The View From On The Rail

As we go to press with this third issue of International Horse Racing Digest, another Thoroughbred racing season is quickly drawing to a close, and as ‘pounding hoofs’ turn to ‘snowflakes’, one can only reminisce about this past season, and look forward with anticipation to 2010. However, with this being said, quite a few questions still remain unanswered regarding our industry. Here are just a few of them.

This year, those that tuned into the television coverage of the Saturday Breeders’ Cup races, were treated to possibly some of the best racing ever, with the ‘crowning’ of Zenyatta as the ‘Queen of Racing’, and the tremendous performance by European invader, Conduit, just to name a couple. Problem is though, this year, the Breeders’ Cup TV ratings were down 11 per cent, which is the lowest in the events 25-year history. I guess the question is then, what more can the Thoroughbred industry do to attract a new demographic of racing fans, that will flip the television on to this championship day of racing, just as quickly as they would a football game, or in more recent times, an Ultimate Fighting Event?

On a similar note, currently the only two major ‘hyped’ days of racing on television seem to be the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup. With this being said, what do we have to do to make other race days into what I would like to call event days? NASCAR has a race a week that they turn into major events. The same for the above mentioned Ultimate Fighting, although these happen usually more on a less frequent basis, normally once a month. Still, Thoroughbred racing has the Travers, the Pacific Classic, and a bevy of races that lead up to both the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup that could help build the brand, which is exactly how it worked originally with NASCAR and UFC.

As I write this editorial, it has just been reported that Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel has lost his battle with leukemia at the age of 68. Frankel, who received his trainer’s license in 1966, throughout his career, garnered the reputation as ‘King of the Claimers’ for his ability to develop claiming horses into stakes runners. In 2,000, he began a run of four consecutive Eclipse Awards when his barn won 22 Graded stakes, a total that increased to 49 in 2001, and 43 in 2002. In 2003, Frankel won a record 25 Grade 1 events alone and had purse earnings of over $19 million. The question remains though, that because Bobby Frankel set the bar of training excellence so high, will it ever be surpassed?

And finally, speaking of excellence, my final questions, at least for this writing. One, will this be the year that the torch (in the form of an Eclipse Award) for excellent race riding is passed on to jockey Ramon Dominguez, who has continued to win races at a tremendous rate, at any track across North America? And secondly, who will be Horse of the Year? Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra-it’s your call!
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