HEY NTRA, ABOUT THAT MARKETING PLAN…
What’s that old expression: When the cat’s away the mice will play? Well, while Ray Paulick is en route to Cape Town, South Africa, for an international Thoroughbred breeders conference, Patrick Patten was asked to put his keyboard and mouse to good use and look back at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s 2008 marketing summit, during which a group of bloggers and racing fans presented a marketing proposal they were solicited to create and submit to the organization.
Patten has been writing Handride for five years and is an original member of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance. He does have a real job in the natural gas industry, and, contrary to the stereotype given many bloggers, does not live in his mother’s basement. He in fact lives in Monmouth County, N.J.,  20 minutes north of beautiful Monmouth Park where he has spent many summer weekends over the last 25 years.—Ray Paulick
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By Patrick Patten
One year ago I was part of a group given the task to create and propose a new marketing plan for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. It was about six weeks of hard negotiating, yelling, and writing with a group of other bloggers and passionate fans. Â In the end I think we produced a professional document many consultants would be proud of, and the price for the financially-challenged NTRA was right: free. I think this guy charged $500,000 for pretty much the same thing. The document we created is still online (pdf warning) and more importantly still waiting for someone to implement it.
Getting up on stage at the NTRA’s marketing summit in Las Vegas was a dream come true. I had started my blog in hopes that someone, anyone, would say, “Hey, that’s not a bad idea” and that’s exactly what happened. It was the culmination of four years of writing and thinking. And, while it would be easy to label any blogger as a tinfoil-hat-wearing-mama’s-basement-living-crazy-person who thought after one presentation the world of racing would bow down at his or her feet… I knew change wouldn’t come fast, my expectations were decidedly low. However, a year later I thought there would be somewhere that the group could claim “That’s our idea.” This has not been the case.
I won’t rehash the ideas, I can’t really blame anyone directly, but I sure can be disappointed with everything involved. First, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Race-day medication laws in this country are a mess and give the sport a black eye; the work here (NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance and the new Breeders’ Cup race day rules) should be commended. However, you have to think, what horse has to die in order to get the overall house of ours in order? And, you have to wonder why banning drugs and getting tracks to adhere to common sense practices are MARKETING successes in the first place. How screwed are we?
The largest complaint I have is with the lack of cooperation at the highest level; this was one of the main points of the report. The NTRA and the Breeders’ Cup share the common goal of expanding the brand of our sport, and yet they compete with each other. Our marketing report was about sharing information, and putting in place ideas where common ground could lead to growth. Allow me to cite the perfect example of how this is NOT happening. It should also be noted that I was part of a BC advisory committee recently convened to talk about and have ideas bounced off of about the BC, and I definitely advised on this glaring problem.
On July 25 the Eddie Read Handicap was held at Del Mar. The race was shown on ESPN2. It is a Grade 1 race and has major implications when it comes to the Breeders Cup Mile. Its field included Artiste Royale and Thorn Song and was won with an upset by Global Hunter; all well known horses to regular players; a great race to put on TV to say the least. However, to the casual fan it’s a bit confusing. The week before, two races were held, the Greenwood Cup Handicap and the Delaware Handicap, and neither was shown on TV.  However, their winners were guaranteed a spot in the Breeders Cup. So, are the races not shown on TV more important? Why is this race on TV if it doesn’t lead to anything important? This was a Grade 1 race, but the previous week’s Grade 2 was more important to get into the Breeders’ Cup. I think I’ll go back to watching Dancing With The Stars.
The rallying cry of our marketing plan was “Take Back Saturday” and to do this the BC and the NTRA have to work together. The solution we proposed was to have all graded stakes (and some non graded races for the newer BC categories) count toward standings with the top horses awarded gate choice. We saw it as a home-field advantage, a small change that would have a large impact. Everything in the report after that was based on this “Take Back Saturday” mantra. A little cooperation would be a small hurdle to jump over, and we’d be on our way to relevancy in the sports world.
We were wrong. There is no cooperation in this sport when it comes to marketing. When a horse dies and millions of people are yelling everyone is on their best behavior: Pumping water out of a sinking ship. When do we fix the ship?
The people in charge are still getting rich, and everyone else is still willing to give them even more money and power, so no changes will occur. What really hammered this home recently was Headless Horsemen, the new book by Jim Squires. If a man that well known can point a finger at everyone and have nothing happen, not even a discussion on whether he’s right or wrong, what could a bunch of bloggers do?
It’s disappointing because of the hard work put into that report. The goal of that project was marketing, and I made sure we stuck to that cause. We didn’t tackle the high level of take-out, or drugs, or security–it was only marketing. And, I think we did a fantastic job at keeping the report realistic. We did this because we knew we were up against the perception of what a blogger is, and we didn’t want to come off as asking for the moon or for being too broad or for being tinfoil hat wearing crazy people. We didn’t.  We hit that report out of the park  Was it too good? I wonder now, after being on an advisory board that supposedly had a hand in the Breeders’ Cup saddle cloth color change, what is expected of these panels and groups. I mean seriously, they need a bunch of outsiders to tell them that saddle cloths were a big issue? Meanwhile all that was talked about last year was the renamed Ladies’ Classic (not the saddle cloths) which I’m sure will take another group to fix next year so they can put out a press release saying, “Look we listen to our fans! Have fun at the Filly & Mare Classic” I digress.
I was told directly to hold Alex Waldrop’s feet to the fire. Here it is:
Alex, the NTRA has done a good job of putting out the fires that seem to come up so frequently for this industry. But, how long can this industry be reactive instead of proactive? Â How long can tracks sit idly by protecting their own “turf” at the cost of cooperation and getting real reform? How long can the industry get by on contracts written decades ago because no one has any faith in real negotiation and cooperation? How long will you allow yourself to be pushed and pulled in a myriad of directions when I believe you want to move forward?
The marketing report, for me, was hope that someone was looking forward. Are you?
Â
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Tags: alex waldrop, Artiste Royal, Breeders' Cup, Dancing with the Stars, Del Mar, Eddie Read Handicap, Global Hunter, Greenwood Cup Handicap, handride, Headless Horsemen, jim squires, ladies' classic, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, NTRA Safety & Integrity, Patrick Patten, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, Take Back Saturday, Thorn Song, Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance
August 25th, 2009 at 6:41 am
You’re an idiot and ALL you do is whine and complain.
So, you would rather watch Dancing With The Stars than a nationally televised horse race that you ADMITTED had “major implications when it comes to the Breeders Cup Mile” and a “a great race to put on TV to say the least”?
I rest my case jackass!
August 25th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Racing is not a national sport and has never been successfully marketed as such. Racing is a local sport and local people are best suited to marketing it because they know the territory and have more of a vested interest.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:24 am
@Luke please look up sarcasm in the dictionary.
@Barry Irwin - So we’re giving up on being relevant? Why bother having any national overseeing group then? Why bother - because the more national the sport would be the more money it would mean for everyone involved. It’s like having Minor league baseball with no major league.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:28 am
You’re wrong, Irwin. Racing CAN be a nationally televised sport and marketed as such. The ACRS and Triple Crown have proven that. Ask NYRA how their “local” deal with MSG+ is doing? It’s an ABOMINATION!
My original point still stands: Paulick’s comment about rather watching Dancing With The Stars than a horse race that he ADMITS merits being televised is moronic. Period.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:31 am
@Luke I wrote that comment, not Paulick, and it was sarcastic as in: the confusion of the way the NTRA and BC handle their televised races might make a casual race fan just say screw it and go back to watching something else, even something as TERRIBLE as Dancing w/ the Stars.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:34 am
@Patrick - Bottom line: Paulick said he’d rather watch something ELSE than support the sport. I’ll leave the dictionary on the shelf, thanks.
At least you set Irwin straight.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:36 am
@Luke, no he didn’t. I wrote this article and I was being sarcastic.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:47 am
@ Patrick - My apologies…when I see the personalized “RP” on the link on the homepage, presumed it was coming from HIM.
So it’s you that are the moron. You can’t say how “important” a race is the the Breeders’ Cup and how “great” it is to have on tv and then say you’d rather watch something else. That’s just downright stupid, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race.
Yes, trying to arrange a nationally televised “schedule” of races around available ESPN windows is not easy. But, would you rather see a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race or nothing (if there is no available window on ESPN)?
Do you have any CLUE about television programming? Based on your comments, you don’t. But that’s OK, because neither does Paulick. You guys make no effort to seek out the people making these decisions to ask WHY these things happen?
August 25th, 2009 at 7:56 am
@Luke I’m just beside myself. Really, I don’t think you read. You didn’t read the first 2 paragraphs of this post, or the “By Patrick Patten”, you didn’t read comment 2 or 5. I wonder if you’ve read this far. I WAS BEING SARCASTIC. The whole point of this article is that the BC and NTRA should cooperate, ESPECIALLY on TV, they each have their own blocks of TV rights and races and they have the ability to put different things on TV. Unfortunately what they do put on TV doesn’t jive with each other (I watch all the ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 shows) because the BC cherry picks W&YI races and because the NTRA hasn’t cooperated or put forth a plan that could benefit them both. I’m fully aware of broadcasting rights and time constraints that sometime curtail some great races from being on TV (like Rachel in the Woodward or Curlin in the Stephen Foster last year), this is not about that. This is about a cooperative front on national marketing.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:02 am
@Patrick - You’re basically telling people that are READING your column that they should watch something else! If this is sarcasm…it’s quite possibly the worst attempt I’ve ever seen!
We all agree things are morbidly screwed up within this wonderful sport. But, c’mon man, why don’t you (and Paulick) do your part to HELP it every once in a while. Don’t turn people away!
PROMOTE THE SPORT!
August 25th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Great article, Patrick. Co-operation is sorelay lacking in the industry. Even after the NTRA specifically asked you and the others to come together to help them put together a marketing plan - the various racing interests still cling to their separate turf. But don’t lose faith. Keep everyone’s feet to the fire.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Great article, Patrick. Co-operation is sorely lacking in the industry. Even after the NTRA specifically asked you and the others to come together to help them put together a marketing plan - the various racing interests still cling to their separate turf. But don’t lose faith. Keep everyone’s feet to the fire. Real change is always incremental.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Patrick: I think you are selling yourself short. I actually read the report and thought one its greatest strengths were the parts about using digital media and social networking. Since then we have seen a tremendous amount of growth in that realm by tracks and industry people. I have no doubt that much of this growth is a direct result of the NTRA report. Nothing wrong with celebrating a little success, right?
August 25th, 2009 at 8:44 am
1st - TVG should be made part of a basic package on cable or direct tv so more people have access to it.
2nd - Tracks with new money from gambling should be encouraged to put on more show. The West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park looked like Churchill on Derby day because of Mine That Bird. The trainer stood with his crutches and signed programs for an hour and the line for him was long and filled with children which is racings next fan.
3rd - Understand that the fan does not care if the horse wins every race. They just want him to do his best in a crowd of good horses.
4 - If the track puts on a good product the fans will come. I heard loads of people in line at the ticket window making excuses for Mine That Bird. Few were upset even though many lost money on him because they are a real fan of that horse.
5 - People like horse racing. They have fallen away from the sport for many reasons, lack of
TV coverage, etc. but I think mostly because the writers have focused on the gambling aspect. If you go to the track you will gamble, but you go to see the horse. His story is why you go. The people that market the sport must remember that it is about the horse and the rider. Right now, many people are unemployed, things are not going too good in many areas, we feel kind of small, and there is this little horse out there trying to do big things.
No, he sometimes comes in 2nd, but he gives it his best shot. He takes two strides for every one of the rest of the group, but on a good day he beats them all. Sometimes on a good day we get our shot in. Do you understand? This is not a movie. This is happening now! He has a large fan base. Make use of it.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:50 am
As long as those in influential positions can keep their nice slices of the ever decreasing pie, then nothing tangible will happen to professionally market this sport like MLB, NFL, NBA and even NHL and MLS. This is another case of tossing a relevant document into the circular file….and I’m sure another “study group” is on deck to review the same territory sometime next year!
August 25th, 2009 at 9:57 am
This sport lacks true leadership. The NTRA is a political marionette more concerned about what the blue-bloods think than any courageous creative motivated leadership!
The Industry should stop funding such mediocrity!!
August 25th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Ah, Patrick… The plight of the undiscovered marketing genius. Keep pushing — your time will come.
The tracks don’t work together because it is either too hard or because they think it is not in their best interests to do so. The NTRA is an easy target but for the first five years of its existence, it fought kicking and screaming to bring them together and to aggregate the valuable TV and commercial rights for the greater good, just like the NFL, PGA Tour, etc… When it became apparent that wasn’t going to work, the NTRA folks went to Plan B.
Racing’s latest self-appointed savior, Jess Jackson, keeps finding spots to run his filly that aren’t on national TV (but where the tracks will up the purses). The Woodward is buried on Labor Day weekend on a regional network. If TVG/Betfair put up 400k for RA to run in the Beldame, don’t expect them to want it to be anywhere but on their network.
If and when this happens, where will be much crying and the NTRA will get blamed but here’s the truth: the NTRA doesn’t own the rights to any of these races (neither does the Breeders’ Cup, for that matter, with the exception of its own) and without the rights, which are held by the individual tracks, there is not much the NTRA can do. We can all wish it were different, but that doesn’t alter the business reality.
God bless you for trying, though.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Patten’s points are well taken and he drives home some of the things that are basically wrong with our sport. But it a half measure when looking at the big picture. I believe that the NTRA doesn’t really understand what business their in. Most major sports that appear on mainline TV are not there primarily to promote wagering as is horseracing’s handlers perceive it. This confusion dilutes any credibility that we have in attempting to have a “production” and “presentation”. Because there is NO cooperation between tracks and TV as to what we do and represent, a lot of the coverage is reduced to “junk status” when compared to NASCAR; the Indy 500 or the Masters to mention only a few. Anyone watching either of the two daily racing channels is turned off by most of the A, B, C, and D class of domestic presentations, which creates a disservice to most of the mainline offerings of the sport. Racetracks have become totally uninterested in what a mainline TV production should be and the networks give the impression that they don’t know what to do to dress it up, other than with some celebrity banter. A change to colored saddle cloths is sadly laughable. Marketing has to start with the horsemen, racetracks, production experts and public relations experts. As a wise old man stated long ago….You can’t put spats on a pig !
August 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am
The pdf doc misses the most important part about thoroughbred racing. I have not heard or read one thing about what really matters. Maybe that’s why nothing is happening. Before anything positive can take place, you have to market what the sport actually is and what makes it a great sport.
Fantasy leagues and things like that are great for football and baseball. It won’t work for racing.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Mr. Patten assumes that Alex Waldrop and the NTRA are actually in some kind of position to make relevant, meaningful, protracted change within the industry. The NTRA as an organization is merely window dressing– they have no clout to do anything other than pontificate. I ask, from whom does Mr. Waldrop take direction? To whom is he accountable? To whom does he owe his job? Answer those questions and some real truth will emerge as to why the NTRA is so inefectual. The undertaking may also reveal why the industry the NTRA attempts to represent is so dysfunctional.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Patrick –
As you know — you, your fellow Task Force members, and in fact about any fan of Thoroughbred racing has what is considered an open-door policy with the NTRA to speak directly with Alex Waldrop on issues affecting our sport. We have probably communicated over 100 times with you and members of the NTRA Marketing Task Force in the last year – so I was surprised to see your post this morning.
Working on behalf of the NTRA, as one of the coordinators for the Task Force, I want you to know that every recommendation that the Task Force made was taken seriously. We have been meeting regularly on executing various elements of the plan and have also incorporated many of your ideas with some of the local tracks that I know you are involved in as well. Significant time has been given during the upcoming NTRA Marketing Summit (September 28-29 in Las Vegas) to report in detail on the status of all the recommendations. I think that you, and others in the group, will be surprised at how much has been accomplished in the last year – especially when you consider that the industry has also moved forward with the Safety & Integrity Alliance.
Thanks again for everything that you and all the horseplayers do for the industry.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:42 am
@blacktieaffair Thanks, and cooperation, common sense, and going over these contracts is at the heart of what I wish the NTRA would do.
@Bob Hope ditto above
August 25th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Bob Hope says, “Marketing has to start with the horsemen, racetracks, production experts and public relations experts.”
We have all of that….in spades. What we do not have is a sustainable product. That is why purse subsidies from alternative gambling sources have become so important. Otherwise, the downward spiral would be even more intense. Keep cheating the money providers with drugged performances, high costs (read: takeout) and $100M plus extractions each year from their winnings (read: breakage, which absolutely can’t be defended other than it is in place) and unfair treatment by the tax authorities; and, you will never see “growth” in this industry again.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
By George, #19 (Robert@HenryClayLegacy) hit the nail on the head. Your initiative was DOA from the getgo. What compelled you to think that the butt boys for the Jockey Club and the racetrack status quo (the NTRA) is capable of getting to first base with anything proactively innovative. The second mistake was making the same assumption about the Breeders Cup leadership as well as their skill set. Notwithstanding, the thesis advanced by Barry Irwin — that a localized approach is best — defies imagination. Keep up the idea propogation as a sea change in leadership is on the horizon.
August 25th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Why even discuss marketing horse racing before its toxic waste and animal abuse have been removed and moral values have vastly improved? A majority of willing industry insiders need to desire transparency, integrity and drug free racing enough to form a private central authority to mandate change and apply uniform rules to keep horse racing clean and humane.
Invest in cleaning up racing first then market it.
August 25th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
… Pooh-bahs who use the word “perception” to refer to the widespread negative or horrified view of horse racing by the public are wrong and arrogant as hell. Denial, arrogance and debauchery will continue to tank horse racing unless Not NTRA is right and a sea change comes.
August 25th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Mr. Irwin,
If there is no national audience/market, then why is simulcasting so successful? Isn’t off-track handle for most major venues almost 90% of total handle?
Mr. Patten,
On August 8th, three Grade I events were held at AP, two at SAR, and one at DMR. An opportunity for a nationally televised G1 pick six with a lower minimum and no carryover was wasted. Weren’t the NTRA national pick fours profitable or effective marketing tools for the Breeders’ Cup?
At the very least, any racing fan in any state should be able to watch any race at any track live with pre-race paddock, post parade, and warm-up views at its website; possibly by variable-length subscription. What will it take to get the industry to start giving its customers what they want and thrive as a result?
August 25th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Watching a turf race on ESPN is like getting a root canal on wrong tooth. We want to watch the stars. Rachel and Zenyatta. Ray should have job of Alex. He knows the business and is not recycled.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Racing is badly in need of some type of re-branding. The buffoons on TVG only make it worse!
August 25th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
All are leaders blame everything on medication. We need to change are leaders because they need medication to get motivated. Owners are taking over a sport that they have no knowledge of. Horses, trainers and jockeys are the stars but they just can’t seem to be able to realize it. Down deep the Owners want to be the stars. It aint going to happen. You don’t see it in Baseball or Football.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I do understand that TVG will have a new wager coming out soon that may help.
You get to bet on how many times you watch Mr. Blondie (I forget this clowns name) throw his game at young co-eds on air each day. The over/under is 15 (and no this is not the age he prefers).
August 25th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Patrick, you are right. The lack of co-ordination between tracks and the lack of promotion on TV and else where (internet) is pathetic.
There are simply too many interests to be served. Jess Jackson owns the single biggest draw in the game right now. As owner his role is to consult with his trainer and determine the best course of action for his filly. He is under no obligation to only run in races that will have national TV coverage, but by chosing the Woodward (I choice I agree with) he won’t be able to showcase Rachel as he would in other places. That said, if only nationally televised races were options for major horses there would be almost no G1 racing.
One of the biggest issues racing has is that there are simply too many “divisions” for casual fans to understand. In the dawning days of TV, there were only 6 divisions (2yo c, 2yo f, 3yo c, 3yo f, older male, older female) and the 3yo’s merged with the “olders” in the fall and the 2yo’s were not active until summer. Now we have all that, plus all the same on grass, plus sprinters of both genders and surfaces. etc. The BC didn’t make things any easier for the casual fan to understand the game with the addition of new races which have effectively spawned still more divisions. The casual fan sees Mine That Bird win the Derby and wonders when he is going to face off with Eddie Read winner, Global Hunter. Uh, never, but it’s hard to explain why. I have a non race fan friend who simply cannot “get” why it seems like every weekend there are about 4 “big races.” Can every weekend be the “big game?” It can in a sport with 20 separate but equal divisions.
Your point about the casual fan not getting why the Del H’Cap and Greenwood Cup are “win and in” races is again on point. Try to explain why they are not televised and are not considered by the insiders to even be as important as the Eddie Read, which is not “win and in.” For the casual fan, it IS easier to watch IDOL or televised poker because they can understand it. They know how the system works, and the editors of the show slice and dice the performances down to only the most interesting and appealing. In poker, there may have been 50 hours of play by a thousand people, but they distill the whole thing down to the final table and even then only the most interesting and exciting hands. In racing we are doing the opposite of the distilling process. We are enlarging and thus weakening the product.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Good Work Patrick for sticking yourself out there and trying to make a difference.
To people who follow horse racing closely, there is a flow to the season, and a casual fan could follow the top three year olds and the top older horses through the important races leading eventually towards the Breeders Cup if a comprehensive marketing plan was followed. I hope this happens before the sport shrinks any further but its hard to be an optimistic horse racing fan.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:31 am
As your article points out, it is easy to why the sport of horseracing is in such disarray - the medications issue, the lack of transparency issue by those various, petty, vested, self -interest groups that insist that they know what’s best for the sport (one need only look at the fact that the Breeders Cup Committee awarded 2 years in a row to that “industrial racetrack” before a race was ever even run there, to recognize that there was a problem).
The ideas have been out there to solving the problem(s), starting with having a National Racing Commissioner, and a National Racing Agency overseeing and encompassing all aspects of the sport of horseracing. What you have now is these small, petty, self-interested groups, each trying to control the sport as they perceive it. No wonder the sport is in disarray.
Why can’t the national public, ie: the fans, select the best horses in each category from week to week, and at year end? Why does it have to be the Turf Writers, the Eclipse Award voters, the DRF, etc who make the decision? You don’t think the fans recognize true talent when they see it, that they can correctly determine any worse the winners than those others groups can? Plus, the marketing angle leaves so much room to develop new fans/customers. This is not rocket science. The sport needs to rid itself largely of the petty small group, self-importance mentality. It means convincing people in these groups and others to see beyond, and to let go.