THE SATURDAY POST

The Saturday Post picks their top three hopefuls for the Kentucky Derby and top three hopefuls for the Kentucky Oaks as of March 2011.

This month, we’re watching Uncle Mo, The Factor, and Soldat for the Derby, along with DancinginherDreams, Kathmanblu and Zazu for the Kentucky Oaks.

Click here to watch our video.

In my last article, I pledged to write non-industry newspapers to request regular coverage of horse racing.

Since the article was published on this site, a small group of various racing enthusiasts have started a “Campaign for Coverage.”

This is my first “Letter to the Editor” to support the “Campaign for Coverage.” It was sent to The Chicago Tribune, The Altanta Journal-Constitution and The Denver Post – three major non-industry publications that do not engage in regular coverage of horse racing. To join the “Campaign for Coverage,” please click here.

Dear Editor:

I am writing to ask why your publication does not provide regular coverage of horse racing. Racing is a multi-billion dollar industry with roughly 50 million fans that follow the sport. For many fans, including myself, racing holds an endless array of captivating stories that merit coverage in the media at large.

Behind nearly every horse that sets foot on the race track, there is a human interest story. The beauty of this sport does not lie in simply watching a horse win or lose a race. It is also not a sport where “victory” is defined solely by winning a bet or earning purse money.

This sport is a portrait of the human spirit in its purest form. At the heart of racing, a handful of individuals set out with a dream, a single horse and aspirations to conquer a feat that appears impossible.

For the media at large, this sport is summed up in two minutes with a winning horse on Kentucky Derby day. However, for those involved in the sport, the upcoming Kentucky Derby started with the birth of roughly 32,000 registered foals in 2008.

The dreams surrounding those foals weren’t followed in the media. However, those foals held the dreams of countless breeders, owners, trainers and many other individuals in the industry. In large part, those stories will remain untold in the media since most of those horses aren’t on the Triple Crown trail. Yet, I am certain that there were inspiring stories behind those horses that merited reporting - Thousands of stories that will never be printed.

The story that is guaranteed to be printed is the winner of the Kentucky Derby. The media reports on quantifiable numbers. And, the Kentucky Derby has numbers that quantify its’ popularity, ranking among the fifth highest-rated sports broadcast, behind events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Men’s basketball finals.

Yet, there are a few numbers that the media should focus on right now. Currently, there are 364 horses nominated to the Triple Crown series. In other words, there were 364 horses that inspired their connections to believe that they might have found “the horse” that can win some, or all, of the Triple Crown races. Imagine the dreams and sacrifices that many of those individuals endured in the past three years to arrive at this moment. There are stories that lie within those numbers.

But, the media isn’t covering those stories.

And, currently, there are many prep races being run in various parts of the nation to determine the final twenty horses that can garner enough graded earnings to qualify for a spot in the gate on Kentucky Derby day.

But, the media isn’t covering those qualifying races.

In my mind, the failure to provide media coverage for the Kentucky Derby prep-race season is like ignoring the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament until the championship game. The heart of the coverage would be lost without reporting on the teams that made the “Sweet Sixteen,” “The Elite Eight” and the “Final Four.” Likewise, the failure to write about the Derby prep-race season ignores the excitement of those races, the accomplishments of the equine athletes and the stories on their human connections until Kentucky Derby day itself.

This is an important moment for media coverage in the Triple Crown season. And, I hope that you begin covering the journey of the equine athletes, and their connections, as they compete for a spot among the final twenty horses that are privileged to enter the gates at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day.

And, after the winning garland of roses is placed on the Kentucky Derby winner, it is my hope that you continue coverage of racing beyond the remaining Triple Crown season and the Breeders’ Cup races in the fall.

I believe that regular media coverage of this sport is a valuable undertaking, not simply for the beauty of the sport, but also, for your publication. There are 50 million fans that follow horse racing. There are 50 million people who want to hear about this sport. I hope that in the future, your newspaper follows this sport along with those 50 million fans of racing.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Wirth

Last week, a little-known horse named Gretl raced at Oaklawn on Friday. Personally, I was thrilled to watch her race.

Gretl’s race wasn’t spectacular for the reasons you may expect. She didn’t win. And, even if she had won, she isn’t pointing toward the Kentucky Oaks or any other graded stakes race at the moment. She doesn’t have an undefeated record. Further, she can’t dance and no one is requesting her photo for a fashion magazine.

You may be wondering why I found Gretl’s race so special at this point. The reason? It was the first time that a horse that I had invested in as an owner made a start in a race.

I don’t expect the whole world to follow Gretl’s endeavors in life. But prior to the race, a few people in my world wanted to watch Gretl’s race to share the experience. They weren’t racing fans at all – they were simply family and friends who were curious about Gretl.

On the morning of Gretl’s race, several family members and friends wanted to see her race. I asked if they had TVG or HRTV. They did not subscribe to either channel. I then explained that they could open an internet account. Yet, they didn’t want to start a wagering account to view a single horse. Then, I looked on the internet to find out if there was a link that I could send them to show them the races at Oaklawn. There was no live video feed for the track. Finally, as a last resort, I told my mom and friends that they could see it at an OTB. Yet, they couldn’t leave their job at 1:30 p.m. on a Friday to go to a betting parlor.

In the end, my entire family and friendship group in Chicago missed Gretl’s race that day. Yet, here’s the issue: They didn’t miss the race because they didn’t want to see it. They missed the race because they couldn’t find a place to watch it.

Three days later, I read an article in the Chicago Sun-Times entitled, “Horse Racing in Illinois is ‘on verge of extinction.’” It went on about many of the common issues that enter the “revival of racing” discussion – racinos, purse values, track attendance and the aging population of the sport. Yet, buried in the article, there was one particular point made by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar that particularly hit home for Gretl and myself: Coverage of the Sport.

The former Govenor explained, “The industry made major mistakes in the ‘50s. When television came along, racing was on all the time. Then the tracks decided that they didn’t want to give it away for free.”

It made me wonder what racing would be like today if we “gave it away for free.” What if the tracks simulcast their races on their websites? Racing might romance a few new fans through showing them why this sport is beautiful, rather than telling them to set up an account to view a sport they don’t follow.

And, in the end, people may actually follow the sport in larger numbers if they are exposed to it on more regular basis. What if more newspapers actually profiled the winners of Kentucky Derby prep-races right now? Non-enthusiasts may begin to follow a few horses, and racing itself, beyond the Triple Crown season and Breeder’s Cup.

Yet, most non-industry media outlets aren’t providing regular updates on racing at the moment. And, as a whole, racing fans aren’t demanding coverage when it is due. I didn’t see one article in my local newspaper about Dialed In winning the Holy Bull. And, as far as Soldat’s performance in the Fountain of Youth, there wasn’t a word about his near wire-to-wire victory.

There should have been articles about those races. And, there should be a way for a newcomer to watch the races without setting up an internet account or subscribing to a cable network.

In my view, every track in this nation should provide free video of their races on their website. Not a few tracks – every track. Because, every track is losing potential fans if newcomers can’t view this sport.

And, fans should demand coverage of this sport from their local media outlets. Not a few stories during Triple Crown season – regular coverage. Because, in the end, writing the media outlets in your area not only shows there is a demand for racing coverage, but also, it educates the non-racing media about the sport itself.

This Triple Crown season, I will be writing my local newspapers about every horse that wins a Kentucky Derby prep-race. I wonder could be accomplished if other racing fans wrote their local papers and demanded coverage.

And, I will be writing the non-participating tracks to ask them why they don’t post race replays of all races on their websites. I wonder what the industry could accomplish by allowing fans to share the races with their friends as a means to introduce them to the sport.

Because, without coverage, this is an invisible sport to non-enthusiasts.

And, if the sport remains invisible, it truly is in danger of disappearing.