Sunday, June 06, 2010
Counting on a Skyscraper, the Belmont Comes Up Short
(CHICAGO, IL – June 7, 2010) It should come as no surprise that 45,243 fans attended the Belmont Stakes. The crowd for horse racing’s third leg of the Triple Crown is routinely cut in half when the makeup of the field assures people with a casual curiosity that a coronation won’t take place. Moreover, there were other disincentives that limited participation. Horse racing’s having a terrible time getting back to where it was a year ago and public pissing matches in New York over promises neglected by the State created a swampy backdrop.
Nevertheless, officials of the New York Racing Association, as customary, announced they were pleased with the paltry turnout. And while some may say that their upbeat remarks at the end of the day were like putting a smile on a golf ball, this time around, they’ve got reason to hold their heads high. With the questionable exception of substituting Jay-Z’s hip-hop tune “Empire State of Mind” for the Frank Sinatra standard “New York, New York” and signing a tone-deaf teenager to moan her way through the dreary ballad, the promotional efforts by Neema Ghazi and NYRA’s marketing department to make the race popular were flawless.
From taking Sam the bugler and trainer Alexis Barba to the top of the Empire State Building to simulcasting the Epson Derby card from the UK throughout Belmont Park, NYRA displayed uncommon creativity and noteworthy enterprise. Not an hour passed by in the three weeks leading up to the race in which something of interest didn’t come over the Internet from Dan Silver’s communications department. As a result, never before has the public wanted a horse race to be more successful than this year’s Belmont. What they got instead was disappointing.
Little can explain the sexy Jeannine Edwards’ lack of fashion sense, the rapier-tongued Kenny Mayne’s over-use of sarcasm and Hank “The Hammer” Goldberg’s resemblance to an un-smiling, beardless Santa Cross with a bag full of nonsense. But why go there? In contrast, turf writer Jay Privman continues to represent himself, his profession and the Daily Racing Form admirably. Newcomers Steve Cyphers and Tom Rinaldi did nothing to suggest that they won’t become popular cast members. That said, there’s a subtle contrast in the impression manufactured from stepping in to assist an 88-year-old Penny Chenery in locating her memory and the impression that results from other acts of “quietus interuptus” such as when Maurice Cheeks, coach of the Portland Blazers, helped 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert remember the lyrics of the National Anthem.
In the overall din, it was hard to keep straight of who said what. But whichever member of the anchor team began the grand finale by promoting the sport’s endearing diversity – whether it was Joe Tessitore, Randy Moss (always level-headed) or Jerry Bailey (for once, relatively subdued) – gave the ending of the telecast class. The same can’t be said for Sarah Palin, who arrived in the Turf Club wearing a tee-shirt, Capri pants and a ball cap. How did her entourage get in, by the way, wearing jeans and without neck ties?
For the record, the longest stretch that the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont have gone without a Triple Crown champion isn’t the 32 years that have passed since Affirmed. It’s the first 50 years of the races’ existence before Sir Barton swept the three races in 1919 – a period in which three-horse fields weren’t unusual. The show’s writers had to deal with the future of the hallowed series, of course, but a specific point of view – that the Triple Crown is easier to win than ever before because of mass defections of the best runners – wasn’t acknowledged. On the other hand, Bailey noted that smaller Derby fields wouldn’t have caused interferences that denied at least three Preakness/Belmont winners from sweeping. Other segments, the ones accompanied by poetry, gauzy shots and violin music, seemed maudlin and depressing.
Ironically, NYRA contributed to ABC-TV’s best audible. Track maintenance staff sealed the track on Friday evening in anticipation of thunderstorms and the track became exceptionally deep from the siroccos the swept into the area on Saturday. Alertly, Caton Brader, on horseback, called attention to the attenuating circumstances of that action. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done to deny Governor Exit his moment in the sun. May he burn in, well...
Was Drosselmeyer a deserving winner? His final time of 2:31.57 was the slowest since Thunder Gulch’s in 1995. The WinStar Farm runner, a son of Distorted Humor, beat only two previous Grade 1 Stakes winners. The big chestnut brought on cheers for his Big Apple connections. NYRA wanted the Belmont to be viewed as a regional treasure and saw its intentions met. Hall of Famer Mike Smith, a 15-time Belmont jockey champion, rode. Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who has operated his stable on the circuit for what seems like forever, trained.
The day after, Elliott Walden, racing manager for WinStar, said that Drosselmeyer will be headed to Saratoga with the Travers in mind. The Belmont winner’s presence will bolster a colony of horses of considerable public interest, including Quality Road, Rachel Alexandra, Mine That Bird, Super Saver and perhaps Lookin at Lucky.
Having equine stars to promote, Ghazi, Silver et al - NYRA's smart second lieutenants - might have something more to work with than skyscrapers. With the country's number one horse racing franchise having had its respect, reputation and admiration diminished considerably in recent months, the crowds at Saratoga, where the hurt was felt most, won't grow larger automatically.
“COMMENT OF THE WEEK”
Many readers of Vic Zast’s TrackWords read the column and not the comments. It’s a shame because some of the best ideas and writing are found in readers’ responses to the topic presented.
So beginning today, one comment made by readers to each of Vic Zast’s TrackWords columns will be designated as the “Comment of the Week.”
Beginning next Monday, the name of the author of the best comment, a short synopsis of his comment and the reason for why the comment was selected as the best of those submitted will appear as the first comment following the column. A complete reprint of the selected comment will appear in “Vic Zast’s FastWords.”
Criteria for selection will be how you expand the topic, originality of thought, clarity of presentation and entertainment value. Comments that are in agreement or disagreement with my column or other readers’ opinions will all be considered. If an insufficient number of comments are written to make the competition worth winning in any week, no selection will be made.
If this idea plays out well (only time will tell), we’ll have some fun with it by adding prizes (no boats or automobiles, but tee-shirts and books – stuff like that) to bi-monthly winners. If the idea doesn’t play out well, we’ll drop it. Write on!
Vic Zast
Written by Vic Zast
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