By Bradford Cummings
Did you think Desert Party was the best horse in the 2009 Kentucky Derby field? Still stinging over Rip Van Winkle’s lackluster performance in the Breeders’ Cup? Maybe you thought Super Saver should have gone into the Belmont Stakes as a Triple Crown hopeful? Or perhaps you’d like to make a compelling case for General Quarters in tomorrow’s Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs?

The NTRA’s newest and perhaps best attempt at reaching out to a new fan base is here in the form of the NTRA Fantasy Game, an opportunity for current and potential racing fans to better understand what it takes to be at the top levels in racing. You can participate as a jockey, bettor or even breed your own horse and train him/her to victory in a series of online tournaments. There are admittedly some tweaks that need to be made here but from a broad view, this game is exactly what our industry needs. This interactive hands-on approach to the Sport of Kings is the direction we need if we are to expand our game into the next generation.

As a young thirtysomething, I grew up right on the cusp of the computer generation. My first interaction with a computer game was in elementary school when we would get out the 5 1/4 inch floppy disk for the school’s lone Apple IIe and plug in Oregon Trail, a simulation that allowed the player to see what it was truly like to be a pioneer going across the country in a covered wagon. I learned about dysentery, small pox and broken wagon wheels. I understood just how difficult it was to keep people alive in the 1800’s (We made our teacher the fourth person in our traveling party because they almost always died first) and learned how important it was to play nice with Native Americans. But that was all by accident. Because we had fun in the process, I know a lot about the trials and tribulations of early American pioneers. I lived it.

In my teenage years, football, baseball and basketball simulations started to pop up. Some were more about actually playing the game but the ones I enjoyed the most were those with in-depth general manager modes where the player called the shots on trades, signings and who stayed in the majors. I delighted in building the Chicago White Sox into a perennial champion and became a fan with a better understanding of the sport because of it, even if spending too much time playing made me a nerd.

Now simulations are all the rage. Facebook is filled with farm simulations, virtual gardens and zoos. You can go online and see how fast a typer you are in comparison to others or run your own Hollywood movie studio. Even the U.S. Army has gotten into the act through their game America’s Army that has become a popular recruiting tool for those interested in being all they can be. There are literally thousands of simulated activities out there on the web and the best ones are taking their genres to the next level of popularity.

But horse racing has for too long been a mystery. What does a stalker mean? Why do some horses like Zenyatta come from way off the pace while others feel more comfortable on the lead like First Dude? How could Garrett Gomez get so caught up in traffic with Lookin At Lucky in the Kentucky Derby? How significant is breeding in the makeup of a good horse? When you’re in the virtual saddle or making a theoretical cross, these curiosities are far easier to comprehend. That this game brings the intricacies of this sport down to the masses is what makes it so important.

Currently, the game is only on a PC platform, forcing me to dust off my old laptop (I’m a Mac user). Like I said earlier, there are tweaks that need to be made. It takes a while to truly understand the game. Unless someone shows you what you are doing, you can’t really just download the game and play. There are a lot of instructions to go through and the really interesting stuff like riding in historic races or breeding your own colt or filly to victory take some time to understand. And tournament play, the only interactive way to play your own creation (I bred Sunday Silence to Genuine Risk), requires multiple days of participation which doesn’t really fly in the virtual world.

But those and a few other objections aside, this game is quite addictive. Customize your jockey silks, play the "Quick Start" mode, select a horse with your favorite running style and learn what it’s like to be Kent Desormeaux or Joe Talamo. You can even place a win bet on your horse to add some extra excitement to the process. For each race you run, you’ll earn community points that allow you to create new foals, buy historic races (Super Saver finally won the Preakness after a couple tries and my expert race riding) or even shop in the online store for gift cards and merchandise. While you can play the game for free and very much enjoy yourself, I would suggest purchasing the $9.95 a month VIP membership that allows you to earn points more quickly and gives discounts on the stuff you can purchase in the online store.

There is much more to talk about and more for even myself to explore. But in the meantime, I asked NTRA vice president Keith Chamblin a series of questions about the fantasy game, where the idea came from and where they see it going in the future. Below is the complete Q & A. After you are finished reading, please go to the NTRA’s website and download the game here. After you get your sea legs, send it on to friends who may or may not be into racing right now. I have a feeling after a little bit of time with this simulation, they may have a different, more positive view of our industry.

While it’s no secret that the NTRA has taken its lumps here on the pages of the Paulick Report, we are always rooting for it to succeed. This newest foray into online simulation is exactly the type of expansion of our fan base that the industry’s chief alphabet soup organization should be engaged in.

Whose idea was it for the NTRA Fantasy Game?
Keith Chamblin: “We have been discussing this type of marketing platform for about 12 months. We view it as an integral component of our Web 2.0 strategy and a key platform through which to engage target customers of all ages and demographics.”

How long has it been in development?
“The game started in 1999 and a social community—a key component—was activated about 18 months ago.”

Did you consider other options? If so, what were they and why did you go in this direction instead?
“We considered development of our own game, but in the end, we determined that the best course of action was to enter into a licensing agreement with an existing vendor with a proven product that could be modified to have the look and feel of an NTRA-branded virtual game and community.”
 
You said this is a soft launch. When do you expect to get more aggressive with marketing this?
“The game will be gradually integrated into key components of the NTRA.com Website. For example, Friday night beginning at approximately 11:00 p.m. ET, fans will be able to logon to www.ntra.com/virtualracing to view a virtual running of this year’s Vanity Handicap featuring the race’s actual competitors with their real-life racing characteristics depicted. Each weekend, we’ll feature virtual presentations of selected stakes races. We think of it as entertainment with a handicapping element.
“We’ll also be advertising through Google Ad words and we have some preliminary plans for a major promotional tie-in later this fall, but I can’t go into them yet.” 

How has the soft launch gone so far? How many have signed up in the community and for VIP memberships?
“The launch has been terrific thus far. Several hundred people have registered through NTRA.com, and we’ve only begun to market the game and community.”
 
Did you model this game after any other similar non-racing game on the market?
“No, horse racing is very unique and there’s nothing quite like this game.”
 
What improvements do you expect to make before the “hard launch”?
“We think the game and community around it are terrific as is, but new features are being added all the time. The game will eventually be launched on mobile, Mac and Ipad platforms.”

How has the general feedback been so far?
“The initial feedback has been very positive. I think many industry stakeholders view this as an extremely viable platform for bringing new people into our game of Thoroughbred racing.  All major sports, with the exception of Thoroughbred racing, have a centric game platform like Madden Football or Tiger Woods golf. We view this as a great vehicle and community to tie older and younger players together within a gaming environment. One interesting component is the mentor program whereby older players teach younger players about horse racing and younger players teach older players about playing the game.”

What’s the biggest purchase made at the store so far? What’s been your most pleasant surprise in the soft launch phase?
“We haven’t necessarily seen gigantic, single-ticket purchases right out of the gate, nor did we expect to. The main surprise has been how traffic and activity are exceeding our expectations.  We’re seeing registrations, purchases and, in many cases, repeat purchases. People who play the game quickly become engaged in the game and community.”
 
What is your relationship with the vendors? Are you paying them for the merchandise or do they look at this as a branding opportunity? Or a little bit of both?
“We have a very straight-forward agreement in which the NTRA receives data and shares in the revenue derived from customers who access the game through NTRA.com.  It’s a key initiative in terms of growing our database and it also provides an avenue to derive some funding from non-traditional sources.”

Where do you see this game going long term? Five years from now, how would you describe success?
“Success would be measured by an active database and community of hundreds of thousands of players per month, measurable conversion of some of these players into active participants in other components of our game (e.g. customers or owners) and a six-figure revenue stream to the NTRA.”

Anything else you would like to add?
“I’m looking forward to playing the virtual game to see how Zenyatta will fare this Sunday.”

Copyright © 2010, Paulick Report

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Tags: bradford cummings, Breeders' Cup, churchill downs, desert party, facebook, garrett gomez, General Quarters, genuine risk, Good News Friday, keith chamblin, kentucky derby, liberation farm, lookin at lucky, NTRA, NTRA Fantasy Game, Paulick Report, Rip Van Winkle, Sport of Kings, Stephen Foster, sunday silence

This entry was posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010 at 7:30 am and is filed under Good News Friday, National Thoroughbred Racing Association. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.