Posts Tagged ‘alex waldrop’

Today, Jess Jackson released the following press release proposing a three race series between Rachel and Zenyatta. This proposal comes on the heels of Rachel’s connections informing Oaklawn Park that they are unable to commit Rachel to the Apple Blossom.

Read the release below and let us know what you think.

The owners of Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, today called for a  racing  series between now and November in which the two phenomenal female race horses will meet.

“The fans have spoken. The media has spoken. Everyone wants to see Rachel race against Zenyatta - including me,” said Rachel Alexandra co-owner Jess Jackson.  “In fact, I want it to happen several times this year. We have been in discussions with Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of National Thoroughbred Racing Association, with the hope of coordinate training schedules, racing schedules, purses and all ancillary factors, so that we can all agree upon three dates and three venues for what will be a racing series to rival the Triple Crown.”

The proposal, in the works for several weeks, comes as Rachel Alexandra’s connections informed Oaklawn Park race track that she would not compete on April 3rd, the announced date of the Apple Blossom Invitational.  “Out of respect for the level of competition and the importance of this race, I have told Mr. Jackson it was not in the best interest of the horse to race on April 3.  Getting to this level of fitness after a six-month layoff takes time.  If all goes according to schedule, and we do not have any further weather delays, the earliest we could have a prep race would be the middle of March. It is then not fair to Rachel to ask her to race again three weeks later,” said 2010 Trainer of the Year, Steve Asmussen.

The track had offered a $5-million purse if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta met on that day.  Rachel’s connections had requested a week delay in order to have Rachel race at Oaklawn Park against Zenyatta but track officials told Jackson today that would not be possible.

“Hopefully, these discussions will take place at earliest possible time so that we can announce something that will give the fans a season to remember,” Jackson added.

Rachel Alexandra, the reigning 2010 Horse of the Year, became the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924, beating a field of world-class males, including Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. She went undefeated throughout the 2009 campaign, defeating world-class colts three times.

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.  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?  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?

 

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By Ray Paulick
While Thursday’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Magna Entertainment (MEC) leaves a multitude of unanswered questions about the future of the racetracks the Frank Stronach-controlled company owns, there was a positive reaction from the investment community concerning MI Developments — another Stronach company spun off from the auto parts mothership Magna International – which is the majority shareholder in MEC.

Shortly after news of the bankruptcy filing was released in the afternoon, the share price of MI Developments (MIM) shot upward, jumping over $1 from 3.50 to 4.55 on heavy trading. Thursday’s closing price remained relatively steady after the market opened Friday morning.

Nevertheless, MIM is far off its 52-week high of 30.26. Like many stocks, it began a steep descent in mid-September when the global financial crisis first hit, but MIM has underperformed against the markets. Institutional shareholders Greenlight Capital and Farallon Capital Management have protested moves by the company to keep Magna Entertainment out of bankruptcy by extending loan deadlines and infusing cash into the company’s operational budget. Its principals have not publicly weighed in on the bankruptcy filing.

It’s too early to tell how MIM’s move to bid on some of the Magna racetrack properties (Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park and the surrounding shopping mall, Palm Meadows training Center, Lone Star Park, and AmTote) will play out. The "stalking horse bid" of $195 million includes $44 million in cash, $15 million in an assumed capital lease, and $136 million in existing debt) may be topped by other interested parties. The other properties, including Santa Anita Park, Pimlico and Laurel, Thistledown, Remington Park have purportedly been on the market for some time now, but there have been complaints from shareholders and some interested outside parties that Stronach and his key executives have not been earnest in their efforts to sell.

Who might be interested in some of the properties that Stronach bought in Magna’s name in a buying frenzy from 1998-2002? Halsey Minor, the internet entrepreneur who previously attempted to buy Hialeah Park from John Brunetti and offered to pucrhase one of the loans MIM extended to Magna Entertainment, could still be a player. So might Churchill Downs, the publicly traded company that has little debt and a strong balance sheet. However, Churchill already exited the California market in 2005 when it sold Hollywood Park to a real estate development company, so it’s questionable whether or not it would have any interest in Santa Anita or Golden Gate. There have been reports in Florida that Churchill-owned Calder race course could be the site of either a baseball stadium or convention center at some point, although that seems less likely now that the track is being converted to a racetrack/slots casino. So its interest in Gulfstream Park is in doubt.

It is not inconceivable that some wealthy individuals involved in owning racehorses – among them Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed — could step forward to make a bid, either individually or in partnership, particularly on Santa Anita, which many see as a critical lifeline for horse racing in California. It’s expected that Hollywood Park will be closed for development in the next few years, as it is owned by the same company that shut down Bay Meadows with the intention of developing it (though development of the property is said to be at a standstill).

In the meantime, there have been assurances that all of the Magna tracks will continue to operate, just as United Airlines planes continued to fly after that company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002. In the case of United, there were serious cuts made in operations and employee benefits. The company emerged from bankruptcy a little more than three years after originally filing.

And Stronach has not indicated that he wants to get out of the business of owning and operating racetracks. He may do everything within his power to retain the tracks under one of the Magna umbrellas.

“The fact that MEC’s day-to-day operations will continue uninterrupted throughout the Chapter 11 process is good news to industry participants, including thousands of horsemen and employees, as well as customers," said Alex Waldrop, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

Magna and its tracks remain members of the NTRA, though it isn’t known if or when their $400,000 in annual dues (which are billed quarterly) will be paid. The NTRA went through a similar situation when the New York Racing Association filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2006. NTRA senior vice president Keith Chamblin said NYRA made good on all of its dues when it emerged from bankruptcy.

Greg Avioli, president and CEO of the Breeders’ Cup, said the filing by Magna should have no bearing on plans to return to Santa Anita this fall with the two-day championships, which are being hosted by the Oak Tree Racing Association. Oak Tree, which hosted the 2008 championships, leases the facility and staff from Santa Anita for its fall meeting.

“Our agreement is with Oak Tree, so at this time based on the information available to us, we fully expect to have the event there,” Avioli said. In the meantime, the Breeders’ Cup has retained the same bankruptcy counsel used when NYRA’s looming bankruptcy threatened the 2005 Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park. It is expected that Churchill Downs would serve as a potential backup site if developments threaten Santa Anita or Oak Tree.

Perhaps Avioli’s key phrase is "based on the information available." No one really knows how this bankruptcy will proceed at this stage — not even Stronach.. We’ll learn more when the legal proceedings begin.

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Hank Aaron hits number 715…Secretariat wins the Belmont by 31 lengths…Brett Favre starts 269 games in a row at QB…and now Ray Paulick liveblogs from the Eclipse Awards without a computer! That’s right, Ray will be entering the pantheon of the unlikely as he attempts to bring you the Paulick Report reader unprecedented coverage of tonight’s awards ceremony. We will be operating here at Paulick Report Command Central giving the play by play results of tonight’s event while Ray will be the color commentary via text message.

What are the stars wearing? (We knew Larry Jones would be in his black-tie cowboy get-up, but were taken aback by the Scottish fellow in kilts standing nearby — pictured below.) How many people are sporting Zenyatta for President T-shirts? How many licks does it take to get to the candy center of a Tootsie-Pop? These and other questions will be answered below. Enjoy and keep the comments flowing!

6:56CC…Alright folks, Brad here at Command Central. I will be receiving messages from Ray throughout the night and keeping up to date with the things you won’t be privy to on the telecast. My comments will have a CC for Command Central after the time and the ones from Ray will have a RP after the time.

6:58RP…closest thing to a celebrity I’ve met so far is former WI Gov. Tommy Thompson, who has been hired by the NTRA to oversee the health and safety alliance. Tommy seemed happy to hear that I grew up on the Illinois side of the Wisconsin border.

7:00CC…and the telecst begins. Something about Frank Sinatra and a cocktail party.

7:01RP…Many of the guests were lamenting the passing of Joe Hirsch, the longtime executive columnist of the DRF. The PR learned that NYRA is preparing a memorial for Hirsch the week of the Belmont Stakes in June.

7:04CC…Interviewing Jerry and Ann Moss, they ask if they think Zenyatta could pull Horse of the Year. Gives a solid if not predictable answer.

7:05RP…Good line from Cot Campbell during the blustery cocktail hour outside of the Fountainbleu Hotel. "My hair’s getting all messed up," Campbell said patting down his gray locks. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the shiny pate of Mike Smith and commented, "Mike’s in pretty good shape with the wind."

7:06CC…Who thinks Eight Belles should win 3 year old filly? I’m a Proud Spell guy myself.

7:07CC…Iavarone looks shiny. And the interviewer mispronounced his name. Thinks that it’s the competition was so strong and that’s the reason Big Brown isn’t going to win the HOY award. Either that or maybe it’s because he finished last in the Belmont and bowed out of the BC Classic.

7:10CC…Frank Stronach isn’t there. Wonder why?

7:15CC…Asmussen being interviewed. Sure, it’s good to hear from him but I wonder what his facial hair has to say. And he looked a little scary on screen. Just saying.

7:16CC…announcer just made an interesting observation. Asmussen has more wins than Dutrow and Frankel combined.

7:19CC…I don’t know about you but nothing is more interesting than insurance talk…

7:20RP…Dinner is served! Ceremonies starting soon.

7:22CC…just pushed the new Jockeys show on Animal Planet. Said it was The Hills or Real Housewives of Orange County only with jockeys. Decided jockeys have more drama. Scandalous!

7:24RP…Jess Jackson is here with a new look…a nifty goatee. (Only two bodyguards according to an associate. I don’t have a count yet on the number of bodyguards for Iavarone of IEAH…see earlier post on Eclipse predictions for further explanation)

7:26CC…NTRA Moment of the Year of course is Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup. Sounded like six people clapped for the clip.

7:28CC…TWO MINUTES TO POST!!!

7:29CC…Darby Dan with a big ad buy during the break. I hear there’s a website that’s much cheaper than what TVG charges…

7:30CC…Privman starts off the ceremony with a Joe Hirsch memorial.

7:33CC…Faith, I’m efforting a response on your important request…

7:33RP…Nice touch to dedicate the awards to Joe Hirsch. There are several hundred folks here tonight and I’d be hard pressed to find one person who didn’t love Joe.

7:35RP…(FAITH UPDATE) The vine ripened tomato salad was excellent, the seared tenderloin tender (tho a bit overcooked) and the roast garlic shrimp outstanding. I could have used a bit more of the curried sweet potatoes, but I did just squeeze into my tux pants.

7:37RP…Kenny Rice don’t give up your day job to become a stand up comic

7:38CC…and our first technical glitch of the evening!

7:39CC…first (non) surprise of the night, Midshipman wins 2 year old male

7:40RP…more food update…Kendall-Jackson wine is being served to all (whether or not they supported Curlin)

7:41RP…A dinner companion staying at the Fountainbleu rated the dinner "four stars" compared to other restaurants at the hotel

7:42CC…and now 2 year filly goes to…

7:42CC…Stardom Bound!

7:44RP…Even though IEAH now owns Stardom Bound, the award was rightly given to Charles Cono. Fifteen years ago when Kotashaan won HOY, the Eclipse wasn’t given to his longtime owners, the Werthemer brothers, but to the Japanese stud farm that bought him to run in his final start, the Japan cup. They got it right this time.

7:47RP…Bob Baffert isn’t at the awards. Times are tough. He tells me he can’t afford to fly his family from LA. Guess Baffert doesn’t get those Southwest Airlines special fare emails.

7:50CC…John and Brad Henegan from First Saturday in May accept the award they already got.

7:51RP…From one of the Hennegan brothers the first ever Eclipse award shout out to Payless Shoes.

7:54CC…Did you know that WAVE 3 TV won a media Eclipse Award? You did? Oh, I must have slept in that day.

7:54RP…They need more journalism awards…you think? That’s my favorite part of the Academy Awards…best movie review!

7:56RP…The podium reminds me of a Barack Obama press conference when several women advisers were introduced to the media and only the top of their heads showed. Same with the jockeys and Jennie Rees of Courier Journal

7:58CC…the photog award is so embarassing with that misspelled background. Junenile…unreal

8:00CC…Vinnie Perrone just asked for a step stool. No, actually, he demanded one and asked "what kind of operation are you running here?"

8:01CC…and this is why

8:03RP…Anyone remember the Grammys when the band started playing because Sinatra went on too long…Sinatra!!!

8:04CC…And he’s finally finished. Four minutes later. Did anyone not tell him to keep it pithy? I mean, he seems like a nice guy, but honestly everyone is here for things besides Vinnie’s award.

8:07CC…Kenny Rice just bombed like three jokes in a row. Literally no response from the crowd. Love it!

8:09CC…Oooh! An award I’m not 100% sure of the outcome on! Male Turf

8:10CC…The winner is Conduit.

8:11CC…More importantly, this just came in from Ray. Dessert!

8:13CC…Female Turf goes to…

8:14CC…Forever Together

8:15RP…George Strawbridge defines grace and class. He gave a very elegant acceptance on behalf of Forever Together.

8:15CC…If you are watching both the TVG telecast and this blog, apparently Ray is in the future. That’s why he already knew about Strawbridge’s speech.

8:17CC…Apparently Ray was still hungry

8:18RP…Dessert was outstanding…my first roast hazelnut praline, chocolate terrine, coconut bavaroise

8:19CC…Standing ovation for Alice Headley Chandler

8:19RP…Tommy Thompson left his table…I think the media awards got to him

8:20CC…Hopefully Alice will run into Vinnie Perrone in the hallway and talk to him about speech length. That was a perfect acceptance speech.

8:22RP…Weird observation…some people who are seated near the stage are watching the large screen monitor instead. Kind of like the racetrack  where we watch the TVinstead of the horses in front of us.

8:23CC…Steeplechase winner Good Night Shirt

8:25RP…Steeplechase owner..time’s up. Where’s the band when you need them? Hostage taker.

8:28RP…Although the acceptance was about as long as a jump race.

8:29CC…And now for Breeder, Adena Springs, Stonerside and WinStar

8:30CC…Adena Springs wins News at 11

8:31RP…Barbara…I saw Steve Asmussen up close and personal and I found him not the least bit scary looking. But he did growl at me

8:32RP…And I did eat the holy cross on the dessert. Yum!

8:32RP…Love the lecture from the handicapper of the year. He’s really good.

8:33RP…Random thought. Chantal Sutherland is mesmerizing Here she is, sitting with Mike Smith while no doubt catching up on my live blog!

8:35RP…I think Steven Crist wishes he had a hook to yank the handicapper off stage

8:37RP…Now I wish I had a hook for this guy. I take my earlier comments back.

8:39CC…and still going….

8:41CC…like the Energizer Bunny. Seriously.

8:43RP…Dayyam. I missed the Conduit wardrobe malfunction. Had my head down thumbing away

8:44RP…What’s with the Joan Rivers remark? No facelifts for me.

8:45RP…The vets do a great job with the on call program but they are making me feel like I’m at a funeral service. How about a little joke fellas?

8:48RP…Rep Cardoza…pandering for votes and political contributions.

8:53CC…and Benny the Bull wins Male sprinter

8:49RP…Wow…Michael Iavarone is redder faced than me after I spent five hours on the beach

8:51RP…Good news from Iavarone that Benny the Bull will race in 2009…

8:56CC…And now Female Sprinter…

8:57CC…Indian Blessing. I love this horse

9:00RP…I doubt many trainers worked harder than Steve Asmussen in 2008. It really was a remarkable year he had. And he’s got the cutest family in the room…hands down.

9:01CC…For those of you watching on TVG, Ray is quite a bit ahead of us (tape delay). If you don’t want to know before the telecast, look elsewhere.

9:03CC…Which is why you already knew that Asmussen won the award. Barbara, thanks. I was starting to feel sorry for myself. Hopefully Asmussen and Iavarone know it was all in fun!

9:05CC…Well, apparently Stonach won for owner.

9:06RP…I wonder how many racing secretaries that work for Frank Stronach voted for him as leading owner and breeder. I’d imagine they might be more inclined to vote against him.

9:07RP I also wonder how many Breeders’ Cup employees vote and how they voted? Seems they have a vested interest.

9:08RP…Racing secretaries and Breeders’ Cup employees have been part of the NTRA voting members.

9:10RP…and Zenyatta wins. Jerry Moss couldn’t drag trainer John Shirreffs on stage to help him accept Zenyatta’s Eclipse Award.

9:11RP…Moss is the west coast version of George Strawbridge…full of class, extremely articulate and one of the game’s very best. Wish we had more like both of them.

9:13CC…Curlin wins older male. in related news, grass is green and the sky is blue.

9:15RP…Good comment by Jess Jackson saying that older horses can race and also make good sires.

9:16CC…Turk, I’m with you. Why wait when you can hear it from Ray first.

9:17RP…His comment about the industry’s movement to eliminate drugs and become more transparent was well received.

9:18RP…"Keep the horse first, and the horse will take care of you." Well said Jess Jackson

9:19CC…Time for a photo. The Jackson clan.

9:21RP…Curlin wrote a note saying he liked racing but likes his new job even better.

9:22RP…Jerry Moss gets a do-over to thank Mike Smith..this could be a first. Told you he was a class act.

9:23RP…I wonder if Mike stormed off. (Just kidding…there isn’t a more humble guy in the jockey’s room)

9:24CC…Apprentice jockey coming up soon.

9:27CC…Faith, I thought he sent it in Horse Code. (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist)

9:28RP…Winner is Paco Lopez

9:29RP…Someone wrote to say Jess Jackson looks like Don Rickles. That’s not nice you hockey puck!

9:31CC…And now for outstanding jockey, the Eclipse goes to Garrett Gomez.

9:32RP…Garrett Gomez is one tough dude. I said his smile looked pretty good before dinner and he said all his front teeth were temps. Lost em in an ugly spill and he still has a knot on his hand from that spill. To think he was back in the saddle a few days later.

9:34CC…3 year old male goes to…Big Brown

9:35RP…Cash Asmussen presenting with Todd Schrupp of TVG. Hard to believe Cash was a jockey all those years. So tall.

9:36RP…Interesting comment from Anne Campbell about Michael Iavarone. "He looks like Jerry Lewis (a young Jerry Lewis)."

9:39RP…Schrupp gave a very nice tribute to Larry Jones before introducing the 3 year old filly finalists. Second standing ovation of the night.

9:40RP…It was to thank him for facing the media so tirelessly after the death of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby. Well done.

9:41RP…But Proud Spell won

9:42RP…Second politicians of the night at the podium, former KY Gov Brereton Jones owner and breeder of Proud Spell. Jones says organizers can forget about the one minute rule for acceptance speeches, acknowledging his political past.

9:44CC…picture time again, featuring the Iavarone party

9:46RP…Jones acknowledged the many great trainers in the room but said no one was greater than Larry Jones, who also trained Proud Spell.

9:47RP…Horse of the Year next…

9:48RP…Alex Waldrop to present Horse of the Year.

9:49RP…Alex said someone in the room was live blogging…"so be careful what you say." Wonder who he’s talking about…

9:50RP…And the winner is…CURLIN!!!

9:51RP…Jess Jackson high fives the table.

9:52RP…Jerry Moss picks up his wine glass raises in the air and thanks John Shirrefs for a great year

9:53RP…The other two nominees were Zenyatta and Big Brown

9:55CC…And the Horse of the Year picture

9:56RP…Jess Jackson says Curlin still wants to run…but will enjoy his new job

10:04RP…After the awards closed Brereton Jones said he was more nervous accepting the award than he had ever been giving any political speech. I guess that sums up what the Eclipse Awards mean to horse people.

10:05RP…Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to our hosts, Cot and Anne Campbell of Dogwood Stable and to the dinner companions I wasn’t able to spend enough time talking with.

That’s it from Miami Beach…

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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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. 

*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? 

Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report  Visit the Paulick Report for all the latest news throughout the racing world.

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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.

• 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