While things remain ludicrously busy in Superfectaland (a new job, Philly Beer Week and the World Cup are all converging), we don’t want to neglect racing, especially during Met Mile/Belmont week.

First, of course, we must give props to Quality Road in the Met Mile for another fine performance.  Sure, he [...]]]>

Doing what he does best

While things remain ludicrously busy in Superfectaland (a new job, Philly Beer Week and the World Cup are all converging), we don’t want to neglect racing, especially during Met Mile/Belmont week.

First, of course, we must give props to Quality Road in the Met Mile for another fine performance.  Sure, he had to work a bit to keep the very game Musket Man from catching him at the end, but he never seemed as though he was digging as deeply as he possibly had to – his 114 Beyer for the race is below his high point (although certainly impressive).  He may appear next in the Suburban, with the Breeders’ Cup Classic as his ultimate goal (although one still suspects that the mile is his ideal distance).

And so to the Belmont – we’ll have more on the undercard (which is almost always one of the best race days of the year) and the race itself later in the week, but here are a few initial thoughts:

• Post positions were drawn today, but in this race, it really doesn’t matter (matter matter matter matter).
• Ice Box still looks like the class of the field.
• Uptowncharlybrown will be the human/equine interest story on the broadcast – and I hope he does well.
• It’s unlikely to be a race that joins this august list – but the unexpected can happen, and it’s always worth watching to see if it does.

Beyond the Belmont, word is in this week that Rachel Alexandra is likely to make her next start on June 12th.  While this is good to hear, it’s also somewhat problematic for two reasons.  First, there’s no confirmation yet as to which race it will be – it could be the Obeah (at normally-easily-accessible Delaware Park), the Stephen Foster or Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs or, perhaps, the Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont.  Taken alone, each of these options has a variety of positives and negatives, but there is one overarching thumbs down for all of them – the US takes on England in the World Cup that day…

“Women are watching the Derby more for the spectacle than the sporting event,” McCarley said. “There’s a balance you [...]]]> Hey, ladies – did you know you like to watch the Kentucky Derby because you are distracted by shiny, pretty things?  You don’t really like sports – NBC’s senior vice president of marketing, Mike McCarley, said so:

“Women are watching the Derby more for the spectacle than the sporting event,” McCarley said. “There’s a balance you have to strike for the different people that you’re watching.

It seems abundantly clear that ‘women who like sports’ were not one of the groups considered in that equation – but more on that in a moment.

The article goes on to point out that there is also a majority-female audience for the Summer and Winter Olympics, but once again, you and I are clearly only interested in heartwarming human interest stories and not, say, watching a sport that is otherwise rarely televised.  You might have thought you were looking forward to speed skating, curling or coverage of the Olympic marathon, since those sports are nearly impossible to find the rest of the time, but NBC seems to be pretty sure you’re in the minority – and you probably really just wanted to know what the athletes were wearing.

There is no mention of what sort of research actually supported these conclusions – just that they did some market research and were duly surprised by the results.  While it is true, as a good friend likes to say, that most people are ‘barely functioning,’ shouldn’t the underlying assumption be that people (male, female, intersex, transgendered – anyone) who tune into a sporting event want to see that sport?  Or does the possession of two X chromosomes somehow preclude that possibility, as far as NBC is concerned?  Would it shock them to know that I’ve held season tickets to two different Major League Soccer teams (from back when the league could barely field 11 reasonable players per side)? Or that I plan my vacation time around the World Cup? Or that I might wear dresses and skirts from places like Athleta or Title Nine (that being especially apt in this discussion), but that I have zero interest in who’s wearing what at Churchill Downs?  Clearly, I’m not very good at this whole ‘being female’ thing – at least as far as NBC is concerned. (Wait until they find out I can’t cook and have been a Beerdrinker of the Year semifinalist two years running!)

While I had low expectations for the Bravo presentation of the Kentucky Oaks, the broadcast far exceeded my worst predictions.  There was the anticipated parade of D-list celebrities, clueless presenters and generally pointless activities that had nothing to do with the race, but the tone and attitude throughout was appalling.

Rather than give some screen time to a female handicapper, trainer or jockey (and there are plenty of them – even telegenic ones), we were spent many long minutes watching a man tell a female reality tv ‘star’ how to part with her money; clearly, she could not be expected to learn these taxing skills on her own.  Why not include the obviously-oblivious male presenter(s) in the fun?  Or, (and here’s a radical notion), why not spend some time talking about the field, the jockeys, the trainers – really, anything actually relevant to the activity at hand?  Obviously, NBC was interested in cross-promoting their brands – and that’s understandable enough – but it could easily have been planned so that those hoping to see some actual sports coverage on a purported sports broadcast (albeit on a non-sporting channel) got slightly more than about 10% of the broadcast time.  But hey, NBC isn’t alone in their lack of understanding about women and sports.

Despite tracking my running data and sponsoring a women’s marathon, many at Nike seem equally unable to grasp the notion that women might actually like sports; leaving aside their highly questionable continued sponsorship of certain athletes, they chose to promote their introduction of the new home kit for the US Men’s National team not just by getting some players to model it, but by chopping it up a bit and sticking it on a Playboy model.  Obviously, getting a member of the Women’s National Team would not work, as they have their own kit, but how about at least putting it on a female athlete?  At least Vanity Fair is giving the men equal naked time -  I have no objection to the actual players, male or female, taking off their clothes, regardless of what FIFA thinks about it.

FAIL

WIN

It’s bad enough that I have to wear a child-sized jersey, since Nike does not make a women’s-fit version of the US Men’s jersey; I need to go to places like Objectivo to get unofficial t-shirts that actually fit, and even they only offer a fraction of their designs in women’s sizes.  Yes, I could wear that US Women’s National Team jersey, but I’d prefer to have one of each – they are different teams, after all.  Many MLS teams now offer women’s-fit versions of their home and away kits, and that’s a very welcome feature – they very rarely feel they have to put them on glamour models to market them because we’re already buying them.

It’s all a bit ironic that NBC/Bravo’s Oaks coverage is among the worst sports television I’ve ever seen, since Universal Sports has done some great programming – they just hide it away on channels you are unlikely to come across on purpose.  One of the best things I’ve seen for years was their coverage of the 2009 Kona Ironman; male and female athletes were both highlighted, the program was exceptionally well-paced and well-edited and there was never a sense of condescension.  Facts about triathlons were succinctly explained, so that newcomers got a sense of the sport, but there was no need for gimmicks or pointless intrusion by so-called reporters.

But perhaps we should see this as a sort of small victory – they’ve noticed that we are watching, they just aren’t sure why.  So, my fellow female racing fans (and, let’s be honest, female sports fans in general), what would you prefer to see for the Oaks next year? What could be improved before the Preakness broadcast?

*Check back tomorrow, when we resume our normal Triple Crow-trail discussion!

A long post was planned to preview this weekend, but your intrepid author has a smashed and largely useless left hand, so typing is not on the agenda for the next few days.  Instead, here are a few quick lines:

Blue Grass – C’mon, Odysseus!  Check out Hello Race Fans and sign [...]]]>

Mmm, cake and beer

A long post was planned to preview this weekend, but your intrepid author has a smashed and largely useless left hand, so typing is not on the agenda for the next few days.  Instead, here are a few quick lines:

Blue Grass – C’mon, Odysseus!  Check out Hello Race Fans and sign up for their Derby Prep Alert for more.

Arkansas Derby – Why isn’t Odysseus here?

Apple Blossom – Look, a few horses turned up to watch Zenyatta dance!  I have plenty of extra Guinness at the moment which I’d be happy to share with her, although I still recommend a stout by O’Hara’s, Victory or Sly Fox.

Philly Union – See you at the home opener (although the Linc is nowhere nearly as nice as Qwest field, which offers Top Pot doughnuts and beer from Elysian and Alaskan) – the Sons of Ben will ensure a good spread.

The Family Superfecta is heading to Seattle for MLS First Kick, so there will be nothing horse-related (here) this week.  You can catch a short piece at Hello Race Fans later, or if you are deeply intrigued, follow our soccer and foodie adventures via [...]]]>

Were you aware? Freddie Ljungberg is also a talented soccer player.

The Family Superfecta is heading to Seattle for MLS First Kick, so there will be nothing horse-related (here) this week.  You can catch a short piece at Hello Race Fans later, or if you are deeply intrigued, follow our soccer and foodie adventures via Twitter.  Be forewarned that most content will be about the Sons of Ben, Kasey Keller, Danny Califf, tired children, the availability of Walking Man beers and a long-dead woman doctor – but feel free to join in the fun anyway.

See you next week!

The rumored purse-bump for the Apple Blossom was announced today, and by all accounts, it seems to have come about the right way.  Should Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both appear at Oaklawn Park in the April 3rd race, there will be $5 million [...]]]>

Rachel Alexandra, at work last weekend - will she go to Arkansas?

The rumored purse-bump for the Apple Blossom was announced today, and by all accounts, it seems to have come about the right way.  Should Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both appear at Oaklawn Park in the April 3rd race, there will be $5 million dollars on the line.  And if both do appear, the other slots in the field will be by invitation only – we’ll address that point shortly.

As is so often the case in racing, it takes individual effort, rather than any sort of central planning, to attempt to put together a marquee event – and Oaklawn president Charles J. Cella has ample experience in this regard.  Back before it became a trendy place to prep for the Derby, Cella offered a bonus for any 3-year-old who could capture the Southwest, the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby – in theory, the $5 million on offer on that occasion was a notional effort to celebrate the track’s centennial – in practice, the bonus (at the time, the largest bonus in North American racing) was paid out to a colt named Smarty Jones, and Hot Springs became one of the destinations on the road to Louisville.

It would be interesting to hear what sort of bargaining went on behind the scenes with this particular $5 million bonus; Cella noted that he spoke with the connections of both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta (as one might expect), although of course that does not commit either one to the race.  But the fact that all the key (human) players have been involved to some level is an encouraging sign; while no single race is going to ‘save racing,’ it’s something every fan wants to see, and even this initial move toward making it happen is a refreshing change.

And while Oaklawn is, indeed, an ideal site for the two to meet (as both have wins over the track), no single race will determine how the two truly compare – the ideal would be if this were the beginning of a five-race series (at different tracks, in different regions, allowing the maximum number of fans to see them in person) leading up to the Breeders’ Cup – I’d even be curious to see the two on turf, although presumably Zenyatta would have an edge in that instance.  Perhaps it’s all the Guinness she drinks, not just her skill on Polytrack – and I see a sponsorship opportunity there.  Let Guinness sponsor Zenyatta, and O’Hara’s could be in Rachel’s corner – but I digress.

Should both stars deign to appear, the question then turns to who would receive an invitation to run for third place – Gabby’s Golden Gal? Pretty Unusual? Proviso?  Would Stardom Bound get another shot at the big time?  Will Life Is Sweet have to finish behind Zenyatta again?  How about some foreign competition?  And will ESPN (or even, dare I suggest, a major network) actually televise the event?

In any event, let’s hope it happens and it’s the start of a number of matchups – after all, I can’t get to Hot Springs, but I’m ready to see a rematch anywhere on the Northeast Corridor. C’mon, Delaware Park – use that slot money!

Lava Man back in training – the ‘Behind the Music‘ version is very informative.

Zenyatta to possibly run a few times next year – hey, that would be half her season this year already! How about Keeneland instead of Santa Anita? It would [...]]]> Time is short today, so we are limited to a few brief bullet points:

Lava Man back in training – the ‘Behind the Music‘ version is very informative.

Zenyatta to possibly run a few times next year – hey, that would be half her season this year already! How about Keeneland instead of Santa Anita? It would be a Good Thing, in any instance.

Cryptoclearance dead – another stud dies, this one very much under-rated.

Human racing – with the Thoroughbred Brief in Kentucky, or me in Delaware. She’s got Secretariat, but I have beer. Or you could just cheer for both of us.

Anglo-Saxon hoard from Staffordshire – this is entirely relevant, as there are plenty of items with horse motifs in said hoard. This is bigger than Sutton Hoo, folks – it’s another chance to try to figure out how many things Bede was just making up about the kings of Mercia (and Anglo-Saxon kingship as a whole).

Indian Blessing takes on Sara Louise in the Gallant Bloom – will both be going to the Filly & Mare Sprint? So far, Sara Louise is proving to be more than just the answer to a trivia question.

Ballydoyle Watch – Rip Van Winkle is almost certain for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (feet permitting), but Yeats will likely bow out in France.

Rachel Alexandra – now accepting fan mail. And why not?

1) Da’ Tara 1A) Cool Coal Man 2) Bullsbay 3) Rachel Alexandra 4) Macho Again 5) It’s a Bird 6) Asiatic Boy 7) Past the Point

It’s interesting to see Asiatic Boy in, since trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had previously indicated he’d be skipping the race if she entered – [...]]]> The Woodward field is set, and it’s larger than I had thought it would be:

1) Da’ Tara
1A) Cool Coal Man
2) Bullsbay
3) Rachel Alexandra
4) Macho Again
5) It’s a Bird
6) Asiatic Boy
7) Past the Point

It’s interesting to see Asiatic Boy in, since trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had previously indicated he’d be skipping the race if she entered – and what an odd spot for Da’ Tara to pop up in! Rachel Alexandra (pictured, courtesy of NYRA) was installed as the 1/2 morning line favorite (rather unsurprisingly). As it seems I won’t have a chance to get to Saratoga to see her again this time around, I began casting around for interesting places to watch the race – at home? At a local track? Neither really fit in with the family’s weekend activities.

Planning out where to watch the Woodward got me thinking – are there any horse racing bars in the US? We soccer fans complain often enough about the lack of footy-friendly bars, but it’s really not that difficult to find one (although finding one that has good beer and/or isn’t a fake Irish pub is a taller order – but it can be done), regardless of how obscure the friendly you’re hoping to catch might be. Sure, you can go to the Turf Club or OTB, but they tend to be pretty unpleasant (even those with ‘food’) – and good luck bringing a child with you to most. (This spurs a side note to the management of such establishments – if your businesses are so disgusting even fans of the sport don’t want to venture in, you may want to re-evaluate what you are doing.)

There are a few OTB-affiliated bars in New York that are better (e.g. The Playwright, which still doesn’t offer much in the food or family-friendly department), but I can’t think of any equivalent in Philly. I’m told the Whip Tavern shows a few races from time to time, but something in the city itself would be handy. It’s difficult enough that the race will only be on TVG/HRTV, but the lack of any public place to watch makes it even harder to market the sport as a whole – watching a simulcast at Philly Park or at the Turf Club isn’t exactly an appealing option. It seems local sports bars will be busy with ‘college football’ (which mystifies me – I can’t understand the appeal of watching professionals play the sport, much less largely dumber-than-legacy kids who should be studying for their Rocks for Jocks exam) – and I doubt they receive TVG anyway.

It’s true I’ll be TiVoing the race no matter what, but lack of opportunity for a more communal experience on big racing days is a major drawback; it’s hard to convince someone who isn’t already a fan that this is fun when there’s no decent off-track venue to catch a dinnertime sporting event.

But I’m happy to be proven wrong – if you know of a bar that shows racing, post a comment!