Really? do we need this........ Breeder's Cup "purple" carpet etc.

This week we once again look back at the Breeder's Cup Championship day with the feature race of the card; the Breeder's Cup Classic, which was showcased in prime time television on the NBC Network. After a day of somewhat fragmented coverage on it's sports network, the biggest race of the year was presented in a rather different and interesting way.

Now the "hardcore" gamblers like myself and my friends on E-street, just want to see the racing coverage from a wagering point of view. The "fluff" that surrounds Kentucky Derby coverage the first Saturday in May is one thing. Generally, the Derby has a wider audience from the years of that race being the largest recognized thoroughbred event of the year. It showcases the young three year old runners trying something that some may never do again; race the classic distance of a mile and a quarter. The 20 runners are equal in may ways and the stories from how each got there are interesting. But when it comes to a older handicap horses racing in the Breeder's Cup Classic, these horses already have a story from their races during the year in the handicap and stakes events.

Did we really need, Access Hollywood 's Billy Bush doing a "entertainment tonight" like pre-show focusing on celebrity interviews with crazy zany stories that rather poked fun at thoroughbred racing on a big stage. Or adding E! News - Catt Sadler also doing celebrity interviews and reports from the Breeders' Cup "purple carpet? Now, I have no problem with Toni Braxton singing the National Anthem, but I really could have done without; Kristin Chenoweth singing, the "Breeder's Cup anthem" - The Best is Yet to Come when the horses entered the track. First, I didn't know that the Breeder's Cup had a theme song and second, what was the purpose for a song anyway? There have been 29 running's of the classic, none of them need a song before, why now?

I'm an "old school" type when it comes to the way long standing sport events are presented. Whether it's Major League Baseball playoffs with just the divisional winners and no wildcard or just 64 teams (no more) vying for NCAA Basketball Championship. Just present the event the way it's always been done, without all the pomp and circumstance to attract other viewers. The viewer base, just wants to see the races. Both NBC and ABC have sacrificed races before the Belmont Stakes in year's past for all the "fluff". The Manhattan Handicap was excluded from the broadcast and never seen because of other less important and insignificant non-race stories.

I guess in today's environment, the networks need all the non-essential stuff to give thoroughbred racing the time of day. But even with it, this year's Breeder's Cup viewer ship was down significantly. This isn't good for the sport on the big stage of presentation. With technology on the internet, maybe watching thoroughbred racing for the "hardcore" players like me on network television isn't needed anymore. But, it's my opinion that the way NBC showed this year's classic race will not draw more people to the sport. And unfortunately, I see the coverage of thoroughbred racing on the major networks decreasing in the future if the ratings continue to fall. Much like the extended Saratoga race meet of the past few years, the fans come and watch for one reason. That is to wagering, not for the other "fluff"!