The (Thoroughbred Racing) Commissioner

Bon Voyage

2009-11-29T22:37:00.000-08:00

This might be my last post for a while. The reason is several months ago I decided to start looking elsewhere outside of the Los Angeles area for a full time position. As much as I have tried, given the current state of the economy, there just isn't enough work available. My searches lead me to Northern California where there are currently more opportunities because the housing market wasn't as badly hit there.

For the last sixteen months I had been working part time with my current employer with the intent to move to full time. After a lot of unpaid overtime and Sundays I was informed that being hired full time would not happen in the foreseeable future. This situation made staying in Southern California no longer worthwhile. So in October I did a working interview at a public health clinic in Northern California. A week ago I learned that I have gotten the job.

Since then I have been spending most of my time cleaning and packing in preparation for the move. While it’s difficult to leave the heart of horse racing in California, I am glad to finally have a full time position. Fortunately I have found someone to take over the Ambassador Program. Barbara Bowley is a professor at Woodbury University and has brought both students and faculty out to Santa Anita on several occasions to experience a day at the races. In addition she is a former assistant trainer back in the day when Garden State Park and Keystone Park were around. Keystone is now Philadelphia Park. She too has a similar story, unable to find work in thoroughbred racing she stepped away from the game and took up teaching as her profession. Barbara has both the knowledge of the sport and a passion for the game. She's the perfect replacement.

I will stay on with the Ambassador Program mainly as a technician to manage the online Meetup.com portion. The "at the track" part will be up to Barbara who has decided to wait until February before hosting the next program. I've been informed that sometime in the future the NTRA will host the Ambassador Program on their website and I will move to assist there where possible.

As for my future in racing, it’s definitely going to be reeled in. My new job is about three hours drive to the nearest race track which is Sacramento. As you may well know racing only occurs there a few weeks out of the year. Golden Gate Fields is about four hours away, if traffic is good. Consequently going to the races will be infrequent now. I will continue my stable at HorseRacingPark.com, though I am going to start reducing its size because I'll have less time to spend with it. As for Regal Heart, it will remain my main inlet to the sport, albeit one sided. Right now it’s on pause as I am finishing up my entry for the 2010 Thoroughbred Times Fiction Contest.

I do have a foal due in March and I am looking forward to that. In May I hope to attend the Kentucky Derby, if I can get the time off. My racing partner also has a yearling that will start racing in the middle of 2010 so I'll try to make a race or two there. Also my partner and I are also considering purchasing a yearling or two in September 2011 at Keeneland after we have both saved up a decent amount of money for a quality horse or two.

As for being the Commissioner of horse racing, that is still a dream. Dreams are what the sport is made of. In the mean time I'll keep hammering away at Regal Heart, making it the best it can be as well as training my virtual thoroughbreds. Future posts will be infrequent and likely upon the state of the novel's progress.

Until then thank you for reading and as always: Perseverance!

ISTJ: This Explains Everything

2009-11-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

So I took a fifty question personality profiling test and the result were four little letters: ISTJ. Only one vowel? Surely I'm complex enough that you'd have to buy two vowels to solve the puzzle? Maybe not. Regardless the summary provided post test seems to explain a lot, maybe even too much? At least I know why I want to storm the ramparts for horse racing.

The Duty Fulfiller

As an ISTJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things rationally and logically.

ISTJs are quiet and reserved individuals who are interested in security and peaceful living. They have a strongly-felt internal sense of duty, which lends them a serious air and the motivation to follow through on tasks. Organized and methodical in their approach, they can generally succeed at any task which they undertake.

ISTJs are very loyal, faithful, and dependable. They place great importance on honesty and integrity. They are "good citizens" who can be depended on to do the right thing for their families and communities. While they generally take things very seriously, they also usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or work-related gatherings.

ISTJs tend to believe in laws and traditions, and expect the same from others. They're not comfortable with breaking laws or going against the rules. If they are able to see a good reason for stepping outside of the established mode of doing things, the ISTJ will support that effort. However, ISTJs more often tend to believe that things should be done according to procedures and plans. If an ISTJ has not developed their Intuitive side sufficiently, they may become overly obsessed with structure, and insist on doing everything "by the book".

The ISTJ is extremely dependable on following through with things which he or she has promised. For this reason, they sometimes get more and more work piled on them. Because the ISTJ has such a strong sense of duty, they may have a difficult time saying "no" when they are given more work than they can reasonably handle. For this reason, the ISTJ often works long hours, and may be unwittingly taken advantage of.

The ISTJ will work for long periods of time and put tremendous amounts of energy into doing any task which they see as important to fulfilling a goal. However, they will resist putting energy into things which don't make sense to them, or for which they can't see a practical application. They prefer to work alone, but work well in teams when the situation demands it. They like to be accountable for their actions, and enjoy being in positions of authority. The ISTJ has little use for theory or abstract thinking, unless the practical application is clear.

ISTJs have tremendous respect for facts. They hold a tremendous store of facts within themselves, which they have gathered through their Sensing preference. They may have difficulty understanding a theory or idea which is different from their own perspective. However, if they are shown the importance or relevance of the idea to someone who they respect or care about, the idea becomes a fact, which the ISTJ will internalize and support. Once the ISTJ supports a cause or idea, he or she will stop at no lengths to ensure that they are doing their duty of giving support where support is needed.

The ISTJ is not naturally in tune with their own feelings and the feelings of others. They may have difficulty picking up on emotional needs immediately, as they are presented. Being perfectionists themselves, they have a tendency to take other people's efforts for granted, like they take their own efforts for granted. They need to remember to pat people on the back once in a while.

ISTJs are likely to be uncomfortable expressing affection and emotion to others. However, their strong sense of duty and the ability to see what needs to be done in any situation usually allows them to overcome their natural reservations, and they are usually quite supporting and caring individuals with the people that they love. Once the ISTJ realizes the emotional needs of those who are close to them, they put forth effort to meet those needs.

The ISTJ is extremely faithful and loyal. Traditional and family-minded, they will put forth great amounts of effort at making their homes and families running smoothly. They are responsible parents, taking their parenting roles seriously. They are usually good and generous providers to their families. They care deeply about those close to them, although they usually are not comfortable with expressing their love. The ISTJ is likely to express their affection through actions, rather than through words.

ISTJs have an excellent ability to take any task and define it, organize it, plan it, and implement it through to completion. They are very hard workers, who do not allow obstacles to get in the way of performing their duties. They do not usually give themselves enough credit for their achievements, seeing their accomplishments simply as the natural fulfillment of their obligations.

ISTJs usually have a great sense of space and function, and artistic appreciation. Their homes are likely to be tastefully furnished and immaculately maintained. They are acutely aware of their senses, and want to be in surroundings which fit their need for structure, order, and beauty.

Under stress, ISTJs may fall into "catastrophe mode", where they see nothing but all of the possibilities of what could go wrong. They will berate themselves for things which they should have done differently, or duties which they failed to perform. They will lose their ability to see things calmly and reasonably, and will depress themselves with their visions of doom.

In general, the ISTJ has a tremendous amount of potential. Capable, logical, reasonable, and effective individuals with a deeply driven desire to promote security and peaceful living, the ISTJ has what it takes to be highly effective at achieving their chosen goals - whatever they may be.

Alex and Keith, does this explain everything?

Perseverance!

Bled and Eased

2009-11-06T17:54:00.001-08:00

Horse racing deals highs and it deals lows. There can only be one winner in each race regardless of the size of the field. Consequently in this weekend's Breeder's Cup races there will be 14 winners and, unfortunately, 178 losers. On Friday there were some monumental wins. In the BC Marathon a stable that had never started in a Breeder's Cup event ran away and won with a horse claimed for just $10.50, a return of 2800%. Of course for every fantastic story there are plenty of disheartening ones.

For Princess Azula (V) her Breeder's Cup was a dismal performance summed up simply by the race results single line: 6w, 5w, bled badly, eased in stretch. She finished 13th at odds of 3.90 to 1.

For those unfamiliar, horses can bleed when tiny capillaries rupture in their lungs because of extreme exertion during a race. The bleeding enters the airway and prevents air flow. In severe cases the blood can be spotted as it’s discharged from the nose. To prevent bleeding trainers often prescribe lasix, a diuretic which lowers blood pressure, therefore lowering the amount of pressure within the capillaries, reducing the chance of rupture. Horses have to be proven bleeders in order to race with lasix. Azula has never bled before and therefore was not placed on the medication prior to today's event.

Azula will receive a scoping to determine the extent of the bleeding and somewhere between 45 to 60 days rest depending upon the severity of the damage. The original plan was to send her to Barrett's to be sold for maximum value after winning the Breeder's Cup, however with such a poor performance her value is now severely crippled. Instead she will remain with the stable with the hope that she can start again, perhaps in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf, should her luck improve.

Perseverance!

BC Filly & Mares Turf: The Biggest Challenge Yet

2009-11-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

The field was drawn yesterday for the Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. I) with Princess Azula (V) receiving the number eight hole. While not the best position, it's much better than being on the far outside where Azula would have to cross over thirteen other horses when she tries to make the lead. Because the race begins on the last furlong of the downhill turf course this does give her a half mile run up to seize the rail before the first turn. Of course the odd turf/dirt/turf transition can be difficult for some horses to handle so shortly after the post draw Azula made her final prep, posting a 1:361(g) turf mile with Garret Gomez aboard. The work was rated as handily.

While not her speediest time, Garret pointed out that Azula seemed a little awkward crossing the transition from turf to dirt and back. This was a little expected as she's never raced down the hill before. I think the experience could pay dividends on Friday because the race will likely end in a photo. Even one lost step or the slightest hesitation could be the difference between first and fifth.

The definite favorite for the F&M Turf, whose case is made even stronger by her spot in the four position, is Liz Miz (V) who strung together two crushing efforts until barely missing in the Flower Bowl (gr. I) because of distance lost. Had Azula been the two and Liz Miz the one, the race would have likely finished the other way around. The Miz is all about speed so look for her on the front.

The second choice will likely go to Market Reversal (V) who after being picked up for a claim of $40 won the Yellow Ribbon (gr. I) on October the 10th. A lot of punters are going to give her extra attention because the Ribbon was the same conditions as will be Friday. In addition the stable has an outstanding 23% win percentage in graded events.

That puts Azula as 3rd choice which is fine by me since it seems that when my horses are strongly favored they turn a dull effort. It’s said that favorites win 33% of the time; however for me it’s more like 10%. Besides who doesn't enjoy rooting for the underdog? Azula's solid speed should put her in a good position on or near the lead while her finishing kick will make it difficult for the closers to slip through traffic and catch her. If she does lose it’s going to be decided on the first turn and how wide she runs. There’s a lot of inside speed which is concerning.

At this point everything is done on my end; all the preparations are complete. This will definitely be Azula's biggest challenge to date. Can she handle it? I’m running with the big dogs now. The Princess has had a huge year and this is just the cherry on the top. So there are no expectations, just simply enjoyment of the moment in being in my first Breeder's Cup.

Here is the SRF's preview of the race and concerning the Princess they write:

"What a race horse this fine filly is - six wins and four placings from her ten starts. She's won on dirt, turf, inner turf - six furlongs to a mile and a quarter. You have to believe they could run this one around the shed-row and she'd be right in the middle of things. That was a very nice score in the Flower Bowl (GI), where I seriously doubted that she could get the distance - per usual, I was wrong. Note that G Gomez has been on her back in four of her starts - as a team, they've never lost a race."

The SRF pegged Princess Azula to win with odds of 3-1. Let's hope they're right.

Perseverance!

BC Marathon: Anything Can Happen

2009-11-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

The saying goes in racing, "You have to be in it to win it," and that's what I'm doing with Light Green (V) in the BC Marathon. It’s definitely a stab of sorts but he had the points with second place finishes in the All American Handicap (gr. III) at Golden Gate and the Premiers (gr. III) at Hastings. Besides being Breeder's Cup nominated resulted in no further entry fees, so why not take a shot? Anyone else would.

While not exactly the same caliber of claimer such as Liz Miz (V) and Market Reversal (V) both of whom are running against Princess Azula (V) in the Filly and Mare Turf, Light Green has done pretty well since I decided to switch him from sprinting to routing. He did exceptionally well in the All American, but goofed in the Premiers moving too early and giving about 90 feet to the winner because he traveled wide the entire way.

The BC Marathon is comprised of a lot of second string horses since the best went for the Classic. The favorite will likely be Pumpillian (V) who has won his last six in a row. He's familiar with the mile and a half from the Fall Championship (gr. III) at Turfway which was in a "Win and You're in" for the division.

Raindancing (V) would make a suitable second choice and rightfully so after his Greenwood Cup at Philadelphia back in July. It was a divisional "Win and You're in" as well and the final time was respectable enough. Raindancing came back for the Pacific Classic (gr. I) and finished a well beaten fourth but he was going up the very best. Since this is a second string crew he should have a much easier time of it.

Shoulder Wheel (V) finishes out the top three with his win in the Premiers (gr. III) but he did have a huge weight advantage which disappears now and is replaced with 121 pounds. Last time Shoulder Wheel carried that much weight he finished the last of seven in the $50 Horizon Stakes at River Downs. With this in mind I think Light Green can turn the tables on him this time and could very well finish a respectable third in the Marathon. Anything better will just be luck. But then again consider Giacomo and Mine That Bird. Neither shied away from their races, even when 50-1.

Perseverance!

Oak Tree Ends with a Bird

2009-10-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the Ambassador Program had the opportunity to host a group of twenty-five college age students from the Cal Poly Pomona Horse Show Team. The morning started off with a bang, each participant receiving a welcome package to the Sport of Kings that included a personal welcome letter, Santa Anita Post Times, a $5 mystery voucher for Breeder's Cup Friday, and either a copy of Paddock or Horseplayer’s Magazine. In addition they received a chance few ever get, a one on one session with a Kentucky Derby winner.

In this case that winner was Mine That Bird and Chip Woolley, the 50-1 pair who shocked the world in the Derby and two weeks later nearly upset Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. Besides a Q&A with Chip, the group had a moment to see "The Bird" in person. Chip was very personable and giving of his time, sharing with the group the highs of winning such a prestigious race. By the smiles one thing was certain; the group was impressed by all the stops pulled by Santa Anita's sharp marketing department that was able to arrange the meeting on short notice.

Afterwards the group spent a moment with racing steward Scott Chaney who spoke about his part in the sport, better insuring honesty and helping arbitrate conflicts between personas on the backside. Allen Gutterman, head of marketing, played a surprise visit to the group and was impressed at the turnout. By his smile and his upbeat tone it seems that the program made him a believer in what it is trying to accomplish. If only more executives and administration could see the Ambassador Program at work, I'm certain that it would quickly take to multiple tracks across the nation.

HRTV also had a part to our morning by hosting an informal chat with Scott Hazelton about what goes on behind the scenes. Scott took a moment to make a real emphasis on how major the Breeder's Cup is and what it means to the sport. Many of the students decided on the spot to return for the Cup. The $5 vouchers they had received earlier only helped sweeten the deal.

Afterwards the group headed up to their front row private boxes at the 1/16th pole. Most of the students stayed throughout the day, even after the program's conclusion with the paddock tour. There were smiles a plenty and even some winners with a group of friends in one box doing fairly well by picking the most "angry" horse as their selection for each race.

In all it was a great way to close out the Ambassador Program for Oak Tree as well as for 2009 since Hollywood Park is a very long drive for many. Again I would like to thank Chip and Mine That Bird for taking time out of their morning as well as Nate and Michael from Santa Anita's marketing department for helping assemble a great day. Finally thanks to Barbara for her ties with HRTV as well as her photography.

Perseverance!

Princess a Rose in Flower Bowl

2009-10-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Princess Azula (V) proved that her scintillating win in the John C Mabee Handicap-G1 was no fluke in yesterday's Flower Bowl-G1 where she clashed hooves with multiple graded winner Miz Liz (V) in a two horse duel that ended with the Princess coming up a neck ahead of her outside rival. Liz Miz, winner of the Diana-G1 and the Ballston Handicap-G2, was the strong even money favorite, and rightfully so after her dominating performance in the Diana where she bested some of the top turf females in the country in a resounding stakes record of 1:46.63. She paid $2.60 and $2.30 respectfully. With Princess Azula coming off a surprising loss at Presque Isle in the Masters Stakes-G3 and losing her weight advantage she held in the Mabee, there were definite concerns.

"Liz Miz was coming into the Flower Bowl with few questions to answer other than the extra furlong. On the other hand Princess Azula is something of a late comer to the division. It was a shock to see her in the John C Mabee after her performance in the Princess Rooney. You just don't see a horse instantly jump from dirt sprints to turf routes. She's essentially making a three sixty," stated professional handicapper Jimmy "the Hat", from his table at Santa Anita's Frontrunner Restaurant. Concerning the race, "It was a real slug fest all the way. Either of these fillies could win the Filly and Mare turf. Had Liz Miz been on the inside, she'd likely have won. The Breeder's Cup will determine who comes out with the Eclipse."

Princess Azula, breaking from the one post, took charge early in the event, with Liz Miz quickly taking to her outside. Garret Gomez aboard Azula kept a mild pace and briefly allowed Liz Miz to take the lead. "The Princess likes a fight; she's got lots of heart. I gave the three horse just little ground so she had something to run at. Then bam!" Run they did, with the final quarter in :23 flat.

"The Princess is a real lady. She goes after whatever we throw at her with everything she has," said owner-trainer Troy Racki. "I don't know what happened in the Masters but the track was wet that day and she got a lot of dirt in her face. She's not used to that and I think it really threw her off."

Concerning Princess Azula's next start Racki said, "It really depends on how she comes back in the next couple of days. This was her toughest test yet. She fought fought fought all the way. I'd like to run in the Taylor in two weeks but it’s really up to her." As to the Breeder's Cup in which Princess Azula is both guaranteed a berth in the Filly Sprint and Filly Turf, "Her race today is evidence that she belongs on the turf. Without a doubt. She set a stakes record and bested the top horse of the division."

Indeed the final time for the Flower Bowl-G1 was 1:59.71 and stamps Princess Azula as the likely favorite for the Breeder's Cup Filly and Mare Turf, barring any significant events in the E. P. Taylor scheduled to be run on October 17th. Princess Azula returned $7.60, $2.90, and $2.50 while Valibert (v) finished third and paid $9.40 to show.

Racing's Biggest Hurdle

2009-09-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

"I'll tell you the biggest problem with the game, owners like you!!!"

-A Thoroughbred Trainer

Yes, not one, but three exclamation marks. Clearly the sender wanted to make them self understood.

The above is a direct quote from a recent e-mail that I received from a trainer after I contacted them with my concerns about how they were publically slandering others in the sport. I tried to point out how some level of tact should be used regarding those who spend millions on the game, even if you don't agree with what that person says. Obviously reasoning did not work in this situation. And so the above quote goes down in the history books as just another perfect example of racing's biggest hurdle: itself.

Unfortunately horse racing is a zero sum sport. In other words 1 - 1 = 0. In a zero sum activity, one only succeeds at the expense of another. So even in a field of four horses, you're going to end up with one person taking the majority of the purse money while the other three barely make ends meet for the month. Fifth and beyond are left well into the hole.

Concerning the majority of us, the wagering patron, someone has to lose 20% from every race to pay for the takeout. Consequently this constant dog eat dog environment in horse racing breeds a lot of resentment, especially if one trainer claims off another and turns that horse into a super star or if a lucky patron cashes $.55 million on a $4 pick-6 ticket (said patron cashed twice, 1 $2 and 1 $4 ticket). All this resentment eventually reaches such a boil that many in the sport become jaded and spiteful towards one another. Consequently they lash out, just like the above trainer. In the end all this harbored animosity just brings harm to the sport.

It may just be a "Candy Land" optimistic approach, but can't horse racing at least try to work together and show common courtesy? Maybe I'm alone on this but in the Ambassador Program you need to be polite to insure repeat customers. I've learned to tell everyone "that's a good choice" regarding their wagers because I've been humbled by some people getting $120 back on a $5 win bet when its their first time and first wager at the races. When someone else wins during the program I try to offer my congratulations even if I got completely hosed. Think about it, if other people do nothing but lose and you rub it in their face or give them hard looks and brush offs when they do succeed they're eventually going to give up on the game. Then when they leave the sport how are you going to win their money?

I've said this before but it bears repeating. Horse racing needs to collaborate. When people work together they're more successful. Ever heard these sayings?

"A cord of three strands is not easily broken."

"A house divided cannot stand."

Tracks need to work together, sharing vendors to cut costs and pooling resources to increase purchasing power. Wagering platforms need to end exclusivities instead of trying to force one another into the dark. (Instead all they accomplish is upset the customer caught in the middle who wants to just bet on the Derby.) We need to condense all the leadership factions into fewer ones to reduce administration expenses, have fewer conflicts, and speed up the decision making processes. Opposing trainers need to at least show respect to one another and stop the slandering, otherwise their owners will lose trust in both of them and walk. Partnerships need to be straight up and not bamboozle their investors with broken horses and fine print. Otherwise they will sour owners before they can make a serious long term investment. Bettors need to be polite at the windows and show some dignity towards one another. We're all in this together.

Can racing overcome itself? The answer depends squarely upon each individual who makes up the whole of our sport. Whether they are at the top or the bottom, we are only as strong as our weakest link. If we want to see racing last for the next generation, think twice, go the extra mile, and be the bigger individual. Collaborate and congratulate. Breed honesty and respect.

Maybe then our sport will be a little better off.

Perseverance!

Princess a Turf Monster? Mabee.

2009-08-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Princess Azula's (V) entry in Sunday's John C Mabee Handicap-G1 at Del Mar comes as a surprise to many. It seems almost counter intuitive after her stakes record win in the Princess Rooney Handicap-G1 a month ago. The dominating win not only guaranteed her a berth in the Breeder's Cup but established her as a major contender in the sprint division. Now she's going fifty percent farther on a completely different surface?

"The Princess actually began her career briefly on the turf at Tampa so it's not that foreign to her. The distance was really the question. Garret worked her a mile on the turf and said she took right to it. She moved so effortlessly and when she came back it was like nothing had even happened. I gave the racing secretary a call and we spoke for a while. It was decided that the Princess would be the light weight. Between the last work and the weight, it seems to me that she has just as much a chance as any," said owner-trainer Troy Racki.

Barcelona Farm's Name Brandy (V) looms the likely favorite given her three back to back wins by a combined sixteen lengths. Name Brandy will be ridden by Patrick Husbands who has been on board for the last two wins. Graded winners Faithful Vixen (V) and Air Affair (V) are the high weights after their wins in the Real Good Deal-G3 and the La Canada-G2 respectfully.

An American Filly

2009-08-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, feeling mighty good after finishing a particularly difficult section of text, I decided to sit down and put together a conceptual book trailer for Regal Heart. While the said trailer is low... make that no budget, I feel like it makes up for that fact by being high quality. Ideally you want a lot more "action" (namely video) to a trailer but during the last two months of web browsing I managed to find a very slow paced but moving piece by the artist "Two Steps From Hell". Not the kind of work you'd expect from such a name, but regardless it’s perfect. The sweeping pace allows for flowing text and graphic stills, while action transitions give it that right touch where the tempo increases.

The agent and publisher for Regal Heart is just for giggles right now. Every trailer should provide the distributor and the production company so I included a "dream team" for the time being. I was tempted to include some more textual credits at the end to make it seem more movie-esque but I decided that the time investment wasn't worth the one second of screen time.

You may be wondering but I'm not a screenwriter or a director. Actually this is my first video composition. What you see is simply seven hours of trial and error with Windows Movie Maker and MS Paint plus a whole lot of creativity. For a guideline on "how to" build the composition I looked to other racing trailers to draw inspiration from them. You may see some similarities to the trailer for Seabiscuit, and to a lesser degree, Dreamer. There's been a significant title change as well. The reasoning stems from my continuous literary research that states a book should be understood from its title alone, hence the subtitle, An American Filly.

My apologies for some color loss and blurring caused by Blogger.

House Rules

2009-08-07T20:13:00.001-07:00

Ok, not this House, but today Del Mar announced the adoption of a "house rule" which requires riders to use a new low impact whip. The whip is designed to spur horses through sound rather than via impact. While not mentioned in the article, through e-mail communications with the NTRA, I learned that the adoption of the "house rule" by Del Mar was to gain accreditation with the NTRA's Safety and Integrity Alliance.

I think that the use of "house rules" is an excellent direction for tracks to take if they want to go "above and beyond" and stand out amongst their peers. A track that stands out among their peers is more likely to capture more wagering dollars.

One house rule I'd love to see is closing pools one minute to post or when the first horse enters the gate. Adopting this as a house rule would help circumvent the current political deadlock affecting our leadership. For example on July 23rd, the California Horse Racing Board spent significant time explaining how the pools are perfectly fine as they are. Regardless of whether an advantage is being given to certain bettors or not, a rule to close pools early is about perception. If horse racing wants more customers to perceive the sport as being fair then they need to pass "house rules" which improve the perception. House rules should not be necessary; if our leadership is not willing to do the right thing then the tracks should.

With many tracks being private enterprise they hold the ability to refuse service to anyone in a non-discriminatory manner. For example a track could have its own medication rules that imposes a "water and oats only" situation ten days prior to a race. They could also impose huge fines if anyone is found guilty of a drug infraction. The fines should then be returned to the bettor as a seeding of the Pick 6 or some other exotic wager, returning the fine money to those whom the infraction did the most harm. If trainers do not wish to comply with such new medication rules and fines then they will simply be refused "service". Consequently owners will immediately move their runners to the applicable trainers in order to stay in competition.

If you think these ideas are new, they are not. I've read about returning fine money to the bettor several years ago. I am not certain why it has taken this long for positive change to take place but eventually it will if the customer keeps demanding it.

Perseverance!

Ambassador Program Turns 50

2009-08-04T20:12:00.001-07:00

Ok, so the title is a little misleading. The program just turned one in July but I had to use something to bait you into reading further. On Sunday the Ambassador Program had the opportunity to entertain three Southern California pony clubs: Poway, Rainbow, and Ramona. Combined they amounted to a total of fifty-one participants which was the largest group hosted to date.

In the past I had some large groups before, the largest being thirty-six from Woodbury University, so I wasn't too concerned about increasing the group size. I found out however that entertaining fifty-one is definitely a lot to tackle for just one person. Fortunately Donna from the Poway Pony Club helped keep track of all the kids and having many parents on hand made it certain no one strayed too far away. I definitely couldn't have done it without their help.

Fortunately Doug O'Neil was available early on in the barn tour and gave permission for everyone to feed carrots to the horses. This really was popular among the children. I'm sure the horses didn't mind either. After everyone had made a circuit through Doug's two rows of runners I found some tack and explained what the various racing equipment is for. There were a few bumbles on my part along the way but I've been told everyone enjoyed themselves. I got a kick out of wearing "shadow roll" on myself. I think the kids liked it too.

Jimmy the stable farrier had left behind a huge pile of shoes which everyone helped themselves too. A little genuine racing trinket certainly made for a great memento for the day.

The tour parlayed into a meeting with Aaron Gryder who shared his experiences of what it’s like to be riding a racehorse in the world's richest race. I remember Aaron on the last season of "Jockeys". Despite over two decades of riding he hadn't won any major racing events. I'm glad that he finally had his chance and took home six percent of the most lucrative racing purse in the world (which adds up to $360,000). Not too many people make this kind of money in one year, let alone two minutes, yet it’s safe to say he's definitely earned it. While I had only asked him to come by for ten minutes, being the gracious fellow that he is Aaron stayed for twenty in an attempt to answer everyone's questions.

Shortly thereafter Frank Scatoni from Horseplayers Magazine came by the paddock and handed me a box filled with seventy-five free issues of their most recent publication. As he said it was his way of helping do his part in bringing new blood into the sport. I did my best to hand the issues out as quickly as possible but two children immediately started fighting over one copy. This was soon alleviated after which they tore into the magazines, taking quite an interest to the advertisements because of their full page color action photos. Another soon had her finger tracing along the first article, dutifully reading about all the summer action at Del Mar and Saratoga.

After locating our complementary reserved seats at the sixteenth pole, the group caught their first live race in their lives. "Look at how fast they are running," said one parent to her child. As the runners came around the far turn everyone leaped to their feet and the crowd began roaring. After the finish of the race everyone seemed really impressed. I asked if anyone would like to join the Diamond Club on the way down for the paddock tour and several adults took me up on the offer. It looks like there will certainly be some return customers for Del Mar now.

The group soon swarmed the paddock where they got to go on the inside and began taking pictures in mass. I pointed out jockeys from the show "Jockeys" as they strode by. Some of the group hung by Doug O'Neill's #5 runner Malibu Moon and were able to speak with Tyler Baze before Doug gave him a leg up for the race. Everyone in the group seemed to place a wager on either of Doug's runners for that event. Doug seemed harried, constantly having to split his attention between two distant places at one time.

After the second race everyone was welcome to spend their day at the races however they liked. A member of the TOC came by after the third event and spoke to everyone about the TOC's part in the thoroughbred industry. Fliers for the recent CARMA fundraiser were passed around. Later Donna from the Poway Pony Club notified me that several people were very interested in attending. By the fourth race I was completely exhausted, having not eaten or rehydrated since 8:30 am that morning as I never had a moment to do so since arriving at the track. With everyone well situated I made my departure knowing that despite a few hiccups here and there the day had been a success for everyone involved.

Perseverance!

Live Your Dreams

2009-08-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I had the chance to meet with two professionals related to horse racing. The first, Aaron Gryder, took a moment to sign my program after speaking with some twenty young riders about his experiences atop a thoroughbred. Mr. Gryder is a real class act, he being so kind to take time out of his busy day to spend it with the often most ignored part of racing, the fans. He explained to the group of how he started riding as a jockey at age sixteen and that following your dreams is the most important thing to finding satisfaction in life. He signed my program as just that, "Live Your Dreams".

So what are your dreams?

For everyone this could mean something different. Perhaps it’s finding a mate, or starting a family, reaching the pinnacle amongst your peers or in your profession, acquiring a lot of stuff, being famous, etc. Concerning my dreams I've been fortunate enough to acquire some of them through a lot of hard work, but there are others that require outside help. One of them is publishing a novel. That is where the second professional came in.

Frank Scatoni is an agent and founding partner of Venture Literary. He represented Gary Steven's work The Perfect Ride. I had the opportunity that afternoon to sit at his finish line box and make a pitch for Regal Heart. Despite some verbal bumbling towards the end, Mr. Scatoni still said that he was "interested in giving the work an in depth look." Rachel Alexandra's romp in the Haskell just an hour earlier certainly made the pitch of a filly chasing the Triple Crown all the more believable. I couldn't have timed it better.

The offer was made that whenever I feel it’s ready, that Frank would be willing to review the first two chapters of the novel. In the publishing industry getting past the query is a challenge in itself. Now it’s to the task of making the first two chapters as sharp as possible.

Perseverance!

Ride With Racki

2009-07-10T17:08:00.001-07:00

Recently the TOC has announced that they are not renewing the contract of former president Drew Couto. I’m not one to go after someone who has been defeated so I will say nothing more against Mr. Couto. I am glad to see that there is change and that the TOC has put out the call for new applicants to fill the position. After some personal deliberations I sent in my resume and candidate summary. I probably would have not but considering that this year’s TOC Board of Directors was a walk over (5 candidates for 5 positions) I figured that there’s nothing to lose by throwing my hat into the ring.

I do not know if I will get a call back concerning the position but I may simply because so few others apply. In the summary I explained that while I have only been involved in the sport for five years I have learned a lot during that time. My work with the NTRA shows that I take the initiative and do not wait for someone to come along and hand me something. In fact having no history is a good thing. I do not owe any one any favors.

If I were president the owners and the bettors would equally be on the top of my list of the people to take care of. I’m sure that would drive the trainers and tracks bonkers, but they seem to have forgotten that the owners and bettors are the people who keep them in business. They are the ones who lose the most money. We need to start treating our customers the right way to bring them back from the mindless slot machines and house favoring table games. Where is the trust? Where is the customer service? We really need change. Some of the things I would seek to change include:

Closing pools one minute to post.
Increasing fines for improper public notification of 1st time geldings.
Increasing fines for medication violations.
Directing money raised from these increased fines into exotic carryovers or other betting opportunities such as handicapping competitions.
Providing supplement money for horses shipping into California.
Providing increased starter money for horses in stakes events.
Creating a mentoring program to increase first time track visitation and customer retention e.g. Ambassador Program
Attracting new owners by creating an ownership education stable(s) that is trustworthy and has a low capital requirement e.g. Certified Stables

Most importantly I would take my office door off the hinges and proudly display it on the track apron. (That would generate some buzz.) Anyone who wanted could come by the TOC office and pour out their anger and frustrations concerning the game and tell me what they think would make racing better. Right or wrong I’d hear them out. I know there are a lot of good ideas out there that the sport has not thought of.

Yes, I’m not your traditional/safe/stodgy candidate. I’m your dark horse overlay. But sometimes a longshot is your best bet.

Perseverance!

Gone Fishin'

2009-07-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

For those who were wondering and thought I shut down The Commissioner, I have good news. I'm not going anywhere. I was simply on vacation. My apologies for not informing others of my three weeks spent in Washington State. However as a health care provider my home address is publicly available to anyone if you go to the right websites. Consequently when I leave for any significant amount of time I don't let many know.

But three weeks still isn't enough time to make up for not posting anything since mid-May. Well I am in the midst of Regal Heart. I've quickly realized I have one major flaw, the propensity to self-edit compulsively. There are some pages that have been re-edited ten times. I suppose this is because I want to make such a good product that I keep nit picking over the details rather than moving on. Editing involves asking yourself, "does that read right? Is this interesting? Am I being too detailed or not detailed enough?"

This week I am going to focus on just moving ahead and let the editing go for a while. I still need to finish the first two chapters and get the submission into the writer's guild as my immediate short term goal.

That goal would have been easier this week however I decided to go back on the warpath for certified stables. As it turns out on Roger Stein's radio show he made mention of how a particular racing stable is defrauding their investors. Being one of those investors I had simply given up on the stable and written off the lost money. But since Mr. Stein was willing to take the initiative I decided to e-mail him. Well that lead to a very prolific e-mail conversation which now involves, in no particular order, the NTRA, the TOC, the CHRB, Little Red Feather Racing, a handicapping service, a racing steward, and a few others. Toss in some phone calls as well for good measure. Whew!

Today also involved getting things rolling again on the NTRA Ambassador Program at Del Mar. The track has us green lit so now we need a trainer willing to let us come visit their barn for the barn tour part of the program. I made a call and am waiting on a confirmation from last year's helpful trainer, Doug O'Neill. I also contacted a pony club that never was able to attend last year to get them involved in the first program of the season after which I contacted last year's press, the Poway Chieftain, to see if they are willing to cover us simultaneously as a local interest story. The paper last year accounted for 90% of attendance so I hope to have them on board again.

Hopefully I will be able to get to Regal Heart during the weekend when all else is squared away.

Perseverance!

:591B & Princess Rooney

2009-07-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

When it comes to training graded stakes winners, I haven't much luck. Out of twenty-nine lifetime attempts I've only won once. That graded win came last year at Del Mar in the Hirsch Handicap-GII compliments of a tiny field and a doddling pace. The odds were 39-1. That was attempt number nineteen at the time. I can and still sympathize with Todd Pletcher, who until Rags to Riches, had not won a single Triple Crown race in twenty three attempts. I had pretty much resigned from the graded stakes ranks until recently when Princess Azula (V) breezed an eye popping :591. I had been suspecting something much slower.

My best answer is she took more away from the Vagrancy Handicap-GII in May than thought. In that race she battled Canadian trained Arctic Rush (V) all the way to the wire and got out nosed. I haven't seen a breezing :591 out of a mare in my stable before. Is it legitimate? Probably. Azula is an honest horse and runs pretty much to form. She's certainly come a long way from her state maiden win in March at Santa Anita which was nothing exciting, a dull 1:06 over five and a half furlongs.

However they say strike when the iron is hot and Azula seems to be peaking, getting ever keener with each start. So I took my chances and put in for the Princess Rooney-GI which came up somewhat light after top female sprinter Blonde Dynamite (V) bowed out from carrying 126 pounds. The race is no walk over but it seemed like the most logical choice. The Princess Rooney is a "Win and You're In" so my fingers are crossed on this one.

Here's the SRF's write up on the race.

Perseverance!

Regal Heart

2009-05-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

The last twelve months of horse racing has taught me a lot. It has provided significant insight into the sport's nuts and bolts, both in front of the curtain and behind. I've also learned a few things about myself.

Probably the biggest take away that I can share from these experiences is that racing is where it is because there are so many people involved. In order for things to happen there has to be a consensus among these many minds. Since the range of the opinions differs so greatly, it is very difficult and time consuming to reach a compromise. As much as the fans would like to see abrupt, positive changes, such will not happen. That is simply the nature of the beast.

I've also discovered that the engine of horse racing is driven primarily by fiscal and political means. Unfortunately for the fan we possess neither. What we do have is passion, conviction, imagination, determination, and a sense of community. The many racing blogs out there is evidence of just how passionate the people are concerning their sport and how committed they are to it. A well written blog post can consume a significant amount of time and there are hundreds of posts that are published every week. These bloggers write without any compensation or any assurance others will read.

Out of everything, I have come to the conclusion that my efforts in trying to improve the game have been either misdirected or ineffective. Sometimes a problem cannot be solved purely by strength. Much like a Chinese finger puzzle, the more I pull, the worse the situation becomes. It seems that all I've accomplished in the last twelve months is annoy a lot of people all while exhausting myself in the process. Frustrated, I've finally gone back to the drawing table to find a new solution.

The solution would seem to be to work apart from the system with the tools one has at hand.

What do I mean? Consider the tugboat. A completely separate vessel, its job is to assist a much larger ship in making tight maneuvers. Horse racing is the Queen Mary II. I'm the tug. As an independent operator I need to act alone until the game is ready to throw me a line and make use of my service. Tugs do not ram themselves into a ship wantonly. They only make their move when the signal is shown and the line is thrown. Right now neither has been given.

Secondly I need to work with what I have. Since I am neither fiscally endowed nor politically connected, I need to use my passion, imagination, and determination instead for the good of the sport. Putting those three components together, the best result I can come up with is to write a thoroughbred novel. Movies such as Seabiscuit, Dreamer, and Racing Stripes all helped draw renewed interest in the sport. In the case of Seabiscuit it first began as a book. Since a book is an independent project it can be done at one's own speed and does not require significant outside resources until time of publication. That would seem right up my alley.

Fortunately today's Preakness provided me just what I needed. Rachel Alexandra, along with Eight Belles and Rags to Riches all rolled into one, gives sufficient credibility to write about a filly that attempts all three legs of the Triple Crown, capturing the interest of a nation in the process. While the plot to Regal Heart will have a lot more depth than this, that is the elevator pitch.

The short term goal right now will be to complete the novel's first two chapters and then enroll into a year long writing course through a guild. Hopefully the course will help produce a better product. The length of the journeyman level course I am considering is one year. That is likely how long it will take to finish the rough draft, after which it will need to go through substantial line editing which could take many more months. Then the publishing process itself takes another year. So Regal Heart probably won't be on any shelves until April 2012, which by then would make her a three year old, but prefect timing for the Derby.

Now since I've publicly committed to the project, I will stick with it. Consequently you will see me much less active blogging wise. The topics of future blogs will also likely change from that of industry reform to updates on the research and writing process. Hopefully Regal Heart will enjoy great success, drawing new fans to the sport and making the leadership more receptive to proposals such as the Ambassador Program and Certified Stables. So now if I disappear at least you know why.

Perseverance!

Hollywood Gone, TOC "At Peace"

2009-05-15T23:46:00.000-07:00

Well Hollywood Park's days are now numbered. The Inglewood City Planning Commission unanimously recommended the destruction and redevelopment of Hollywood Park's 238 acres during their May 11th meeting. The final gasp of HOL's life could come as soon as May 28th when the city council makes their final ruling.

No one seems to be shedding any tears.

TOC president Drew Couto reportedly stated that he is, "at peace with the demise of Hollywood Park," and that attempts to save the track were, "too little too late." His words surmise the sport's general apathy on the matter. During the series of city meetings no executive representation of the sport was too be seen, even after the planning commission pointed out that they should be present. An NTRA executive questioned on the matter via telephone reported that there were significant conflicts of interest preventing their presence during the meetings.

And so marks the loss of a 2nd race track in California within the last 12 months. In September 2008, Bay Meadows was demolished leaving behind a pile of debris that remains to this day and questions concerning the sport's vitality both in California as well as nationally. With Magna Entertainment Corporation in bankruptcy, Golden Gate and Santa Anita are also at risk of being purchased by a non racing entity, begging the question if they will be next to go. In December the general manager at Golden Gate Fields stated during a television interview that the future of the track was in the balance.

It makes a young person like me wonder what will be left for the next generation at the rate which the sport is being torn down.

T.R. Phone Home

2009-05-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

Today afforded the opportunity to speak again with Mike Ziegler, head of the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, via telephone. It was a follow up call to our April meeting at Santa Anita regarding certified stables. The gist of the call was that, as much as they would like to, the NTRA cannot certify stables in any immediate fashion. Currently Mr. Ziegler's time is devoted to accrediting 30 race tracks in 2009, of which only two are officially complete at this time (CD and KEE). His plate is full and rightly so. Accrediting tracks is agreeably by far the most important thing at this time.

Instead any immediate movement would have to be taken on by NTRA CEO, Alex Waldrop, who undoubtedly has his hands full. Another twist in the matter is that everything the NTRA does must first go through their board of directors which is comprised of a lot of industry groups. That's where things get really sticky. Members of these boards are people I've already tried to contact regarding certifying stables. I do not know how interested they are in the matter. The KTA-KTOB's response on certifying stables was that it's been considered for 30 years, half dozen plans have been discussed, but nothing has been implemented. Meanwhile communications with the TOC, as one has put it, "have not been productive." If the industry has seen no need to act in the last three decades, why would they now? If the board does not give their blessing, the NTRA cannot take any action.

So the choice was given to either stall progress or to continue certifying stables on my own without the NTRA. Going alone of course defeats the whole purpose because it would just make the game more fragmented when consolidation is what the game needs.

The reality is as much as I push against the starting gate, it won't open in an official manner. Like Barbaro I'll simply be caught and reloaded. So all one can do at this point is wait.

Perseverance!

Where are the Decision Makers?

2009-05-12T00:45:00.000-07:00

I am not looking forward to hitting the publish post button on this one, but someone has to say something. Since I have already infuriated 721,025 United Auto Workers with an offsite article that questions the fairness concerning the General Motors reorganization deal, what are a few more angry racing executives? So I’ll just say this now so that no one else has to take the flak for it.

Last week at an Inglewood City Council meeting, a series of which will determine the end of Hollywood Park, it was said that while it was, “great to see the 'working folks' of the industry come out, where are the decision makers?” As the council pointed out, “they ought to be here.”

They were right.

Where is the leadership of horse racing? Are they concerned about the future of Hollywood Park?

Their deafening silence seems to be the answer. Since I am already a marked man, I’ll elaborate my position further. As I pointed out in an internal e-mail to the primary in the stand to preserve the track, “There are many [leaders] that have no internal motivation (lost their passion) nor external motivation (financial) to appear, so they do not. Some would argue they have other responsibilities but in times of crisis when a major track’s life is on the line the leaders need to be there for the sport even if it means making tough decisions, such as missing ball games or skipping dinner with the wife. This is crunch time for HOL. Its disappointing that they are not here when the sport needs them the most.”

Is the passion gone? Yes. I know this first hand. When I spoke to the head of marketing at Santa Anita it was like speaking to a defeated solider. His paraphrased words were, "we're an inner city track, what's the use". In another incident, the head of publicity at Santa Anita wrote a very lifeless piece about the Ambassador Program last year. I wrote the draft but what eventually ran looked nothing like mine. It was void of passion and I know that readers, if any paper picked up the release (as far as I know none did), would sense that and not come. When I asked for a press release for the spring meet I was turned down because one was enough, I was told. Furthermore I've emailed every member of the TOC about the Ambassador Program and Certified Stables and only one responded. I have more examples, but three is enough to validate the point.

I can understand the council allowing for the track to be bulldozed if there's no noticeable leadership willing to step up and save a member of their family. If these meetings are Hollywood Park’s funeral, then the track must have really done some bad things. At least we should send flowers, or something.

Maybe racing wants HOL to disappear? I know of trainers who do. The destruction of HOL could solve the problem about too much racing in So Cal. Does Santa Anita want more dates? I suppose it would benefit them to see HOL go up in smoke then. Sure, HOL is dumpy and scary, but that’s because those who own the track have let it become that. They don't care about the track they’re just interested in the real estate. The owners have no vested interest in trying to make it better. Declining attendance and handle actually helps their cause and gives the city all the more reason to let it be torn down. HOL could be much better in the right hands. Someone just needs to raise a hand. In the days of the Roman Empire, a thumbs up saved a life.

Can someone spare a thumb?

Perseverance!

(P.S.: If this my last post, it was a pleasure to serve the sport of horse racing the best way I knew how. Thank you for reading.)

Warmest Thanks

2009-05-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I received a thick envelope while at work. I wasn't expecting anything so it came as quite a surprise. Things became clearer however when I read the return address: Merced, California. Immediately I thought of an Ambassador Program where two women drove over four hours just to come to the track so they could experience what the program offered. It just goes to show that if you make horse racing enticing enough that you will draw the crowds. I don't know how Ms. Price got the address, but she was paying enough attention during the day to make note of where I work at, and then go to all the trouble of finding the mailing address. If that's not a way of saying thanks, what is?

The envelope contained a thank you card. Inside was a very nice hand written letter which read as follows:

"I want to thank you for providing such an enjoyable Sunday participating in the NTRA Ambassador Program. The knowledge I gained adds to my appreciation of the sport. And it is a thrill to actually pet the horses; please extend a thank you to Frank for opening his barn to us. I told a single-mom co-worker about the experience and she is planning a first trip to Santa Anita this fall. I apologize for leaving early, but with a stop in Bakersfield for dinner, we didn't want to get back to Merced too late since we both had to be at work Monday morning. Thank you for making a great day even better."

Well there you have it, no clearer evidence that the NTRA Ambassador program accomplishes what it sets out to do, to give fans new appreciation for our sport. Even better it has a pyramid effect. Participants enjoy themselves so much that they come back again with friends and introduce them to the sport. The point of the program is to plant seeds; seeds which will eventually develop into new shoots of fan growth for our sport.

The ground of horse racing is densely packed. Between the fear of the unknown track, the Greek like Racing Form, or misconceived notions of its people (some see racing as only rich snobs, others as only degenerates), its impossible to get a seed to take root unless each one is personally touched. Yes, expensive shotgun mass marketing helps give a boost for a particular day of racing, but in order to get a long term return, racing needs to roll up its sleeves and get dirty. Is anyone interested in doing the heavy lifting?

Perseverance!

Viva Verde

2009-05-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I had the honor of attending Woodbury University's "Viva Verde" Fashion Gala and Scholarship Fundraising Dinner. It was the university's way of saying "thank you" to the NTRA for all that both Santa Anita Park and it did for their students over the course of the meet. It seems like the Ambassador Program just does not run out of nice surprises.

Ok, now while I certainly have a "cool" side, I'm not nearly chic enough to have gone to something like this before. I was really looking forward to the experience but figured I'd be a fish out of water. Fortunately my liaison, Ms. Bowley, was a former assistant trainer, making the transition from horse racing to fashionista easier.

As it turned out the experience was a great opportunity to meet a lot of very important people and help ensure that horse racing still remains fashionable. Besides having a moment with the university's president, I also had the chance to shake hands with a lot of financially important people. The words "Oaks" and "Derby" seemed to be on many lips and when the question of the dark side of horse racing reared up I was quick to promote the Safety and Integrity Alliance. Cards were exchanged and promises made to attend the next Ambassador Program season at Del Mar. As Ms. Bowley pointed out, a lot of the well to do might be interested in becoming thoroughbred owners after the experience. Here's hoping that NTRA Certified Stables can get in motion to help fill that desire.

The fashion show seemed like something right out of ABC's "Ugly Betty". Lots of loud music, camera flashes, and some clothes you'd never see anyone dare wear in real life. The theme of the show was "eco-friendly" and "sustainable", prompting the designers to use recycled materials in their designs. For example, one dress appeared to have been made out of a black fibered tarp, while another had its entire skirt made of peacock feathers.

My favorite line from the evening came during the swimsuit portion of the show. When a comment was made about all the scantily clad fillies I was quick to come back with, "But they only have two legs, not four."

The green theme of the night made me consider what horse racing could do to be a better neighbor. What about the solid waste that race tracks generate? An average thoroughbred produces approximately 50 pounds of manure a day. Consequently major tracks, like Santa Anita, which have well over 1,000 horses in year round residence, have to contend with what to do with twenty five tons of solid waste every day. (Currently they sell it to a fertilizer company.)

Besides the space consumed and its smell, all this manure is actually an environmental hazard. Scientists report that one of our major ozone depleters is methane gas, the main component of flattace. The main source for methane (CH4) released into our environment comes from large dairy cow herds. Scientists are urging a reduction in the amount of methane pollution in order to preserve the ozone layer that protects us from lethal solar radiation.

While collecting methane gas sounds like a farce, it’s actually quite profitable.

Methane (CH4) is very similar in composition to propane (C3H8) and therefore flammable. Methane is a by-product of crude oil production, usually found in the top layer of underground oil pockets. Drillers used to burn the methane off, now they collect it, condense it, pipe it, and use it to fire boilers thousands of miles away. The steam generated is used to heat buildings and turn turbines, creating the electricity that powers our every day lives. Methane is very clean burning, prompting environmentally conscious states such as California to derive the majority of its electricity from this energy source.

Unfortunately methane from oil production is considered a non-renewable source. Once the oil runs out, it will too. However Biogas, which is the same methane, just from a different source (manure), is renewable. So as long as there are dairy cattle and thoroughbreds companies such as BioEnergy Solutions can be in the business of turning poo into profits.

What BioEnergy Solutions does is set up shop at large manure producing operations. Manure is collected and stored in large sealed containers that accelerate decomposition, rapidly releasing large amounts of methane. These amounts are collected, refined, and condensed. Trucks then collect the liquefied methane gas and haul it to be consumed at nearby electric generators. Because Biogas is a renewable energy source and because states such as California require that by 2010, 20% of all electricity must come from renewable sources, Biogas is high in demand and therefore can fetch a lucrative price.

But that's not all. The government recognizes that because this trapped methane is sparing our environment, they give extra incentive to containing it by granting emission credits. What emission credits are is the legal right to pollute without a fine. Every polluting business is granted an emissions allowance. Just like you see in your electric bill, if you go over your monthly allotment then you have to pay the price in increased rates. Polluting businesses such as steel manufactures buy unused emission credits from others in order to avoid hefty rate increases. BioEnergy Solutions sell their credits to these businesses to help offset their emissions debt. These credits are expensive, resulting in revenue for the seller.

Between the Biogas and emission credits, BioEnergy Solutions makes a handy profit, and after expenses, it shares its profits with the generating site. According to their website, this profit sharing results in hundreds of thousands in yearly revenue to the generating site. What race track wouldn't want another six figures onto the bottom line? Not to mention the good neighbor aspect would make horse racing look better to their surrounding communities. And because the Biogas collection process still spares the majority of the manure, race tracks can still sell it for fertilizer. So how about it horse racing? Want to "go green"?

Perseverance!

Kudos

2009-04-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

With all the negativity these days regarding horse racing it’s about time that someone write an article that looks at the recent positives for the sport. So here is one look at what has gone right in the past month for the Sport of Kings.

One of the highlights this week was the closing numbers that came out from Santa Anita (here). Usually a twelve percent decline in all sources handle would be a serious black eye for any track, but let's consider what kind of financial environment we are in. Reports published by other industries heavily dependant on disposable income show that things are really tough. For example, dental offices specialized in cosmetic dentistry are off anywhere between twenty-five and forty percent. Meanwhile, thanks to Santa Anita's slew of promotions, they enjoyed a one percent increase in total on track attendance. "All things considered we had a pretty good season," reports Santa Anita marketing manager Nate Newby. "Yes, the Free Fridays really helped."

Another promotion put together by Santa Anita was a "Stimulus Package" which paid $1,000 to $3,500 in cash to one lucky patron during the last three Sundays of the meet. While on paper the promotion appeared to have little impact, I know that from being in the stands a lot of people were staying around until the sixth race to find out whether they had won or not. Interestingly this promotion was derived from a suggestion made in September 2008 by the fan based NTRA Online Marketing Task Force. I for one am glad that someone is listening to the fans.

Regardless of how others gripe, the Kentucky Oaks is still being televised this year, flipping from NBC to the Bravo! channel. Honestly, I am surprised that the Oaks were not dropped sooner from NBC. While most people know about the Derby, the Oaks is a "hardcore fan" race. Let's be glad that it's still going to be on television. Furthermore maybe the Bravo! team will put together an improved product? New ideas never hurt anyone and there's a good chance an outsider might be able to spin the race better. I'm looking forward to their broadcast.

While some people believe the sport of Kings relies solely upon the bettor, for those that realize the owner is equally important there is good news. CNBC is airing a "Kentucky Derby and the Sport of Horse Racing" special on April 30th. As a business channel, CNBC will look at the economics of both the Derby and racing in general. Perhaps this show will help draw new interest in ownership.

Lest I forget the bettors, there is great news for them as well. Hawthorne is giving up to 4% rebates while all MEC affiliated tracks are offering 2% back via their Express Bet platform. In addition, Santa Anita offered ticket less wagering through their Thoroughbreds Club cards for the first time. This is an important step towards seeing rebates for on track wagers, which are far more profitable for tracks and help generate additional income through admissions and concessions. You know when a $.99 cent bottle of soda sells for $4, the track has to smile.

Perseverance!

Ziegler: Gone in 60 Minutes

2009-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

You are Tom Cruise.

This is the moment you have been waiting for. It’s the rolling start of the NTRA 500. You have waited anxiously for this day, competing time and time again in the qualifiers to make the lineup. So many previous attempts have gone up in flames, brush offs, no shows, and fishtail spin outs. But this time you have succeeded.

You follow in two long lines of cars all blazoned with flashy logos and abbreviations in blocky letters. They are your competitors: TOC, CHRB, TOBA, and KTA-KTOB, just to name a few. Ahead the pace car maintains an even tempo as you keep a gentle pressure on the pedal. Under the hood throbs the hearts of 749 thoroughbreds plus Zenyatta, all held in check by your tight grip on the shift stick.

The last eighteen months of preparations and late night e-mails have honed you for this instant in time. Your hand clenches the wheel fiercely in expectation of the start while thousands of bloggers in the stands cheer wildly. Finally the pace car slides aside and the green flag swoons over the finish line.

You stamp down on the accelerator and the herd whinnies to life. The tachometer engorges within the dash until your hand steadily plays at the shift, reigning the herd into the next gear. The herd falls into a more controlled rumble of hooves as your car hurdles around the first turn.

You slip inside the CHRB car while engaging the clutch, changing leads and tucking easily into the next gear. The speed continues to increase as you give chase to the TOC car around the second turn and into the first stretch. Now is your time to pounce! You show the herd the whip as you push in on the clutch. They respond gamely, their hooves pitching higher as you weave laterally and overtake Drew Cuoto on the outside.

Jamming the heard into the fifth gear you duck back in, parlaying your momentum into a move along the inside of David Switzer in the KTA-KOTB car. Inches separate the two cars as they careen around the third turn, rubber and aluminum racing plates void of toe grabs squealing upon the synthetic racing surface.

Switzer’s herd shows no quarter as your own breathes down its bridle, the two cars exchanging bobs for the lead. The racetrack whips past at breakneck speeds as the two herds list out of the final turn. The frenzied cries of the bloggers pitch higher.

“Down the stretch they come!”

Your foot takes the pedal to the floor. The herd’s whinnies crescendo. Switzer’s car however matches the effort as you both shoot into the top of the lane. Axle to axle the two herds charge towards the finish line. Sweat beads at your brow as you try to contain the intensity of the herd under the shuddering reigns. To your dismay the KTA-KOTB car begins to inch ahead. Never!

Fortunately your herd’s custom Waldrop V8 was engineered with a unique but untested feature. Regardless, you engage the fire breathing, nitrous infused Zenyatta with a single pump of red push button. Instantly you are pressed uncomfortably into the slots toned leather of your seat as the herd lets loose a demonic shriek under the unleashed deluge of equine energy.

Your car suddenly leaps into the lead. This is it!

BOOM!

The world drops into slow motion as your front right Lasixstone tire suddenly comes apart. The herd abruptly loses control and pitches towards the outer rail while spinning repeatedly like a top on the synthetic surface. You scream out in horror: “NOOOO!”

-----

Well, today was the day.

After eighteen months of late night e-mails I finally had my first one on one meeting with a leader in racing, Mike Ziegler from the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. I have to admit that until Wednesday part of me feared the meeting would fall apart. The reason why was because all my previous attempts at meeting leaders had gone wrong either from no shows or from brush offs. This time however would be different.

Amazingly I slept well the night before the meeting. Usually when big things are going to happen I have to take a sleep aid. Instead the anxiety didn’t hit until arriving at the Front Runner restaurant at Santa Anita. I checked in with the hostess and when I mentioned Mr. Ziegler’s name lights seemed to go off. Red alert! Red alert! The hostess made a couple of calls and then whispered the table number to her coworker. My initial thought was, “Whoa, I’m going to be meeting with a big dog of racing.”

Mr. Ziegler arrived shortly thereafter. I didn’t really know who to expect and was pleasantly surprised to see he was in his mid thirties with a big disarming smile. Kudos goes to the NTRA for finding such a young, passionate man.

(For all the racing fans out there, I have to say the NTRA has really put together an A-Team. Everyone I have met so far from the NTRA is top of the line polite and intelligent. If you think racing is headed down the tubes and that no one in charge gives a toot, talk to an NTRA executive. They really care about where the game is headed and want to make changes for the better. Again, as far as I know Alex Waldrop’s door is open to anyone. No other CEO I know will personally read and respond to their customer’s e-mails. [alexwaldrop@ntra.com])

Mr. Ziegler also reminded me of Patrick Patten, well known among the racing blog world as “Handride”, for his similar style of humor. Time seemed to really move quickly. We both spoke about our racing histories, though mine was exceptionally shorter and definitely less impressive. As it turned out Mr. Ziegler has worked at Bay Meadows, Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita, hence the reason why everyone knew him including our waitress, Wendy.

Introductions and general ice breaking continued on for some time. Our food had arrived by the time things got down to business. The first thing Mr. Ziegler mentioned was how he wished the jockey’s guild could have joined us in the conversation. As he pointed out, having the guild’s input is important and vital in creating a new and improved game. He spoke about how most jockeys are really having a time of it and that they need to be included in the program. I couldn’t agree more. Again this all inclusive nature of the NTRA goes to show their level of concern and genuine desire to make the sport better. Conversation then moved into the alliance in general and what is going on in the immediate future. As it turns out Keeneland is getting certified this weekend after which a massive effort will be made to protect racing in Maryland.

Eventually talk migrated into ownership and the current state of public partnerships. It was a pretty lengthy conversation but some things said really stuck out and deserve mentioning. First, Mr. Ziegler spoke about how racing in Ireland really hit the breaks at one point until the industry began promoting public ownership. The results of those efforts were that the patrons became more engaged and more interested in going to the track and wagering. My response was that in the Ambassador Program I find that most people are not very willing to wager, but are interested in horse ownership. It seems that the next generation of racing fan views ownership as more appealing than wagering. I suggested that the sport should try to capture their desire to want to own by offering an improved ownership product. By just concentrating on squeezing that $2 win wager out of them we are missing out on a better opportunity. What industry would pass up selling a $500 or $1000 dollar product to their customers? It seems that racing is willing to do just that.

Second, Mr. Ziegler pointed out many owners do not seem to mind what happens to their racing investment. It would seem that many throw their business sense out the window when they buy into a horse. Why else do so many bad partnerships exist for year after year? If owners did not like being taken advantage of you would think they would take their business elsewhere. Instead the bad partnerships just go on and on. My response was that many owners do care about their investment. Those who do are stuck on the sidelines of our sport because there are so few positive public ownership opportunities. Loopholes of the current regulatory system were discussed as well as how partnerships are structured to get around the SEC. We discussed the alliance’s code of standards after I was given a NTRA Track Certification Application and was challenged to use that as a template for certified stables. Now I have the homework of reading and digesting how something similar could be created for public partnerships.

The two of us seemed to agree on most everything. Mr. Ziegler did play devil’s advocate several times against certified stables but I came back with strong arguments. In the end the only major point of division was how we viewed the NTRA’s role in stable certification. I see it as a program for building new stables and that the NTRA should be selling the ownership product nationally through these stables. Mr. Ziegler sees the certification process as a way to get existing stables to meet a mutual code of standards. Rather than selling ownership, the NTRA would instead act as a reporting agency.

Anyhow, the hour ran out way too fast. It seemed we were right about to get to some really meaty stuff when his next appointment arrived. To me it was like we were coming down the stretch and then suddenly the whole race fell apart. I was getting really excited and passionate about things and then boom, Mr. Ziegler had to run. Another way of saying it is imagine you are looking at the most sinfully delicious chocolate cake in the world. The smell is intoxicating. It’s a cake right out of the oven and still warm with the frosting melting off the sides. You have been staring at the cake in the oven for the last hour. Then, just as you are going to take that first bite the cake suddenly goes flying off the table and over a cliff.

“NOOOO!”

Well the reason for the hasty departure was Mr. Ziegler had a meeting with Ron Charles, president of Manga Corporation. After paying for lunch (thank you!) Mike apologized four times and then a fifth time in a later e-mail. I told Mr. Ziegler that I understood the situation, and I do. He has a lot on his plate. But if you think an hour should have been enough for us, let me remind you its been eighteen months of patient waiting for me to have a chance at racing's ear. Sixty minutes is just an appatizer.

Instead we are going to continue the conversation via telephone sometime the end of next week. When that occurs I’ll be certain to post an entry giving a summary like I did tonight. To the individuals who contacted me with specific questions for Mr. Ziegler, my apologies, we never got that far. I’ll try to ask them during our next conversation.

Until then,

Perseverance!

Mixed Moods

2009-04-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday's Ambassador Program didn't begin on the highest of notes. As the group headed back to Frank's barn things seemed to be a little more subdued than normal. When I headed down the row I paused at a familiar stall but found a very unfamiliar face. Where was Yournamehere, the baby of the barn? Frank did not say a whole lot other than that she was looking for a home. Her career as a racehorse was over due to injury. But this was just the beginning. Asking how the grade one winner from South America was doing, I was given the same response; retirement due to injury. Two stalls further down a horse was laying down, one leg swollen grotesquely due to an abscess. Nothing could be done but wait for it to pop and drain on its own. Surgery would just complicate things even more.

Its amazing how things in horse racing can go from good to bad so fast. Sometimes you have to wonder why the sport has to be so hard upon its participants. Jockeys stake their lives, owners their hard earned money, and trainers their livelihoods in the sport of seeing which horse can go around a circle the fastest. If people are willing to risk so much, then it just goes to show how much horse racing means to some. When asked, the best way I can describe being a horse owner is, "Remember when you were seven and on Christmas morning you saw all the presents under the tree? Well when your horse is coming down the stretch and it's winning... it's just as thrilling." 1 percent or 100 percent a win is a win and for an owner it’s an amazing sensation that makes you scream, jump up and down, and smile. In my last win at Fairplex in 2008, I made so much noise that when my horse Gold Datnoid won, the rider looks over at me. (It’s best seen during the head on replay.)

So, my sympathies go out to Frank and the unfortunate owners who lost out on having the experience of their horses winning. Retirement for many race horses comes just too soon.

Fortunately the mood changed for the better when the group was seated in our private boxes. We had both first timers as well as several who had taken a multi-year break from the sport in attendance. Everyone was really talkative. Student jockey Rodriguez M (113 lbs), on right, autographed programs and snapped photos with those in attendance before taking off. Mr. Falb, a long time friend and racing partner, whom I had not seen in some time took up residence in my box and we chatted about NTRA Certified Stables and he made some recommendations on trainers. What the group lacked in quantity it definitely made up in quality. James, in middle, always had a big smile upon his face. He and Greg (not pictured) were always coming up with jokes. After the paddock tour part of the group caught a race start and finish right from the rail. That seemed to really leave a positive impression upon them. At the day's conclusion I welcomed them all to come down to Del Mar for the next Ambassador Program season. Well the 19th is it. Then I am on break until July. What will I do with my Sundays?

A thanks to James for the photo.

Perseverance!

Taking Risk

2009-04-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost

In 1492, a man defied public consensus, took three wooden ships and sailed into the unknown, likely to never return. His discovery spawned a transformation which forever changed the way the world would see itself.

In 1776, fifty-six men risked their lives signing a document of treason. Had they failed, they would have been hung. The option was simple: liberty or death. From this game of political roulette came a new country.

In 1990, a woman, destitute, anonymous, and unpublished sat down and wrote. She wrote for five years, a story from her mind. There were no guarantees anyone would ever want to read it. Eighteen years later, she published her final seventh of the series. It was an instant bestseller.

Nothing worthwhile in life comes without taking risk. Whether its the girl risking her heart by leaving everything she knows to be with the man she loves, the investor purchasing shares in a penny stock hoping that the company will beat bankruptcy, or the handicapper putting his two dollars down on a fifty to one Derby longshot, only the greatest rewards come with the greatest risk. Like the examples above, I risk my own time, money, and humility trying to make horse racing a better sport. Like a select few, I can see clearly that unless something radically new occurs our game will wither and die. It’s already happening here in California. Horses are shipping out in bulk, headed for states where slot money props the game up like adrenaline on a dying patient. But unless a more permanent solution is found eventually the patient's heart will collapse. Already the supplies of epinephrine are running out. In Iowa, questions are being raised that Prairie Meadows is taking too much money from slots to prop up racing. In West Virginia, Mountaineer laid off 10% of their workforce due to declining slot revenue.

Slots will not save racing.

Only racing can save racing. People are going to have to get up out of their chairs, put their chips on the table, and take a spin if they want the sport to return to anything of its former glories. The days of the same old same old product have to stop. The game needs to act swiftly and decisively. It has to risk itself. Take a track, any track, and call it no meds track. No lasix, no bute, just oats and water. See what happens. Do handicappers sensing a more honest game increase handle? Does public outcry die down? Do horses become sounder? Or do all the horses run for the hills and the starting gates empty? What about risking a horse longer in racing so fans have an equine to stand behind? Or is the breeding shed our only priority? What about risking the time and money providing an ownership level product that insures managers don't empty the coffers or sell broken down horses marked up one hundred percent. Will it work or will it flop? What about the time and money in creating a program that cultivates the next generation of racing fans? Will it just be a waste or will a surge in interest book up the program within the first two days of the meet's start?

Racing is where it is because in the 70s it stopped making itself a better product. It stopped investing in itself. It stopped trying to be number one. People cry out that things are getting worse each year but those who cry the most do the least. They create an alphabet soup of organizations, CHRB, TOC, KTA-KTOB, and pledge for reform, but at the heart of it nothing happens. They ignore complaints. They do not answer e-mails. They do not support their owners or bettors. They collect their $333,333 a year salaries, sit back, and let things fall as they will. They discuss a new product idea for over thirty years, in a dozen different arrangements, but fail to implement even one. There's no "fall off the edge of the earth", no "liberty or death", no "rejection of submission" risk taking, instead our sport settles that complacency is the best policy.

I will not accept that.

I will stand and fight and give my time and throw my money away driving to and fro, using my keyboard until I have to replace the backspace key to e-mail every grand pumba of ABCD and EFG, every regional and local newspaper, to annoy as many people as necessary; all in the effort to make something happen to empower the greater good of the game. A long time ago I stopped measuring my racing success in pick-3s cashed, but in the number of friends and strangers I could coax out to the track on any given weekend. 28. 21. 32! I dare you to beat that madam chairwoman of XYZ. So if you love your sport, fight for it.

By the way, Mike Ziegler, we're going to meet... eventually.

PERSEVERANCE!

Know Thy ‘Neigh’bor

2009-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have a bit of good news -- nice, right? Last post, I had mentioned 8 sign ups for the 15th with the possibility of more as the week progressed. Well Sunday turned out to be a solid twenty-one participants. A big thank you goes to Barbara from Woodbury University for the group of faculty that came out with her. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and Frank’s barn was a buzz of activity. While he answered training questions, Linda, his exercise rider, spoke about what it’s like riding at full gallop and about a time when women were not allowed to be a part of the sport. Linda mentioned how she knows the first licensed female exercise rider in the nation.

While at the barn we were careful to avoid a horse in detention that was borrowing a stall for the day at Frank’s barn, having come in from Hollywood for the day’s race. “He’s number three in the first, Pita-something,” was in the middle of the conversations during the tour. I didn’t mind the horse much being too busy finding horseshoes, washing them down, and then wrapping them up for participants to take home. The others did however. Good omen or something.

When the first race arrived I saw number three, all decked out in racing gear, during the first paddock tour. I didn’t pay it much attention. It’s hard enough to be an Ambassador, let alone trying to handicap races and read body language. Ingrid, a participant, and I decided to go with the number five horse because we saw trainer Dan Hendricks come into the walking ring. I explained his story and he being the trainer of Brother Derek who went to the Kentucky Derby as a favorite. Ingrid thought it was a lucky angle to play. We both put $2 down. Meanwhile the rest of the Ambassador Program, up in their private boxes, where going heavy on the three.

Ingrid and I went down to the rail. She unwrapped a horseshoe received from the barn tour and held it in one hand while clinching her $2 win wager in the other. The five was mid pack all the way until the top of the stretch. He began to pull away and suddenly Ingrid was screaming with excitement, springing on her toes, shaking both shoe and ticket. Then Trevor called out, “he’s immediately tackled by …Pita!” The five and the three began battling it out right down to the wire to where Ingrid and I were standing.

It was close… until the replay. Pita had it by a nose. Ingrid was a little disappointed until I reflected that we had at least gotten our $2 of excitement. She agreed. That was a pretty exciting race, especially to a first timer. We shook hands and she took off for work with plans to return again on her own (with friends!) on Santa Anita Derby Day.

I hadn’t realized what had happened with the rest of the Ambassador Program until I returned to the box. Everyone was excited. “This is a Hollywood ending to a perfect day,” one said. “That horse in the barn was the one that just won the race!” I glanced to the infield screen: #3 - win - $65.20. I guess I should have gotten to know Pita.

Now if every Ambassador Program could end like that…

Give the Customer What They Want

Another part about knowing your neighbor is to understand them enough to give them what they want. If a customer comes in looking for a raincoat, you don’t try to sell them swimwear. I’m beginning to notice a trend with the Ambassador Program that runs contra to what the industry wants. Most of the program participants are not into wagering (GASP!). You’re lucky if you get a $2 to win out of them. But more and more talk about wanting to own a race horse.

This Sunday alone I had five people ask about wanting to partner on a horse. They wanted my opinion on where to look. I gave them my customary tales of caution and suggested they wait a year for the NTRA Certified Stable’s pilot. They asked so I explained what a certified stable was. Everyone agreed that it sounded like a good idea and said they’d wait the year.

So I ask you, industry executives, which is a better win for our sport? Getting a few extra $2-to-show wagers each weekend or getting five people to partner in on a horse? Let’s do some math, shall we? Let’s consider these five partners go in at 2% each on $20,000 claimer, a logical point of entry for the So Cal circuit. That’s $2,000 or $400 each. Now try getting $400 in wagers out of them. Not going to happen. That’s 200 trips to the windows.

Kudos again should go to NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop. He returned another email of mine, within 8 hours, concerning certifying stables. Of all the industry executives I’ve been in communication with, he’s exceptionally prompt and understanding. He’s going to put me in touch with Mike Ziegler, the director for the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. Mr. Waldrop’s prompt reply to a little fish like me should give every horse player and horse owner reason to smile. It means that someone in a position of authority is listening to the customers. Change will happen… eventually.

Perseverance!

Armenian Hospitality

2009-03-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Ambassador Program just goes to show that quality always is more important than quantity. If every group was as good as this one then I certainly could do this for quite a long time. I don't know why but the morning of I was feeling particularly excited about going to the track, which I honestly haven't felt for quite some time ("Princess Azula" (V) did win her CA-MdSpWt on Saturday, a certain help). I put on a nice suit and tie, horse tie tack, and then buttoned on my NTRA lapel button. I looked official. The drive out seemed particularly short.

Things started out great. Everyone who was not thrown off by Daylight Savings Time showed up on time (50% of the group, all college students, failed to show) and we headed back to Frank Monteleone's barn. Frank was feeling particularly talkative and he took us down through the barn and spoke about each horse by name, how it was doing, and a little back history. (I found out that "Yournamehere" was delivered by Frank himself.) After the barn tour we headed out to Clocker's Corner to get close to the track. Most everyone who was in attendance had seen episodes of Animal Planet's "Jockeys" so the sights seemed familiar. It was easier to explain things thanks in part to the context the show provided. Then it was up to the private box to catch the first race which one person hit. The rest of us chose the third place finisher who had a very bad exchange with the winner coming around the far turn. For whatever reason the stewards decided to leave the results alone even though some nearby handicappers verbally thought otherwise. (That loss set the tone for the rest of the day's wagers which will best be left unmentioned.)

Afterwards we went down to the paddock for the walking ring tour. As luck would have it trainer Doug O'Neill was sending off the seven horse. For those that don't know, Mr. O'Neill trained $5.5 million dollar earner "Lava Man", 2007 Breeder's Cup Filly Sprint winner "Maryfield", Kentucky Derby runners "Great Hunter" and "Notional", and Derby Hopeful "Cobalt Blue". And aside from "Maryfield" all those horses were just in one year! Needless to say, Mr. O'Neill is a great trainer. He's also a great guy, always with a smile on his face and so gracious to let the Ambassador Program use his barn for visitations in July at Del Mar. He shook hands and we grabbed this photo. After watching that race from the rail the two ladies surrounding Doug invited me to lunch at the Front Runner Restaurant.

As it turns out both of these gracious businesswomen are Armenian. They met one another in a professional function and J.B. told M.L. about the Ambassador Program. We ended up discussing a lot of different topics both inside and outside of horse racing. Despite our meal taking over an hour to get to us (the salad got lost) the afternoon really zipped on by. The pair then showed real Armenian hospitality by paying for my lunch. Thanks so much! I hope to see them both again, as well as the whole group, at future Ambassador Programs.

The 15th looks like a go already with 8 people currently signed up. Hopefully more punch their ticket as the week progresses.

Perseverance!

"Weeheeheehee!" (eng. "Thank You")

2009-03-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

If there was ever any sign that you are headed in the right direction, then this would be it. Recently I received this thank you card (two actually, because they ran out of space on the first) from Woodbury University in appreciation for the Ambassador Program they had at the track on February the 8th. I was told that similar cards were given to Chantal Sutherland and Gerry Olguin, then asked to hand deliver one to trainer Frank Monteleone.

When stopping by Mr. Montelone's barn to hand him the card I heard a rather interesting horse sound. I've been around Thoroughbreds for a while and have never heard it before. It sounded like a delightful "Weeheeheehee" and came promptly when Mr. Monteleone passed in front of a particular stall. To a human it almost sounded like a child calling to their father. I had a suspicion who had made the sound and it was confirmed when "Yournamehere" poked her head out and beckoned for affection. Frank complied by giving the filly a hug. She responded by placing her chin upon his shoulder.

As a thoroughbred owner finding your trainer is one of the most difficult challenges you will undertake in the process of gaining entry to the winner's circle. Many trainers are very knowledgeable. There are books written on training and grooming, spelling it all out step by step. But finding a responsible and honest trainer is much more difficult. That can't be taught, nor can it be enforced. There are trainers out there who will stable horses that should be retired just to get the day rate out of their owners. Others will inject cobra venom into their horses’ joints so they won't feel the pain when they run.

Even after knowledge, responsibility, and integrity, there's still something more that separates the good trainers from the great trainers. What I saw in Mr. Monteleone’s barn was just that: passionate affection. An unhappy horse begrudgingly drags its hooves around in a circle. A happy horse trains well in the morning and runs better in the afternoon. I could see that in "Yournamehere" by her actions. Animals tell the truth. They see no reward in lying. No amount of coaxing can get a horse to do what she did. It just confirms that Mr. Monteleone, while a relatively unknown claiming trainer, does right by his horses and they love him for it. From the looks of the card above, the Ambassador Program does right by the thoroughbred fans and it is appreciated.

Perseverance!

Hats Off

2009-03-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately the mystery hat I pumped in my previous post for "Snow Day" will have to remain in the closet for while longer. With only one 'yes' and one 'maybe' for the Ambassador Program on Sunday I decided to call the day off. While cancelling the program I also noted my first negative online review. As the participant put it, listening to me lecture about horse racing was a yawn and the day was a complete waste of their time. This negative comment did not surprise me too much. Horse racing does not appeal to everyone and eventually you are going to get someone involved who didn't enjoy the day. The best you can do with lemons is to make lemonade so I asked the individual if there was anything that could have been done to make the day better. I will let you know if there is ever any response.

The only perplexing part is why anyone would go out of their way to specifically sign up for the group just to rip on it. No answers here. I could remove the posting from the group but I think it is better to let the positives and the negatives show to everyone. Transparency is something I believe in strongly and something the sport seriously needs to improve upon. It's important that you practice what you say; so if anyone else wants to voice their opinions, whether good or bad, the comments section is always available after every blog post I make. All are welcome.

More on Criticism:

It's important that the sport let the disillusioned and unsatisfied speak their minds. There's a saying, "For every one unhappy customer you will lose ten more." The longer you do not address a customer's displeasures the more and more customers you will lose through negative word of mouth. A lot of these folks are not negative because they want to be, but because they want things better. The sport needs to hear these people out and take their words into consideration. Negative comments can be used to temper a better product.

Several years ago when I had a Thoroughbred Times subscription I remember an article that spoke about Laurel Park and how a group of bettors came together to draft a letter of their grievances. As the Times article explained it, the letter was reviewed and then ignored. No changes were made. What did the patrons ask for? If my memory serves me right they wanted on-track rebates for customers or a rewards program of some sort in addition to a cleaner, more modern clubhouse. If I am wrong, whatever they asked for seemed like reasonable requests. I'm surprised that on-track rebates have not been instituted sooner. Imagine if every dead $2 win ticket was worth a couple cents or a couple points. Rather than ending up torn up and littering all over the place, or stuck in unsightly ways to the ground during a rainy winter day, most of those tickets will be turned in for their remaining value. This in turn makes for a cleaner track and less money spent picking up afterwards. Getting rewards not otherwise available at home would also draw more people to the track resulting in increased admission and concession revenue.

At a minimum the track could have at least met with the draftees of the letter and hear them out in person. When the sport just ignores its critics it makes itself look apathetic.

Perseverance!

Perseverance

2009-02-22T20:36:00.001-08:00

"If we are facing the right direction, all we have to do is keep on rolling."

~Buddhist Dung Beelte

Well after momentary success with Woodbury University it is back to the usual with the Ambassador Program at Santa Anita. Usually I wouldn't comment on our success or failure, however, I am afraid I have beaten the "image" and "marketing" aspects of racing's drum a little too long and have annoyed some people in the process. When industry leaders stop returning your e-mails, you tend to get the drift (NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop still replies, thankfully). Therefore I digress. I am going to step away from those issues and find something else to comment upon. However since there isn't a lot of major industry issues hitting the Bloodhorse.com site to spin my opinion on at the moment, I'll resort to updates on the Ambassador Program for the interim.

Well the Ambassador Program was cancelled for today. There was only one signed up so I cancelled it to save me the two and a half hours of driving. A professor from a statistics class had called me earlier in the week and said they would be interested in coming out. I told them to register the group on Meetup.com but they never followed through. Perhaps this weekend was bad for them but they seemed really interested, especially with how I told them it was free, so maybe I'll be writing about their day at the track later in March.

In an attempt to generate more interest, Donny in the marketing department at Santa Anita put together an ad to run in the daily official track program. He said it ran both days this weekend so perhaps that will generate some interest. Hopefully the past is not a precursor as we tried this at Del Mar to little (ok, actually no) success. People at the track already tend to know much about racing, so a "newbie" program isn't too thrilling to them. Still the ad is free so it is worth a shot. Getting the word out about the program remains the number one factor in its success and since I have no marketing budget, the name of the game is perseverance. Eventually we will get recognized. In the mean time just keep rolling like the beetles.

Other Points of Perseverance:

As far as I can tell "Roses In April" won't be happening. The proposal was denied a while back. I did a rewrite because from the denial letter it appeared that no one understood what I was attempting to get across. However nothing has come back from said letter so I'm going to let that one go. Perhaps it will happen another time.

Whoops, I got bumped again! The second article attempted for The Horseplayers Magazine in their "State of the Game" column could not fit within their March/April issue, so now it’s going to be in May/June issue? No guarantees I was told. I keep holding my breath on this because when it eventually runs I'm finally qualified to win a turf writer's award... not really. The winner for the 2008 Eclipse writing award went to a reporter who worked the beat for ten years straight without serious recognition. Everyone has to put their time in and this first published article will be the first step in the journey all authors undertake.

And the winner is... Ken Kinakin! Who? He won the TOC "Rookie of the Year" Award. Why mention this? Well I actually filled the paperwork out and mailed it back -- all three pages of it. I figured with the bad economy there wouldn't be many new owners and I'd be running against a small field. However my claimer at Los Alamitos could not fend off his pair of horses that won $186,988 in 2008. I guess my Grade-2 win in the Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar just did not impress the voters enough. (Mind you this was the HorseRacingPark.com Hirsch Handicap. Purse: $300 vs. the real Hirsch's $300,000.) Oh well, can't fault me for trying.

I know that someone, somewhere got a smile out of my application.

Perseverance!

A Little "Faith"

2009-02-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

On the 15th the Ambassador Program had one participant, Faith J. of Pasadena, CA. I had been expecting ten times that from those who had registered upon the Meetup.com site. Pepperdine University was also talking about coming out but it never materialized. I'm not sure what happened to everyone, but c'est la vive.

It was a real pleasure spending the majority of the day with Faith. While waiting for her arrival outside the main gate to the barn area I observed a lot of people coming and going. For ease of identification I wear a rather distinctive red and black hat. While waiting there, grooms, security, the Seabiscuit tram, trainers, and even Bob Baffert, all cruised by. With the exception of Mr. Baffert, most had a curious expression upon their face when they looked at me. You wonder what they are thinking. (Mr. Baffert was stone cold when he walked by so I have to assume he had more important things going on mentally.) Regardless, the process of waiting around while looking foolish keeps you humble. I, for one, am always in need of a little more of that given the name of this blog is, “The Commissioner”. (Note: I will certainly up the ante on "Snow Day" with an even more daring hat! Stay tuned.)

On the Santa Anita backside, though more appropriately, the "side-side", Faith and I linked up with Frank Monteleone at his barn. Accommodating as always, he stuck around and we chatted about horses for a while. We asked him which was his favorite and he pointed out a three year filly named "Yournamehere". Say what? Faith asked Frank where that name came from. Frank explained that the owner had waited so long to name the horse that there was going to be a fine leaved against the horse in order to receive a filing extension. The owner asked Frank what the papers said exactly. Frank's reply over the phone was, "Your name here." The rest is history.

Leaving the "side-side", we picked up a DRF and headed to our private boxes. Given how many people had originally signed up to participate, the track had reserved us three boxes so Faith took one and me another. The usher, who we named Usher (never got his name) was a fairly handsome gentleman with excellent hair and a great personality to match. We chatted about racing for quite a while and never were quite able to look at the first race. As Usher explains, horse racing used to be immensely popular in his earlier days. Weekends were crammed with fifty thousand easily. Now there were about ten thousand present. You could see by his expression how the decline of his sport hurt him inside. He thought the Ambassador Program was a great idea and congratulated us on making it happen.

Well for the second race Faith and I were able to really look at the form and I explained as best as possible what all the information the DRF was conveying, how to wager, and other basic handicapping information. Before you know it we fell into exotics and I suggested how some people go after interesting exacta combinations. "Hey here's an exacta for you," I said, "The Life-Life box." As it turned out the two horse was named Lifeline and the three was Life Goes On. What do you know, Life-Life came in and paid $20. Unfortunately I had decided to put $2 to win on the one horse that finished somewhere up the track. My sympathies go out to the owners. I know that likely a year ago there were a lot of high expectations when the horse came out of Keeneland for $300,000, then something happened in training, he got sidelined, and all those dreams fell apart, as he never quite recovered. Now the horse is destined for maiden claiming $40,000, or worse. Sometimes you wonder why the sport has to be so hard on its owners.

The third race was a clinch, after the fact. Desert Code was back in action after his win in the Breeder's Cup Turf Sprint, though at a severe trim from 30-1 to 2-1. I took my lucky parlay voucher and put it evenly across the board on him ($4 across). He won with plenty to spare and Faith and I shared a high five. Well the voucher is now up to $27.80 and the original $2 is now 3 for 3. Who knew Chinese New Year’s "lucky money" was so lucky. I’m going to see how far this thing can ride.

Faith bit the big wagering bullet and made her third lifetime wager on Satellite in the 4th and won! She was really excited and was off to cash her ticket before the tellers could run out of money. After that I offered Faith a farewell, snapped a few photos, and then called it a day because of the long drive home. Thanks again for coming out Faith and letting me ramble on about the sport I love so very much.

Perseverance!

Jockeys: Keeping it Real?

2009-02-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

Well I've caught four of the twelve total episodes of Jockeys that have aired so far. I am quite happy with the overall product, especially where they follow jockey John Meier in his struggle to win his first race. That's quite real. Probably the grittiest part of the whole story during episode four was when John called his father to say he won is first race at Santa Anita. His father had no idea. You could see how hurt the twenty year old apprentice was that his father didn't watch the race nor even looked up on Equibase to see how he did (the father is a jockey so knows these resources exist). His father's excuse in missing the race was, "I have a life too." Ouch. Viewers, who are fathers, take note, when your son is doing something personally important to them, at least catch the replay.

On the other hand there are a few questions I do have about the show. One of the producer’s favorite scenes is where two jockeys, in silks, wrestle one another to the ground while on the clubhouse turn at what appears to be Fairplex. Umm... yah. Suspension anyone? The stewards would have seriously slapped down either jockey for doing something like that in the public's eye. Again another scene shows a jockey beating the inner rail at Fairplex with his whip in anger. No way. Then there's the ambulance siren when the van goes after a fallen Kayla Stra. Nope. Finally and most annoying is the very disrespectful calls by 'Tv-Trevor', "And Kayla Stra finishes in last place". Trevor Denman is a stand up guy. He'd never call a race like that. 'Tv-Trevor' is some sort of alternate universe television race caller that exists for some reason or another. I guess if you are blind and you can't see how the text reads in the lower left, "Kayla Stra -- 10th Place" then 'TV-Trevor' is necessary. But to people completely unfamiliar with racing, 'Tv-Trevor' probably comes off as abrasive which is far from how the real Trevor is. Hopefully no one at Safeway gives Trevor a tongue lashing for being so mean. Fortunately his image is never shown on television so the only way anyone would recognize him is if he buys his fresh lobster saying, "That one is movin' like a winnah!"

On a more serious note, it’s important to keep things real. The producers probably want to make the show more exciting but showing a horse breaking down, jockeys fighting, and ambulances wailing during each commercial break leads the unfamiliar to believe that these things happen all the time when in reality they don't. My suggestion would be to show some owners screaming and jumping up and down when their horse wins, Jimmy the Hat taking a wad of fifty losing tickets and tearing them up into an explosion of confetti, or something else not so negative. Sure it’s not 'jockey related' but at least they're keeping it real.

Perseverance!

Striking Gold on Wood

2009-02-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

For those curious about the Ambassador Program I can tell you it’s a really tough row to hoe. Our first program of 2009 was supposed to be the second Sunday of January and, well, that never happened, nor did anything else happen with the program in the month of January. The problem is not that people are not interested, but that no one knows they can come enjoy a unique day at the races, as if they owned their own horse, completely free of charge. As with Del Mar and Oak Tree, getting the word out is the most difficult part of running the Ambassador Program. Again I tried the whole e-mail/fax thing with all the local newspapers and as usual none of them returned my messages. The Santa Anita publicity department was similarly unhelpful. Their written excuse was they ran a press release for me once at Oak Tree and --between the lines-- that was once too many. Why am I so unpopular?

Well fortunately Santa Anita has two individuals within my decade who are passionate about the sport. One of them is in charge of promoting the track's "College Face Off Day" where college students can get into a fictitious wagering tournament with a real prize of $5,000 in donations towards their campus clubs. I shot him the idea of using the Ambassador Program to promote the Face Off Day with college papers. Well he took that idea and ran with it and contacted many local campuses. We struck gold with Woodbury University who put together its communication and design majors and brought them out to the track to have a very unique experience.

The Woodbury group began the day with the Seabiscuit tour, followed by a snack at clocker's corner, then joining the Ambassador Program for a walking tour of barn 26. Trainer Frank Monteleone was very gracious to allow some thirty five individuals to walk his row and greet all the horses while asking him various questions about what its like to be involved in the game. Most of the students had never gotten so close to a horse before so for them it was pretty exciting. A couple of smitten young women wanted a horse right away. They picked out a feisty chestnut and named it "Texas". "Texas" didn't like the name and decided to voice its opinion by taking my shoulder for a carrot while I was busy talking about the Triple Crown. The next can be surmised in three words, "CAT LIKE REFLEXES!" Yes, for once I rolled a '20' for dexterity. Ahem. Let's cover up the age, all right?

Afterwards it was off to the paddock to meet jockeys Chantal Sutherland and Gerry Olguin, to ask some questions and get some autographs. Then it up to the Club Plaza to meet with HRTV and Santa Anita, then to the Turf Club for the design students to spy the architecture, to the private boxes to catch a race, down to the paddock for the paddock tour, over to the rail to watch the fourth, then into the winner's circle for a group photo. WHEW! What a huge day that was. Everyone seemed pretty tired but in a good way. I received a lot of thanks and hand shakes and promises to return to the track in the near future (and hopefully with friends!). Well it looks like the Ambassador Program struck gold with these new Woodbury race fans. Pepperdine University on the 15th will be next.

Perseverance!

The Best Investment

2009-02-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

In e-mail correspondence with industry members over the past month, I have noticed that I am beginning to say the same thing over and over. What's all the repetition about? It seems like the people in power are not grasping the concept I am trying to get across. Ever heard the phrase "the best investment you can make is in yourself"? What this phrase usually refers to is whether or not someone should seek higher education. Why do individuals go to four years of undergrad, then go to graduate school for another four years, and spend a quarter million dollars in the process? Just so they get a title and can add a couple extra letters after their name? MD. PhD. DDS?

The reason why someone burns eight years and all that money is because, in the end, they come out ahead because of it. Sure, someone who finishes high school and immediately joins the work force ends up ahead at first. But a decade later, the fellow with the extra letters has paid off their student loans and is earning way more than their high school peer. Another way of saying it, horse one is a speed ball, horse two is an even paced closer, and the race of life is at ten furlongs. Unless the speed ball is able to get some insane lead the closer will eventually catch up and win the race.

What the racing industry seems to have forgotten and needs to restart is an investing plan in itself. Sure, Churchill spent a lot of money improving its physical plant a few years back. But when was the last time racing spent any significant amount (time or money) making an investment in their bettors, owners, and fans? Part of the reason why racing is demographically top heavy is because someone somewhere decided that it wasn't necessary to spend resources on an unseen tomorrow.

Marketing groups now plan for just today. You can see this in industry publications that write about how such and such increased handle and attendance for that particular day, yet they never write, "...will likely lead to a significant increase in future attendance." No one ever plans for that anymore.

When running the Ambassador Program at Del Mar a lot of people asked, "Why?"

"You're not paid for it?"

"'fraid not."

The first time race goer knitted their brow as the mental chalk ticked out on the slate: 2 + 2 = ... 0? Confusion began to set in.

Gently smiling the ambassador continued, "I enjoy teaching and love this sport. Nothing is better than making a new fan."

A farmer who plants seeds does not expect a harvest the next day. Neither should racing. One of the fastest growing vegetables, the summer radish, takes about three weeks until harvest. Breeders know that the thoroughbred foal needs eleven months gestation. What is the gestation time for a thoroughbred owner? For me it was forty months. How long is it for others?

In a time of famine do we give up the whole agricultural model? No. Instead we plant even more and work even harder to insure a better crop. In this racing famine we should be planting extra seeds and burning the midnight oil tilling the earth to ensure a bounty of horseplayers, horse owners, and horse fans. Yes those tracks and leaders that start investing today will feel like nothing is being accomplished, that the money is spent in vain. For them it will seem to be a loss of time and money. But down the road the sport as a whole will flourish because of their investment made now. Only then will they realize they made the right choice.

Is there anyone left willing to make that sacrifice?

Perseverance!

Non-Profit Stables

2009-01-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

After my own experiences in racing partnerships and after hearing and reading comments about other racing operations I haven't been a part of, it seems that the main goal of a racing partnership is to make money for itself. Getting new owners into the game or giving others an enjoyable experience is second thought, if any. Actions speak louder than words and when you see stables unloading injured runners on unsuspecting partners, excessive mark-ups or management fees, or outright fraudulent horse ponzi schemes, the intentions of these stables becomes evident. In trying to make significant money for their selves stables create a use and discard mentality towards their partners that turns people away from the sport, people that will likely never come back.

No one really knows how much these stables are making in a sport where 90% of owners and at least 80% of handicappers lose. One stable for example takes 10% of all purse money plus $400 a month per horse as its management fees. Using the numbers from its website this translates into $25,000 from purses and likely $48,000 from some ten horses managed for the last twelve months. Other than the website itself, since all costs are being paid by the partners (training, trainer/jockey purse cuts, vet bills, taxes, filings, win photos, etc.) the manager will take in about $70,000 this year for their services, which can't be more than a few hours each week driving out to the races or sending the occasional misspelled update. All said, Equibase's Virtual Stable provides more information that the part time manager with his full time salary. Meanwhile how did the partners fair? Well as one of those partners, I lost everything. Supposedly our money went missing and the manager cannot afford to pay what partners should have due to them after several horses were claimed away to the tune of $80,000. Last e-mail I received stated partners were to receive $.50 on the dollar owed. I have yet to see even that.

Yes this stable is still in operation and by all appearances is doing quite well, buying yearlings at Keeneland and claiming at the $40,000 level out here in Southern California. From what I hear from others, stables like this are the rule, not the exception. I've been wiped out three times in a row now by public partnerships, the last a horse ponzi scheme that would give Bernie Madoff reason to smile (see above picture). Anyone who asks me about owning a horse in public partnership gets my opinion of, "put your money in the bank and when I find something that works I'll let you know." As it stands now you get more enjoyment out of setting your money on fire than what these operations provide.

When I read in December on Handride's blog, "Adena Racing Sucks", that was the last straw. If even the best racing operations in the sport are doing this to their partners, where is our industry headed? Why is no one doing anything to fix this? In my attempts to find someone who is willing to listen, I ended up starting a conversation with David Switzer of the KTA-KTOB. According to him in the last 30 years, about half a dozen times have they considered providing some sort of regulation to cut down on what he calls, "bad actors." In those 30 years, no actable solution could be found.

Here's an idea, how about starting a not-for-profit stable whose main goal is to create and mentor new owners for the game, not to make money for its manager. How about paying a manager a set hourly rate that is covered by the $400 a month fee and divided by all horses currently in the stable? If the stable is successful and wins $10,000 that month, of which the manager receives their 10% ($1,000) then the $400 month fee is waved. Seriously how much should a manager get paid for a part time job that many would find to be quite enjoyable? Managers who operate a stable are paid not by their own hand but by the hands of their partners. Why not put the partners first? Are managers really worth $70,000+ a year in comparison to what they are producing? If I could get paid $70,000 a year for a 10 hour a week play job... SIGN ME UP!

The SEC cracks down on bad corporations. The NTRA/KTA-KTOB cannot with bad stables. It has no legal authority to. But does that mean its hands are tied? No. It’s a free market. Provide a better product and people will follow, causing the money well on the "bad actors" to go dry. One thing the NTRA/KTA-KTOB could do is provide a means for non-profit stables to set themselves up by assisting with the complex administrative process of getting a stable started. In return these stables sign a contractual agreement that limits their "executive compensation". Knowing that these stables are established to have the partner’s enjoyment and success most in mind, the industry could promote these stables, thereby drawing new and old owners to the sport. Consequently more horses get sold, more horses end up in the gate, bettors have more options and so handle goes up, and whoa the sport is thriving again.

It’s a simple idea really; do right to others and your business will thrive. Warren Buffet, the investment guru, is known for his exceptional treatment of investors. Consequently his personal wealth is beyond imagining. Bernie Madoff took his investors for a ride. Consequently he might end up in jail... one of these days.

Perseverance!

Crossroads

2009-01-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling that 2009 will be a very important year for horse racing; important to the point that it could determine the future of our sport. There are several issues at play which are currently hurtling out of control and unless they are addressed they could very well prove to bring our sport to a crashing halt.

First off is the economy. By all estimates 2009 will be a difficult year for everyone. Horse racing and the stock market move in lock step. Already we are seeing the effects brought to the auction market by one of the worst investment years in history. It’s pretty easy to guess what direction those auction prices will continue to move. All indications are for the market to continue sideways for the next 6 to 12 months.

But it’s more than just the economy my friends. Something few have failed to take notice of is the loss of confidence that is ravaging our sport. As mentioned in an earlier post, one survey found that 25% of core fans in the months of July and August feel that the sport has gotten worse. This loss of confidence translates into less money wagered as the game's integrity is brought into question. Even if the economy improves unless confidence does as well then we're guaranteed a dismal future. How can we improve confidence? The easiest way would be to crack down on drugs and increase penalties for medication violations. What handicapper wouldn't love a level playing field?

This loss of confidence is also spreading into the owner pool. Owners are leaving the game and are not coming back because the level of owner abuse currently going on. I know after my own experiences in public partnerships you have to be a little crazy to join such poorly run or outright fraudulent operations. When your ROI is -100% three times in a row due to inability to collect monies due, your enthusiasm for the sport rapidly diminishes. The horses aren't failing us folks, the people are. Someone needs to make these stables accountable otherwise we will continue to lose our newest members.

2008 also heralded the conflicts that will continue to boil into 2009. In California the ADW fiasco that hammered Hollywood Park was only solved by a one year stay. Yes, come September next year this will be revisited all over again. In Ohio 160 days were ripped from the racing calendar only to be added back several weeks later. Nothing has been solved in either case; merely the problem has only been pushed back. Eventually these issues will come to a head as they seek permanency and the final decision on both will be critical for our sport.

2009 will also be an important year for Magna Entertainment. The racing giant is hovering near bankruptcy. Recently on local television Golden Gate Fields was featured. The track superintendent spoke about how the track is at risk of being sold. Unless the purchaser is interested in racing, GGF could close indefinitely. Loss of GGF would end Northern California racing. Should MEC go into chapter 7, there's a good chance that many of its properties will be salvaged for commercial and residential real estate development.

2009 marks attempts as well to try to improve the sport. The NTRA has put together its Safety & Integrity Alliance. There are a lot of high hopes for this program and 2009 will test whether or not it will fulfill those expectations. 2009 will also test the NTRA at large as it attempts to push itself further into a position of leadership in a sport with already too many chiefs. I for one hope it succeeds. Creating some sort of unified organization similar to the NFL, MLB, or NBA is what horse racing needs if it’s to return to anything of its former glories.

So here's to 2009. Let it be known as the Year of the Thoroughbred!

Perseverance!

The BC Reality

2009-01-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

In catching up with the past week off for the holidays, I came across an interview ran by the Bloodhorse.com where Greg Avioli discusses the Breeder's Cup and the future of its Stakes program for 2009. The heart of the interview is how the added purse program may very likely not continue in 2010 with the current state of the economy. Supposedly the Breeder's Cup is struggling. Is it really?

Mr. Avioli discusses some financials. Approximately $31.5 million was paid out by the Breeder's Cup this year. $25.5 million was on the two day championships and another $6 million in its added stakes program. It brought in about $20 million from stallion fees and foal nomination fees. So your first thought is, whoa, the Breeder's Cup is losing $11.5 million a year. Not quite. Consider how much tickets were priced at this year. For those who wanted premium seating they had to come up with $1,000 a piece. Figuring that 10% of the tickets sold were premium, approximately $5 million was generated from Saturday’s 51,331 on track attendance. Also we need to figure in that the other seats ranged from $600 to $200 in the grand stand and then $125 to $50 tickets for the infield. I'd guess at least another $4.5 million was generated if we made the average ticket at $100 a seat. So in all about $9.5 million was raised in attendance revenues.

So subtracting attendance now the Breeder's Cup is out only $2 million. Don’t forget there are the nomination fees for the race which run at a combined 3% of the total purse for the cost of pre-entry and to start. Considering that most races had 10 entries and up, around 30 percent or $7.5 million was recovered by the Breeder’s Cup. So now the Breeder's Cup is $5.5 million in the green. Also, from what Churchill has said in the past, the Breeder's Cup assumes most of the handle income. The total handle for the two day event was just over $155 million. California holds approximately 5 cents for the track and 5 cents for purses in straight WPS wagers. In the case of exotics these fees go up but for simplicity let’s just assume all handle were straight wagers. If the Breeder's Cup took just the 5% purse handle holdings they'd come up with another $7.75 million. Likely the other $7.75 million held for “the track” probably went to running the day’s events (made less expensive by a horde of over 300 volunteers). Concessions and parking are also unknowns.

So by my very rough (and likely lowball) estimates the Breeder's Cup took in a $13.25 million excess this year before expenses of marketing, salaries, security, etc. Seriously, before we start talking about cutting $6 million in purses let's actually present the entire financial picture to the public. The BC reality is the program is doing very well. If not, someone please correct me.

Perseverance!

Roses in April?

2008-12-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know?

“Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.”(1) “This results in the need for more than 38,000 blood donations every day.”(2)

“On any given day, more than 6,000 men, women and children desperately search the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry for a matching bone marrow donor. These patients have leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases that can be treated by a bone marrow transplant.”(3)

After the breakdown and euthanasia of Eight Belles in the shadow of the Kentucky Derby, the sport, “…has come under heightened public scrutiny…” and “…needs to take drastic action to reverse a very disturbing trend toward open criticism of horse racing for our perceived cruelty,” according to NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop.(4) His blog entry concerning the aftermath of Eight Belles received 803 unique comments.

These statements made up the opening paragraph to a proposal that went out today to Santa Anita Park and the NTRA about preforming a blood drive and bone marrow registry during next year's Santa Anita Derby. The proposal already received initial approval after a phone conversation with the track's marketing department. The idea behind the program is pretty simple. Make horse racing look good and help a lot of people while doing it. Its a direct response to the last two pages of the NTRA Online Task Force's 48 page document released in September at this year's NTRA Marketing Summit. The document is available in its entirety here.

Recently horse racing has been upping the ante in showing that its more than what some call a "cruel sport". Pat Day will be auctioning an autographed saddle at Ellis Park on the 13th to raise aid for the horsemen who were involved in the November 20th fire at Riverside Downs that killed 30 horses. Late in November, Churchill Downs put on a food drive for the Thanksgiving holiday. Events like this should be a staple in our sport because every one of them that happens improves our sport's public image.

Do we need to improve our image? Very much so. While attending the NTRA Marketing Summit in Las Vegas there was a quietly held meeting where the impact of Eight Belles was discussed in the way of statistics. The numbers are frightening. Of people surveyed following the 2008 Kentucky Derby, only 27% gave the sport a "favorable" rating. The NFL received a 74% favorable rating. Illegal dog fighting anyone? The MLB received a 57% rating. Steroids? Clemens fiasco? The NBA was given a 43%.

So where does a 27% rating place us? According to the speaker thoroughbred horse racing is equivalent in approval rating to boxing and ultimate fighting. For those unfamiliar with the recent explosion in ultimate fighting, the 'sport' involves putting two men in a wire cage and watching them beat one another senseless until one goes unconscious or submits. From the few minutes I've seen during a lecture in grad school, the two roll around in their own blood in body locks trying to punch one another in the kidneys. To think that horse racing is considered on the same level of this 'sport' is troubling.

Other notes taken from the meeting include the following: 33% surveyed believe our sport has integrity. Of a similar survey conducted in 2007, this number was 41%. The speaker said that an 8 point drop of integrity has never been seen in any sport before. He continued to say that in the last two months (July-August) 25% of core racing fans think the sport has gotten worse. For those who are concerned only with handle, the speaker reported that the impact of Eight Belles has been a 5% decrease in wagering, or $1.1 billion dollars.

I won't belabor the point. Rather I'll just say we need to start doing something fast to improve our sport's image or we won't have a sport left. Will "Roses in April" do that? I'll give you 100-1 that it will.

Perseverance!

Under Exposed

2008-12-07T00:04:00.001-08:00

After great internal deliberation I decided to not run for a position on the board of directors for the Thoroughbred Owners of California. I was really considering it because I thought I could make a real difference for the game. I was willing to go above and beyond but the reality is I am "under exposed" and would have "no chance" in the voting process, or so I was told. Here's the skinny (pun intended):

In doing due diligence for the position I spoke to and emailed a lot of different people ranging from owners, trainers, to an industry leader (NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop: Yes, he answers his e-mail). Pretty much everyone said the same thing, I didn't have enough "exposure". And they all said, "you would not win". Period. Final answer? Final answer, Regis. I spoke to them about some ideas I had in getting more votes but they all where quite firm. No chance. Nada.

As they explained voting for the TOC Board of Directors "primarily involves name recognition". Well when you look at the incumbents and their accomplishments you see things like, "owner of Grade-1 horse X" then its pretty hard to compete. As one owner explained to me voters (CHRB licensed individuals) assume that because someone owned a Grade-1 horse then they must know how the business works. Do they? Just because someone purchased or claimed a horse that turned out great doesn't mean they are good for a management position. Maybe the horse won because the trainer did something amazing? Or maybe the horse just had a once in a lifetime performance? We all know the game is a lot of luck.

What the sport really needs are people who are willing to put the time in and make the effort to improve things. The old roll up your selves type who make compromises on major issues, push for change, and put the the sport's welfare first over personal issues. Right now I feel like the board is a "Who's Who" not a "Does Do" group of individuals. Why should someone who wants to really make a difference have to be locked out because they aren't well do to horse wise?

Fortunately positions come available every year. So maybe in twelve months things will be different concerning my amount of "exposure". It's a quirky game; so you never know.

As always... PERSEVERANCE!

Image IS Everything

2008-12-06T23:31:00.000-08:00

Image is nothing.
Thirst is everything.
Obey your thirst.

Actually Sprite guys, image is everything. Turn on the television and you'll see that such a statement is an absolute truth in American culture. There are shows on television such as "What Not To Wear" and "How To Look Good Naked" that are devoted to nothing but appearances. Of course there are all sorts of fashion magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Vogue devoted to splashing huge glam shots in an attempt to sell appearances. In 2007 Americans spent 50 billion on cosmetics and another 13 billion more on cosmetic surgery. Meanwhile approximately 15 billion was wagered on thoroughbred racing.

Why is image so important? Because many people do "judge a book by its cover". When Eight Belles broke down the industry took a huge black eye on the world's stage. People who do not pay any attention to thoroughbred racing 364 days of the year watch one race and one race only. And what did they see? A horse that ran 2nd in the nation's most popular race break down on the track. What else do they see during the Triple Crown season? Well during the Preakness there is drunken revelry in the infield. Also, do you remember that one zany "fortune teller" who predicted Brother Derek to win because he saw a peacock in his dreams. He had a tent, ball, robes... the whole enchilada. Seeing images likes this it makes sense when the casual follower of racing begins to wonder if those involved in the sport are degenerates of one degree or another.

Well the state of Louisiana took a step in the direction of "image" by banning steroids starting in January (here). While they are not the first, this is another movement in the right direction for the sport. Eventually if we can eliminate steroids in all juristictions then the next step would be to crack down on more medications, eventually eliminating them all together.

I would love for every state to ban all medications. Primarily because of "image". The general public is not familiar with nor can distinguish between useful drugs such as Lasix and harmful ones like cobra venom. To them a drug is a drug and the term drug usually is cast in a negative light. Also there is a lot of conflict over whether medications are beneficial to horses. Years ago the equine population did without and during those times we had some great horses with long careers. These days it seems that horses are very fragile. Opponents of medications such as Lasix point out that horses that would have failed on the track years ago are now winning major races and are becoming breeding magnets thanks to modern veterinary medicine. Consequently all their offspring are prone to be in need of drugs as well. This "weakening of the breed" argument makes a lot of sense to this scientist.

Most trainers I have spoken with say that if they had to go to an oats and water only regime they would be perfectly fine with that. I think most handicappers would as well. Who hasn't wondered when a 20-1 comes up and blows the rest of the field away if something going on. I have spoken to Del Mar's customer relations and they indicated that a lot of negative mail comes through when longshots score huge. Also what images the term "Supertrainer" bring to mind? Aren't drugs usually used in reference to Supertrainers? Most other racing countries such as Japan, the UAE, and Europe have very strict medication rules. Why are we as a racing nation so far behind the curve?

Perseverance!

Ohio Caught In Crossfire

2008-11-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

The Bloodhorse reports (here) that the Ohio State Racing Commission has removed 160 days of racing in the state by eliminating winter racing at Beulah Park and the spring/summer meet at River Downs. I can't say that I am surprised. In an economy where banks are being closed, share prices have been cut in half, and unemployment is soaring, it makes sense that the thoroughbred product is being trimmed as well. What is unfortunate however is that one locality has to bear the brunt of the cut. It would make more sense that the loss be shared nationally by all tracks by everyone dropping one day to a four day or three day racing schedule thereby immediately reducing the total racing product. As it stands there is simply too much racing for what handle remains. Tracks have fixed costs to open their doors and by eliminating a day means a reduction in overhead. Fewer races also mean that the horse population has to squeeze into larger fields resulting in larger pay outs for bettors. To horsemen it means fewer choices in conditions so less sandbagging and more competition in the claiming box as horses have to drop down or sit out. To the general public racing becomes less frequent and therefore more noteworthy when it does occur.

The loss of dates however occurred because of the wrong reason, squabbling over ADW revenue. I have to side with the tracks on this issue. Simulcasters have the least overhead but take the lion's share of the take out. Simulcasters are the few entities in this sport who do well in relation to what they provide which is mainly a chair, a television, and someone to collect the wager. (Those who visit some of these simulcasters even argue that you don't even get a chair as the facilities are that dirty and run down.)

Let's face it simulcasters have a sweet deal and they aren't about to give it up. I can't see the simulcasters ever agreeing to a fee structure that actually represents what their costs are and then providing an adequate return. The only way to circumvent this conflict is to eliminate it all together by having the tracks take ownership of their state's hubs or having a national entity take ownership of all the simulcasting platforms whether they are online, television, or brick and mortar. By eliminating the middle man revenue can be retained and disbursed appropriately as the simulcasters would then function at cost to the tracks, funneling the rest into the purse structure or into other initiatives such as take out reduction, wagering rewards, or into financial incentives to keep fan favorites racing longer.

Perseverance!

Right Step Right Direction

2008-11-16T23:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend Churchill put on a pair of events here and here to help several charities as well as to bring further awareness to breast cancer. I for one am glad to see things like this happen. Unfortunately neither article made any hint of what effect these two days had for attendance and handle which many tracks view as the immediate reward for their efforts. A lot of marketing departments are under significant pressure these days to put more fans in the seats and more dollars in the auto totes all while on tight budgets.

For those not familiar the NTRA Online Task Force put together a large document that was presented at the September NTRA Marketing Summit in Las Vegas. At the end the group put a strong emphasis on charity work. The reason for this is several fold. First, many members of the millennial generation are very interested in doing good and are supportive of those who make such efforts. Second, in light of all the negative press we have received this year showing what good the sport can create helps cast ourselves in a better light.

Where tracks need to focus their charity efforts is in their local communities. Wal-Mart makes a major point about affecting the neighborhood and then promoting it so that the public knows. It helps deflect all the flak they take over how they utilize their employees. Tracks should do the same, focusing on community projects that target the low income neighborhoods. Why low income? Groups such as Focus on the Family point out that the majority of those who gamble heavily are among the poorest in our population. It would make since then to return some of that money to our sport's most frequent customers in the form of food drives, neighborhood clean ups, and park and school yard improvements. Additional ideas would include health fairs to educate and blood drives with bone marrow registry to share and improve quality of life.

Do ideas like this cost a lot of money? In reality they do not. Many tracks are already very generous with complementary admissions. Giving them out in food or blood drives makes sense. Clean ups and other neighborhood improvements usually are very time demanding but financially speaking are low cost especially if places like the Home Depot are willing to donate supplies. The workforce for these events could easily come from the current fan base.

When you step back and take a look at it, charity efforts with a community bent is a win win situation for everyone.

Perseverance!

$2 WAMPQ to Win

2008-11-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

The reality with horse racing is that unless you are exceptionally lucky then the likelihood of your horses paying their bills is troubling. While there are no published statistics on thoroughbred investments from my experiences as an owner about 90% of horses in a given year fail to earn enough to pay their way. And while every racing circuit is different cost wise you can expect to pay around $48,000 a year to keep a So Cal horse racing on the major SA-HOL-DMR circuit. Needless to say the majority of horse owners use other ways to fund their passion for the sport.

If you hang around the exotic players long enough you are going to hear one of them says, "If I hit this pick-6 I'm gonna git mahself a horse!" Problem is how likely is that? There are many out there who play the pick-6 for years before hitting one. Those who hit more often usually play a deep ticket that gets ridiculously expensive. Mind you how many of those 1K tickets end up missing by one race? Consider also that there's a 25% take out. So on your $400 ticket, $100 goes right out the window. Finally if you are fortunate enough to hit then expect the IRS to take their cut of 25% immediately. All in all winning your next horse through wagering is a tough row to hoe. Is there another way?

Last Friday morning I decided to take my wagering bankroll for the quarter and try my hand at a different exotic wager. Let's call it the Wall Street Pick-6. I ended up playing a cold single by selecting a stock in chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 is a reorganization situation where a company may or may not remerge as a profitable entity. Statistics are that 99% of companies fail to come out of Chapter 11. So our "horse" WAMPQ is effectively 100-1 (Arcangues anyone?).

Am I crazy? Probably so but let's consider a few things. First off there's no take out with this wager though it did cost $8.95 to place it through my online broker. During intraday trading on Friday WAMPQ win tickets were $2 a piece. I ended up putting $400 to win on WAMPQ which is equivalent in price to a 1x4x5x5x2x1 $2 Pick-6. Two singles? Wow that's brave. Some might even call it crazy. So which is a better wager?

Let's say the pick-6 we hit was the Ultra Pick-6 out of Santa Anita on Breeder's Cup Saturday. That pick-6 paid around $56,000. I think most would agree that's a score of a lifetime. What about lowly WAMPQ? Surprisingly enough if the "horse" should win then the $2 to win will pay $1,000 (WAMPQ is a convertible preferred security that liquidates at $1,000 if the issuing company defaults, which has occurred). And that two hundred times over is $200,000. If a horse's true odds are 100-1 and it’s going off at a price of 500-1, isn't that an overlay to consider? Arcangues won at 133-1 so anything is possible you know. So here's this gambler hoping that WAMPQ can get the distance. If that's the case I'll see you in the winner's circle.

Perseverance!

Infield Potatoes

2008-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

That was going to be the original name for this blog however upon further review I began to wonder how many spud defying jokes one could handle. There's also the fact that I reside in Southern California which is a long way from Idaho. Finally you have to wonder if anyone would take my french-fried, scalloped, al gratin mash seriously with such a title. So as interesting as Churchill Downs growing 1000 bushels of russets in the 1918 infield may be one should pick a name with a little more due diligence.

Unfortunately all the really good racing related names are spoken for already (all the easy ones anyhow). So I considered something a bit more outside the gate such as "Vanned On" but then figured it would be seen as pretty tasteless by some. "Left at the Gate", "Three Wide", and "Riders Up" all passed through my consciousness but in the end I settled on "The Commissioner" which does not seem very horse related at all. Cue the explanation...

The blog's title spawns from two executives playing with Blackberries in the middle of a mini presentation I was giving at the recent NTRA Marketing Summit at Las Vegas in September. As the story goes I was talking about regulating thoroughbred partnerships when John Della Volpe of Social Sphere messaged Keith Chamblin of the NTRA saying "There's the first commissioner of horse racing." John mentions this briefly on his blog here.

Well as unlikely as my becoming the first commissioner of horse racing may be it makes for an interesting enough title. And to those who mislabeled me at the summit as a "Blogger" it looks like you are all now correct.

Perseverance!