Railbird 2004–2019

Archive for 2008

It’s Awesome

Version 1.2 of the MLB At Bat iPhone app wins raves from baseball fans. And makes this racing fan a little envious. Imagine: Results from any track? Final times, fractions, and odds? Chart comments? Video highlights? All on my mobile device? Yes, yes, yes, yes, please. As long as I’m dreaming, let’s throw in the ability to look up historical data on horses, jockeys, trainers, etc., and simple stats too.
Related: MLB has been ahead of most sports when it comes using web and mobile technologies successfully. Check out this interesting Fast Company article about the success of MLB Advanced Media, started in 2000 after 30 clubs pooled $75 million. The group, responsible for developing wireless services, web apps, streaming video products, etc. brought in $450 million in 2007. “No one in the game believed that the Internet would be as pervasive a commercial vehicle for us in such a short amount of time.” There’s a lesson in there for racing, despite the industry’s fragmentation …

Posted in Racing & Technology on September 4, 2008

The More, the Merrier

Feeling left out of the NTRA marketing summit fun? Have some great ideas of your own about how to market racing to a new generation of fans? Put together a few slides then and enter the Self Appointed Fan Committee DIY Marketing Presentation contest! All the contest details can be found here. Hurry, though, deadline for submission is September 17, followed by a round of voting for the “favorite,” with the winner announced September 22.

Posted in Marketing on September 4, 2008

In the Books

Curlin entering the winner’s circle following the Woodward.
– Onward to the fall championship meet at Belmont, opening Friday, and the upcoming Breeders’ Cup, but first a farewell to the 2008 Saratoga season, which passed too quickly. This was the first summer I stayed the meet without working in the barns, which was a pleasant change (even if I did still begin each day before dawn). The six weeks passed with a feeling of dreamy sojourn, hard to shake even now back in real world Brooklyn. I’ve already forgotten the rain that dominated the first three weeks; what sticks out days after returning is the Alabama, Proud Spell and Music Note dueling down the stretch, Larry Jones exultant and teary in the winner’s circle; the Travers finish, the hush as the crowd waited for the photo, then the roar, and Colonel John’s owner-breeder Susan Casner trembling in excitement, taking in the results; and Ginger Punch in the Go For Wand, so determined to get through in the stretch after she was boxed in and blocked through most of the race. What I remember of Curlin is not the Woodward, an ordinary win in hindsight, for which he had to work too hard, but seeing the glowing chestnut gallop effortlessly in the pearly early morning light.
– Congratulations to Alan Garcia, leading jockey with 39 wins in only his second year on the New York circuit, and to Kiaran McLaughlin, leading Spa trainer for the first time in his career with 17 wins.
– Jeremy Plonk lists the top 20 performances by 2-year-olds. I’d add Mani Bhavan, winner of the Adirondack (for which she was given a 100 BSF, the best of any baby at the meet) and the Spinaway (in which she was reminiscent of Indian Blessing as a juvenile), and Miss Ocean City, a debut winner for trainer Nick Zito during the first week. The Mineshaft filly beat a bunch of unknown quality over a sloppy track, but she did it in front-running fashion, opening up in the final yards, and she has an interesting pedigree, being 3×3 to Mr. Prospector and Seattle Slew, and out of an unraced Kingmambo mare named Madam Lagonza.
– In comparison, I’m dashing out the door on Saratoga, but then, while I have an appreciation for the long goodbye, I’ve never had the knack.

Posted in Saratoga on September 3, 2008

Closing Weekend

Saddling jumpers before the Thursday NY Turf Writers Cup.
Six weeks have nearly passed and Saratoga comes to an end on Monday, despite my fervent wishes that the meet go on and on. In honor of Curlin Day (and the other, official holiday being celebrated), I’m taking the weekend off from posting (but will still be on Twitter). Railbird returns Tuesday Wednesday, with a Spa wrap-up from Brooklyn.

Posted in Saratoga on August 29, 2008

Noticing

Ran into Alan of Left at the Gate near the paddock before the seventh, which was won by 7-2 Easy Ashley for Wesley Ward. Barely had the filly crossed the wire and Alan was pointing out that the trainer now had a Saratoga record of 20-8-1-3, a quietly successful meet in which he’d won with 40% of his starters, a stat I hadn’t even noticed. The oversight had me wondering what else I might have missed and reminded me of this interesting conversation on noticing, and how the better designers, writers, filmmakers, etc. are good at “super-noticing.” That also seems an essential quality to develop as a handicapper …

Posted in Saratoga on August 28, 2008