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.

On Saturdays in July, August and early September, there are often two sets of races at Saratoga.  There are obviously the races in the afternoons, where the best thoroughbreds in the world compete.

And then there are the races in the morning, where seasoned competitors of all stripes — old and young, male and female, hung over and not hung over — compete for the unequaled prize of snagging a wooden picnic table in a dusty, tree covered field.  Those races, of course, comprise a Saratoga tradition unlike any other: The Running of the Picnic Tables.

Continue reading 40 Days: A Salute to Saratoga –The Running of the Picnic Tables →

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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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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.

On August 28, 1987, hall of famer Randy Romero piloted a 2-1 second choice juvenile to win what appeared to be an otherwise benign edition of Saratoga’s Empire Stakes–a six furlong event for two year old New York Breds.  Fast forward seven Saratoga meetings later, and that otherwise unremarkable 1987 state bred stakes held a much larger legacy. It marked the birth of a Sultan.

Fourstardave, The Sultan of Saratoga, won at least one race at the Spa for eight consecutive years spanning from 1987 thru 1994.  In doing so, he became a local legend.  Fourstardave retired after making 99 starts with a record of 21-18-16 and earnings of $1,636,560.   He also owns a mellon turf course record at Saratoga, traveling a mile and sixteenth in 1:38 4/5.

In 1995, following his retirement, Fourstardave was given an edible key to the city of Saratoga and a street,  “Fourstardave Way” was named in his honor.  On a personal note, two young Thorobros attended the 1995 street naming outside Siros and have signed goggles which Angel Cordero wore that day as he rode ‘Dave over from the barn area.

In 1996, the Darly’s Joy Stakes–a race Fourstardave won twice–was renamed the in the Sultan’s honor. Besides its namesake, only one other horse has won the race multiple times–Wise Dan. Other winners include Breeders’ Cup mile champs Lure, Da Hoss, and Steinlen.

Today’s clip features Tom Durkin, in rare cheerleader mode, rooting home the “Old Boy” as he dominates an allowance field for his final Saratoga victory in 1994.   Enjoy and best of luck to everone wagering on today’s Fourstardave.

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