The repeated selection of the venue for the 2013 Breeders’ Cup highly likely to impact the fan following
The news of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to be hosted by Santa Anita for the 2013 edition of the race has not been received very well by the fans and is not even proving out to be popular. The same venue will host this year’s two-day races on 2nd
and 3rd November. The idea was to rotate tracks every year and not switch back to the same ones. According to many not only has the level of competition of the ‘so-called’ world championship has failed to sustain, rather even the choice of the race
tracks is running out too, robbing away the allure of the event.
The three other venues that had their probable chance for hosting the honour the next year are Churchill Downs, Monmouth Park and the Belmont Park. Having hosted the event in 2007, the Monmouth Park has been ruled out and can now only bid for the 2014 races.
Owing to the rigidity of the track conditions and facilities that have tied down the options for the Breeders’ Cup has also brought around alarming disagreement with the two-day event which according to many should be cut down to one the way it was before
2007.
One of the devastated fans suggested the dissolution of the Breeders’ Cup along with the board that runs it as there is hardly a point of driving the event further down the drain. Picking a permanent site for the event has also been proposed as one of the
many solutions, and in case that has to be done there is no other better hub than the centre of the horse racing activity, Churchill Downs. There have been suggestions of splitting the two-day event at two different race courses that serve the requirements
the best.
The whole concept of rotating the event circuit-to-circuit was to increase the fan following and to celebrate the sport’s champions for the year. The ‘world championship’ only is part of the name now as all the time the nominees do not reflect through what
the fans and the crowds have been promised.
One of the counter arguments for the selection of Santa Anita Park is the prime location, within the vicinity of the giant metropolitan, Los Angeles. While the second take is the mild Southern California climate. The political aid in form of the Breeders’
Cup tax breaks helps the selection further.
Furthermore, there are concerns regarding the tight funds when it comes to the marketing of the Breeders’ Cup, tying it down to the same venue cuts down on the altogether new promotion and awareness campaigns. Bearing the fruit of the initial year’s effort
in the next year does not seem to be a bad option for the board of the Breeders’ Cup.
Despite all the up-roar about the final decision of taking the 2013 Breeders’ Cup to Santa Anita for a straight second time, the institute remains firm on their policy of letting out the final verdict only when it has been decided.
Jim Gluckson, A Breeders’ Cup spokesman, said: “it is Breeders’ Cup policy not to comment on host track selection until the process has been completed.”
They should bear in mind that such decisions are not really helping the spirit of the event, and at the end of the day it is due to the fans that the Breeders’ Cup has come all the way and has gained such unbelievable widespread popularity.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: