Letters to the Editor: Breeders' Cup Ideas

What-ifs for the Breeders' Cup What if the Breeders' Cup promoted $150 million in winning tickets? Who doesn't want a piece of that? What if during the television coverage there were segments featuring a final table of top horseplayers competing in the Million-Dollar Breeders' Cup Handicapping Tournament? Before races, selections from leading players could be revealed to TV viewers who might choose to bet along. You can't do that watching the World Series of Poker. What if like other major sports, the BC speeded up their game? Instead of expanding time between races to a snooze-worthy 40-plus minutes, the BC reduced the time to 15 minutes? (Remember, there's no betting lines at home where over 90% of the money is wagered.) How could it happen? Well, what if BC races were staggered between two tracks? What if viewers at home could win without betting? Online games could be offered on each race as well as horizontal plays involving all the BC races. Game sponsors could provide a variety of prizes. These ideas are efforts to appeal to horse racing's often overlooked prime prospects—people who like to gamble, and do so regularly—just not on horses. And to people who just like action and playing games. All potential horseplayers. The lottery-sized $150 million in winning tickets gets their attention. The million-dollar handicapping tournament demonstrates how they can increase their chance of winning through skill—by analyzing information and making smart bets. The free online games with no risk get them much more involved in the excitement of having a stake in a race. Turning the current five or six hours of TV coverage into a three-hour, major sporting event packed with betting and racing action, keeps this high-value audience engaged. The Breeders' Cup will always be the piece de resistance for everyone within the racing industry. What if it can also be one of most effective tools in growing the racing industry? Gibson Carothers Ad guy, longtime horseplayer