It doesn’t matter which way you spell his name, American Pharoah can’t save Horse Racing
The $315K worth of $2 Win ticket souvenirs from the Belmont Stakes that will go forever uncashed won’t save Horse Racing
Hopefully now the experts realize that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the current format of the Triple Crown series
Yet having the 1st winner since 1978 won’t save “the sport of Kings”
We watched all three of the races for this year’s 3 year old contest in public
On the 1st Saturday in May we were at the Del Mar Race Place OTB facility
Every year the crowd grows smaller and they take away more windows and refreshments
Plenty of parking, real horses in the equestrian stadium next door and an incredible, if underutilized, facility
Yet the do absolutely nothing to make your visit special
San Diego was sunny and warm while we watched the deluge that was this year’s Preakness
That sports bar we visited 3 weeks after the Derby had maybe 30 patrons on that Saturday afternoon around 3:15
No hooting, hollering or even clapping came from that crowd as the rain soaked cameras showed the stretch run
It’s totally possible that Vicky & I were the only ones in the place actually watching the race
Our server didn’t offer us a special Preakness Drink or even mention a Black-eyed Susan
Sycuan Casino was our stop to watch history in the making and hear Ol’ Blue Eyes
This was the most depressing environment that I have bet on in a while
Like you can’t set up a portable ticket machine in a big room with some table and chairs
You’re a Casino for heaven’s sake which means you probably have a catering department
Walking sideways through a day at the races at the Del Mar or Saratoga meets isn’t a problem
When you’re having that much fun with a big crowd is worth having to squeeze through to get anywhere
Not as much when you have to say excuse me a dozen times just to get across an OTB room the size of a medium 7-11
Horse Racing shouldn’t piss and moan when they can’t get people to support a $5K claiming race
I always hope that they’ll be a trifecta big enough to buy the horse that won the race
There was over $4 Million in purses just on the Belmont Pick 4 alone
Three separate races on three different Saturdays that should have been special weren’t simply because of missed marketing opportunities
Saw very few young people in the 12 hours we spent at these three stops
That’s the demographic you had better shoot for if you’re in the horse race marketing business
Today’s 25 year old lives in a different world than Alydar and Affirmed ran in
They like bottle service, live music and TO HAVE FUN
You have to make it special
Del Mar & Saratoga are special
Sixteen NFL football games are special
Baseball season last forever and even they take off 5 months a year
Horse racing will never be what it was, the world has changed
Thinking that you can have horse racing practically every day of the year somewhere and think it’ll ever climb out of it’s free fall is silly at best
Crowds this Spring that rivaled Indianapolis on a Memorial Day weekend are a sign that there’s definitely a place for Horse Racing
They just have to make it special
Something that no place here in San Diego has yet to embrace