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News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC) (212.371.5911..)  Vol. 10, No. 30 BREEDERS' CUP PREVIEW LAST OF FIVE ISSUES SPOTLIGHTING THE PEOPLE AND HORSES OF RACING'S $11 MILLION DAY. NEWS, NAMES AND NOTES MERKLEY NEWMAN HARTY NAMED ADVERTISING AGENCY FOR NATIONAL THOROUGHBRED RACING ASSOCIATION; HALL OF FAME TRAINER BUDDY HIRSCH IS DEAD AT AGE 88; AND MORE. FEATURES KIDS GET A LEG UP ON HORSE RACING WITH THE MARYLAND JOCKEY CLUB'S PONY PALS PROGRAM. PLUS RACING TO HISTORY; THOROUGHBRED WORLD SCHEDULE FOR NOVMEBER; RACING ON THE AIR; THE TRC NATIONAL POLL. ADVISORIES: Thoroughbred Racing Communications will provide Breeders' Cup audio feeds to radio networks and stations starting Tuesday, Nov. 4 and continuing through Saturday, Nov. 8. The TRC phone number in the Hollywood Park press box will be: (310) 674-5926. For additional information about the feeds, contact TRC at (212) 371-5910. The next issue of Media Update will be published Tuesday, Nov. 11. CAN'T WAIT FOR YOUR NEWS? GET TRC ON THE WEB OR BY E-MAIL TRC's twice-weekly releases are available on the following web sites. Some post Thursday's TRC Thoroughbred Notebook, others have Tuesday's TRC Media Update and some have both. Equibase Company: (www.equibase.com/home.html) under "Media and Press Information" The Blood-Horse: (www.bloodhorse.com/news/index.html) under "News" ESPN Sportszone: (espnet.sportszone.com/horse/) CBS Sportsline (www.sportsline.com/u/racing/horse/index.html) The Running Horse, with a complete three-year archive of Notebooks: (www.webcom.com/~alauck/) All TRC releases can be e-mailed for immediate delivery. In addition, Media Update can be formatted for most PC-based word processors (as well as Word for Macintosh). Contact Howard Bass at TRC, (212) 371-5913, or at Damascus@worldnet.att.net, to receive your newsletters via e-mail. BREEDERS' CUP PREVIEW BREEDERS' CUP PRE-ENTRIES The following are the 94 horses that were pre-entered Tuesday, Oct. 28, for the Breeders' Cup races to be run Saturday, Nov. 8, at Hollywood Park. (The post position draw will be Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m., PST). The numbers following the race names represent the number of horses for which the race is the first choice. Horses may be pre-entered for more than one race-the race name in brackets is an alternate choice, an asterisk signifies first choice is another race. Preferences are non-binding. If there are more than 14 pre-entries, the eight horses with the most Breeders' Cup points plus six horses chosen by an international committee will comprise the field. Entries ranked higher than 14 will draw in according to rank. There are four supplemental entries, marked with an "S" and the amount of the supplement, 12 percent (sire nominated, foal not nominated) or 20 percent (sire and foal not nominated). If a horse is pre-entered for more than one race, the required pre-entry payment must be for the race of greatest value regardless of whether that is the race of first choice; the connections of three horses, Honor Glide, Taiki Blizzard and Big Sky Chester paid standard entry fees based upon entry in the Classic, their second-choice race. Sixteen horses have made previous Breeders' Cup starts. One winner returns in the same race: Jewel Princess in the Distaff. The year, race and finish for horses with previous Breeders' Cup starts are in parentheses. (C-Classic; D-Distaff; J-Juvenile; JF-Juvenile Fillies; M-Mile; S-Sprint; T-Turf). JUVENILE FILLIES (17) Balisian Beauty Bay Harbor Beautiful Pleasure Career Collection Carrielle Countess Diana Diamond On the Run Kirby's Song Lily O' Gold Love Lock Nancy's Glitter Primaly Silver Maiden (S-12%) Vivid Angel 15-Marie J 16-Came Unwound 17-Ultimate Force MILE (16) Anet Decorated Hero (GB) El Angelo Fantastic Fellow Geri Helmsman (1996, M, 6th) Honor Glide [Classic] Lucky Coin (S-12%) Magellan Pinfloron (FR) Soviet Line (IRE) (1995, M, 6th) Spinning World (1996, M, 2nd) Taiki Blizzard (1996, C, 13th) [Classic] Wild Event 15-*Hesabull 16-Naninja 17-Vilhelm SPRINT (21) Carmine Lake (IRE) Confide Crafty Friend Elmhurst Hesabull [Mile] Kelly Kip Men's Exclusive (S-20%) Northern Afleet Pas de Reponse Richter Scale Royal Applause (GB) Tale of the Cat Track Gal (1995, S, 11th) Trafalger 15-Exotic Wood 16-Bet On Sunshine 17-Swiss Yodeler 18-Advancing Star 19-Lucayan Prince 20-Hever Golf Rose (GB) (1995, S, 8th) 21-Gold Knuckles TURF (13) Awad (1995, T, 6th; 1996, T, 9th) Big Sky Chester [Classic] Borgia (GER) Buck's Boy Chief Bearhart (1996, T, 11th) Dance Design (IRE) [Distaff] Desert King (IRE) *Down the Aisle Flag Down (1994, C, 12th) Majorien (GB) Ops Smile Rajpoute (FR) Singspiel (IRE) (1996, T, 2nd) Val's Prince DISTAFF (9) Ajina Clear Mandate (1996, D, 6th) *Dance Design (IRE) Escena Hidden Lake Jewel Princess (1996, D, 1st) Minister's Melody (1996, JF, 4th) Radu Cool Sharp Cat (1996, JF, 9th) Twice the Vice JUVENILE (9) Black Cash Dawson's Legacy Double Honor Favorite Trick Grand Slam Johnbill Nationalore Souvenir Copy Time Limit CLASSIC (9) Behrens *Big Sky Chester Deputy Commander Down the Aisle [Turf] Dowty Formal Gold (1996, C, 5th) *Honor Glide Savinio (1995, M, 5th) Skip Away (S-12%) *Taiki Blizzard (1996, C, 13th) Touch Gold Whiskey Wisdom PREPARING FOR A BREEDERS' CUP WIN Certain prep races have proven to be key races for Breeders' Cup success. Following is a list of all the Breeders' Cup winners by race and the last race they ran in before the Breeders' Cup. Forty-six Breeders' Cup winners won their preps, 45 didn't. How important is winning a prep race? Only three horses have won the Sprint or the Mile who were winners in their previous start while 10 have taken the Distaff off victories. The females seem to be more true to form as no winner of the Distaff or Juvenile Fillies has been worse than second in her previous race. Six Juvenile Fillies champs came from Belmont Park's Frizette Stakes while Belmont's Vosburgh Stakes has produced three Sprint winners; however, none of them actually won the Vosburgh. Eleven different races have served as stepping stones for the Sprint. The Spinster has been a great predictor of Distaff greatness, with seven winners coming from the Keeneland race. Seven Europeans have won the Mile with three capturing the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. Five Juvenile victors ran in the Champagne at Belmont Park while three Turf champions each have run in the Oak Tree Turf Championship at Santa Anita Park and the Turf Classic at Belmont Park. The best prognosticator of Classic greatness? Surprisingly, it's the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, with three winners. Juvenile Fillies Frizette Open Mind (1988, 2nd), Go for Wand (1989, 2nd), Meadow Star (1990, 1st), Flanders (1994, 1st), My Flag (1995, 2nd), Storm Song (1996, 1st) Alcibiades Epitome (1987, 2nd), Eliza (1992, 1st) Oak Leaf Pleasant Stage (1991, 1st), Phone Chatter (1993, 1st) Critical Miss Twilight Ridge (1985, 2nd) My Dear Girl Brave Raj (1986, 1st) Allowance race Outstandingly (1984, 1st) Sprint Vosburgh Gulch (1988, 2nd), Dancing Spree (1989, 4th), Cherokee Run (1994, 3rd) Chief Pennekeck Eillo (1984, 1st) Hollywood Gold Cup Precisionist (1985, 2nd) Philadelphia Breeders' Cup Smile (1986, 6th) Arlington Breeders' Cup Very Subtle (1987, 2nd) Boojum Safely Kept (1990, 4th) Prix de l'Abbaye Sheikh Albadou (GB) (1991, 2nd) CERF Sprint Thirty Slews (1992, 1st) Ancient Title Cardmania (1993, 1st) Rancho Bernardo Desert Stormer (1995, 2nd) Pat O'Brien Lit de Justice (1996, 3rd) Distaff Spinster Princess Rooney (1984, 1st), Life's Magic (1985, 2nd), Sacahuista (1987, 1st), Bayakoa (ARG) (1989-90, 1st), Paseana (ARG) (1992, 2nd), Inside Information (1995, 1st) Beldame Lady's Secret (1986, 1st), Personal Ensign (1988, 1st) Lady's Secret Hollywood Wildcat (1993, 1st), Jewel Princess (1996, 2nd) Molson Million 1 Dance Smartly (1991, 1st) Rachel Jackson 1 One Dreamer (1994, 1st) Mile Queen Elizabeth II Miesque (1987, 2nd), Barathea (IRE) (1994, 2nd), Ridgewood Pearl (GB) (1995, 2nd) Keeneland Breeders' Cup Steinlen (GB) (1989, 1st), Opening Verse (1991, 2nd) Kelso Lure (1992, 2nd, 1993, 1st), Da Hoss (1996, 2nd) Cliff Hanger Cozzene (1985, 6th) William Hill Sprint 2 Last Tycoon (1986, 1st) Ladbroke Sprint Cup 3 Royal Academy (1990, 2nd) Prix du Moulin Miesque (1998, 2nd) Ramona Royal Heroine (IRE) (1984, 2nd) Juvenile Champagne Is It True (1988, 2nd), Rhythm (1989, 2nd), Fly So Free (1990, 1st), Timber Country (1994, 1st), Unbridled's Song (1995, 4th) Norfolk Chief's Crown (1984, 1st), Capote (1985, 1st), Success Express (1987, 4th) Breeders' Futurity Tasso (1985, 1st), Boston Harbor (1996, 1st) Arlington-Washington Futurity Gilded Time (1992, 1st) Grand Critérium Arazi (1991, 1st) Allowance race Brocco (1993, 1st) Turf Oak Tree Turf Championship Great Communicator (1988, 2nd), Kotashaan (FR) (1993, 1st), Northern Spur (IRE) (1995, 1st) Turf Classic Manila (1986, 1st), Fraise (1992, 2nd), Tikkanen (1994, 1st) Arc de Triomphe In the Wings (GB) (1990, 4th), Pilsudski (IRE) (1996, 2nd) Budweiser International 1 Miss Alleged (1991, 5th) Dubai Championship Pebbles (GB) (1985, 1st) Jockey Club Gold Cup Prized (1989, 4th) Man o' War Theatrical (IRE) (1987, 1st) Prix du Conseil de Paris Lashkari (GB) (1984, 1st) Classic Super Derby Sunday Silence (1989, 1st), Unbridled (1990, 2nd), Concern (1994, 2nd) Goodwood Ferdinand (1987, 1st), Alphabet Soup (1996, 3rd) Jockey Club Gold Cup A.P. Indy (1992, 3rd), Cigar (1995, 1st) Allowances race Wild Again (1984, 3rd) Col. Koester 4 Skywalker (1986, 3rd) Discovery Proud Truth (1985, 1st) Meadowlands Cup Alysheba (1988, 1st) Prix Dollar Arcangues (1993, 4th) Washington Park Black Tie Affair (IRE) (1991, 1st) 1 No longer run 2 Now Nunthrope Stakes 3 Now Haydock Park Sprint Cup 4 Now Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile BREEDERS' CUP PAYOFFS BY YEAR AND RACE J. FILLIES SPRINT DISTAFF MILE JUVENILE TURF CLASSIC AVERAGE 1984 @ Hol 47.60 4.60 3.40 5.40 3.40 108.80 64.60 33.97 1985 @ Aqu 3.20 8.80 2.80 9.20 13.20 6.40 16.80 8.63 1986 @ SA 10.00 24.00 3.00 73.80 6.80 19.60 22.20 22.77 1987 @ Hol 62.80 34.80 7.80 9.20 10.20 5.60 4.00 19.20 1988 @ CD 3.40 13.60 3.00 6.00 20.40 26.80 5.00 11.17 1989 @ GP 7.00 35.20 3.40 5.60 7.20 19.60 6.00 12.00 1990 @ Bel 2.40 26.40 4.20 7.60 4.80 5.80 15.20 9.49 1991 @ CD 13.60 54.60 3.00 55.40 6.20 86.20 10.00 32.71 1992 @ GP 4.40 39.40 7.40 12.80 6.00 30.00 6.20 15.17 1993 @ SA 6.60 12.60 4.60 4.60 8.00 5.00 269.20 44.37 1994 @ CD 2.80 7.60 96.20 22.80 6.80 35.20 17.00 26.91 1995 @ Bel 9.00 31.00 3.60 7.10 12.40 9.00 3.40 10.79 1996 @ WO 5.20 10.00 6.80 18.90 6.80 29.40 41.70 16.97 AVERAGES 13.69 23.28 11.48 18.34 8.63 29.80 37.03 20.32 BREEDERS' CUP ENTRANTS BY YEAR Year Total European (%) 1984 (Hol) 67 9 (13.4%) 1985 (Aqu) 83 18 (21.7%) 1986 (SA) 76 10 (13.2%) 1987 (Hol) 84 12 (14.3%) 1988 (CD) 75 12 (16.0%) 1989 (GP) 80 11 (13.8%) 1990 (Bel) 83 12 (14.5%) 1991 (CD) 90 10 (11.1%) 1992 (GP) 91 21 (23.1%) 1993 (SA) 81 19 (23.5%) 1994 (CD) 91 22 (24.2%) 1995 (Bel) 81 15 (18.5%) 1996 (WO) 82 14 (17.1%) (plus one Japanese, 18.3% foreign) European entrants by state when Breeders' Cup was held in that state California: 16.% (50-308) New York: 18.2% (45-247) Florida: 18.7% (32-171) Kentucky: 17.2% (44-256) Canada: 17.1% (14-82) (18.3% foreign, 15-82) NBC SPORTS: FACTS AND FIGURES ON BREEDERS' CUP Here are some facts and figures from NBC Sports regarding the network's coverage of the Breeders' Cup for the 14th consecutive year: * The on-air team will consist of: Tom Hammond (host), Tom Durkin (race caller) and contributing analysts Mike Battaglia, Trevor Denman, Gregg McCarron, Bob Neumeier and John Veitch. * The telecast, airing from 1:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST, will be distributed to 210 television stations and NBC research estimates that approximately 20 million people will watch part or all of the telecast. * Online information about NBC's coverage of the Breeders' Cup is available at http://www.NBCSports.com. * NBC Sports will use 24 video cameras, including two cabled mini-cams, one "Super Slo-Mo" and one crane. They will also use five miles of camera cable and three miles of audio cable. * The executive producer of NBC Sports is Tom Roy. David Michaels will produce the Breeders' Cup telecast and Bucky Gunts will direct it. OPS SMILE OWNERS KEEP TRADITION GOING, SMILES FLOWING If the five-year-old colt Ops Smile should win the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf, he'll bring countless smiles, literally and figuratively, to children around the world. That's because Roger and Jackie Schipke, who maintain 50 percent ownership of the horse, will donate 10 percent of their earnings to Operation Smile, the Norfolk, Va.-based volunteer medical services organization that provides free reconstructive surgery and related health care to indigent children and young adults in the United States and 15 developing countries. For the Breeders' Cup Turf, that donation would amount to approximately $52,000. It will also extend a tradition that started with the colt's original owner and breeder, Jim Ryan, the Mt. Airy, Md. home builder, Thoroughbred owner and philanthropist. Ryan was so impressed with the work of Dr. William Magee and his wife Kathy, the founders of Operation Smile, that he named the Caveat-Northern Sting colt in honor of Operation Smile and donated a portion of his earnings to the organization. The humanitarian aspect of the Ops Smile story attracted the attention of the CBS News show Sunday Morning and the show aired a 10-minute feature on the Magees, Operation Smile and the promising three-year-old colt in February 1995-just as it began to look like he might be headed to the Kentucky Derby. At about that time, Ryan and the Magees sold the horse to a partnership headed by his friend Roger Schipke, a Bel Air, Md., owner who had been a senior vice-president of General Electric and later the chairman of the Ryland Group (a building and development corporation started by Ryan). Bill Boniface, who trained Ops Smile for Ryan, knew Ryan wanted to sell the horse and when the Schipkes took his recommendation to buy him, Boniface was able to keep the talented colt in his barn. While the Schipkes had no previous relationship with Operation Smile, they agreed to continue supporting it. "When we purchased the horse, we said we would continue to support it," Schipke said. "We were influenced by that CBS piece and we thought it was a good cause." So did the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; just over one year later, in July 1996, Operation Smile received The Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in the form of a check for $1 million "for its efforts to alleviate human suffering." Boniface realized early on that Ops Smile liked running on the turf and he's been running almost exclusively on grass in recent years, winning graded stakes races such as the Manhattan Handicap and the Dixie Stakes and finishing second or third in several others. Ops Smile was third in the Turf Classic at Belmont Park Oct. 18 and has now posted career earnings of $651,911 with seven wins, seven seconds and four thirds in 32 lifetime starts. These days, the Schipkes don't even have to wait to hear from Boniface to know how the colt is doing; their daughter Kim, who is married to Bill's son and assistant trainer, John, is the regular exercise rider for Ops Smile. On Sept. 27, Operation Smile kicked off its 15th Anniversary Celebration with a fashion show at the Waterside Marriott in Norfolk. Among those attending were Roger and Jackie Schipke. "They contacted us," said Kathy Magee, who now serves as the president of Operation Smile. "And they told us the horse had made some money since they bought it and they wanted to keep their promise to support our work." The Schipkes presented Operation Smile with a check for $27,000. "That donation will allow us to perform surgery on hundreds of children," Kathy McGee said the other day after returning from an Operation Smile trip to the Middle East and Asia. "And these operations really change a child's life; they can eat, they can speak and they can face the world every day." Like the Schipkes, the Magees will be pulling very hard for Ops Smile to win the Breeders' Cup Turf. FOR THESE WRITERS, "TALE" (AND SALE) TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE Tom Pedulla, a sportswriter for USA Today, insists that he is "a very conservative person by nature" and that it "was completely out of character" for him when he decided to invest a good deal of his savings from some profitable stock investments to purchase a small interest in a Thoroughbred ownership partnership assembled by trainer John Forbes in 1995. "I'm so conservative I like to bet show parlays when I go to the track," he says. "But when John offered me the chance to be part of this ownership group, I had this incredibly strong feeling that it was something I should do." Was it ever. With Pedulla and 11 other larger investors, Forbes raised over $1 million, named the group Phantom House Farm and purchased six yearlings at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 1995. One of them, a Storm Cat-Yarn colt purchased for $375,000, was subsequently named Tale of the Cat and when the gates are loaded for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Hollywood Park on Nov. 8, he could very well be the betting favorite. His meteoric rise to prominence has amazed and delighted not only Pedulla but his longtime friend and fellow sportswriter Bob Ehalt, to whom he sold a small portion of his share. Making the first start of his career, the three-year-old Tale of the Cat won a maiden race by 11 and a half lengths May 26 at Monmouth Park and in the five months and four starts since then, he continues to generate excitement throughout the racing world, in victory and defeat. He won an allowance race a month later and then challenged Touch Gold and Free House in the third start of his career (finishing fourth, beaten by less than four lengths). He came back to win the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga by five and a half lengths. That victory had breeding farms clamoring for the colt and approximately one month later, Forbes sold a 50 percent interest in him for $7.1 million to Coolmore Stud, much to the obvious delight of the ownership group. Tale of the Cat finished third in his next start, the Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park Sept. 27, but after careful consideration, Forbes announced on Oct. 23 that the colt will make his next start in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint. Pedulla, who lives in Tarrytown, N.Y., and Ehalt, who lives in Shelton, Conn., have been best friends since they met on the first day of high school at Fordham Prep in the Bronx more than 25 years ago and were thoroughly enjoying their participation in the ownership venture even before they received that healthy return on their investment. "Bob was already a racing fan when we met," Pedulla recalled "and he introduced me to it." They made their initial outings to Belmont Park and Aqueduct in 1971, until Ehalt got his driver's license and they started trekking north to Saratoga Racecourse. "We had great fun up there and sometimes we'd dream a little bit about owning a horse one day," Pedulla said. "But life goes on and we couldn't really afford it, though I always kept it in mind." Ehalt got married and had three children. After a stint with the Norwalk Hour, he joined the sports staff of the Stamford (CT) Advocate in 1984 and started covering racing. Pedulla, meanwhile, went to work for Gannett's Westchester Rockland Newspapers and covered the New York Yankees for 11 years before becoming a general assignment sports writer covering the New York area and beyond for Gannett's USA Today two years ago. They tested the waters of Thoroughbred ownership with some claiming horses in 1994 and quickly found out how painful-financially and emotionally-the sport can be. One horse never won. One of them was once scratched at the starting gate. Another $5,000 claimer fared so poorly he was donated to the New Jersey State Police; and yet another one they had just claimed fractured his sesamoids (small bones that are integral to the functioning of the leg) in a race and had to be euthanized before he had even run for them. Tale of the Cat, however, has shown them the other side of the spectrum. "When Tale of the Cat is about to run in a race, this feeling comes over you and there's nothing to match it," says Pedulla. "It was fun with the claimers, too, but the stakes are much higher here. It's really hard for me to describe in words what it's like-and I'm a writer." Ehalt says "it doesn't really matter how much of the horse you own, because you still feel like you're part of it" and that was never more true for him than the day Tale of the Cat ran in the Haskell Invitational, a $1 million stakes race. "When he was leading at the eighth pole, we realized we had a great racehorse and even though he didn't win that race, I had tears in my eyes and I couldn't stand up," he said. "It took me a few minutes to collect myself I was so overcome with emotion. It was like seeing one of your children do well." While Ehalt covers Thoroughbred racing on a regular basis and Pedulla covers it on occasion, neither one of them would ever cover a race that Tale of the Cat, or any of the other horses in the partnership, was competing in. "I wouldn't want to tarnish my credibility or the newspaper's," said Pedulla. On the other hand, both of them have found the ownership experience helpful in understanding what Thoroughbred owners and trainers go through on a daily basis when they cover racing. "It's given me a greater appreciation and understanding of the business and how tough it can be," Ehalt said. "There's nothing better than living through it to understand it as a writer. People were giving Sonny Hine a hard time about not supplementing Skip Away to the Breeders' Cup [before he eventually did so], but I can feel for Sonny because no one holds any benefits for you when you're going bad." Added Pedulla, "ownership has deepened my appreciation for the sport in general. I understand how a trainer lives and dies with each horse and what goes into trying to make a champion racehorse." They may know that a little better if Tale of the Cat should win the Breeders' Cup Sprint. Unlike wealthy Thoroughbred owners who can drop everything to see one of their horses run, Pedulla and Ehalt have work commitments that take priority and have often made it difficult to attend and/or fully enjoy the colt's races throughout the summer and fall. Pedulla, for instance, had to run up to the press box to cover the Travers Stakes right after Tale of the Cat won the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga; Ehalt has had to rely on simulcasts to Sports Haven, the teletheatre in New Haven, to see some of his races. The Breeders' Cup will be no different; Pedulla is supposed to cover a Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots game in Buffalo on Sunday, Nov. 9 and Ehalt, who also serves as an assistant sports editor and "desk man," may have to be in the Advocate sports office on the evening of Nov. 8. If they can't make it to California, they are at least determined to watch the race together, whether they're in Ehalt's or Pedulla's house, a racetrack or a simulcast theatre. "Part of the fun of the whole thing has been sharing the experience," said Pedulla. "It wouldn't be as much fun to watch the Breeders' Cup while we were on separate coasts, so we'll watch it together. We just don't know yet if that will be at Hollywood Park or back here." NEWS, NAMES AND NOTES NTRA NAMES ADVERTISING AGENCY The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has named the Merkley Newman Harty advertising agency to work closely with the organization's interim management team to develop its national marketing and advertising strategy. The NTRA is in the final stages of completing its business plan for a central national office designed to coordinate and market Thoroughbred racing in North America. The announcement was made Friday, Oct. 24, following a meeting of the NTRA Oversight Committee in Lexington, Ky., when the recommendations of the NTRA Advertising Search Committee were submitted. "We are really excited about having such talent, experience and strategic planning expertise on the board as we close in on completion of our business plan," said D. G. Van Clief Jr., NTRA interim president and CEO. "In Merkley Newman Harty we not only have a brilliant creative team but we also have one of the leaders in the business of advertising account planning. "Their input is an integral part of our planning process in many areas like cooperative advertising and sponsorship as well as a national media strategy," Van Clief added. "Once the business plan has been finalized and approved, they'll move into the second stage of implementing that strategy." Merkley Newman Harty is a New York-based agency with a current list of clients that includes BellSouth, Forbes magazine, Oxford Health Plans and Vanguard Mutual Funds. The group is owned by Omnicom, the world's second-largest global agency network. Marty Cooke, partner and creative director of the agency, called the NTRA "a wonderful opportunity to create a focal point for fan interest in the sport of Thoroughbred racing." "Sports leagues have become powerful brands that intensify rooting interests and create real value around the sport and the televised viewing of that sport," he said. "Thoroughbred racing is a sleeping giant. It has a large existing fan base, which we believe can be built substantially. We're delighted to have been chosen by the NTRA." Three other agencies made presentations to the NTRA Advertising Agency Selection Committee: BBDO, also owned by Omnicom, DMB&B and The Richards Group. Committee chairman Jerry Brown, of Brown & Martin, praised the quality of all the presentations. "The agencies did a lot of interviewing, focus groups and probing but the most remarkable thing we saw was that they all reached strategic positions that were remarkably similar," Brown commented. "Those positions related to the participatory nature of the sport. That's what makes racing unique among all other spectator sports. The Merkley Newman Harty presentation was particularly strong and original in this area." Rick Baedeker, Hollywood Park vice president for marketing and public relations, a member of the Selection Committee and chairman of the NTRA Cooperative Advertising Task Force, was also enthusiastic about the choice. "Although all the presentations were strong, I was particularly impressed by the strength of creativity and energy coming from the Merkley Newman Harty Team and the way they were prepared to deliver the image that has been lacking from everything we've been used to," he said. "Naturally that's important from a national point of view, but the real value will be that local tracks are going to be able to capitalize on the riches of a national campaign." The NTRA goal is to open a central national office for Thoroughbred racing early in the New Year. TRAINER BUDDY HIRSCH DEAD AT AGE 88 Hall of Fame trainer William J. "Buddy" Hirsch, the son of Hall of Fame trainer Max Hirsch, died Oct. 25 in Bal Harbour, Fla., after a long illness. He was 88 years old. The San Francisco native served as an officer in the U.S. Army during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He later graduated from Georgetown University and worked on Wall Street before he started training with four horses his father gave him. He spent nearly 60 years in Thoroughbred racing and trained more than 150 stakes winners, including Gallant Bloom, the champion filly of 1969 and-for part of his career-Canonero II, the champion three-year-old colt of 1971. Hirsch is survived by his wife Sandy and children William J. Hirsch Jr. (a former trainer), Michael Maxmillion Hirsch and Marilyn Hirsch. A private burial was held at the Hirsch family plot at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury, N.Y., and a memorial service will be offered sometime this winter in Bal Harbour, Fla. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation in Albertson, N.Y.; or the Alzheimer's Foundation in Bay Harbour, Fla. NOTES: CBS News' Sunday Morning show will include a retrospective feature on the gelding Forego when it airs, Sunday, Nov. 8, (check local listings). The segment, produced by Bud Lamoreaux, will include interviews with Martha Gerry and Frank Whiteley as well as several of Forego's races...Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., was ranked 108th in sales growth on Forbes' list of the top 200 small, publicly traded companies in America, which appeared in the Nov. 3 issue of the magazine. The track was also ranked in three other categories...Ed Schuyler Jr., who covers Thoroughbred racing and boxing for The Associated Press, will wear both hats Saturday, Nov. 8. "Fast Eddie" will start the day reporting on the seven Breeders' Cup races at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., before making a round-trip flight to Las Vegas to cover the Evander Holyfield-Michael Moorer heavyweight bout that evening...Neil A. Campbell, a sports columnist and former Thoroughbred racing writer for the Toronto Globe & Mail, has been named sports editor of the Globe & Mail. "Unfortunately, it will cost me my trip to the Breeders' Cup because we're busy reorganizing the sports section," he said, "but now that I'm sports editor I can do anything I want and I'm going to resume writing my weekly horse racing column." FEATURES KIDS BECOME PONY PALS AT MARYLAND JOCKEY CLUB TRACKS Members of the Pony Pals Kids Club met at Laurel Park racetrack, Laurel, Md., on Saturday, Oct. 25 and enjoyed a fun and educational day at the races. The Pony Pals Club, created by the Maryland Jockey Club to educate children and their families about Thoroughbred racing, made its debut at Pimlico's successful Summerfest program Aug. 2. Since then, more than 400 children have signed up for it. Both Laurel and Pimlico will participate in the program and hold regular monthly events geared toward youngsters. At the Oct. 25 outing, a group of about 30 parents and youngsters started the day at Laurel Park's track kitchen, followed by a demonstration of racing equipment, jockey tack, horse grooming tools and a close-up view of morning workouts. The group also visited trainer Larry Murray's barn to learn about the care and training of a Thoroughbred racehorse. In the afternoon, the club members were treated to activities which included pumpkin decorating, pony rides and an opportunity to become jockeys aboard a miniature version of an Equicizer, a jockey exercise machine that looks like a horse. "We are so thrilled with the level of interest the community has expressed, and delighted that both parents and kids are eager to be a part of Pony Pals," said Karin De Francis, senior vice president of public relations and marketing for the Maryland Jockey Club. "We look forward to continuing to provide families with many fun and interactive opportunities." Members of Pony Pals also receive newsletters and personal membership cards, and can participate in contests throughout the year. Birthday party packages are also available. RACING TO HISTORY Oct. 29, 1948: Calumet Farm's three-year-old Citation entered the Pimlico Invitational Special Stakes unopposed and won in a walkover, earning $10,000 for galloping the 1 3/16 mile course in 1:59 4/5. Another great Calumet runner, Whirlaway, also won the Special in a walkover in 1942. Oct. 29, 1955: Charlie Whittingham and Bill Shoemaker scored their first stakes victory as a trainer-rider team with Mister Gus in the William P. Kyne Handicap at Bay Meadows. Oct. 30, 1937: Sir Barton, the first American Triple Crown winner, died at age 21. Oct. 31, 1944: The saddle cloth numbers of the first five race winners at Jamaica corresponded to the number of the race in which each horse started. Oct. 31, 1964: Seven-year-old Kelso won his fifth consecutive Jockey Club Gold Cup, a record. In each of those races, Kelso was the odds-on favorite. Oct. 31, 1987: Jockey Chris Antley became the first rider to win nine races in a single day. He rode four winners from six mounts at Aqueduct and five winners from eight tries during The Meadowlands' evening program. Oct. 31, 1992: Past-performance data supplied by Equibase Company was used for the first time for the official track program for the Breeders' Cup Championship Day, held at Gulfstream Park. Nov. 1, 1944: Racing returned to Hollywood Park after a three-year hiatus, which followed the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nov. 1, 1938: Before a crowd of 40,000 spectators, Seabiscuit, under jockey George Woolf, defeated odds-on favorite War Admiral in the Pimlico Special, run as a winner-take-all match race with a purse of $15,000. Nov. 1, 1947: Man o' War died at Faraway Farm, Lexington, Ky. He lay in state for three days before being ceremoniously buried on Nov. 4. Nov. 2, 1968: John Nerud-trained Dr. Fager, carrying 139 pounds, won the last race of his career, the seven-furlong Vosburgh Handicap at Aqueduct, by six lengths. Dr. Fager was subsequently named champion handicap horse, champion sprinter, turf champion and Horse of the Year. Nov. 2, 1985: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas won his first Breeders' Cup race, the Juvenile Fillies, with Twilight Ridge, whose entrymates Family Style and Arewehavingfunyet finished second and eighth, respectively. Nov. 2, 1991: Dance Smartly won the Breeders' Cup Distaff and passed Lady's Secret as North American racing's all-time leading female Thoroughbred money-earner, with $3,083,456. Nov. 2, 1991: The Breeders' Cup Pick 7, a wager linking the seven Breeders' Cup races, was inaugurated. Wagering on the Pick 7 alone, excluding wagers made on the individual Breeders' Cup races, was $8,526,985. Nov. 3, 1923: Tanforan, in suburban San Francisco, opened for a 25-day, non-betting meet. Nov. 4, 1927: Bateau was disqualified from her third-place finish in the Pimlico Futurity after her jockey, Earl Sande, used the filly to ram the future Kentucky Derby winner, Reigh Count, into the rail. Sande subsequently was suspended for his action. Nov. 5, 1988: Miesque became the first horse to win two consecutive Breeders' Cup Championship races when she won the Breeders' Cup Mile at Churchill Downs. Nov. 5, 1988: Julie Krone became the first female jockey to compete in the Breeders' Cup when she rode Darby Shuffle to a second-place finish in the Juvenile Fillies race. Nov. 5, 1988: Ogden Phipps' four-year-old filly Personal Ensign concluded her racing career with a 13-for-13 lifetime record when she edged Winning Colors by a nose to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs. She was the first American racehorse to retire undefeated in major competition since Colin in 1908. Nov. 6, 1946: Three fillies from Argentina arrived at Newark Airport, having made a journey of 8,250 miles, the then-longest flight ever for horses. Nov. 6, 1973: Secretariat was paraded before 33,000 fans at Aqueduct, as his final appearance at a racetrack before retirement to stud at Claiborne Farm. Nov. 6, 1993: The Breeders' Cup was simulcast to England for wagering purposes for the first time. Nov. 9, 1957: Wheatley Stable's Bold Ruler, with Eddie Arcaro aboard, won the Trenton Handicap in a wire-to-wire victory over Gallant Man and Round Table in a three-horse race. Bold Ruler was subsequently named Horse of the Year off this performance. Nov. 9, 1972: Secretariat worked seven furlongs in 1:25 4/5 at Garden State Park in preparation for the final race of his two-year-old season, the Garden State Stakes on Nov. 18. Nov. 9, 1988: Laffit Pincay Jr. became the second jockey in history to win 7,000 races when he won the seventh race at Hollywood Park aboard Phone Bid. Nov. 10, 1984: The inaugural Breeders' Cup was run at Hollywood Park. The highlight of the seven Breeders' Cup races, the Classic, pitted Wild Again, Gate Dancer and Slew o' Gold, who was the odds-on favorite despite having a well-publicized hoof injury. After a furious drive to the wire, which involved considerable bumping among the three horses, Wild Again prevailed, but Gate Dancer was disqualified from his second-place finish for interference and was placed third, behind Slew o' Gold. Nov. 11, 1973: Secretariat was flown to Claiborne Farm to begin his stud career. Nov. 11, 1978: At age four, 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew won his last race, the Stuyvesant Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack, by 3 1/4 lengths. Nov. 12, 1904: Four-year-old Machine Gun carried 159 pounds, believed to be the highest impost in a winning effort on the flat, at Riccarton in New Zealand. Time for the five-furlong race was :58. BIRTHDAYS: Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr., now a trainer, turns 55. RACING ON THE AIR THOROUGHBRED WORLD IN NOVEMBER Thoroughbred World is produced by PHoenix Communications in association with Thoroughbred Racing Communications and is available on many regional sports cable networks. During the month of November on Thoroughbred World: A visit with Monty Roberts, author of The Man Who Listens to Horses; a look at how trainer Keith Sirota got connected to a new owner half a world away; and Caton Bredar hosts "The Equibasics of Racing" segment. Air times will be available from TRC on Thursday, Oct. 30, and will appear in the next issue of Media Update. UPCOMING NATIONALLY TELEVISED RACING (All times Eastern) Oct. 30 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 a.m. ESPN Nov. 1 Racehorse Digest 5:30-6:00 a.m. ESPN Nov. 5 Racing to the Breeders' Cup 2:30-3:30 p.m. ESPN Breeders' Cup Special Nov. 5 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN Nov. 6 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 a.m. ESPN Nov. 8 Racehorse Digest 5:30-6:00 a.m. ESPN Nov. 8 Breeders' Cup, Hollywood Park 1:30-6:00 p.m. NBC Nov. 12 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 p.m. ESPN Nov. 13 Racehorse Digest 3:30-4:00 a.m. ESPN Nov. 15 Racehorse Digest 5:00-5:30 a.m. ESPN |
