Found this little gem while watching an interesting 2-year-old maiden replay from Belmont today (Tim Ice trainee, second place finisher was impressive too).
Enjoy your weekend!
Posted by dana on Jun 18 2010
Filed Under: YouTube, Internet, 2010, 2yo, NYRA, OTB, TV, Racing
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Player at Belmont today, looking like he just got kicked out of the P6 (Jason Moran)
You may think that the only thing I blog about these days is thanking sponsors, and you’d be right, in part. I’ll cover a few other items but not without thanking sponsors first!
NJSEA, the folks who run Monmouth and Meadowlands, have decided to continue to use the Hello Race Fans Ad Network to promote their summer activities. I’m happy to report that I’m still Surviving at the Shore (narrowly) and hope to make a trip to Monmouth this summer… and you should too! Check them out (by way of clicking on their ad) as they have a whole summers worth of cool stuff to promote.
Sam Houston loves all of Texas, and the Hello Race Fans Ad Network! They’ve widened their current geo-targeted campaign to include all of Texas, so all you fun-lovin’ Texans should check them out (by way of clicking on their ads!).
And finally, we welcome Churchill night racing to the network! They kick off their Friday night racing with a little disco. Of the many genres of music that I love, classic 70’s disco is the top of the list (I was singing Odyssey’s Native New Yorker to my dog just the other day. Inner Life’s Caught up in a One Night Love Affair (which I’m NOT having!) is also in high rotation on my ipod). Why go to some stupid bar on Friday night when you can stay home and play Churchill? Or, better yet, play Churchill from the bar, unless, of course, you’re in the Louisville area. In which case you should boogie on down to Churchill.
But seriously, many thanks to our sponsors. If you like the blogs and sites and in the Hello Race Fans Ad Network, you should occasionally click on the ads. Every click helps!
In other news, you’d be surprised how many people search for things like “how to bet horse racing” or “learn to bet on horse races”. It’s heartening to see HRF getting decent search traffic from these sorts of searches after the Triple Crown. Here a few of the search terms that led folks to Hello Race Fans! today:
learn to bet horse races
reading a tote board
how to bet on horse racing
simple tote
what to look for in horse behavior in post parade
filly triple crown
how to interpret horse racing forms
playing superfecta
horse lineage terminology
horse race lingo
Also heartening was that Rachel Alexandra going to the Fleur Di Lis was picked up by AP (via Lane Gold).
Finally, you can support your fav racing bloggers (or at least some of them!) by going to the first, presumably annual, Horse Racing Blogger Awards and voting. Voting closes June 21.
Posted by dana on Jun 09 2010
Filed Under: Jason Moran, Twitter, 2010, Churchill Downs, Monmouth Park, Ads, You Can Help, Racing
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...It’s out! Bloodhorse reported today that the documentary of John Henry, the “Steel Driving Racehorse“, is now available on DVD. This trailer has been out for awhile so it’s nice to see the project finally come to fruition. I already bought my copy, and am looking forward it!
We’ve been lucky these past few years that talented filmmakers such as the Hennegan Brothers and John Corey have been able to independently produce films on racing, particularly when the Secretariat film looks to have taken many a liberty. I don’t think one can really complain about that when one considers the trade off. I found the trailer completely emotionally manipulative, and I’m a crabby old shut-in! I can only imagine how well it will work on it’s intended audience, particularly given that there were reports of cheering in the audience during every race. I mean, that’s Disney’s specialty, right? Good for us that they chose racing to work their (scary!) manipulative magic!
Let’s hope that some of those film goers will take it upon themselves to search out more of racing’s great stories, because racing is full of great stories. And let’s hope that some other independent film projects, such as Boys Club (or Freak, it’s changed names a couple of times) about Julie Krone and Jock, the Movie about the first generation of female jockeys, see the light of day.
Posted by dana on May 19 2010
Filed Under: 2010, John Henry, Legend, Film
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...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
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Remember two days ago when I said this:
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.
An editorial entitled “Out of the Gate” in today’s New York Times is a prime example of why I said it.
When the Kentucky Derby rolls around each year, few ordinary fans are aware of the grisly waste of horseflesh that underpins the self-proclaimed Sport of Kings. One of the unacknowledged traditions of racing has been wholesale neglect of glorious thoroughbreds once their competitive days are done. Notions of happily ever- aftering in the bluegrass are largely myth.
While the editorial makes some fair points it hung a lot of sweeping generalizations on one (horrifying) case (Paraneck Stables). Is there a problem? Yes. Should the industry being doing more to address it? Hell yes. Are there places in the industry already taking measures to address the issues? Yes, and one is cited in the editorial but not without taking a shot:
The crackdown is welcome but late in coming to a multibillion-dollar industry that can make a humane show of ministering to its celebrity champions while gracelessly relegating thousands more to destruction at the bidding of “kill buyers” who work the sport’s fringe.
To make matters more annoying, a friend recently pointed out to me that a non-racing charity that is frequently supported by racing on it’s biggest days, Susan G. Koman “Race for the Cure”, has some corruption issues of it’s own!
But back to racing:
As the upstate scandal spread across the Internet, equine care charities and ordinary people have been helping the victimized horses to sweet resurrection as ranch retirees and recreational companions.
They are shepherded by pioneer protective groups like the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. The foundation has been saving thoroughbreds since 1984, when it began buying horses for rural prisons, to be cared for by minimum-security inmates. “The little guy just wants to run free,” one inmate said of his horse. “And I don’t blame him.”
What I find so galling about the Times editorial is that they fail to give direct mention to places like Another Chance 4 Horses, which actually “broke” the Paragallo story by posting it on their site (from there Paulick picked it up). Yet they cite the (deserving of praise) Columbia-Greene Human Society by name as if they were the only ones involved. As often as the industry fails to support it’s own, the Times minimizes groups within the industry working on the problems, or so it seems to me.
So c’mon owners, tracks and industry organizations, let’s support our own not only big race days but always! Next time you send out a press release check and see if the charities you’re supporting support those within the industry trying to address it’s issues… and perhaps then the New York Times will be forced to editorialize about it!
Update: Upon seeing this tweeted reaction to the NYT editorial and googling, I was pleased to find this passage about some of the excellent things a few tracks are doing to address “aftercare” (as it seems it’s called):
In the area of caring for horses after their careers, Turfway Park has a “surrender stall,” where horsemen can leave horses, “no questions asked.” The track supplies food and hay until the Kentucky Equine Humane Center retrieves the Thoroughbred. Also cited in this area were Woodbine, which commits a percentage of purses to aftercare; the jockeys at Monmouth Park, who commit a percentage of their mount fees; as well as the New York Racing Association tracks and California.
Great stuff, let’s see more of it!
Additional Update: Finely makes a similar point by citing what happened to dog racing in Massachusetts.
It is a cautionary tale for every other animal-related sport that doesn’t do nearly enough to protect its competitors while racing and guarantee them safe, dignified retirements after their careers are over. Sadly, horse racing falls into that category.
Posted by dana on Dec 27 2009
Filed Under: Industry, 2009, Media, Rescue, Retirement, Racing
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