fact-finding about the tainted cup

[Gotnosed]

New to this site,but a life-long fan of the game. I was wondering if any out there is privy to any knowledge concerning the ridiculous decision of having the Cup at santa Anita 2 years in a row. Did breeders officials take a kickback from the manufaturers and proprietors of these synthetic surfaces.As you could proably surmise,I am a synthetics hater,but realize the Cup may land at a synthetic track from time to time.But 2 years in a row is INCREDIBLY near sighted & dumb.Great horses(like Rachel,Fabulous,etc.) had no intention of running on OUR SUPER BOWL day. This is a travesty,when our game needed a strong shot in the arm.I feel this issue has been grossly under reported....

[Hollywoodmike]

I think the voting committee chose a warm weather venue after the disaster that was Monmouth Park in 2007. European imports were severely compromised on the dirt surface and the poor weather not only affected the horses running but the on track attendance and viewing audience. Not sure why they picked Oak Tree two years in a row though.

[Joel]

I think the voting committee chose a warm weather venue after the disaster that was Monmouth Park in 2007. European imports were severely compromised on the dirt surface and the poor weather not only affected the horses running but the on track attendance and viewing audience. Not sure why they picked Oak Tree two years in a row though.

I don't think any other track wanted it..

[Risen Star]

I don't like the Breeders' Cup being at any venue two straight years. Churchill Downs will also have it two years in a row starting in 2010. It seems that there aren't many tracks which can accomodate the Breeders' Cup or perhaps as was just mentioned, don't want it. Why wouldn't they want it? Some reasons may be quite understandable.

It must cost a lot of money to put this thing on, although with television rights, there has to be some big money exchanging hands, or at least exposure to that venue and the sport. However, for the general public, the Breeders' Cup is not the high profile event that the Triple Crown is and I think to get people on the outside interested in racing, having all those races over two days is a bit much for the novice to chew. I would like to see the Breeders' Cup go back to a single day, a few less races, more emphasis on route/stamina races, and of course a different racetrack each year.

Didn't Canada (Woodbine) host the Breeders' Cup one year? Why haven't the folks up there hosted it again?

[Syncopate]

BC was at Woodbine in 1996. Since there's been talk about possibly having a 3 facility rotation of Belmont, Churchill & Santa Anita as those 3 tracks have grounds large enough to comfortably accommodate a large crowd, I wonder if until some arrangement is made we'll be seeing more of these multi year agreements. It must be a logistic pain & costly to ship all that office type material from site to site, set up offices & then the next year start all over again at a new facility. So this way has to enable some kind of $$$ savings. This past Sunday I went over to SA to cash those Cal Racing PC Classic tickets, & SA has already set up the BC signage & banners, the purple & yellow bunting & the large tents.

[ScrapingThePaint]

At the time the 2008 Breeders' Cup track was up for bids, Churchill Downs did not want any part of it. They did not even make a bid:

http://www.kyhorseproperties.com/blog/c ... -2009.html

The Louisville KY newspaper The Courier-Journal reports in the October 27 2007 edition, that Churchill Downs racetrack may no longer host the Breeders Cup World Championships.

Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders Cup World Championships a record 6 times - and has gathered the championship’s largest attendance in 5 of those 6 years, including most recently in 2006.

But when the bidding came for the 2008 event, Churchill Downs didn’t even make a bid to be host for next year’s competition. And taking it a step further, Churchill Downs has not indicated any interest in hosting it for 2009 either.

Officials for Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky have complained that their racetrack gets so little money from the event, that its not worth the effort of being host.

This puts an interesting spin on the Breeders Cup organization that is based in Lexington Kentucky. Currently, there are state tax breaks for the organization for having a business headquarters in Kentucky, and holding the event regularly in KY. But if its not hosted in Kentucky by 2009, legislators will be forced to remove the tax benefits that the organization is currently receiving.

This places the event and organization in somewhat of a peculiar position. Churchill Downs has indicated that if they shared in a greater portion of the proceeds, then they would be interested in hosting the event possibly again in the future.

Maybe they awarded it to Oak Tree two years in a row because SA management was willing to accept the terms at that time, where CD was not.

The official word from the BC was that they chose Santa Anita because of marketing opportunities -- large population and strong television presence. I wonder if ESPN helped influence that decesion. I know they were instrumental in the switich to Friday/Saturday racing, promising to highlight and promote the two-day event.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... tor-for-bc

The Los Angeles media market and its attractiveness to sponsors played a key role in the decision by Breeders’ Cup to tab Santa Anita Park as a host site for two consecutive years, Breeders’ Cup president Greg Avioli said.

The Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita will host this year’s World Championships Oct. 24-25. On Feb. 7, Breeders’ Cup announced Oak Tree at Santa Anita as the 2009 host; it will become the first site to host the event in consecutive years.

The announcement has generated talk, given current problems with the Cushion Track racing surface at Santa Anita. In addition, it appears as though various issues kept several previous host sites out of the running, including Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, and Hollywood Park.

Avioli said Feb. 8 the Cushion Track problems, which track owner Magna Entertainment Corp. hopes to have rectified this month, weren’t a concern. He also said “a number of tracks” were interested in hosting the 2009 event, but Santa Anita has advantages.

“Los Angeles is the second-largest media market (in the United States), and we’re trying to expand into a broader sports and entertainment event,” Avioli said. “An added benefit is that L.A. is the entertainment capital of the world. In addition, we have a wonderful television window when we’re on the West Coast, and we work very well with Oak Tree.”

From what I have been told (not an expert here, nor part of SA or BC management), the host track has to absorb the expenses for extra employees, security at and around the track, etc. Meanwhile, the BC sets and gets the ticket and souvenir revenue -- note that Champions Gift Shop was and will be closed during the BC at Oak Tree.

I have to believe that CD negotiated better terms with the BC to agree to host the event again.

[Thinkinproblem]

Well, in a multi-day gathering of the world's best, in LA at least there will not be muddy track conditions and wind and rain, etc. . . .

One less item to worry about.

[Vince P]

New to this site,but a life-long fan of the game. I was wondering if any out there is privy to any knowledge concerning the ridiculous decision of having the Cup at santa Anita 2 years in a row. Did breeders officials take a kickback from the manufaturers and proprietors of these synthetic surfaces.As you could proably surmise,I am a synthetics hater,but realize the Cup may land at a synthetic track from time to time.But 2 years in a row is INCREDIBLY near sighted & dumb.Great horses(like Rachel,Fabulous,etc.) had no intention of running on OUR SUPER BOWL day. This is a travesty,when our game needed a strong shot in the arm.I feel this issue has been grossly under reported....

Agree 117%.

And as easy and cheap it is for me to fly down ($30 on Southwest from Oaktown to Burbank) and stay at the Motel 6, I prefer the Breeders' Cup rotate every year.

I love going to places like Belmont and Churchill and Lone Star and Arlington where they have real dirt and real broads.

Vince P