The drama of horse racing has always been well…on the horses. Rachel Alexandra's Derby win was the cover of Sports Illustrated and spark a host of stories about what is good in sports. Last year Big Brown's almost Triple Crown gave UPS a new marketing platform for over a month and the drama of Barbaro and Smarty Jones in past year's has always been good theater and a boon to ratings. Sp this year the Belmont Stakes is challenged to draw eyes and attendance, with not just a challenged field and no real favorite but a switch from the promotion-driven NBC to the one-off coverage of ABC for the Triple Crown Series. The switch in best years would create some brand confusion, but without the hype of a horse looking to win the three races, what's the casual fan to look fo. Enter the jockeys. Long undervalued as a property because of language issues, the transient nature of the sport and the focus on the horses and even the trainers, the smart folks promoting the race have turned the focus to tell the story of those who ride as opposed to those they are riding, especially because of the fact that the potential jockey Triple Crown…for jockey Calvin Borel...is a real and rare opportunity with three different horses. This past year Animal Planet did a very compelling reality show on jockeys and the lives they lead, which led to more focus on the potential upside of sharing their very human stories with the casual fan, and Borel's Saturday success could lead to even more opportunities for the jockeys both in promotion and publicity. Now will brands rush to create jockey sweepstakes or Twittering from aboard a hors. Not yet but who knows. Regardless the push by ABC and the Belmont to take a twist and focus not just on the horse but on the human element of the race should help draw more interest in what could have been a very quiet finish to the Triple Crown series.
Some other good reads…The New York Daily News’ Filip Bondy had a great profile this week of Mets PR guy Jay Horwitz...the Cleveland Plain Dealer had an insightful look at Cavs owner Dan Gilbert following Cleveland's playoff exit…Sean Gregory had the latest in a series of Twitter-focused pieces on si.com…wsj.com has a well placed look at “Mommy time” in golf and how it could grow participation…and Crain's Chicago had a profile of Fantasy Sports Ventures’ Chicago-area ties.
