Posts Tagged ‘Louisville’

Jennie Rees of the Courier-Journal makes the case to bring Drew Brees, Super Bowl Champion and MVP for the New Orleans Saints, to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. She rightly states that he would be a perfect grand marshall for the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Pegasus Parade and smart addition for the Barnstable Brown party.

Owning a piece of racehorse Daddy Forty Niner, Brees has proven himself a fan of the sport and would make headlines across the country for being so heavily involved in racing’s biggest day. It’s a strong play and the type of pop culture melding our industry desperately needs.

Read it at the Courier-Journal

Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think

- Bradford Cummings

By Ray Paulick
I’ve known Damon Thayer going on 20 years, and I don’t think he’s a bad person. But I’ve seen how good people can be intoxicated with power, and am convinced that is what is going on with the former racing industry executive who is now a Kentucky state senator from Scott County representing the 17th district.

A few weeks ago I reported on an interview Thayer did on the Horse Racing Radio Network (click here for the article), in which he complained that no one from the Thoroughbred industry was contacting him about his proposed constitutional amendment calling for a statewide referendum and local option vote to permit slot machines in Kentucky counties where racetracks are located (not necessarily at tracks, but in counties where tracks are currently located).

Woe is him.

Perhaps the reason no one is interested in calling the senator from Scott is the fact his proposed amendment is outrageous because it would ultimately lead to out-of-state casino companies and developers putting Kentucky racetracks out of business. That’s exactly what is happening in the state of Maryland, where slot machines were approved for a location not at Pimlico or Laurel but at a shopping mall owned and operated by the Cordish Company. Yes, that’s the same Cordish Company that developed Fourth Street Live in Louisville.

If Thayer’s folly is somehow approved as written (very much a longshot at best), Cordish will be salivating over the prospect of getting the slots license in Jefferson County, Kentucky, where Churchill Downs is located. Another well-funded casino company would surely end up with the license in Northern Kentucky. So we’d have Turfway Park certainly out of business as a racetrack, and Churchill Downs severely impaired financially.

But, Thayer says with almost ghoulish delight, we’ll have all that slots money going into purses, based on how his amendment is written. Yes, Damon, just like in Maryland, where there will be money for purses, but no tracks able to stay open to run the races where the purses will be offered.

Sources tell the Paulick Report that employees of the Maryland Jockey Club are being told Laurel is going to be bought by a developer (Cordish?), and closed for live racing. Someone will operate Pimlico for 30 days during the Preakness meeting in the spring, at least as long as the walls of the rickety old racetrack grandstand don’t collapse. And that, along with a short meeting at the state fair in Timonium will be it for live racing.

If true, it will be a devastating and final blow for the once-proud Maryland breeding industry, where the mighty Northern Dancer once stood as the world’s most important stallion. Allowing Thayer’s folly to proceed will cause similar destruction to Kentucky’s signature industry.

So Thayer, in a snit because no one was calling him to discuss his ludicrous proposal, decided to drop another bomb when a reporter from the Lexington Herald-Leader called him to inquire about the horse industry’s exemption on sales tax for certain horses sold at auction (the exemption, which does not apply to all horses sold, is not as comprehensive as that given to the horse industry in other states).

When asked whether the exemptions should be discontinued, Thayer said it is “certainly cause for serious debate.”

It was his way of flipping the almighty bird to a now struggling industry that is not only vital to the economic future of this state, but one that has provided him and his family a very good living for many years.

Speaking of the almighty, it’s amazing to me that a Senate committee chaired by Thayer (the State and Local Government Committee) wasted taxpayers’ time and money on Wednesday, approving along a straight party-line vote (Thayer’s Republican colleagues won the day over Democrats 7-5) something called the 21st Century Bill of Rights. Among other things, this new and improved bill of rights (as if our Founding Fathers weren’t very wise) would prohibit a ban on the Ten Commandments being posted in public buildings. If you get a chance, check out this troubling and funny video clip of a Georgia Congressman, Lynn Westmoreland, who sponsored a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in public buildings. (Click here to view.) Seems the Congressman has a hard time knowing exactly what those Commandments are…which makes me wonder how Sen. Thayer and his colleagues would do on a pop quiz.

But I digress.

Thayer is essentially drunk with power, sitting on his senatorial throne while waiting for individuals in the horse industry to come to him, hat in hand, begging for some scraps. If he were a true leader, he would have been out amongst the people, meeting with horse farmers, trainers and racetrack owners who are suffering now, watching stallions, mares and racehorses being tugged away from Kentucky by states with more favorable economics and more enlightened legislators. It is the same kind of arrogance and insular thinking that we’ve witnessed most recently in the White House, where a president who was elected under the mantra of change failed to understand how deep the suffering and unhappiness is among the very people who voted for him, leading to an embarrassing defeat for the Democratic Party Tuesday in Massachusets, the most liberal state in the union.

I hold out little hope that my old friend, the senator from Scott, will understand  how wrong he is and how much help the horse industry needs. There is little to do but find and support a strong candidate to displace him from his office in 2012.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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By Bradford Cummings
Kentucky Republicans connected to the horse industry will find themselves in an interesting predicament next year. The always-pending slots issue has caused much consternation for those of us on the right that see this as an economic development issue and not a moral one. In a state with legal gambling on horse racing, a statewide lottery and an abundance of charitable gaming, the overused/misused word hypocrisy easily comes to mind when considering the social right’s argument.
 
And yet I have stayed silent on this issue publicly. Until recently, I was the chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party (Louisville) while also working for the Paulick Report. It was a non-paying 40-hour-a-week volunteer position, and eventually I had to make a business choice and walked away after 16 months served to fully focus on the growth of this website. (Those of you who have served in volunteer political positions can attest it is a love-hate experience if you try to do it right.)
 
While not the reason I resigned, the slot machine issue is a perfect example of why my career will likely never head back in the direction of party politics. (That sound you just heard was the last shred of my political career flushing down the toilet…I sure hope we can turn the racing industry around!)
 
Part of the party game, Republican and Democratic, is to create a platform and get the entire machine to walk in the same direction while beating the same drum. I do not say this to disparage the process. To a certain extent, this sort of singular focus is necessary to get anything done politically or otherwise. Have you ever attempted to get a consensus among 30 people, 10 people or even you and your spouse? The concept of majority rules definitely serves its purpose. But it can also be incredibly destructive for those who feel passionately about an important issue.
 
And this is where I find some sympathy for the likes of state Sen. Damon Thayer, the Georgetown, Ky., Republican who plans to file legislation in support of a constitutional amendment to legalize slot machines at Kentucky racetracks. Damon is a friend of mine and from what I can tell, a good man trying to do right in a difficult position. Anyone who believes his actions are to help himself personally needs to consider a Kentucky state legislator only makes roughly $30,000 a year. I am not sure what his other work pays, but considering his talents and the fact he has a family to feed, the Senate job probably has less short term upside than his Thoroughbred interests.
 
Philosophically, I agree with the constitutional amendment. On large fundamental issues, the people’s voice should be heard from directly and I assume Damon’s intentions are to find an opportunity to give this issue a proper public hearing. But upon further review and especially with the details of his proposed legislation, I have to admit to being wrong. The statutory path is likely the only one to bring expanded gaming to the Bluegrass State.
 
Obviously, much of this rides on how the special election for Republican Sen. Dan Kelly’s now vacated seat turns out. The district has a heavy Democratic registration advantage and their candidate, Jodie Haydon, comes from the most populous region within its boundaries. The Republican, Jimmy Higdon, is well liked and will be a strong candidate but comes from a much less populous part of the region. In many ways, this race shapes up to be a mirror of the election this summer that went to Democrat Robin Webb by a slim margin. If history repeats itself, Kentucky will see a Senate that once had a 23 – 15 Republican advantage slip to a 20 – 18 margin (including one Independent caucusing with the Republicans) in little more than a year. With the commitment from Kentucky’s horsemen obvious, a strong case could be made that this slip may lie primarily at the feet of David Williams’ decision to go down swinging on the slots issue.
 
Assuming the worst for Kentucky Republicans, which is more likely? Republican Tom Buford continues to vote for slots as he did this year and one other Republican is swayed out of fear of an electoral minority after 2010, or an amendment passes by a margin of 23 – 15, meaning that three Democrats throw away the pro-slots momentum their party currently enjoys and allows Republicans to claim a victory for the horse industry? Anyone who believes Democrats will give up that power clearly does not understand the underbelly of the political system.
 
Additionally, the House would have to find eight more votes than it had this year and again ignore the historical boost of momentum Republicans would earn from this legislation. The Democrats who possess a super-majority in the House would have been more likely to publicly admit voting for John McCain in last year’s Presidential election.
 
Even more concerning though is the cost a referendum would put on the horse industry. Millions of dollars would have to be spent to win this referendum, millions of dollars many horse industry folks do not have to spend, especially after the performance of Kentucky’s Thoroughbred sales this year.  The opposition would be well funded by social conservatives and other lobbying interests who would prefer to see Kentucky without slots. So while the slots issue polls well now, the political climate would be impossible to foretell. As they say, a year equals several lifetimes in politics.
 
Assuming this process was a success, Thayer’s amendment proposition requires passage of a local referendum in the counties with racetracks. Likely, most counties would agree to the local referendum but another year would pass, putting us into 2012 before slot machines could be seriously considered. That time frame doesn’t take into account the bidding and licensing process. And if my interpretation of the proposed legislation is correct, racetracks may have to compete with other potential gaming outfits to secure the franchise rights, and might end up without VLTs. While money would still be earmarked for purses, the tracks would suffer if that occurred.
 
But at least you don’t have to worry about that worst-case scenario happening. This would never get out of the Kentucky House. As Senate Democratic leader Ed Worley, it would be “dead on arrival.”

By Ray Paulick
I’m not sure how often Kentucky’s Senate president, David “Blackjack” Williams of Burkesville, finds his way into Louisville, but I’ve got some good news for him when he does visit the home town of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby.

During that same Rotary Club talk in early September, Williams said it wasn’t the people in his home district of Burkesville (population 1,756, located near the Tennessee border west of the Daniel Boone National Forest) he was trying to protect, that it was the citizens of Louisville. Yes, those same citizens who now are spending millions of dollars across the river in Indiana every year at places like the Horseshoe Casino. If Williams really wanted to protect them, he might consider blowing up the bridges that span the Ohio River separating Kentucky from Indiana.

On a related note, a few months ago, someone used the social networking site FACEBOOK to bring together people with a common interest, namely to "Get David Williams Out of the Kentucky Senate." There now are at least 1,800 members of this group who say they are "dedicated to defeating David Williams in any election from this day forward and taking any power that he now has in this state." Click here if you are interested in joining the group and supporting the cause.

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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By Bradford Cummings
As the state of Kentucky continues to spit in the eye of the Thoroughbred industry, it is essential the power brokers and decision makers capitalize on the few openings available to improve our product and bring racing to the casual fan. And quite frankly, until this summer there seemed to be little outside of the usual steps taken to grow our sport. That is why Churchill Downs’ extremely successful Downs After Dark has been such a bright spot for the historic racing landmark.
 
Many racing fans chortle at calling nighttime racing at Churchill out of the box thinking. Night racing has been part of the sport of kings for years. But for those of you high-fallutin naysayers, the magic of those three nights this summer came out of an understanding that racing to the average fan is about more than what’s on the track. What few in this business grasp onto is this sport’s greatest advantage is also its greatest disadvantage, the long delays between races. What you do with that gap clearly defines the experience for the casual fan and proved to be the difference between a one-night flash in the pan and a successful budding enterprise.
 
The thought process behind Downs After Dark actually began in 2001 when permanent lighting was part of Churchill’s expansion plan. But after 9/11 and the popular concern that the economy would tank, the lights were cut from the funding package. But as they say, the dream never died and remained in the plans to explore down the road.
 
Fast forward to last year when the folks at CDI decided to revisit the idea of a nighttime extravaganza. Looking at their properties across the country, it seemed only logical to test market the concept with temporary lighting at their flagship track. But even in test mode, they had the foresight to know night racing alone would not expand their fan base over several nights.
 
“We asked ourselves, what can we do to trigger those fans that may have attended Derby and Oaks to come back,” said Darren Rogers, senior director of communications and media services.
 
With this mantra, Churchill set up an evening for people with a wide variety of interests. For those with more expensive tastes, options included everything from high-end dinners cooked by celebrity chefs to dinner and dancing packages complete with multi-course meals. And for those who were not so picky, happy hour pricing and live music all night long gave the track a nightlife feel and an air of excitement that in some ways was better than those historic first Saturdays in May.
 
And yet, after the first event, those in charge of the evening’s festivities found themselves conflicted on the night’s story. As Rogers told the Paulick Report, “We knew this could be something special. And we knew at the end of the night, we messed it up.” While attendance expectations ranged from 12,000 – 30,000, Rogers insisted they should have been better prepared and continued to take full responsibility for the shortcomings and long beverage lines.
 
But it’s not if a mistake is made that shows true colors, it’s how well you respond and clean up the mess. With those parameters in mind, Churchill taught us all a virtual master class in altering public opinion and turning lemons into lemonade.
 
They took out full page ads in both major Louisville newspapers apologizing for the mistakes and promising to make things better. They tripled their food and beverage staff, lowered ticket prices, offered dollar drinks and even had executives work behind the bars shelling out drinks and hot dogs to patrons.
 
And yet still, the question remained, “How much will the food and beverage blunders of the first week affect the second night?” The answer: not by much at all. The second night, exactly a week after the first, brought in only 388 fewer fans, proving they had effectively neutralized the bad word of mouth from the first night. Even better, the same magic was there from the week prior.
 
“Our original plan was to scale back the ancillaries the second night,” said Rogers. But they solidified after that night, Downs After Dark was as much about the nightlife as it was about the racing. “If you weren’t here, it is very difficult to explain to people,” said Rogers. And as most know, their reward for sticking with the concept was a record 33,481 fans on the final evening, the most for any Churchill Downs date not called Derby or Oaks.
 
While they are still going through the handle numbers for the three nights, the early returns prove the theory that night racing was about more than the horses on the track. While the first two nights were significantly above the average race day, attendance was nearly four times more than usual. And if you were judging Downs After Dark on handle alone, the third day of record attendance was a disaster, barely performing above the average for a day of 7,500. There are factors that help explain these numbers with Belmont’s twilight racing being the only action for bettors to play the first and second night and there being nothing accompanying the final night. But still it is abundantly clear that night racing at the Downs is not a night geared for the hardcore horseplayer.
 
When looking to the future, Rogers told the Paulick Report there was no option not on the table at this point. It is too soon to give hard numbers on the business figures, but they are clearly gearing up for another round of this extremely successful experiment by asking how to take the next step.
 
Will they install permanent lights? It’s certainly a possibility, although the cost is prohibitive and may delay a final decision. If you want to be of influence on this decision, Churchill is running a poll on their website and one lucky voter will receive a box seat for six at next year’s Derby. Of course, all decisions of this magnitude will have to be brought to the board of directors, but it would be difficult to believe there wouldn’t be support for more of the same success. When asked if a night Derby was on its way, Rogers said, “There are currently no serious discussions on the Derby being at night.” On the other hand, Rogers reiterated “There is no option that is not on the table at this point.”
 
Could Downs After Dark be the precursor to a primetime Derby that would benefit the sport with primetime ratings? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure. Churchill Downs has stumbled upon a winner with this new format. It may not be a hit with the institutional gamblers, but if we are to grow this sport it is important we give the average fan what they want: to be entertained. We have a feeling Churchill will gladly plead guilty to that charge.