Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category
Monday, June 15th, 2009
When horse people are told about demonstrations, they probably think about a salesman or company rep showing them how the newest product or gadget works in order for them to improve their business. But in the proud history of the United States, a different kind of demonstration has been a key part of protest movements that have brought about changes in government policy. The Boston Tea Party may have been America’s first important demonstration, and many others have followed to make this great country what it is. The issues championed by these movements have come from the grassroots as an attempt to right an historical wrong or simply as a means to be heard by those in power.
With this in mind, it is understandable that when an industry led by many influential and traditionally entrenched members of society have their moment in the sun to “take to the streets” — as Kentucky’s horse industry will do Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort to rally support for expanded gaming at Kentucky racetracks — some confusion as to how to pull off an effective display may ensue.
But don’t worry; the Paulick Report will be your guidebook to protesting. Exhaustive research and a personal flashback to the late 1960s protests for equal rights and against the war in Vietnam have given us a list of dos and don’ts for an effective protest to get legislators to understand the importance of leveling the playing field for Kentucky’s horse industry. We aren’t guaranteeing these tips will bring expanded gaming to Kentucky, but with a little knowledge and hard work, at least Wednesday won’t go down in the annals of history with the saggy pants protest in Milwaukee, the naked cyclists against cars in the UK or anything PETA has done in the last 20 years.
10 Dos and Don’ts for Wednesday’s Frankfort protest rally
10. Do look presentable - This doesn’t mean you have to show up in your finest Hugo Boss suit, but make sure you at least put on a fresh shirt after cleaning up the morning stalls. And please leave your pitchfork at home. It will be confiscated at the security check.
9. Don’t confuse the cause – Wednesday isn’t your opportunity to save the whales or get tax rebates for those solar panels you installed in March.
8. Do call your legislator beforehand and schedule a meeting – After all, they do work for you. To find the name and number of your state representative or senator, click here.
7. Don’t show up at a legislator’s office unannounced – While they do work for you, they also work for the other 20,000 people in your district and so they tend to be a bit busy, especially during a controversial special session.
6. Do be respectful – Our friends from the Family Foundation will be on the very same steps Tuesday and some may stick around Wednesday to counter protest. No one wants to see John Greathouse slugging it out with Don Ball and his anti-gaming followers – except the Herald-Leader.
5. Don’t give ANYTHING to an elected official – You may think presenting David Williams with a horseshoe from your favorite broodmare is just a nice gesture, but Kentucky law strictly prohibits anything that may have the appearance of bribery.
4. Do tell everyone about the Paulick Report – We thought we’d try to slip a shameless plug by you! And in all seriousness, we are committed to bringing you the most up to date news on the expanded gaming issue, among others.
3. Don’t shoot the messenger – If you are angry at your legislator, don’t take it out on their staff. They are just doing their job and it’s a strong possibility they share a different point of view from their boss.
2. Do show passion – No one is going to judge you for shouting too loud or pumping your fist too fervently. Remember, you will be among friends.
1. Don’t give up – The worst kind of protest is one that lasts just a day. Make sure you continue to put pressure on legislators. Send them letters, set up future meetings and organize letter to the editor drives in your local papers. Trust us, they read everything written about them!
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: Boston Tea Party, Don Ball, Expanded Gaming, Frankfort, John Greathouse, Kentucky, Paulick Report, Protest
Posted in Industry, Industry Reform, Kentucky, Paulick Report | 18 Comments »
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
By Ray Paulick
The 2009 Triple Crown marks the fourth consecutive year the sport’s three premier races – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont — will be run without the benefit of a title sponsor, and the Breeders’ Cup championships will be without some of their longtime corporate partners when it is held for the 26 th time later this year. Wagering on Thoroughbred racing is at its lowest level in more than a decade, and the bankruptcy of major racetrack owner Magna Entertainment has put the sport in peril in some areas.
The good news? At least we’re not alone.
The gambling industry is suffering through some very difficult times now, thanks to the international economic crisis. One victim is the “Folies Bergere,” the longest-running show in gambling mecca Las Vegas, which will have its final curtain call on Saturday after nearly 50 years at the Tropicana Hotel. Spending on travel and tourism dropped in 2008, and this year figures to be worse. The gambling industry used to be considered recession-proof, but not any longer. Las Vegas gambling revenues dropped 16% in January, and conventions and groups are cancelling in droves.
Crushing losses in the corporate world – particularly in the automotive and finance sectors – have also had an immediate impact on professional and amateur sports. Sponsorships have been lost, teams in many leagues are struggling to fill seats, and luxury suites are increasingly sitting empty at different venues. The New York Times reported that the National Basketball Association has cut 10% of its staff, NASCAR teams have laid off hundreds of workers, ESPN has decided not to fill 200 job vacancies, and the LPGA has eliminated four tournaments after losing title sponsors. Even the mighty National Football League is feeling the effect: its commissioner has taken a 20% reduction in salary.
Two of the worst-hit industries, automakers and financial institutions, have traditionally been major participants in sports sponsorships, in large part because of the hospitality and entertainment options they provide their customers and employees. Chrysler was the original sponsor of the Triple Crown Challenge from 1986-95, and Dodge sponsored the Breeders’ Cup Classic for five years, beginning in 2003. The credit card company VISA took over from Chrysler as Triple Crown sponsor in 1996. When its contract expired, it continued as a marketing partner of the Kentucky Derby, a deal that ends next year.
But pity the PGA Tour, where fully 40% of its tournaments are hooked to the financial and auto industries. Government officials are insisting on cutbacks in spending by financial and auto companies that have received federal bailout money. Chrysler, the longtime sponsor of the Bob Hope Desert Classic, was missing in action when the tournament was held earlier this year. The Northern Trust bank was raked over the coals by Congressman Barney Frank and others after its executives partied to the music of Sheryl Crow and entertained clients and employees at the PGA Tour’s Los Angeles tournament that it sponsors. Buick, a brand in the nearly bankrupt General Motors, dropped its endorsement agreement with Tiger Woods.
The NBA and NHL are struggling like never before as corporations cut back on promotional and entertainment budgets, and families reduce their discretionary spending. The NBA has issues unrelated to the economy, namely a labor contract that many think will lead to a lockout by owners in 2011, but the question many sports observers are asking is how many teams will be forced to be sold, move or seek financial help from the league before then, simply because they are losing money (the New York Times reports that 15 NBA teams are operating in the red). The future of a number of NHL franchises is also in jeopardy as teams cut ticket prices and offer package deals to fill seats. Many corporations are either not renewing luxury suite rentals or cutting their losses by letting them sit empty rather than add mandatory food and beverage expenses each time they are used.
Most Major League Baseball teams are maintaining their ticket prices at 2008 levels, something Churchill Downs did with a majority of its seats for the 2009 Kentucky Oaks and Derby. The Breeders’ Cup, which significantly increased ticket prices to the 2008 two-day championships (and, like Churchill Downs does for the Oaks and Derby, required buyers to purchase tickets for both days), acknowledged the increases were a mistake. It hasn’t announced its pricing structure for the 2009 Breeders’ Cup, but many people will be disappointed if there isn’t a serious rollback.
Sponsors are more difficult than ever to find. When VISA dropped its Triple Crown sponsorship, Ed Seigenfeld, executive director of Triple Crown Productions, said, “We’re not going to let the grass grow under our feet” in the search for a replacement. That was in 2005, when business was booming. What are the odds of getting a Triple Crown title sponsor in the current climate, one that promotes the series the way VISA did?
Carter Carnegie, the senior vice president of sales for Breeders’ Cup, acknowledged the difficulty of replacing companies like Dodge and Bessemer Trust (the latter is controlled by the Phipps family, which has been involved in horse racing and breeding for generations). “Like NASCAR, the PGA Tour, NHL and MLB, horse racing also faces a challenging time for retaining and attracting sponsors,” he said. Carnegie said the “silver lining” for horse racing, compared with other sports, is that “corporate partnerships do not play as significant a role in terms of being a core revenue generator needed to maintain the day to day operation of the game.”
The Breeders’ Cup has some long-term deals in place and some new prospects in the pipeline, Carnegie said. “I think it helps that our price tag is much less than other sports, and over the last few years, we have been able to make a compelling case that we deliver a certain demographic that is hard to reach through traditional forms of media.”
Still, he acknowledged that some of the existing sponsors are struggling. “We have worked with some of our partners during these challenging times on ways to reduce or restructure their terms and fees and, in some cases, have looked at extracting more value for them by developing some new ways to increase their exposure.”
One company I’m guessing won’t be back is the insurance giant American International Group, better known as AIG, which partnered with the Breeders’ Cup in 2007 and 2008, sponsoring a “ride of the day” feature during the ESPN and ABC telecasts. AIG, of course, was on the cutting edge of the financial meltdown and in the news recently for wasteful executive bonuses after getting bailed out by taxpayers.
Breeders’ Cup is in the middle of a long-term strategic planning process that we’ll be telling you more about in the coming weeks. This work couldn’t come at a better time, because the organization is widely acknowledged as one of the few bright spots on the racing landscape over the last quarter century. With so much bad news throughout the industry, it’s critically important for the Breeders’ Cup to weather this economic storm and emerge as a beacon of hope for the entire sport.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: aig, american international group, belmont, bessemer trust, Breeders' Cup, carter carnegie, chrysler, dodge, kentucky derby, preakness, recession, sports recession, sports sponsorships, Triple Crown, triple crown challenge, visa
Posted in Breeders' Cup, Industry, Marketing, Sponsorships, kentucky derby | 4 Comments »
Monday, January 5th, 2009
By Ray Paulick
“It’s hard to get half the people in this industry to agree on what day it is,” a Central Kentucky breeder said to me a couple of weeks ago, shortly after the Breeders’ Cup announced suspension of the stakes supplement program for 2009. “I can’t believe 83% of the people voting in your poll agreed that the Breeders’ Cup board made the wrong decision.”
The day after the results of the Daily Paulick Poll were reported (83% opposed the decision by the board of directors not to use cash reserves to fund the program, 10% supported it and 7% were unsure), the Breeders’ Cup reversed field, reinstating the stakes supplements – at least for 2009. Breeders’ Cup president Greg Avioli said he did not “anticipate the fervor of the response” to the original decision to suspend the program. Apparently, the poll results reflected the response Avioli and board members received in the way of telephone calls and emails from nominators to the Breeders’ Cup from around the country.
This wasn’t the first time judgments ran strong on an issue on which readers of the Paulick Report were asked to vote. The polls are not scientific, but the results are quite interesting and we are flattered by the daily response. This much we’ve learned: You’ve got opinions.
The most recent results, in fact, represent the strongest sentiment of any of the 40 polls we have conducted since just before the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in late October. (Click here to see archives of all the Daily Paulick Poll results.) We asked, “Does the National Thoroughbred Racing Association provide a strong central organization to move racing forward in the future?” The results have been stunning, with 94% saying “no” and only 6% answering “yes.”
In some ways, the question about the NTRA mirrored the results of earlier polls regarding the state of the industry and thoughts about some of the organizations that lead it. In mid-November, we asked, “In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the Thoroughbred industry in the United States at this time.” The question was parallel to the right track/wrong track question the Gallup organization periodically asks of American citizens about the state of the nation.
According to our poll, 91% answered “dissatisfied,” suggesting the industry is currently on the wrong track. Of the remainder, 4% said they were satisfied and 5% were unsure. One e-mailer suggested that the 4% who said they were satisfied must not have understood the question.
Along those same lines, in early December we asked, “Are you confident the individuals in charge of the most prominent racing and breeding organizations in the United States are adequately addressing the problems the industry is currently facing?” That resulted in an 85% no confidence vote, with 10% saying they are confident in our industry leaders and 5% unsure.
A specific question about one of the year’s biggest stories, the creation of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, indicated skepticism among voters. While 8% agreed that it was a “major step forward in the areas of medication and safety issues and will result in significant improvements” and 27% called it a “good idea, but it’s too early to say whether or not it will be effective,” fully 44% voted that the alliance was “designed to keep the federal government from stepping in and taking action” on safety and medication. Another 22% said it will be “ineffective because the NTRA lacks authority to enforce its recommendations.”
Poll responses to questions about how to improve the economics of racing were less conclusive. For example, we asked which of three areas of growth were most important to the future success of racing: reinvigorating on-track business, expanding account wagering through TV or on-line video streaming, or getting subsidies from slot machines or other forms of gaming. Reinvigorating on-track business got the most votes, 45% of respondents, barely ahead of the 41% who believe account wagering is the industry’s best hope. Only 14% believe growth from slots/alternative gaming is the answer. A more specific question about slot machines ended with a four-way dead heat, with each of the following answers getting 25% of the votes: 1) slots are a short-term fix to boost revenue; 2) they are a long-term necessity for racing to be competitive; 3) they are a necessary evil; and 4) I oppose slot machines at tracks.
On the issue of simulcast revenue, the poll run in conjunction with an article by Fred Pope on what he calls “ Priority 1: Racing’s Business Model” found 63% agreeing with Pope that host tracks and owners where the live race is run should get the lion’s share of takeout revenue. Another 29% believe it should be divided equally between the host site and where the bet is taken, and only 7% support the current model that leaves most of the revenue from simulcast wagers with the bet takers.
The level of takeout has been hotly debated in the comment sections of Pope’s article and several other related pieces. Our only poll question on the subject came after the Kentucky Horse Racing Task Force recommended an increase in takeout to help fund additional staff for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Only 17% agreed with that recommendation, with 83% opposed to an increase in takeout to fund the commission.
We’ve touched on many other areas in our polls. For example, 55% of voters opposed Breeders’ Cup putting all of the filly and mare races on the Friday program of the two-day championships, with 18% in support and 27% taking a “wait and see” approach; 49% opposed having the Breeders’ Cup dirt races run on a synthetic track, while 39% supported it and 12% unsure. In the breeding world, in mid-December, 65% of voters said stud fees had not been reduced enough, 31% said the reductions were “about right,” and 4% felt they had been lowered too much. A comparison of the three highest-priced new stallions of 2009 found that Henrythenavigator offered greater value and opportunity for success to breeders than Curlin and Big Brown. The votes were 52% for Henrythenavigator, 44% for Curlin and 4% for Big Brown.
Finally, in light of the depressed bloodstock markets and a downward trend in pari-mutuel handle in 2008, a year-end poll asked readers if they believe 2009 will be a better year. Only 24% said they feel 2009 will be improved from 2008, with 52% saying it will be worse and 24% believing it will be the same.
Naturally, we hope our readers will be proven wrong and that 2009 will be a year that the industry addresses some of its biggest issues: organizational structure, leadership and a new business model that reflects the reality that roughly 10% of wagers are taken on-track where a race is being run. It’s clear there is a high level of discontent currently running throughout the industry, but it’s just as obvious that the passion to have racing stage a comeback is equally strong.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: Account Wagering, advance deposit wagering, ADW, Big Brown, Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup World Championships, Curlin, daily paulick poll, filly friday, fred pope, gallup poll, Greg Avioli, henrythenavigator, Horse Racing, kentucky horse racing task force, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, ntra safety and integrity alliance, Paulick Report, priority 1: racing's business model, racing's business model, Ray Paulick, right track/wrong track, Simulcasting, stud fees, synthetic racetracks, takeout, Thoroughbred breeding, thoroughbreds
Posted in Account Wagering, Breeders' Cup, Breeding, Horse Racing, Horse Welfare, Industry, Industry Organizations, Industry Reform, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Simulcasting, Slot machines, Synthetic surfaces, Thoroughbred Business | 15 Comments »
Friday, December 12th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The news just keeps getting worse for print publications and horse racing journalists who work for them. During the same week the company that owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun declared bankruptcy, my old employer, the Bloodhorse, initiated its third round of job cuts in the past year and the Washington Post notified its full-time turf writer, John Scheinman, that it will no longer cover horse racing, and he will be out of a job Jan. 1.
These are tough times for newspapers and magazines, which are struggling to adapt to different readership habits, are faced with new online competition, and are suffering from the economic crisis that has affected nearly every business and industry in the United States.
.jpg) Bloodhorse, whose weekly magazine has been steadily losing advertising market share to its chief rival, Thoroughbred Times, since former NTRA Purchasing chief Joe Morris was hired as Times publisher in mid-2007, notified employees in several departments this week that their positions are being eliminated. In a letter to advertisers, Bloodhorse president Stacy Bearse (pictured, left) said the company is trying to reduce expenses by $1.5 million, will eliminate unprofitable products and cut its staff by 10%. This comes after two earlier rounds of multi-departmental firings. The Thoroughbred Times has thus far been able to avoid layoffs, probably the result of its market share gains against the Bloodhorse, in both the weekly magazine and the annual stallion book that each publication produces.
Bloodhorse announced recently that it is cutting advertising rates by 5%, less than three months after notifying advertisers that rates were being increased for what I believe was the sixth consecutive year.
On a personal note, it’s sad for me to see some very good people and dedicated employees lose their jobs. Among those terminated were individuals who have been with the Bloodhorse for decades, and whose contributions led to its position as the market leader. The circumstances that led to the company’s downhill slide were not their fault, though they were the ones who ultimately paid the price.
The same can be said of the Washington Post’s John Scheinman, who has provided racing coverage with great enthusiasm and insight for the past eight years for the nation’s fifth-largest paper. Scheinman took over the racing beat when Andy Beyer retired from full-time duties. This will mark the end of 130 years of horse racing coverage in the Post, Scheinman said.
In a note to friends and family, Scheinman wrote: “ The professional love of my life, journalism, is in grave peril these days, a peril I believe is not just the result of a changing world and depressed economy. Much is self-inflicted as those in charge are not minding the foundation of the store during complex changes that are altering the dynamics of the industry.”
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times (fourth largest in the country) eliminated its racing coverage and fired its two horse racing writers and handicappers (though after reader protests it brought back limited coverage). So did the Philadelphia Inquirer, the nation’s eighth-largest paper, which terminated its racing writer in late summer.
UPDATE: Neil Milbert, the veteran turf writer for the now-bankrupt Chicago Tribune, was a victim in the latest round of newsroom cuts at the Chicago Tribune last week, according to published reports. The Trib used to employ two full-time turf writers; now, apparently, there are none.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: blood-horse, bloodhorse, joe morris, john scheinman, journalism, los angeles times, ntra purchasing, Paulick Report, philadlephia inquirer, Ray Paulick, stacy bearse, thoroughbred media, thoroughbred times, thoroughbred trade magazines
Posted in Industry, Racing Media, bloodhorse, thoroughbred times | 13 Comments »
Monday, December 8th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
We can blame the economy, and people like National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Alex Waldrop will almost certainly do so, when the dismal year-end figures show that pari-mutuel handle in the United States is at its lowest level since 1998. But pointing to the dismal economy as the sole reason for the Thoroughbred racing industry’s woes will be a fatal mistake.
Based on monthly pari-mutuel handle figures from Equibase through November (and the expectation of a very slow December), the Paulick Report projects year-end handle in the U.S. will total just under $13.7 billion for 2008. This will be the fourth year of decline in handle over the last five years and the lowest since $13.1 billion was wagered in 1998.
Adjusted for inflation, the 1998 handle is equal to $17.4 billion in today’s dollars. The Thoroughbred pari-mutuel industry will fall more than 21% short of that figure. November’s numbers are actually worse than they appear on paper. The decline of 9.7% from November 2007 comes despite the fact there were five full weekends in the month of November this year compared with only four weekends last year. Weekend handle overall is higher than weekday handle. Handle will likely fall more than 10% this December, which only has four weekends (eight Saturday and Sunday programs) compared with five full weekends in December 2007.
The accompanying table, using statistics from the Jockey Club Online Fact Book, shows the trend in U.S. handle since 1996. If there is a sliver of good news from those figures it is the average amount of pari-mutuel handle per race, which has risen from $199,574 in 1996 to $287,014 in 2007. That number will drop this year.
U.S. THOROUGHBRED PARI-MUTUEL HANDLE, 1996-2008
| Year |
US Handle |
% Change |
** CPI Adjusted Handle |
No. Races |
Average Bet Per Race |
| *2008 |
$13,694,000,000 |
-7.00% |
$9,921,000,000 |
51,000 |
$268,527 |
| 2007 |
$14,725,000,000 |
-0.40% |
$11,143,000,000 |
51,304 |
$287,014 |
| 2006 |
$14,785,000,000 |
1.50% |
$11,507,000,000 |
51,668 |
$286,153 |
| 2005 |
$14,561,000,000 |
-3.60% |
$11,698,000,000 |
52,257 |
$278,642 |
| 2004 |
$15,099,000,000 |
-0.50% |
$12,541,000,000 |
53,595 |
$281,724 |
| 2003 |
$15,180,000,000 |
0.80% |
$12,944,000,000 |
53,503 |
$283,722 |
| 2002 |
$15,062,000,000 |
3.20% |
$13,136,000,000 |
54,304 |
$277,364 |
| 2001 |
$14,599,000,000 |
1.90% |
$12,934,000,000 |
55,127 |
$264,824 |
| 2000 |
$14,321,000,000 |
4.40% |
$13,048,000,000 |
55,486 |
$258,101 |
| 1999 |
$13,724,000,000 |
4.60% |
$12,925,000,000 |
54,644 |
$251,153 |
| 1998 |
$13,115,000,000 |
4.60% |
$12,624,000,000 |
55,894 |
$234,640 |
| 1997 |
$12,542,000,000 |
7.90% |
$12,260,000,000 |
57,832 |
$216,869 |
| 1996 |
$11,627,000,000 |
11.50% |
$11,627,000,000 |
58,259 |
$199,574 |
*2008 year-end figures are projected
**Adjusted for inflation using 1996 dollars
The decline in handle over the last 10 years has come despite the fact we’ve made it easier for people to bet, with account or advance deposit wagering now available in many states. In addition, betting menus at nearly every track have been expanded to include more exotic wagers (rolling pick 3s, pick 4s, super high 5s, etc) and lower minimum bet sizes (i.e., the ten cent superfectas).
The worst news of all is that there are no plans on the table to reverse these trends. Industry infighting is at an all-time high, with companies like Churchill Downs Inc. and horsemen’s organizations both entrenched in their negotiating positions on the division of revenue for account wagering. We have two competing racing channels, confusion over who accepts bets on which tracks, and a fan base that is increasingly fed up and finding other places to take their action. Many racetracks appear to have given up on ever building their core business and instead are latching onto slot machines for their own personal salvation. With Magna Entertainment as the poster child, corporate ownership of tracks has been a failure for the racing industry, whose few bright spots can be found in locally- or family-owned tracks like Tampa Bay Downs in Florida or Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, launched just over 10 years ago with great fanfare and anticipation, has been dismantled almost to the point of irrelevance. We have no national marketing, no cohesive strategy to grow the business and no central organization to develop one. Structure matters, and this industry has no structure in place to bring about meaningful change. Some of the so-called best and brightest among our leaders are saying our only chance of survival is to go through a massive retraction in the number of racetracks, racing dates and horses bred each year. But a "less is more" philosophy sounds more like an admission of defeat.
The upside down economics of maintaining a racing stable (average costs exceed purse potential by an factor of 2-to-1) are driving many people out of the business, especially those who have less discretionary money than they had just a few years ago. The image of the sport - one whose grandstands echo from emptiness and whose equine athletes often are cruelly discarded at the end of their useful careers - is not appealing to a growing percentage of the American people. We need a game-changing play, new leadership that will get us out of the old way of thinking, fresh ideas and a bold vision for structural change that can reverse the direction the industry is heading. Without that, we may be on borrowed time. Does there have to be a Thoroughbred racing industry in the United States, even in a place like Kentucky that calls itself the horse capital of the world? I’ll answer that question by asking another one: Does there have to be an American automobile industry?
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Tags: Account Wagering, alex waldrop, CDI, churchill downs, Horse Racing, horse racing economics, Jockey Club, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, pari-mutuel betting, pari-mutuel handle, pari-mutuel wagering, Paulick Report, racinos, Ray Paulick, Slot machines, Thoroughbred Horsemen's Group
Posted in Account Wagering, Churchill Downs Inc., Horse Racing, Industry, Industry Reform, Jockey Club, Marketing, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Simulcasting, Thoroughbred Business, Wagering | 27 Comments »
Sunday, November 9th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
I knew I wasn’t in Kentucky anymore when I went out for an early morning walk and came across a group of about 20 people standing at a nearby intersection. It was only a two-lane road, and there wasn’t a car in sight in any direction, yet everyone stood patiently for what seemed an eternity, waiting for the crosswalk light to change from red to green.
I resisted the temptation that any American who’s ever jaywalked across a city street surely would have had.
When the light changed, everyone broke into a brisk walk, as if, all of a sudden, they were in a hurry. It is one of the strange .jpg) idiosyncrasies of the people of Japan, this nation of talking elevators, American fast-food, on-time trains and silly television commercials. Its natives honor Japanese laws, yet many of them complain privately about the nature of their traditions.
I’ve come to Tokyo ostensibly to cover the 32nd Asian Racing Conference, which began on Sunday with a trip to the Tokyo Race Course and runs through Thursday. (The time frame of some of my reports may seem a bit odd since I’ll be writing in the past tense about days that haven’t yet arrived in most of the U.S., since Tokyo is plus 14 hours from Eastern Standard Time.)
In truth, however, I’ve decided to cash in some frequent flier miles and come to Japan to meet and hear from officials representing racing countries that have faced challenges, worked cooperatively and developed strategies they hope will succeed and help them grow and prosper. I’ve come for a shot of optimism after nearly drowning in the sea of pessimism that saturates American racing these days, where the efforts seem to focus on stopping the bleeding and the only strategy relies on subsidies from other forms of gambling. Most American tracks have given up on the idea that they can be competitive anymore.
One example: In Hong Kong, where the stock market has fallen by nearly 50% in the current financial crisis, betting is off by about 6%. But the Hong Kong Jockey Club, instead of wringing their hands over the dreadful economy, has developed a new program to give bettors a 10% rebate on individual losing bets that exceed a certain amount.
Another story: When on-track business peaked at Japan Racing Association tracks in the mid 1990s, the JRA looked at its aging flagship track, Tokyo Race Course, and rebuilt the main grandstand, giving it a much more inviting design, one that in some ways resembles the Forum Shops of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. When they began losing fans, their strategy was fixed on giving on-track customers a better experience.
There are more than 600 delegates here from at least 30 countries. The Asian Racing Federation, which presents the conference, consists of racing nations from Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Africa and the Persian Gulf. These countries represent 36% of the world’s prize money, 32% of the international foal crops and 47% of global wagering on pari-mutuel racing. Europeans and Americans are welcome to attend the conference, though only a handful of them do. Only five Americans are scheduled to be here, two of whom are journalists.
 Among those I ran into at the track was Michael Dickinson and his partner, Joan Wakefield, who are here as exhibitors for Tapeta Footings, the synthetic surface developed by Dickinson that has been used so successfully at, among other places, Golden Gate Fields, Presque Isle Downs and the Fair Hill Training Center in the U.S., and as a training track in Dubai. Dickinson, of course, is hoping to find new clients among the Asian Racing Federation’s membership.
It was the couple’s first visit to Japan, and as someone who’s been to Tokyo a number of times for the Japan Cup and other major races, I gave them a walking tour of the massive, yet elegant new building. They were amazed at the cleanliness and bright, friendly design, the variety of comfort levels, and the size and length of the nine-story main structure, which is nearly a quarter-mile long.
.jpg) In the bowels of the grandstand, there is a maze of tunnels for horses to use as they leave the paddock, go onto one of the three tracks, or return to the stable area. We took one tunnel up to the winner’s circle, where Dickinson gazed wistfully out onto the main turf course and dirt track, desperately wanting to walk the courses to get a feel for them. The former trainer is a man long obsessed with the conditions and safety of racing surfaces, and his new calling as a proponent of synthetic tracks comes to him naturally.
“Do you think it would be okay for me to walk out there, after all the races have run, just to see what the dirt and grass tracks are like?” Dickinson asked. And he wasn’t kidding.
I’ll try to find out tomorrow whether the man known as the “mad genius” found his way out there to sample the footing of the Tokyo turf and dirt. I’ll be reporting from inside the meeting and presentation rooms of the conference, and working the unofficial meetings and break rooms for the latest news and gossip throughout the racing world.
I’ve come here in search of some optimism for our sport, to learn more about how other countries have achieved their success. I’ll be disappointed if I return home empty handed.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: 32nd asian racing conference, asian racing conference, asian racing federation, betting rebates, dubai, fair hill training center, golden gate fields, hong kong jockey club, Horse Racing, international horse racing, japan racing, japan racing association, joan wakefield, jra, michael dickinson, Paulick Report, presque isle downs, Ray Paulick, synthetic racing surface, synthetic surface, tapeta, tapeta footings, tokyo race course
Posted in Horse Racing, Industry, Industry Conferences, International Racing, Synthetic surfaces | 10 Comments »
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced a series of sweeping safety and integrity reforms and the hiring of a former governor and Bush administration official during a press conference in New York this morning.
The reforms, organized under the banner of the newly created NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, touch on a wide range of issues that have been bubbling under the surface for years but came to a head this spring in the wake of the death of the filly Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, the revelation that Derby winner Big Brown won while racing legally on anabolic steroids, and a damning Congressional hearing that left industry leaders red-faced and fearful of federal action. The reforms and the creation of the Safety and Integrity Alliance evolved over the last several months from a series of closed-door meetings and a confidential discussion document circulated throughout the industry and published in the Paulick Report in July.
The Alliance, to be funded by the financially challenged NTRA, consists of racetracks, owners, breeders, horsemen, jockeys, auction companies, veterinarians, fans, regulators and breed registries. The NTRA has retained the services of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who also served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for President George W. Bush and made a brief run for the 2008 presidential nomination of the Republican Party. Thompson will be charged with independently monitoring the program and annually providing public reports on the progress the Alliance has made in meeting its goals.
Thompson, incidentally, attended the 2005 Kentucky Derby and later joined a West Point Thoroughbred partnership that owned Flashy Bull, who was unplaced in the 2006 Derby but subsequently won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. According to West Point president Terry Finley, Thompson "loves the racing game" and is in a partnership that currently owns a West Point 2-year-old named Tapit’s Brew.
Click here to read the complete text of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance and Pledge.
For a list of tracks and racing organizations that have agreed to the pledge, click here.
Following is the NTRA’s press release on the formation of the Safety and Integrity Alliance and the hiring of Thompson as an independent monitor.
NTRA FORMS SAFETY AND INTEGRITY ALLIANCE AND ANNOUNCES SWEEPING REFORMS; TABS FORMER WISCONSIN GOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT
National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) President and CEO Alex Waldrop and Thoroughbred racing industry leaders outlined a series of industry-wide safety and integrity reforms at a press conference in New York today. The NTRA also announced the creation of a new Safety and Integrity Alliance, comprised of the largest tracks and horsemen’s groups in the U.S. and Canada, which will be responsible for implementing the reforms. The Honorable Tommy G. Thompson, former four-term Governor of Wisconsin and Secretary of Health and Human Services, will serve as independent counsel for the new NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. Governor Thompson will conduct an ongoing review and provide an annual independent and public assessment to the Alliance.
The reform initiatives are the broadest and most comprehensive in the sport’s history, including:
- uniform medication rules for each racing state
- ban of steroids from racing competition
- out-of-competition testing for blood and gene doping agents and pre-race testing
- uniform penalties for all medication infractions
- mandatory on-track and non-racing injury reporting
- mandatory installation of protective inner safety rail
- mandatory pre- and post-race security
- adoption of a placement program for Thoroughbreds no longer competing
The reforms were approved by the NTRA Board of Directors, representing North America’s leading racetracks, owners, breeders and horsemen, at a special Board Meeting in September and communicated via e-mail to fans just prior to the press conference. Waldrop, joined by NTRA Executive Chairman Robert Elliston, Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Chairman Alan Foreman and Governor Thompson, unveiled an ambitious timetable for implementing reforms, calling on NTRA Alliance member organizations to adopt house rules to enforce the measures until individual states and regulatory agencies can catch up via statute and regulations.
“Our industry is taking strong, positive steps to ensure the safety and integrity of our sport,” said Waldrop. “Despite challenges and significant short-term and long-term costs, there is an unprecedented level of commitment among Thoroughbred racing’s leadership to see these measures through.”
Governor Thompson—currently a partner in the Washington, D.C., offices of the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld—will lead a team that will independently review, monitor and assess the program and provide annual public reports of the industry’s progress toward achieving its goals in the area of human and equine health and safety.
"Our first priority is to insure the health and safety of the athletes and horses in the racing industry,” said Thompson. “On its own initiative, the NTRA has taken a great step forward in committing to reforms and the creation of an important new body to oversee implementation of the reforms. I will take my independent oversight role seriously and work to assure transparency in this process.”
The NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance will be a standing organization whose purpose is to implement safety and integrity reforms. The Alliance also will function as a certification/accreditation body for the purpose of recognizing and incentivizing compliance by all stakeholders. Reforms will be undertaken using a phased approach that begins immediately—in some cases, under a House Rules format—and transitions to a broader strategy that relies on licensure requirements, continuing education programs and the state regulatory process.
“The health and safety of all participants in Thoroughbred racing – both human and equine – have always been top priorities at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, and all of our company’s racetracks,” said Robert Evans, President and CEO of Churchill Downs, Inc. “We know that the job is never done where safety is concerned. We fully support the NTRA’s development of safety and integrity standards and the annual certification of tracks that meet those standards. On the issues of safety and integrity, we believe we must hold ourselves to only the highest standards. Our customers do.”
Virtually every leading racetrack and horsemen’s association in North America, representing some one million industry participants, has pledged its support to the Alliance and the reforms. Waldrop indicated that, in the coming weeks, the Alliance will be broadened to include other racing organizations, individuals and fans; and that additional reforms, including wagering integrity issues, will be addressed by the Alliance.
"The horsemen are the people who are ultimately responsible for the day-to-day care and safety of the Thoroughbred,” said Alan Foreman, Chairman of the national Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “As such, the health and safety of our horses and the integrity of our sport are our highest priorities. We are committed to seeing that these reforms and standards are implemented across the nation."
The reforms include improvements to medication and testing policies, guidelines for injury reporting and prevention, safety research, providing a safer racing environment, and post-racing care for retired race horses. They are drawn from the recommendations that have emerged over the past several months from The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee and Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, Breeders’ Cup Limited, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association’s Graded Stakes Committee and the long-standing work of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and the Association of Racing Commissioners International, among others.
“Fortunately, we have the excellent work of many industry organizations to build on, allowing us to focus on implementation, oversight, measurement and transparency,” said Waldrop. “The reforms and the plan for implementation have been conceived by those who have pledged to operate at a higher level of integrity.”
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.
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Tags: akin gump strauss hauer and feld, alan foreman, alex waldrop, american graded stakes committee, anabolic steroids, association of racing commissioners international, backstretch security, Barbaro, bob elliston, bob evans, Breeders' Cup, churchill downs, eight belles, former wisconsin governor, injury reporting, Jockey Club, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, ntra safety and integrity alliance, out of competition testing, post-, post-race security, pre-race security, racing injuries, racing medication and testing consortium, RCI, rmtc, robert elliston, robert evans, safety rail, steroids ban, thoroughbred horsemen's association, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, thoroughbred safety committee, tommy g. thompson, tommy thompson, uniform medication, welfare and safety of the racehorse summit
Posted in Horse Racing, Horse Welfare, Industry, Industry Organizations, Industry Reform, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Regulatory Issues | 9 Comments »
Monday, July 28th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Within two weeks of the June 19 Congressional hearings that looked into Thoroughbred racing’s safety and medication issues, a small group of industry insiders met at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., to discuss potential reforms that could stave off threatened federal intervention.
A confidential discussion document that came out of the Keeneland meeting and talks with other industry stakeholders outlines a far-reaching program of potential reforms as well as suggestions for implementing and enforcing them. The Paulick Report has obtained a copy of that confidential discussion document and memorandum (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) sent to the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association written July 9 by NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop.
Among the possible reforms discussed in the document are minimum national standards for medication, drug testing and penalties; benchmark safety standards of racing surfaces and/or a mandatory switch to synthetic tracks; a ban or limitation on racing fillies against colts; eliminating timed workouts at 2-year-old sales and distance restrictions for 2-year-old races; a funding mechanism for permanently disabled jockeys; wagering protocols and mandatory public disclosure of wagering abnormalities; uniform scratch rules and "other player-friendly advances"; integrity clauses and potential revocation of Eclipse Awards for individuals involved in infractions; and a national placement program for retired racehorses.
"As part of our post Triple Crown public relations and communications strategy based on consumer research findings, it is clear that the industry must implement real reforms in the area of horse health and safety ," Waldrop wrote in the memorandum to the NTRA board. "It is equally clear that the NTRA must play a leadership role to ensure responsible, timely and uniform execution of the equine health and safety reforms put forth by a number of industry organizations, including The Jockey Club Safety Committee. To that end, we believe it will be necessary for industry stakeholders to come together to reach consensus on industry reforms and to agree upon the methodology for timely implementation."
Waldrop recommended two days of meetings of industry leaders in Lexington, Ky., Sept. 3-4.
Waldrop called the confidential discussion document "far-reaching and ambitious to say the least and impacts virtually all segments of the industry. However," he added, " it appears that virtually all segments of the industry are in agreement that if we do not take pro-active action on the integrity front, the Federal government will very likely act on our behalf. And the questions from fans and media asking, ‘What has the industry done since Eight Belles?’, will come soon enough."
Congressman Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, the ranking Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that conducted the hearings, is calling for an amendment to the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 that would set minimum standards for racetracks wishing to conduct interstate simulcasting.
In fact, the threat of federal intervention will be used as leverage to get people on-board with the reforms, the document suggests. Suggested implementation would occur in four phases, beginning with "house rules" at racetracks "commencing upon the start of each track’s first full racing meeting in 2009." Phases II and III would depend on adoption of model rules and minimum standards by the Association of Racing Commissioners International and its member associations in various racing states. The final suggested phase would be the formation of a "national governing body comprised of key industry stakeholder and legislative bodies under an interstate compact."
Potential penalties for failing to comply with whatever reforms are pushed are loss of eligibility to host a graded race, loss of Breeders’ Cup stakes money or consideration as host site of the championships, loss of NTRA membership or loss of right to conduct interstate simulcasting.
The discussion document also calls for the commitment of owners, trainers and jockeys to compete only at tracks that operate under the agreed upon rules.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: 2-year-old sales, alex waldrop, congressional hearings, disabled jockeys, eclipse awards, ed whitfield, eight belles, interstate horseracing act, jockey club safety committee, Keeneland, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Simulcasting, wagering protocols
Posted in Congressional Hearing, Horse Welfare, Industry, Industry Reform, Medication, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Regulatory Issues | 13 Comments »
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
The road less traveled covered more than 3,000 miles, stretching from Central Kentucky through the upper Midwest, to the Great Plains, Wild West and finally to Southern California in time for Wednesday’s opening day of the summer meeting at Del Mar. There were sights for which words cannot do justice, natural wonders that make this country unique and awesome in its beauty.
And, oh yes, there were horses nearly everywhere the highways and backroads took us on this weeklong Westward trek.
There were no horse races, though we did pass by several "dark" racetracks, including Indiana Downs southeast of Indianapolis in the Hoosier State, Metra Park in Billings, Montana, and Wyoming Downs in rustic Evanston, Wyoming. But horses were everywhere, or so it seemed.
There was a horse show in Wisconsin, trail riders in Minnesota, and dude ranches in South Dakota. Rodeos in small-town Wyoming appeared to be as commonplace as little league baseball in the suburbs of most American cities. Real-life cowboys still use their horses to check fence lines under the Big Sky of Montana.
Horses remain an unmistakable and unique part of the fabric of American life, not just in the West but throughout the United States. But this trip West served as a reminder of how important the horse is to our society — past and present.
The Thoroughbred is just one thread in that colorful fabric. Yet it’s an important thread, providing entertainment and sport and competition at the highest level.
The Paulick Report recognizes that the horse industry is a business — a massive one that, according to the American Horse Council, produces a $102 billion economic impact annually and provides for 1.4 million jobs. The AHC’’s economic impact study estimates there are 9.2 million horses in the United States.
In all the annual numbers that we see in our slice of the business, Thoroughbred racing and breeding ($15 billion wagered, $1 billion in purses, another $1 billion in auction receipts), it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of what really drives the industry: the horse, and the fascination and love people hold for this majestic creature.
By Ray Paulick
Copyright ©2008, The Paulick Report
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Tags: American Horse Council, Horse Racing, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick
Posted in Industry | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
I was in the middle of a dinner celebrating my son’s 20th birthday at the new Malone’s restaurant in the Palomar Center in Lexington (highly recommended, by the way, certainly up to the standards of all the Malone’s and with an appealing outside bar with large plasma screen TVs showing horse racing), so I didn’t get a chance to read the story until sometime later in the evening.
When I did, I was shocked and even more filled with angst when I read the article, written by the interestingly named Frank Angst, a ground soldier in the trade publication army of the Thoroughbred Times I’d crossed paths with on a number of occasions during my tenure as editor in chief of Bloodhorse.
Believe it or not, there are ethical standards among journalists, just as, I suppose, there are among horse traders. One of those standards is that publications that run exclusive stories should receive attribution or credit whenever another publication does a “cover your ass” rewrite, which is clearly what ground soldier Angst was ordered to do from on-high. To quote the leading media critic Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post and CNN’s Reliable Sources, “Making a couple of calls to confirm a story that a journalist would not otherwise know about doesn’t excuse the obligation to give proper credit.” Dick Jerardi, an Eclipse Award-winning writer for the Philadelphia Daily News (and an occasional Thoroughbred Times contributor), found the past-posting article of interest and wrote a story for his paper, giving attribution to the Paulick Report. The story by Frank Angst is not the kind of journalism my old friend Mark Simon, the longtime editor of Thoroughbred Times, expected from his employees 20 years ago when he hired me as the weekly magazine’s managing editor, and I doubt that Mark’s standards have changed very much. So I sent Angst a few angry emails Monday night that he’s had plenty of time to respond to, and hasn’t. (Note to Frank: It’s 2008. If you’re not checking your inbox 24/7, you’re no damned good.)
This is the same Thoroughbred Times and same Angst that was so anxious to report my demise from Bloodhorse last August but failed to run even a brief note about the start-up of the Paulick Report a few weeks back (neither, incidentally, has the Bloodhorse, though traffic reports on the Paulick Report web site show Bloodhorse IP addresses as a frequent, daily visitor…perhaps looking for news leads?). Someone once suggested that there is something Machiavellian about the trade press, that the ends (keeping the trade publications in a cozy, friendly relationship with the industry they cover) justify the means (parsing and lifting from non-trade press). That led me to run a picture of the Italian diplomat and author Niccolo Macchiavelli, especially since Frank Angst isn’t famous enough to have a photo on the Flickr web site. I never read The Prince, Macchiavelli’s most famous written work (I’m sure I’m not the only one who likes to say something is Macchiavellian without knowing what the hell we are talking about), but I do know something about the Thoroughbred trade press and the cozy relationship it has with advertisers and industry organizations it covers. I plead nolo contendere to charges that I was influenced at times during my 15 years at Bloodhorse, succumbing occasionally to brow-beating from advertisers, members of the organization’s board of trustees, its parent at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, or from a publisher whose frequent jaunts to Margaritaville were made possible by a contented, free-spending group of advertisers. I’ll never forget the chilling words one of the Bloodhorse trustees said to me when I first met him: “We can’t tell you what to do or write. All we can do is fire you.”
The trade publications, for example, are not going to report on something that nearly every breeder in Central Kentucky already knows – that top older stallion Seeking the Gold has been shooting blanks this breeding season and may be finished – because 1) the farm that stands the stallion, Claiborne, is a major advertisers at Bloodhorse and Thoroughbred Times and hasn’t sent out official word yet through a press release, and 2) the stallion is controlled by Dinny Phipps chairman of the Jockey Club, and the people who run the two publications don’t want to do anything to upset Phipps since they enjoy being invited to the Jockey Club Dinner in Saratoga Springs, NY, in August.
Of course, in the Jockey Club’s Macchiavellian manner of controlling as much of the industry as possible (did I just insert Niccolo Macchiavelli again?), one of the members of the board of trustees at Bloodhorse is Bill Farish, who has a double-barrel blast of lucky sperm as the son of Jockey Club vice chairman Will Farish and son-in-law of Dinny Phipps. The chairman of the Bloodhorse board is Stuart Janney, the cousin of Dinny Phipps.
As someone once said to me, “Why should the Jockey Club buy the Bloodhorse when it already controls it?”
The lifting by the Thoroughbred Times of the Philadelphia Park story wasn’t the first time in the brief history of the Paulick Report and certainly won’t be the last time something like this happens. I’m happy to say I may even be influencing their coverage.
In the wake of our breaking story last week on the election of the Breeders’ Cup board of members and trustees, the Paulick Report headline read: CLAY CANNED IN CUP ELECTION. A short time after that story was posted, the Thoroughbred Times apparently did another hasty rewrite, but with the bland headline: BREEDERS’ CUP ELECTS 12 TO BOARD OF MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES. Later that night, apparently someone at the Thoroughbred Times with at least marble-sized testicles changed the story headline to read: CLAY NOT AMONG 12 ELECTED TO BREEDERS’ CUP BOARD OF MEMBERS, TRUSTEES.
Bloodhorse.com apparently transitioned the other way in its brief rewrite and headline treatment. Its original headline, posted hours after the Paulick Report broke the election story, read: CLAY LOSES BREEDERS’ CUP BID. Sometime later, it was changed to the milquetoast: FOUR NOT RE-ELECTED TO CUP BOARD. Perhaps someone thought the latter headline told the story more accurately than the former. It’s more likely that someone reminded the editorial side of Bloodhorse how much money Clay’s Three Chimneys Farm spends on advertising on its web site and magazine.
The Paulick Report will not be beholden to industry organizations like the Jockey Club or to major advertisers. We are operating on the simple premise that the Thoroughbred industry needs and deserves independent reporting and analysis. Similar to listener or viewer supported operations like National Public Radio or Public Television, we believe we will receive support from readers like you.
By Ray Paulick
Copyright ©2008, The Paulick Report
CORRECTION: THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS STORY INCORRECTLY STATED THAT A.P. INDY "HAS BEEN SHOOTING BLANKS" DURING THE 2008 BREEDING SEASON. ACCORDING TO STATISTICS PROIDED BY WILL FARISH, A.P. INDY HAS COVERED 113 MARES AND HAS 80 OF THOSE MARES IN FOAL. THE PAULICK REPORT REGRETS THE ERROR.
Tags: Add new tag, Bill Farish, bloodhorse, dick jerardi, Dinny Phipps, frank angst, Horse Racing, howard kurtz, journalistic ethics, journalistic standards, macchiavellian, mark simon, niccolo macchiavelli, Ogden Mills Phipps, past-posting, Paulick Report, Philadelphia park, Ray Paulick, Robert Clay, thoroughbred times, Three Chimneys, trade publications, Will Farish
Posted in Industry, Industry Organizations, Racing Media | 29 Comments »
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