Columnist Ralph Siraco: Horse racing takes full advantage of new millennium

Ralph Siraco

Monday, Dec. 21, 1998 | 11:38 a.m.

RALPH SIRACO is turf editor of the SUN. His column appears Mondays and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Friday.

T'is the season.

Each year in early December, leaders from all walks of the racing industry converge on Tucson, Ariz., from a summit on the state of the Sport of Kings at the annual Symposium of Racing.

While loved ones are trimming the tree and shopping in the malls of America, racing centers of the world are nestled in the Southwest resort town to discuss, display, discount and deploy ideas and game plans for the future of racing.

The symposium grew from a first-year gathering of a limited number of racetrack executives and a few panels of discussions at the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program to this year's 25th Silver Celebration at the luxurious Loews Ventana Canyon Resort at the foot of the picturesque Tucson mountain range.

From a hundred or so charter attendees in 1973 to over this year's thousand-plus of racing's top guns, the symposium has grown into a five-day convention that has shaped the future of racing and continues to be the place to ply the cutting edge of racing's progress. It is truly the one place each year that assembles every aspect of the racing industry.

Race track leaders share time with vendors who are displaying the latest in services, technology, concepts and promotions, in addition to annual meetings within the industry to plan and implement the sport's future offerings.

And, that's good for people like you and me. The players, fans and potential players and fans.

The highlight of this year's symposium was the first-year report of the industry's new national marketing and coordinating office -- The National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

The NTRA was launched at this very symposium last year as the racing industry's "league office" for the sport. It's initial mission was to "brand" the sport in a plan to bring racing to the masses with a central national presence -- a la NASCAR, NBA, NFL. It's controversial campaign of "Go Baby Go" delivered to the world through radio and television commercials by actress Lori Petty, had the convention hall at standing room only for this year's offering.

Buoyed by significant and widespread increases in handle (monies wagered through Pari-mutual co-mingling) at racetracks throughout the country, advances in technologies and the anticipation of the launch of at least one Racing Network in the coming year, the NTRA benefited by the atmosphere of increased industry cooperation and optimism for it's second-year presentation.

"Go Baby Go" stayed, Lori did not.

The new advertising campaign for 1999 features actor Rip Torn (recently of the Larry Sanders Show) and a younger actor in a variety of entertaining and humorous television ads. The thrust of the spots features a veteran racing fan opening the world of racing to his younger counterpart. The funny bridge gapped by the pair will certainly attract attention and hopefully -- for racing and the NTRA -- encourage a cross of new fans to racing next year.

Along with the advertising campaign, the NTRA reported on all aspects of it's reach throughout the industry and racing's positioning for the next millennium.

The "branding" of racing was furthered by the announcement of NTRA Properties, an entity that will offer a line of designer merchandise in the models of the lucrative sales from other leagues like the NFL, etc. The products of the sport and the revenues driven by the venture will help offset the growing expenses of the NTRA and it's projects.

Other NTRA announcements included:

Corporate sponsorships of AT&T and Gallery Furniture with an additional pair of national sponsors to be reveled soon.

The inaugural "NTRA Champions on Fox" television series. Five Grade I races linked to a $5 million bonus system for any horse sweeping the Donn Handicap on 1/30, Santa Anita Handicap on 3/6, Hollywood Gold Cup on 6/27, Whitney Handicap on 8/1 and the Pacific Classic on 8/29.

The Jockey's Guild as a contributing member, as well as sponsorship of the Daily Racing Form, and Equibase plus the Jockey Club as official suppliers.

For Internet website users, the NTRA Web site (www.ntraracing.com) will be redesigned to add new interactive elements and services plus links to all other racing sites providing a portal for racing information. The re-launch is scheduled for the last quarter of 1999, just in time for the Triple Crown chase.

Although the NTRA's plate is ambitiously full for it's second year of existence, there is every reason to believe this energetic and focused organization will meet it's objectives.

Two exciting developments from symposium vendors include the expansion and increased coverage of the You Bet computer racing network.

The private Internet network provides subscribers with every item of information for a day at the races that includes legalized in-home wagering. Jockey Chris McCarron was on hand to demonstrate how easy the system operates.

The other development is the January 1999 launch of the Racing Network. Not to be confused with the Television Games Network, that is also expected to launch over cable systems in 1999, The Racing Network will be available nationwide after the first of the year. A one-time purchase of the direct satellite dist (about $330) and a monthly subscription fee of less than $15 per month will allow customers uninterrupted racing action from morning until night. The system is available in Las Vegas and the network plans to launch with four channels television eight tracks covering dog racing, standardbred (harness) and thoroughbred racing. Initially, there will be no Southern California, New York or Florida signals beamed.

All in all, the next millennium looks like more than the turn of a century for racing.