Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Looking Beyond 2012

Brooklyn Backstretch blogged a great post regarding the Round Table discussion held to identify the problem areas in Thoroughbred racing.  Below are a list of 5 factors contributing to racing's decline (My comments are in red):

*  Competititon from other types of gambling (Yes, casinos!)
*  Brand perception (Stop sending race horses to slaughter!)
*  Dilution of the product ( Racetracks are in competition for business-Too many classes!)
*  The fan experience (What experience?  Racetracks want more people in the stands, yet do NOTHING to get them there - Grand River Raceway excluded, they try and involve all fans into their racing programs!)
*  Fragmented distribution (NA Cup, Confederation Cup, etc., should be picked up by NBC, ABC, or another main broadcasting company!)

McKinsey recommends (My comments in red):

*  Increased television coverage (Make it attractive for broadcasting sponsorship)
*  A Free-To-Play Website (Much like the free online poker-I like picking exactas and trifectas but am not seasoned enough to spend copious amounts of cash on betting websites)
*  Fewer, better races and better scheduling to increase field size and showcase the best product (Ensure all racetracks get their fareshare)
*  Creation of a social game (See above-A Free-To-Play website)
*  Innovative wagering platforms (?)
*  Track-integrated ADW (?)
*  Racing integrity reforms (Yes, yes, yes!)
*  Encouragement of ownership through greater transparency (Make sure all owners know the difference between a horse's head and it's rearend-No blaming the trainer for everything that goes awry!)
*  Dissemination of best practices from tracks around the country (A+ for effort!)

I would also add:

*  A unified governing body should be in place for the standardbred industry
*  A suspension should hold it's strength across the borders


Onward!


Stay safe, keep your hooves on the ground, and keep reaching for the wire!





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