Welcome back to the second round of Horse Madness 2016!  We are through the play-in round, and an updated bracket is here:  Horse Madness 2016

On paper, this one appears to be a mismatch.  Jim Dandy is the type of upset they name races and bars after.  Giacomo is the type of upset often discounted as a fluke.  However, whenever you are the ringleader of the largest exacta, trifecta, and superfecta payouts in the history of America’s most famous race, you rightfully earn a spot in Cinderella Bracket.

Jim Dandy

Jim Dandy’s 1930 Travers Win against Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox embodies everything we love about sports.  Dismissed at 100-1 odds,  Jim Dandy pulled away from the Fox and other racing blue bloods to prevail, adding a prominent tombstone to the Graveyard of Champions.

The 1930 Travers was run on a muddy track, after hard rains that morning and intermittent showers throughout the day.  Jim Dandy had run in 141 (!) career races prior to the 1930 Travers and had run last in more than half of them.  BUT, he had won the Grand Union Hotel Stakes at Saratoga the prior year in similar conditions.  Though the bookmakers still gave him no shot, he skipped over the muddy going.  At the top of the stretch, Whichone, the second choice owned by the Whitneys, bore out and brought Gallant Fox with him (a post race examination would show that Whichone bowed a tendon in the race), but more importantly, it gave Jim Dandy and his jockey Frank Baker space to charge through on the rail.  Baker and Jim Dandy never looked back, crushing that year’s Triple Crown hero by 8 lengths.  It was a race that remains one of horse racing’s greatest upsets, and is one of the primary reasons that Saratoga is known as the “Graveyard of Champions.”  Jim Dandy became honored as the namesake for the Travers key prep, more importantly, his name also dons the front of our favorite dark and dingy racetrack bar.

Giacomo

Upsets are often the result of a perfect storm.  And not to discredit Giacomo’s 2005 Kentucky Derby upset, but the stars aligned perfectly for him that first Saturday in May.    Entering the gate for the Derby, Giacomo sported one win (a 2004 maiden score) out of seven starts. He was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby for his final prep.  This lackluster record earned him odds of 50-1 for the Derby.  In addition to Giacomo’s own mediocrity, he was also facing some serious competition; namely five Zito entrants including Bellamy Road, who was fresh off a freak performance in the Wood, future Travers winner and Breeders Cup runner up Flower Alley, and of course the always tough Afleet Alex.  I’d be remiss if I also didn’t mention a Thorobros all-time favorite, Sun King, ran a game 15th.  This would not be the last time we lost money on the King; not even close.

When Spanish Chestnut and Going Wild went wild on the lead–with ridiculous splits of 22.28 and 45,38–it became obvious the race would fall apart.  And with Bellamy Road close to the lead and Afleet Alex having a series of traffic issues, the stage was set for an upset.  Giacomo came storming home under Mike Smith and just got past his fellow 50-1 shot Closing Argument for the second biggest Derby upset at the time.  A toteboard explosion resulted including a $9,814 exacta and a $133,134 trifecta.

Giacomo Wins the 2005 Derby

Giacomo would win just one other race, although he did hit the super in the 2005 Breeders Cup (another lost ticket on Sun King) to complete his career.

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Horse madness is back! We are bringing back our annual tradition where you, the fan, helps us fill out a bracket of horse racing matchups. There will be upsets, surprises, buzzer beaters, all the excitement of the college basketball version without the gambling losses. This year we are trying to determine the biggest upset in the history of horse racing. We have 18 contenders, seeded 1-18. Here is the Horse Madness 2016 Bracket. Today we continue with the second of our two play-games.

Today’s matchup in our quest to determine the greatest upset in racing history features 18th seeded 1999 Derby darling Charismatic and the 15th seeded 2002 Breeder’s Cup Classic crasher Volponi.  Both horses scored shocking upsets at long odds on a grand stage.  Both horses, although underdogs, were trained and piloted by Hall of Famers.   So who scored the bigger surprise upset?

Continue reading Horse Madness: Play In Round–Volponi v. Charismatic →

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After a successful debut in 2015, Horse Madness returns for the  2016 tournament.  Last year we selected a bracket of the greatest champions of the last 5  years, with the public crowning Zenyatta the champ over runner-up Wise Dan.

This year, in in the spirit of March Madness, we are focusing on Cinderella, and seeking your insight into the greatest racing upset of all time.  Much like the Tournament, historic upsets add to the excitement and intrigue of racing and we want to pay homage to the greatest toteboard explosions of all time.    Is Onion over Secretariat your Villanova over Georgetown?  How about One Dreamer as your Valparaiso?  Or Mine that Bird as Florida Gulf Coast?  The bracket and rules are below. Now it’s up to you. Who will wear the ultimate glass horse shoe?

Continue reading Horse Madness II–Battle of Cinderellas →

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On Wednesday, operating entities of Stronach Group Race Tracks Santa Anita, Gulfstream, Portland Meadows, Pimlico, Laurel, and Golden Gate Fields filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleging, among other things, that Defendant Horse Racing Labs, Inc., who does business as DerbyWars, conducts illegal wagering on horse racing in violation of the Interstate Horse Racing Act.   Los Angeles Turf Club, Incorporated, et al. v.  Horse Racing Labs, LLC, U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. 15-cv-9332.

In the 17 page complaint, the race track operators allege that DerbyWar’s format of selecting a series of horses in a number of races, in order to win a prize, is “indisputably a form of wagering on the results of horse races.”   The Complaint further alleges that DerbyWars, despite its marketing, does not fall within the fantasy sports exception provided by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement act of 2006 (“UIGEA”).  That exception permits participation in a fantasy sports game or contest for prize money so long as the fantasy player’s “team” is not based on the “performance of any single real-world team or any combination of such teams.” The operating tracks argue that “[t]he only reasonable interpretation of the term ‘team’ as used in the UIGEA as applied to horseracing is that a ‘team’ is defined as a horse or horse and its jockey. ”  Therefore, the complaint alleges that DerbyWars falls outside the fantasy sport exception because its tournaments are decided by the performance of a combination of “real world teams.”

Race track operators argue that because DerbyWars is conducting wagering, and does not fall within the fantasy games exception, they can only offer such wagering after receiving authorization from the host racing associations, commissions and off track racing commissions.   Such authorization would usually require the provision of compensation from DerbyWars to the host racing associations for amounts wagered.  According to the complaint, DerbyWars has not provided such compensation to any of the Stronach Group host racing association operators.  Moreover, the complaint alleges that California, Maryland, Oregon, and Florida all require that any entity conducting pari-mutuel wagering must be licensed by that state and DerbyWars “does not hold, nor has it ever held a license to conduct wagering on horse racing” in any of those states.

In addition to the violation of the Interstate Horse Racing Act claim, the host associations also allege claims for violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), violation of the California Business and Professions Code Sec. 17200, and for intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.   In association with these claims, the operators are seeking a host of damages, including  monetary damages which would have been owed to them for wagers received by DerbyWars, as well as unspecified injunctive relief.

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This much we can agree upon: marketing is critical for horse racing. Beyond this basic principle, however, as is typical in horse racing, there are varying opinions concerning the optimal approach for marketing the sport. I’ve found that opinions generally fall within two schools of thought. First, there is marketing the social and party aspects of racing—or as someone said on Twitter last week, (I paraphrase) dress up, drink wine, and pick pretty horses. Tracks, drawing upon the success of the Triple Crown series—with big hats, fancy drinks, and infield concerts–are not focused on marketing the racing product, but rather the fan experience. I will refer to this approach as Experience Marketing.   The second type of marketing focuses on the sport itself. These efforts highlight the challenge of handicapping, the excitement of winning big, the impressive achievements of the trainers and jockeys, and the majesty of the equine stars. I’ll refer to this theory as Product Marketing. Many fans argue that Product Marketing should be the focus and that Experience Marketing is too short sighted and unlikely to convert true fans. However, tracks see Experience Marketing as an immediate boost to attendance, especially on large days. It’s quantity driven; the more people you attract to the races, regardless of the means used, the more potential fans there are to convert.

So what’s the answer? What form of marketing should the industry embrace during this critical time? This article examines each school of thought and its pro and cons before proposing a hypothesis–Experience Marketing and Product Marketing are not mutually exclusive, and perhaps the most effective marketing combines both concepts.

Continue reading Horses or Hats: How to Effectively Market the Sport of Kings →

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Happy Travers Day, everyone! Not to restate the obvious, but we LOVE this card. The main course is the draw, but don’t sleep on the appetizers or even the night caps presented in races 6 through 10 and 12. From a betting stand point, there are options abound. But as racing fans—it is a star studded spectacle certain to yield several memorable moments.

With a card this strong, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least attempt to tame it. Below are our thoughts/ analysis on the seven graded stakes races which grace this Mini-Breeders’ Cup card. Good luck everyone.

Continue reading Picks and Analysis: Handicapping the Pharoahtoga Travers Day Stakes →

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From Mary Lou to Tom; Jim Dandy to Fourstardave; Siro’s to backyard tailgating; and morning workouts to give aways; Saratoga has a cast of heroes, customs, and institutions which make it, in our opinion, the most unique sporting venue on Earth. Over the next 40 Days, we will profile 40 of these legends and traditions, adding our own memories and experiences from 30 plus years of summering at the Spa. It’s our Salute to Saratoga. We hope you enjoy following along.

We’ve all heard the echo.  Like clockwork, everyday following the playing of the national anthem, the chant would begin.   Sar-a-tog-a! Sar-a-tog-a!  Clips of some of the meet’s greatest races and calls would soon follow.  As frequent track attendees, we heard the promo so many times that the featured calls became engrained in our heads.   It’s one of those featured calls–which we still associate with the jingle–that narrated our favorite Travers of all time.   In the late 1990′s, as the final Sar-a-tog-a  rang through the speakers, you’d hear Tom Durkin yelling–”Coronado’s Quest, Victory Gallop, and Raffie’s Majesty….”.   It gives chills every time.

We kick off Travers Week by looking back on one of the most “dramatic renewals of the Travers” in the race’s 146 year history.

Continue reading 40 Days: A Salute to Saratoga–The 1998 Travers →

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From Mary Lou to Tom; Jim Dandy to Fourstardave; Siro’s to backyard tailgating; and morning workouts to give aways; Saratoga has a cast of heroes, customs, and institutions which make it, in our opinion, the most unique sporting venue on Earth. Over the next 40 Days, we will profile 40 of these legends and traditions, adding our own memories and experiences from 30 plus years of summering at the Spa. It’s our Salute to Saratoga. We hope you enjoy following along.

The Graveyard of Favorites. The legend of Saratoga as a stumbling block for champions is well celebrated, and likely is in the back of trainer Bob Baffert’s mind as he mulls the decision of whether to send Triple Crown champ American Pharoah to Upstate New York. At the Spa, monumental upsets are celebrated and memorialized. Man O’ War’s defeat to a horse named Upset has been attributed, albeit incorrectly, to coining the term. Jim Dandy defeated Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox in the Travers and has a stakes and clubhouse bar named after him.

But not all upsets are treated equally—look at the celebrated Miracle on Ice versus the quickly dismissed win by James Buster Douglas. It’s in that latter category, where perhaps the greatest giant slayer to grace the front side of Saratoga, Onion, falls. There is no graded Onion Stakes at Saratoga. No bar, statue, or even a staircase, dedicated in his honor. Instead of a courageous or historic upset, Onion’s 1973 Whitney victory over Secretariat has been labeled a fluke—the lowest designation an upset can receive. Even Onion’s own rider, Jacinto Vasquez, admitted the win was a complete fluke–”I probably caught him on a bad day. Onion wasn’t the same caliber. It’s just that he loved Saratoga and had a good day.”

Continue reading 40 Days: A Salute To Saratoga–Onion →

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