about 5 stories text linked to that subject, those stories exist on the BC site, but they aren't as nicely related visually on the front page. After watching a "Classic" video it won't let me choose amongst the categories on top; like top stories or top contenders, there's a bug in there somewhere, in fact it won't let me choose those top tabs once I get off the front page, I keep having to go back to the main page. The flags don't link to anything, and I was hoping for an Easter Egg to maybe that countries top prospects. What happened to the time capsules? I see BC classics, but I liked going back and seeing the entire meet too. I'd like whole pages dedicated to the divisions. Overall - I know the minuses is a bigger paragraph than the pluses, but this is a good site. I don't know how much content will be created for this site alone or will they rely on other sites stories, but that is a factor for me and how often I come to this site, but to a casual fan it might not matter. The blogs are good, though they aren't really blogs (whole 'nother can of worms). The site is solid all the way around, and my complaints are just nit picks. B Format Is it "Win and You're In" or "The Breeders' Cup Challenge"? Oh I know it's the Breeders' Cup Challenge with the Win and You're In format. That's simple. (please read sarcasm in that). Why is it that the BC has to name everything twice. Remember this is the Breeders' Cup & The World Thoroughbred Championships (update from comment: The Breeders' Cup dropped "World Thoroughbred Championships" from its name years ago. It's just the Breeders' Cup World Championships now, and it's not two different names-- it's one name. BCWC on first reference and just BC thereafter. - yeah that's easy enough). This is just proof that people over there aren't that great at sharing. I like "Win and You're In" Hell I was talking about it last November, and even have a tag for it, it just disappeared for the last 7 months. I'd like to see more trainers talk about it I guess, and I think for next year they have to get some races moved into July. Why? Because it is a graveyard for sports. ESPN has literally nothing to cover (hence the "Who's Now" cringe fest), so why not give them something to cover. I like Alan's idea of not only rewarding the horses with automatic births but letting the gate choice spring from this. As I said in his comments Win and You're In will eventually lead to standings in this sport. Avioli said he needs to be like other sports, and while W&Y isn't really playoffs the BC isn't really a championship because THERE ARE NO STANDINGS. The points the BC currently use are nonsense because they don't reward running in Gr I's and because TOBA's Graded Stakes schedule is laughable, but the sport does what it can, and is doing a good job. wow I can't believe I said that, I'm going to go swallow some Drano.