(Mark_Baratelli)

Sponsors! In a time of shrinking budgets it’s extremely cheery making when an advertiser choses the Hello Race Fans Ad Network to publicize their events and products. A big thanks to our current our advertisers!

Sam Houston is running a geo-targeted campaign, so if you’re in the Houston area and you see the Sam Houston ad, click on over and check them out… and get yourself to the track!

Totebet offers a sign-up bonus, rebates and co-mingles funds into the track’s pools. If you’re looking for a new platform, click on over!

And finally, Monmouth/Meadowlands has started a campaign with us… their incredibly fun Survival at the Shore game is back! Click on over and sign-up!

Again, many thanks to our sponsors! We hope we can help get the word out about their products… and in turn we’re grateful not only for the support of independent content publishers (and our Fan Education site, which is what we use our portions of the ad revenue for!), but for the chance to help them broaden the reach of their brands.

Please visit our sponsors when you see their ads!

(And now that we’ve reached part 3, I will retire Reasons to be Cheerful, even if there continue to be more reasons)

Posted by dana on May 08 2010    
Filed Under: Hello Race Fans, 2010, Internet, Monmouth Park, You Can Help, Site Related, Ads

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Will he be the one? (defekto)

In recent years I waxed tweentastic over the impending Derby hopefuls. This year, whether it’s due to a inevitable let down from the likes of Rachel Alexandra’s 3-year-old campaign or the fact that I’ve been the equivalent of an exchange student spending all my time on Hello Race Fans, I’m having a little trouble focusing on finding a date.

With the advent of the Derby Prep Alert where I covered Santa Anita, I’m leaning more towards the surfer dudes this year… let’s see if they can hang ten.

Um, no one?
Ok, if you totally twisted my arm I might, MIGHT say Caracortado. Cool name, right? And hey, who doesn’t like a cute a guy from the wrong side the tracks who can totally hang with in-crowd? And who cares if he lost the San Felipe, he went way wide and totally ran well. Likewise for the Santa Anita Derby, Lookin at Lucky isn’t the only one that stupid Skipshot messed with. I know, I know, he’s probably doesn’t have enough earnings to get in the gate, but if he did…

Super Saver:
The more I think about it, the more this guy could creep into my heart as my date for the big dance. He had dreamy 2-year-old form and already rocked at Churchill. If he trains well he might be my date. Did I mention that he’s reunited with one Mr. Calvin Borel, aka the king of Churchill Downs? While some think he hung in the Arkansas Derby (ok, he hung), it’s not Line of David is going to be the only speed horse this year… duh, someone’s gotta pick up the pieces!

Sidney’s Candy:
See, I’m totally all about the Cali boys this year… weird! Besides being named after candy, he can really turn it on and smoke ‘em in the stretch. Does his totally rad running style hinder him what with all the other speedy types? Maybe.

Rule:
He was my pick for awhile, and don’t tell my friends, but he STILL might be my pick. I wish he could rate, but no one’s perfect, right? Fingers crossed that he just needed to get a clunker out of the way… he’s been doing so well! I’d rather see him bomb during practice than on game night (or afternoon in this case)

Lookin at Lucky:

At first I was like:

“Yeah, you’re kinda cool and weren’t you something last year? While everyone is busy telling you how great you look I’ll be home washing my hair, but thanks!”

But now I’m like:

“You know, now that you’ve messed up a little, learned a few things, I think you could turn out ok. You know what it’s like to think everything’s all “clear sailing” and then have something go wrong. I think that experience could serve you well… but don’t get too cocky dude, you might mess up again!

Setsuko:
You’ve got the right moves to show up in style and surprise everyone on the big day… everyone but me! Too bad you probably won’t make it in the gate, maybe I’ll see you in the Preakness?

Endorsement:
I know, you’re probably gonna be an underlay because you’re from the same hometown as last year’s winner but I still think you’re pretty interesting. And it would be totally rad if your trainer were the first woman trainer to win the Derby!

Hi, it’s me, Constance… and I’d like to take my girlfriend to the prom. And not some fake ass prom either! We all know Hollendorfer likes to win and I’ve heard that your connections are kind of conservative so you’re likely going to the Oaks (which is hot all by itself!), but damn you would be hot in the Derby! Damn!

Eskendereya:
See my original thought about Lookin at Lucky minus last year. And compared to everyone else he looks like he’s about 25, gross! Yeah, he’s won easy, but what’s he gonna do when he gets in traffic or has a challenge? Maybe he’ll win easily, but I’ll just have to wait and see.

Jackson Bend:
Sure, you’re cute, but so are a lot of other guys.

Ice Box:
Just because you show up once and do a good job doesn’t mean I want to go to the dance with you. Pffft.

Mission Impaziable:
I like your jock! Ew, gross… that wasn’t what I meant, duh! As I was saying, of all the guys milling around trying to look cool, I think you’ve got the most goin’ on. But being king of the dorks isn’t really all that great now is it?

Stately Victor:
Ok, “Stately Victory”, let’s you do that again.

Conveyance:
Pssst. Yeah, you. I actually think you’re kinda hot. But I think you like to dance to fast and will want to go home before it’s over. Too bad…

American Lion:
I totally used to make fun of you, but I think after all that brou-ha-ha about you being some big deal, you actually did step up to the plate and show us what you’re made of it. I think your running style might work out well but am not convinced about that bunch you beat. But way to go on finally coming into your own!

Dublin:
Blah, blah, blah, excuses. Blah, blah, excuses. Whatever. (Although your trainer is pretty sneaky… maybe I should keep my eye on you, hmmmm).

Discreetly Mine:
I’m sorry, have we met? Oh right, Louisiana. I’m sure I’ll see you over the summer or maybe in the fall in some spots where your running style can help me cash some tickets but until then best of luck!

Dean’s Kitten:
Meow! I could say your name all day… but is that enough?

Awesome Act:
Dude, your act was totally not awesome when that froggy jock strangled the bejesus out of you in Wood Memorial. If I were you I’d be pissed!

Homeboykris:
Didn’t you move or something? You’ve been around less than me… and I’ve been an exchange student!

I may also try to do my old standard, fun with Derby names too, but I think it might be a lot harder to come up with an *&^% &*& pick six this year! Until then, there’s always Kentucky Derby Betting (dollar, dollar bill y’all!) and don’t forget to check out the 2010 Kentucky Derby contenders on Horse Racing Nation!

Posted by dana on Apr 19 2010    
Filed Under: Hello Race Fans, 2010, Derby/Oaks Dating, Kentucky Oaks, Derby Trail, Kentucky Derby, Racing

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Ho Ho Hotb

Sitting around the channel 11 yule log with no racing to watch, I thought I’d take a moment to compose a little blog post as there hasn’t been much going on here at GbG. However, I have managed to choke out a few pieces here and there. Grab some nog and let’s review!

While we’re working on the more fully featured, content rich site at Hello Race Fans we have a nice series going called “Letters to a New Horseplayer“. We’ve asked a wide variety of professional racing folks and regular players to share their thoughts with potential new fans and players.

There’s some great stuff over there and we’ll be rolling out more in the coming months. I recently added mine, which I sort of wrote to myself if I had the ability to go back in time. I would have been really jazzed to stumble upon them as a super-newbie and our hopes for the entire site is to make it easy for potential new fans/players to connect and engage with racing (fingers crossed!).

You’d never know it until today but I’m also participating in the r2 collective, brain-child of Dean from Pull the Pocket. Claire Novak recently took notice of all Dean’s hard work, he’s definitely been on a roll!

His vision for the project is to have a place where industry professionals can look for inspiration, discussion and thought about how better to utilize technology to enable better products, more effective marketing and/or better customer experience. Both Jessica and I have finally starting contributing with the recent series “Top 5 Innovations of the Decade” where we polled a nice panel of independent industry media folk for their top 5 innovations of the decade. We’re up to #2, race replays, which I wrote. Monday we’ll unveil #1.

If you’re a fan of lists and/or compilations, you should keep tabs on Jessica’s list of lists. She’s compiling all of the end of the year/decade posts. There’s quite a few and no doubt there will be more by the end of next week. I won’t be doing one, or at least I’m not planning on it! However, I will have a decade related poll next week.

Thanks to all of you who made your way over to Facebook to vote the many deserving racing charities in the Chase Community Giving project. No racing charities made it to round #2 but a charity frequently supported by racing, the Susan G. Korman “For the Cure”, did make it.

If I had a holiday wish this season, it would be to see the industry support it’s own more often and particularly in the high profile circumstances where non-racing related charities tend to get the most support by our industry. Not only would it help raise awareness for the racing related charities, it would probably be some inherent “positive” marketing by showcasing an industry that’s concerned and supportive of it’s equine and human athletes.

And if Race For Education exists, why can’t something similar be set up to make it easy for owners to donate to safe retirement, injured jockey funds as well as education for family members of backstretch workers (which I think is fantastic, btw).

The way it works is that owners nominate their horse(s) to be part of the program, the owner decides how much of a percentage of their winnings get donated and the horsemen’s bookkeepers make the deductions directly from the purse distributions. Hats off to Race for Education for making it so easy for folks to donate, let’s hope for more inspired industry support in the coming decade!

Also in the inspired giving department, Kevin of Colin’s Ghost (who’s got a nice contribution to the Letter series at HRF!) has decided to use the Hello Race Fans Ad Network as his own form of giving. He’s donating all of his advertising proceeds to the DRF Preservation Fund. We’re happy that’s he’s chosen the HRF network for what can only be described as adver-giving (or is that charity-tizing?)!

And until tomorrow when racing is back in action, enjoy this odd “holiday” clip from the NYC OTB channel. Last year they just had the wreath pictured above but this year they’ve branched out and are toggling between several “wintery”(?) vignettes including ice skating and the New York Harbor. Please note the shaky camera is there’s not mine. Let’s hope this high quality programming is not shades of things to come for New York ADW users. Happy holidays y’all!

Posted by dana on Dec 25 2009    
Filed Under: Becoming a Fan, 2009, Hello Race Fans, r2 collective, Industry, You Can Help, Retirement, Rescue, OTB, Research, Racing

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As someone with a blog I get asked to review books all the time. Yours truly is not the world’s biggest reader so I frequently take a pass as the concept of having to turn around a review strikes fear into my heart. But enough about me, except that I was smart enough to say “yes” to about “Off to a Flying Start: Horsing Around the Language”!

The idea for the book grew out of a Saratoga paddock conversation by authors Bill Tivenan & Cassandra Cook:

We’d just seen a horse with his tongue tied off to one side (which we’re told they don’t mind), and we wondered “Is that where the term “tongue tied” comes from?”

The book breaks out each included phrase into a page or two with an illustration, an explanation of the phrase’s racing origins and how the phrase is used today.

For example, Take in Stride:

To take a hurdle without change of gait, or in stride, was a term that originated with descriptions of horses leaping hedges. It has come to mean being unfazed by an obstacle or something unexpected.

“The candidate took his opponent’s mudslinging in stride.”

The format makes it easy to either read straight through or jump around, something this blog authoress loves in a book! While there are plenty of phrases that any horse player could spot from a mile such as “set the pace” or “photo finish” there are definitely some surprises such as “hands down”, “hot to trot”, “get your goat” and “cinch” to name a few.

When I had the pleasure of chatting with the authors recently over hot dogs, I asked if their intended primary audience were potential racing fans. Cassandra explained that one of the biggest things they wanted to acheive with the book was to show how much racing had been ingrained in the mainstream culture. Mission accomplished… by compiling 60+ examples it’s clear that racing was at one point much more tightly integrated into the popular culture, something we all take for granted but can be a point of curiosity and interest for potential fans.

It’s a fun, easy read and must have for racing fans even if you’re not surprised by many of the entries! Off to a Flying Start would make a great gift for any language buff and/or lover of a good turn of phrase. This book will definitely be on my recommended holiday gift list post later in the year! Additionally both Mary Forney and Maryjean Wall have recommended this book.

You can get your hands on it in a number of ways… by visiting the author’s site, which also has even more entries than the book, at Amazon or in any number of track gift shops such as Saratoga, Del Mar, Emerald Downs and the National Racing Museum to name a few.

I’d also like to thank Bill and Cassandra for choosing the Hello Race Fans Ad Network to help promote their book during the kick off of summer racing at Del Mar and Saratoga! I hope you’ll visit their site and pick up a copy of their excellent book. It’s another great example of racing fans taking it upon themselves to independently produce a project that not only speaks to their love of racing, but hopes to share that love with a wider audience. What’s not to like about that?

Posted by dana on Jul 24 2009    
Filed Under: 2009, Hello Race Fans, Del Mar, History, Internet, Saratoga, Racing in Pop Culture, :), Racing

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You know you do! (Hello Race Fans ecard collection)

Or at least the most contextually appropriate! And really there is no such thing when it comes to ecards and horse racing, until now!

Check out the Hello Race Fans racing ecards collection! Ecard provider extraordinaire Some Ecards has recently added the ability for users to create cards, so we jumped at the chance to make some racing cards.

Here are a few more.

You can find them all here, and you know we’ll be adding more!

Posted by dana on Jun 16 2009    
Filed Under: Hello Race Fans, 2009, Internet, Racing

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