Congratulations Richard for becoming one of only 21 finalists in the thoroughbred contest. There were over 700 entries in the contest and Richard's entry may still be the winner. The contest ends on Sunday (8/8/2010). Way to go Richard!!!!!!!!
Dusty
Good luck, Richard. I think you have a good chance of winning. Often, on contests like this, one's writing abilities give you an advantage over people that don't write well. Knowledge of horse racing is certainly a must. I forgot to enter the contest. I've always felt that our state governors don't do enough to help this sport. That's how it's been in my state, California.
Alot of the ideas I got were from my trips to the Race Tracks and this web site with some of the inspiration coming from one of our own "HRF Blog: The Making of a Champion Thoroughbred: A Race Horse Owner’s Blog Sat, 02/07/2009 - 5:43pm •by David, aka “dedewhale” (this is a series of blogs that anyone wanting to become an owner should read). I also enlisted a child expert that could provide the insight of what kids would like to see and do when they go to the race track. That person is my 11 year old grandson Michael who has been to the race track once and we worked on some of the ideas together. Like any other contestent, of course I would like to win! I am a fan of the sport and I have to admit I am also a Zenyatta stalker (LOL). One thing that I know for certain is that I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for this great site, the game and the community. This is the first news of my entry and I am not only surprised, I am also humbled to be in this position.
I hope you win! Great to see you have been noticed for the time and effort you put into this contest. I love the 'expert' advice from your son...that's how you get to the bottom of an issue! Great job, Mr. Macias! Good luck in the Finals! (I'd suggest a 3F Handily workout with jockey instructions to go to the front early and not look back!)
HRG did a great job pushing this contest. I agree with Richard that there are a lot of great ideas coming from the community members that could help racing . The one obvious idea is this game and website itself. This site helps new fans discover all the different aspects horse racing has to offer. Here in our community hard core fans meet up with new fans and get take their interest in racing to the next level. Just like football and baseball utilize a interactive game to build and educate their fan base. I read a great article about how the NFL contributes a lot of their current success for bringing in younger fans and educating them so early to Madden Football.
The racing industry is still thinking like it is 1985 not 2010. All the major sports have had great success with gaming platforms .
Congratulations on making the cut!!! If I were a gambling man, I'd toss a deuce on your nose,if you know what I mean. I agree wholeheartedly with winmoney about the education aspect of the game, and the need to draw new, young fans to thoroughbred racing. I wish there could be a website or a gaming platform that would draw millions of new fans to raicng, but I'm not optimistic about the future. The sport is in deep trouble from what I can see, with so many different ways for folks to piss away their hard earned cash (errrr, I mean gaming opportunities), racing has to compete with things like state run Keno for the disposable dollar. Convenience stores don't chage $2 clubhouse admission and $5 for a hot dog, and you can get beer there really cheap. It was bad enough when dog tracks offered 15 or so races a night compared with 8 or 9 for horse tracks. With the current financial crisis, the states don't have a heck of a lot of money to toss at the thoroughbred racing industry, especially when it competes for the gambling dollar with the state lotteries. As far as national exposure is concerned, the sad fact is that the racing that's been seen on national television in the past decade or so has been mostly disappointing at best and filled with more than its share of tragedies, which, in this sport, are too often fatal. Since 1997, seven colts have had a chance to sweep the Triple Crown, and were given the appropriate attention in the media, and all seven were beaten. Combine those disappointments with the televised breakdowns of horses like Charismatic, Pine Island, Eight Belles and Barbaro and you can see why the fan base isn't growing. Racing needs a Triple Crown winner soon, and the odds aren't great for that happening. Please somebody, tell me some good news!! Okay, now that I've said what I had to say, I think I'm going to go jump out of a window.
"May the horse be with you"
the ever plummeting Bird
Followed the instructions and sent my entry from the same e-mail address as I use for this game on July 26th, supposed to take up to 10 days nothing as of Aug. 6th, but I won't mind not getting the points if I win the horse.
I hear that man, congrats on being a finalist. I wish I was better at putting my thoughts onto paper. But I was pretty proud of my input. I really hope you win so I can put some money down on a your ponies. Dude that would be so awesome to have some say so on a horse. Could you imagine if your horse is good enough to race and win, what it would feel like to go down to the winners circle. I am pulling for ya man.
Let me know if you ever get those points, just curious if they actually give them out or they were just pulling our chains to get us to write ideas.
I was recently asked what were the results of the contest
No, I didn't win. The prize (horse) was given to someone that suggested more gambling jackpots to bring in more fans to the tracks.
To me, everything starts with the youngs ones to just enjoy the amimals, pagentry the history and the atmoshpere of experiencing a day at the track and the rest will happen, in time on its own. To me gambling should never be the primary draw in horseracing, especially when trying to build a fan base, especially in these difficult economic times. In Seabiscuits time tens of thousands that did not and could not bet on the horses because of the state of the economy at the time came out just to root and cheer for thier hero. In the process they became horse racing fans. It was nice however to have been included as a finalist in the contest.
The link below shows the winners name and his winning idea to draw more fans to Thoroughbred Horse Racing.
5 weeks 5 hours
None more deserving, way to go Richard!
15 min 32 sec
Good luck, Richard. I think you have a good chance of winning. Often, on contests like this, one's writing abilities give you an advantage over people that don't write well. Knowledge of horse racing is certainly a must. I forgot to enter the contest. I've always felt that our state governors don't do enough to help this sport. That's how it's been in my state, California.
1 min 32 sec
Alot of the ideas I got were from my trips to the Race Tracks and this web site with some of the inspiration coming from one of our own "HRF Blog: The Making of a Champion Thoroughbred: A Race Horse Owner’s Blog Sat, 02/07/2009 - 5:43pm •by David, aka “dedewhale” (this is a series of blogs that anyone wanting to become an owner should read). I also enlisted a child expert that could provide the insight of what kids would like to see and do when they go to the race track. That person is my 11 year old grandson Michael who has been to the race track once and we worked on some of the ideas together. Like any other contestent, of course I would like to win! I am a fan of the sport and I have to admit I am also a Zenyatta stalker (LOL). One thing that I know for certain is that I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for this great site, the game and the community. This is the first news of my entry and I am not only surprised, I am also humbled to be in this position.
1 hour 28 min
A great job done by a classy individual. Congrats Richard, now bring home 1st. Good luck.
16 weeks 5 days
Wow Richard! Congratulations! You must be really excited! We are all rooting for you to win. : )
26 min 54 sec
Gimme a R, Gimme a I, ok that is getting way gay. Great job so far richard, win this thing :)
3 hours 53 min
WTG Richard,congrats! I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope you win the final,it could'nt happen to a nicer guy! ;)
4 hours 20 min
I'm rooting for you Richard!
Way to go!
~~~~~~~~
May they all come home safely!!!
9 hours 20 min
Big Congrats Richard I hope you win the whole thing.
20 hours 50 min
I hope you win! Great to see you have been noticed for the time and effort you put into this contest. I love the 'expert' advice from your son...that's how you get to the bottom of an issue! Great job, Mr. Macias! Good luck in the Finals! (I'd suggest a 3F Handily workout with jockey instructions to go to the front early and not look back!)
;)
"I got lucky in the shed!"
--- Stable Holler ---
12 sec
Nice job,Bigtime Congrats I hope you win and get that horse (pick the right one) LOL....Stan
Whaley's Stables
Home to some of the World's Finest Gin
"At Least Temporarily"
1 year 16 weeks
feel more then free to name the horse after me if ya win it... lucky red is a good name :))
18 hours 43 min
Richard--I am really happy to hear that you are one of the finalists in the contest. I hope you go all the way. You deserve it!!!!
***Sharon, Liberty Racing Stables***
1 week 5 days
Way to represent Richard! Your knowledge should give you a great chance to win.
Beefy
53 min 57 sec
HRG did a great job pushing this contest. I agree with Richard that there are a lot of great ideas coming from the community members that could help racing . The one obvious idea is this game and website itself. This site helps new fans discover all the different aspects horse racing has to offer. Here in our community hard core fans meet up with new fans and get take their interest in racing to the next level. Just like football and baseball utilize a interactive game to build and educate their fan base. I read a great article about how the NFL contributes a lot of their current success for bringing in younger fans and educating them so early to Madden Football.
The racing industry is still thinking like it is 1985 not 2010. All the major sports have had great success with gaming platforms .
6 days 1 hour
That is Awesome Congrats Richard
1 week 1 day
CONGRATS!!!!!!!! What contest?
6 weeks 5 days
Congratulations on making the cut!!! If I were a gambling man, I'd toss a deuce on your nose,if you know what I mean. I agree wholeheartedly with winmoney about the education aspect of the game, and the need to draw new, young fans to thoroughbred racing. I wish there could be a website or a gaming platform that would draw millions of new fans to raicng, but I'm not optimistic about the future. The sport is in deep trouble from what I can see, with so many different ways for folks to piss away their hard earned cash (errrr, I mean gaming opportunities), racing has to compete with things like state run Keno for the disposable dollar. Convenience stores don't chage $2 clubhouse admission and $5 for a hot dog, and you can get beer there really cheap. It was bad enough when dog tracks offered 15 or so races a night compared with 8 or 9 for horse tracks. With the current financial crisis, the states don't have a heck of a lot of money to toss at the thoroughbred racing industry, especially when it competes for the gambling dollar with the state lotteries. As far as national exposure is concerned, the sad fact is that the racing that's been seen on national television in the past decade or so has been mostly disappointing at best and filled with more than its share of tragedies, which, in this sport, are too often fatal. Since 1997, seven colts have had a chance to sweep the Triple Crown, and were given the appropriate attention in the media, and all seven were beaten. Combine those disappointments with the televised breakdowns of horses like Charismatic, Pine Island, Eight Belles and Barbaro and you can see why the fan base isn't growing. Racing needs a Triple Crown winner soon, and the odds aren't great for that happening. Please somebody, tell me some good news!! Okay, now that I've said what I had to say, I think I'm going to go jump out of a window.
"May the horse be with you"
the ever plummeting Bird
28 sec
You are precious. ;-)
Richard won the contest for the least amount of negative posts for July. He wins an apple and a trip to the moon.
~~ Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know. ~~
3 days 11 hours
Richard, did you ever get your 50,000 points for writing the paper.
1 min 32 sec
Followed the instructions and sent my entry from the same e-mail address as I use for this game on July 26th, supposed to take up to 10 days nothing as of Aug. 6th, but I won't mind not getting the points if I win the horse.
3 days 11 hours
I hear that man, congrats on being a finalist. I wish I was better at putting my thoughts onto paper. But I was pretty proud of my input. I really hope you win so I can put some money down on a your ponies. Dude that would be so awesome to have some say so on a horse. Could you imagine if your horse is good enough to race and win, what it would feel like to go down to the winners circle. I am pulling for ya man.
Let me know if you ever get those points, just curious if they actually give them out or they were just pulling our chains to get us to write ideas.
0 sec
Fricking win or what? Its been over 5 weeks since this thread was made. Wheres that fricking free horse?
1 min 33 sec
No, I didn't win. The prize (horse) was given to someone that suggested more gambling jackpots to bring in more fans to the tracks.
To me, everything starts with the youngs ones to just enjoy the amimals, pagentry the history and the atmoshpere of experiencing a day at the track and the rest will happen, in time on its own. To me gambling should never be the primary draw in horseracing, especially when trying to build a fan base, especially in these difficult economic times. In Seabiscuits time tens of thousands that did not and could not bet on the horses because of the state of the economy at the time came out just to root and cheer for thier hero. In the process they became horse racing fans. It was nice however to have been included as a finalist in the contest.
The link below shows the winners name and his winning idea to draw more fans to Thoroughbred Horse Racing.
http://www.racingfuture.com/ideacontest.html
Thank you all that were rooting for me, your support was just as enjoyable as being named a finalist.