New Poll, IEAH’s Next Move
Stardom Bound and Mike Smith in the parade prior to the SA Oaks (Charles Pravata)
During the conversation last week regarding Stardom Bound, I asked “I wonder if Patena turns out to be a stinker if they’ll get reinvested in SB in the Derby?”…. Val wonders the same thing.
Moments after the LA Derby I asked the tweet-o-sphere:
The results were mixed…
either that or they’ll buy their way in with some other horse.
Regardless of whether you think Stardom Bound should be on the Kentucky Derby trail or not (I do), what do you think IEAH will do? Will they lay low and then announce that Stardom Bound is back on the Derby Trail if she performs well in the Ashland? Will they give Patena another shot given the slop or will they just buy another Derby hopeful (Win Willy?? Musket Man?)?
Apologies to the 8 of you who voted in my Bravo poll, it wasn’t the most well crafted poll… if the person who thinks there’s not a single good about the Oaks being on Bravo concedes that any coverage is better than no coverage then I suppose there really isn’t much use in asking!
Posted by dana on Mar 15 2009
Filed Under: Stardom Bound, Richard Dutrow, Iavarone, Twitter, 2009, Kentucky Oaks, Derby Trail, Bobby Frankel, Kentucky Derby, Charles Pravata, Racing
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Why so quick to throw STARDOM to the wolves? Let her beat up on the Ashland gals, then get the trumpets blaring.
As for IEAH, PATENA may have one great race prior to the Derby and settle all the talk for them. The Wood looks like a good spot. If they’re afraid of a potential off track, then either the Blue Grass or the Lexington at Keeneland on a Polytrack he’s familiar with.
Throw her to the wolves? Seriously?
She won’t be able to beat Rachel Alexandra in the Oaks so why would anyone think she’d do any better in the Derby?
If they sincerely think deep inside SB can win the Derby then so be it, but I don’t see the benefit of entering a nice filly into the Derby just to enjoy the party.
Let her make her own noise in the Oaks and give the fans a thrill on Friday. After which if she hits the board then go into a 12-horse field like the Preakness. It still gets IEAH tv time on NBC and the mainstream press.
I wonder if it was IEAH who pitched the $3M bid for Win Willy after the Rebel. That declined bid just smelled of desperation.
In the advanced stage of his life it is Frankel and not IEAH that wants Stardom Bound off the Derby trail.
He cracked under all the TC pressure last time when he had Empire Maker. And now that he is even older, he fears the media spotlight and scrutiny.
This is a man who skipped the BC in 07 at Monmouth because he dog was sick…..and how much does he get paid?
Once they get SB away from Frankel and into Dickie D hands, she will be back on the trail, and will run huge.
If this were last year, I’d say SB could be in the Derby. But this year’s 3-year olds seem to be a cut above 2008’s. I think SB would struggle in the Derby. IEAH should stop trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. They’ve got one of the best 3-year old fillies in the nation. Win the Oaks, win at Saratoga, and go to the Distaff - er, “Lady’s Classic”. As for Patena, I’ve never understood the attraction there.
Glimmerglass - “Let her make her own noise in the Oaks and give the fans a thrill on Friday.” By fans you mean all those people accidentally watching Bravo on Friday afternoon? :)
dave - interesting re: Frankel… possible crazy aside I was getting the impression that he didn’t want to run her in the Derby regardless of how’s she’s doing.
Mineshaft - while I generally agree with IEAH/square peg in the round hole approach, I think SB is one of the top 3yos this year colt or filly… AND it looks like Rachel Alexandra is turning out to be right up there too, although I’d like to see her take on tougher group before I totally jump on the bandwagon.
re: lack of Oaks fans
I suspect that like prior Kentucky Oaks days the turnout of local fans will again significantly be there with 100,000+ which is simply tremendous. It has put the Belmont crowds to shame in most years and with the new restrictions on the infield for Old Hilltop I bet it will be a big crowd then Preakness Day. So yep - there will be plenty of people rooting on the fillies on Friday.
For some perspective KY Oaks gets more on-site people then the Saturday Breeders Cup at Santa Anita, the Chicago-crowd for the Arlington Million Day, or even at Spa for Travers Day.
Who knows maybe there will be more ratings for the Oaks on Bravo then USA Network will generate when they airing this year’s Santa Anita Derby. They can have Project Runway’s Heidi Klum and Top Chief’s Padma Lakshmi at the faux anchor’s desk while Bobby Flay shows folks how to make Burgoo and recounts how the so-named Derby winner Burgoo King go his name. Think of the cross-over marketing of the sport ;>
Ha, you never know, if it goes well this year they might try to expand it to that next year!
I’m actually all for trying to widen the appeal of the game.
And I’m sure the Oaks does well with on site attendance… ah, the joys of an industry town! I also see the appeal of letting the fillies have their day, although it’s just a bit annoying that the bigger and wider audiences turn out “for the boys”.
It’s looking like Stardom Bound & Rachel Alexandra could be this year’s hot 3yo rivalry, too bad it won’t be on a Saturday!
Yanking Stardom Bound from the Derby Trial was an incredibly foolish thing to do.
Hopefully, Frankel thinks differently and will be able to convince the IEAH owners to reverse course.
Disclosure: I have made small bets on her in the Future Pools.
But the reasoning that prompted the bets preceeded the bets, and it has not changed.
Bobby Frankel’s upside potential on May 2nd, 2009 is almost unlimited. Granted, the Derby Trial is full of nasty surprises, but in Frankel’s case, it’s well worth the risk.
“For some perspective KY Oaks gets more on-site people then the Saturday Breeders Cup at Santa Anita, the Chicago-crowd for the Arlington Million Day, or even at Spa for Travers Day.”
Glimmerglass….
Let’s tell it like it is. I have been to the last two rain drenched Oaks Days and loved every minute of it.
But the Oaks doesn’t draw the people. It is the great promotion by CD that ties every package into a two day deal that almost “forces” the Derby fan to go to the Friday card.
There is no”a ‘a la carte” pricing. You want a Derby parking pass, you pay for two days. You want a Derby box seat, you pay for two days. You want a Derby Deal on Corporate row or millionaires row, you get charged for both days.
If they carded a 50k claimer as the premier race on that Friday it would have 100k there. So really, let’s not give the gals too much credit.
Again, I go every year and love it, but let’s call it what it is. And perhaps the TV ratings show it for what most fans see it as.
Riposte - I agree re: yanking… stupid. I sort of got the impression that Frankel wanted to put the breaks on the Derby talk even prior to her last race, I could be wrong.
mike - interesting insight and more proof that we need to do more damn marketing of this game. I think TV ratings suck for two reasons 1) there’s barely any marketing of the shows so how can we expect anyone to tune it and 2) the shows themselves are not that well done. Combined these are a lethal blow for ratings.