By Perry Lefko
The Board of the Breeders' Cup World Championships will meet later this month to talk about tracks that could potentially host the event from 2019-22 and also discuss the possibility of adding another race.
Fred Hertrich III, voted in as the Breeders' Cup Chairman last September, told the TDN that six tracks have expressed tentative interest in hosting the event after this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs, November 2-3. All six have been sent letters of tentative interest. Hertrich said when the Breeders' Cup Ltd. hears back from the tracks, it will send out contracts outlining all the details, dates and demands to be considered and see how many respond.
“We want to have a four-year plan so we know exactly where we're going to go,” Hertrich said. “We have sent out what we expect with our product as a racing event and a lifestyle event, and [asked] can they develop this into a contract? There's no event that we have had that we don't take every minute detail into account to improve the event.”
He said before moving ahead with considering racetracks beyond this year, the Board wanted to see how Del Mar did as a track hosting the event for the first time. He said the Board was specifically interested in Del Mar's ability to produce a safe environment for the horses, handle customer satisfaction and create enthusiasm in the community around the event.
“It exceeded expectations as the event we wanted to create as a lifestyle event with [high] quality of racing and the safety of animals,” he said. “It delivered on all fronts, so we're happy with that.”
Hertrich said that the experience for horsemen and racegoers alike remains paramount, no matter which track is chosen.
“In other words, did we get complaints from trainers about the barn areas?” he said. “Did we get complaints from jockeys and trainers about the track? Did we get complaints from patrons about their experience? The one thing we never get complaints about is the quality of the races. They love the races. They love the World Championships.
“We have worked on integrity to make sure we work with the particular jurisdiction, and we may even ask for a change in their rules to make sure it meets the criteria that the Breeders' Cup demands. We want to take each event and make it better. If we're going to go back to a track, we want these areas addressed.”
Hertrich did not want to disclose which race is being considered to be added to the current list–only that it will likely be oversubscribed because of interest put forward by trainers, owners and breeders.
“This Board as well as [Breeders' Cup Chief Executive Officer and President] Craig Fravel and his management team is not a status quo group,” he said. “What we're trying to do is make sure that we are constantly working on providing a world-class horse-racing event and world-class lifestyle event.
“The Board and its makeup now is very entrepreneurial–it's very progressive and is looking at things in terms of how our product is going to look in the future. Because we did it this way five years ago does not mean we're going to do it this way now or in the future.
“As the Chairman I'm kind of the moderator, but with some new people that have gotten involved, this is the direction they desire to go. I'm not saying it wasn't there before. I think the thing we maybe haven't done enough in our industry is consult with owners and breeders. We haven't asked them for input. We haven't asked them to participate. We haven't asked them to give us ideas, and they are the greatest minds in the world in all industries. It's amazing.
“When you put these people in a room or in environments and you ask them questions, the ideas just keep evolving. I'm always questioning. I want to learn. I want to listen.”
Hertrich said the Breeders' Cup Ltd. wants to make its annual event the most relevant horse racing and lifestyle event in the minds of people, some of whom may currently look upon the Kentucky Derby as this event when asked about Thoroughbred racing. He said it's imperative to keep racing in the nationwide sports dialogue all year round and not just during the Triple Crown.
“Every major sport has a championship and everything flows to that,” he said. “You have to go the championships and that has to be your hallmark product, in my mind. The only people that write about it or go to the races [after the Triple Crown] are the people involved in the industry. We don't keep any long-range interest going. We need to keep it going all year to culminate with the Breeders' Cup World Championships and then go from there to the next year of its new heroes and champions.”
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