Coming Soon - The National HBPA Online Store!

The National HBPA has embarked upon the establishment of a retail online store that will offer a variety of HBPA branded clothing apparel and promotional products. The purpose of the retail store is twofold:

1. To make clothing and other products that bear the logo of either the National HBPA or your local HBPA available to the over 35,000 HBPA owners and trainers across North America.
2. All profits will be donated to the National HBPA Foundation, our tax-exempt organization, created under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to accept tax-deductible charitable contributions. The Foundation was established in 1956 and provides financial support for horsemen and horsewomen who are in demonstrated need of assistance.

The store will initially offer about a dozen products that were selected with the active lifestyle of horse owners and trainers in mind. Products offered will include short and long sleeved t-shirts, crewneck sweatshirts, hooded pullover sweatshirts, polo shirts, knot hats, baseball hats, and barn jackets. Samples of these products will be displayed at the National HBPA convention in Hot Springs, Arkansas in March. Representatives from your HBPA will be able to see the quality of merchandise that has been selected.

In addition to the standard merchandise available, custom orders for other products not “on the shelf” can be quoted before ordering. Once the store is launched and operational, we have every intention to expand the merchandise in the store based upon demand and customer preferences.

While we will be purchasing goods at wholesale prices, and based upon volume taking advantage of quantity discounts, we will add a small but reasonable profit in order to continue to fund the good work of the National HBPA Assistance Committee. This committee meets regularly to consider requests from affiliated HBPAs for assistance from the National HBPA Foundation’s funds to those HBPA’s general membership.

You will notice that the HBPA logo on the sample merchandise is generic. It does not identify the National HBPA or your local HBPA. We intend to add the appropriate line depending upon who is ordering and for what purpose. We are hopeful that in addition to individual orders, local affiliates will order in quantities to either have immediate product available at your local office or to be used in promotional activities like “Owners Appreciation Day” or similar celebrations/events. Certainly, the store will be a wonderful place to do all of your Christmas shopping. We will offer each product in both men’s and women’s sizes.

We have assurance from our screen printer/embroiderer that orders from “stock” items will be processed immediately and delivered in a very timely manner. An adequate level of inventory will be maintained in order to insure this guarantee. Quotations for custom products will be processed in 24 hours or less. Once the custom order has been placed, it will be shipped in two weeks or less.

The National HBPA will constantly add products, improve and/or upgrade the quality of the merchandise, and operate the store with customer satisfaction as its number one priority.
We all have a drawer (or more than one) full of logo t-shirts. There is probably not one that has an HBPA logo on it because we have never made them available to you. Now you will have the opportunity to add an HBPA logo item to your wardrobe.

More importantly, though, you will be making a small contribution to the National HBPA Foundation with each purchase. Over the last five years, the National HBPA Foundation has provided assistance to horsemen and horsewomen in the amount of $850,000. That amount included relief for those in Louisiana who were negatively affected by Hurricane Katrina.

No state or those who participate in its horse industry are immune from damages caused by hurricanes, floods, fires, tornados, quarantines, and other calamities. The National HBPA Foundation has provided financial assistance to those who have suffered such unexpected losses and, in many cases, is directly responsible for helping them return to training and racing.

The purchase of any product in the store gives you the opportunity to participate in the longstanding and dedicated HBPA motto of “horsemen helping horsemen.”

All you have to do is log on to the National HBPA website, locate the HBPA Store tab, select the products that you want, fill your shopping cart, and checkout. Leave the rest up to us!

For a limited time, all orders will be entitled to an automatic entry into a raffle, and the prize will be air travel, lodging, and tickets to all activities at the 2011 Claiming Crown at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana in early December of 2011. The winner will be selected at the 2011 National HBPA summer convention.

In closing, please place an order or ask your local HBPA office to place an order for you. If every one of the 35,000 HBPA members orders just one item, it will not only benefit the charitable National HBPA Foundation, but you will proudly be promoting not only your local HBPA, but the National HBPA.

Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies Continues Sponsorship of National HBPA

Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies has again renewed its sponsorship of National HBPA, the largest racing horsemen’s representative association in North America.

Established in 1977 and family-owned and operated, Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies offers over 20,000 name brand, top quality products developed by horse enthusiasts for horse enthusiasts.

National HBPA President & Chairman Joe Santanna said, “We are excited about Big Dee’s continued support of the National HBPA and the over 35,000 horsemen we represent. Many of our members purchase products and supplies from Big Dee’s, and we encourage those who never have to consider supporting a company that has shown sustained support for our organization and its programs and services.”

Serving the equine community for almost 30 years, Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies specializes in race supplies and carries an extensive line of horse health care items. In addition, the company carries extensive product lines for all equine disciplines – a testament to the company’s efforts to be a convenient, one-stop shopping destination for horsemen and women.

Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies is based in Streetsboro, Ohio, where the company runs a 12,000-square foot retail store attached to its warehouse. In addition, customers can shop via telephone at 1-800-321-2142 or on the web at www.bigdweb.com. A complete product line catalog and a specific racing product catalog are available upon request.

Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies prides itself on its top-notch customer service and its affordable prices. One way the company achieves the best service possible is by employing telephone operators with varying backgrounds in the equine industry so that one can be found to help with any customers’ special needs. In addition, Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies takes great pride in its speedy service and tries to keep all of its merchandise in stock for immediate delivery. Moreover, at least 90 percent of in-stock orders placed by 3:00 p.m. are shipped the same day.

According to Brenda Miavitz, general manager of Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies, “We are happy to be partners with the National HBPA again for another year. Please join us on Facebook or see our website for continual new offers on products.”

Race For Education Forms New Alliances and Offers More Options

National HBPA to Administer Horseman's Scholarship Program

With ten potential scholarship opportunities offered by the Race For Education (RFE) in 2011, students’ dreams of obtaining a college education just got a little closer. Despite a tough economic climate, The Race For Education raised over $835,000 in 2010 and anticipates maintaining the same level of awards throughout 2011.

One of the newest RFE scholarship additions includes an alliance with the National Horseman’s Benevolence and Protective Association (National HBPA) in administering the Horseman’s Scholarship Program. Students are eligible for up to $6,000 per year and the National HBPA will help promote the program directly through over 30 National HBPA affiliates representing over 35,000 horsemen and horsewomen across North America. This outreach will be done one-on-one at the HBPA affiliate level as well as through the National HBPA’s official magazine, The Horseman’s Journal, and electronically via social media (National HBPA Blog, Facebook page, and Twitter feed).

The National HBPA Education Committee will also serve as the selection committee with the participation of Elisabeth Jensen, President and Executive Director and Selection Committee Chairman, John Ward. The application deadline for this scholarship has been extended to April 15, 2011.

Also new in 2011 is the $20,000 XpressBet scholarship for a student to attend the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, the $5000 John Deere Scholarship for an agriculture major and the Frankel Scholarship, in honor of the late hall of fame trainer, Bobby Frankel, sponsored by his estate. The RFE will continue to offer the Thoroughbred, ASHADO, KEEP and Washington Thoroughbred Scholarships, as well as the Winner’s Circle Program scholarship for third-year equine veterinary students. On a sad note, the Fleet Indian Scholarship will be renamed the Olivia M. Saylor Scholarship in memory of RFE board member, Paul Saylor’s daughter who was tragically killed in a fire on New Year’s Day, 2011.

To further our mission of enabling young people of equine industry families as well as those who want to pursue an equine-related or agricultural career, $40,000 has been committed to the Horse Farm Workers' Educational Assistance Fund for scholarships in Kentucky and $80,000 has been committed to the New York Youth Outreach Program, the Kentucky Youth Outreach Program and a partnership with the Belmont Child Care Association’s Anna House to offer a program that benefits elementary students in the Elmont, New York area.

Scholarship application deadline for most scholarships is Monday, February 28, 2011. For further application information, contact the RFE office at (859) 252-8648 or go online to www.raceforeducation.org.

Discounted Early Registration & Guaranteed Hotel Group Rate for National HBPA Winter Convention in Hot Springs Ends This Thursday

It is not too late to qualify for discounted early registration for the National HBPA's 2011 Spring convention, which will be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas from March 17-21. The convention will be hosted by the Arkansas HBPA at the Embassy Suites in Hot Springs. Discounted early registration will continue at a rate of $350.00 per person (and $175.00 for spouses/significant others) through this Thursday, February 17th. After that time, registration will go up to $375.00 per person.

Individual hotel reservations at the Embassy Suites must be made by February 17, 2011 to get the group rates. Room rates and availability cannot be guaranteed if you do not make timely reservations.

In addition to association meetings and informational speaker forums, events will include:

• Welcome cocktail party
• Oaklawn Park's Chaplain's Dinner & Fundraiser (optional)
• Day at the races at the Oaklawn Park sponsored by Oaklawn Jockey Club
• Arkansas HBPA Dinner Dance

Click here for a registration form, and here for a credit card authorization form if you would like to pay by credit card.

Cancellations are accepted with no charge until February 17. There will be a $50.00 cancellation fee for any cancellations received February 18 through March 3. There will be no refunds for cancellations received after March 3.

Rates for the convention at the Embassy Suites will be (rates before 13% tax per night):

• Single - $184.00
• Double - $194.00
• Triple - $204.00
• Quad - $214.00

To make reservations, either click here to register at the National HBPA's customized page or call 1-800-HILTON. Be sure to mention "National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association" to secure the group rate.

All attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations.

Details: Room guarantee, 1 night deposit is required; Early check-out will incur a $75.00 charge; To cancel your reservation, please do so 3 days in advance to avoid any charges and to get your deposit back. You should receive the above quoted rates three days before and after scheduled convention dates. If not, please contact Laura Plato at the National HBPA.

Note: The nearest major airport is in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is 50 miles from Hot Springs. Thus, please be sure to make your rental car reservations well in advance to make sure the airport has enough available cars.

Louisiana HBPA Members: Make Sure We Have Your Current Address So You Receive Your Election Ballot!

The Louisiana HBPA's process to elect a new Board of Directors and President-Chairman is currently underway. The slate of candidates has been set, and election packets will be mailed by TrueBallot, Inc. in early March. The election packets include the ballot, candidate’s biographies, and a prepaid postage return envelope.

The ballot must be properly completed and received at the post office in New Orleans by March 31, 2011 to be counted in the election. We urge all members of the Louisiana HBPA to participate.

It is essential that the Louisiana HBPA has all members' correct, current address on file so that you will receive your ballot. Time is of the essence because there will be no second ballots handed out or re-mailed, as has been the case in the past.

If you are not sure whether the Louisiana HBPA has your current address, please check with the Horsemen's Bookkeeper's office by calling (504) 945-1555.

NOTE: If you have questions about the election, call the Louisiana HBPA at (504) 945-1555 or email them at lahbpa@lahbpa.org.

How Bad Is Racing Marketed? Dismal If the Harris Poll of Favorite Sports Is Any Indicator

by Richard E. Glover, Jr., National HBPA Director of Communications

On January 20th, Harris Interactive released the results of a poll in which it asked people, "If you had to choose, which ONE of these sports would you say is your favorite?" The easy winner in this poll - no surprise - was pro football, with 31%. Baseball was a distant second with 17%, and college football was the only other sport that earned over 10%, ranking as the favorite of 12% of the responders. Horse racing, on the other hand, was languishing in an embarrassing tie for 14th place with boxing, women's tennis, and swimming with a whopping 1%.

Click here to see the whole poll. 

To put the poll's numbers in perspective, half as many people chose horse racing as their favorite sport as chose bowling. Moreover, only three sports on the poll - women's , which was started in 1985, have experienced a decline of more than 2% on the poll since 1985. Those three are baseball (6%) due in large part to a labor strike, men's tennis (3%), and horse racing (3%).

And the numbers for several sports could have been lower if some newer sports like mixed martial arts were included in the poll. After all, that is the fastest growing sport on the planet right now.

Frankly, I'm a little surprised and disappointed that the release of the results of this poll did not seem to bother more of the racing media and bloggers. I thought the poll was a telling and important indictment on the leaders of our industry's refusal to work together and change with the times.

The only consolation in looking at the poll results is that the question required respondents to pick only one favorite sport. So many respondents that chose other sports as their favorite could at least be interested in horse racing.

The popularity of sports over time are a function of many things, but there is no question in today's world that effective marketing can play a huge role in increasing a sport's popularity. Whether is is through advertising campaigns, effective media and public relations that land positive articles in the media, or effective use of tools like social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) to drum up grass roots popularity and give fans more interaction and buy in, marketing helps shape the size and loyalty of every sport's fan base.

If this Harris poll is any indicator, horse racing is clearly failing in its marketing efforts. And we have been failing for some time. Not only are we not gaining ground on competing sports, but we continue to lose ground to many of them.

Sadly, it can't be much of a surprise to anyone paying close attention. After all, most of the sports that have been most successful in using marketing to gain popularity have a league office with authority and some centralized marketing efforts. Racing, instead, generally lives by the axiom, "Every man for himself."

When the NTRA was formed in 1997, it was supposed to function as somewhat of a league office and be a central marketing arm for the sport. And it tried for a while. There was the "Go Baby Go!" advertising campaign featuring Lori Petty that was soundly panned by the racing industry but was better received by outsiders (i.e. the people to whom we needed to be marketing). And the NTRA created ads that its member tracks could tag with their own logos/information. Some tracks thought this was great and took full advantage of it, and others continued using their own campaigns instead of trying a more uniform approach.

In the end, NTRA members kept demanding changes in the NTRA that led to a drifting from the original focus of marketing to other areas. Today, the NTRA still tries to do some industry marketing, but with a much smaller budget and staff than it had at one time. Moreover, it is a league office in title only, as it has no authority over its members or the industry it is marketing.

Clearly, the industry's every-man-for-himself approach has been and continues to be a failure. The NTRA's efforts aren't enticing fans in droves. Most racetracks continue to see falling attendance and handle year after year, and those that don't are mostly tracks that are propped up by some other form of gaming like slots or poker or full casinos that have become the primary draw over the actual live racing. The breeders organizations aren't doing any better, and thanks to the falling wagering handle most places, they are having to do more with less as their budgets and programs (and often personnel) are slashed.

The horsemen's associations make some marketing efforts, but most are non-profits with the specific purpose of serving the needs and protecting the rights of their local horsemen. Thus, they typically have small or non-existent marketing budgets. And many have seen their budgets hit hard by the downturn in wagering over recent years.

So can horse racing gain back any of the market share it has been consistently losing over the last 25 years? Yes, it can. But it will take something our industry is terrible at - cooperation and putting the good of the whole over the good of each party's own little piece of the racing industry pie. We have to let the NTRA or some other entity act as the national marketing body of horse racing, developing a consistent marketing strategy for the sport that is applied both nationally and locally. There will need to be consistent messaging, the use of every imaginable marketing platform (the NTRA should get credit for already attempting to gain some traction with every marketing platform commonly used these days), and enough money allotted by the industry for these efforts to give the campaigns a chance to succeed (including hiring marketing experts that have a proven track record of success with other sports or businesses outside of racing and actually letting them do their job - we have to remember that these campaigns will be targeted at marketing to non-racing fans trying to get them interested, not at making our current racing fans and leaders like the campaigns).

If we can increase our market share through more effective marketing, all facets of our industry will benefit. More fans mean higher attendance, higher wagering, and higher television ratings. Those lead to higher purses and eventually a stronger bloodstock market. They lead to more companies interested in sponsoring races and racing organizations and events and advertising in racing publications.

A truly successful national marketing campaign can yield tremendous benefits that could help decrease racing's dependence in so many places on money from other forms of gambling. After all, state legislatures can continue to whittle away at the percentage of alternative gaming money that go to racing in their states. It would be a lot more difficult to take away money racing earns for itself through new fans and direct wagering on its live product.

Conversely, if the horse racing industry continues down its current path with no true central marketing body, we are likely to continue to slip in popularity until we completely fall of the rankings in the Harris poll (much like women's professional and women's college basketball have). Is it really acceptable to fall FURTHER behind sports like bowling? I, for one, certainly believe it is not.

Report on Exchange Wagering Panel from Recent National Council of Legislators from Gaming States Meeting

by Joe Santanna, National HBPA President and Chairman

I wish to share with you the information that was presented at the recent National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) 2011 Winter meeting, along with my related reactions and reflections.

The theme of the meeting was focused on gaming expansion and competition and explored three very topical issues: exchange wagering, internet gaming, and intrastate gaming.

Framing each topic within what I consider to be a basic economic and financial premise – there is a finite pool of wagering resources – I cannot help but defend the horse racing industry by asserting that the addition of either (or all) exchange wagering, internet gaming, or intrastate gaming will cannibalize pari-mutuel wagering.  The wagering pool will not expand.  Simply my point of view, what do you think?

Betfair informed the attendees that it has three million customers who produce eight million transactions per day - more than the New York Stock Exchange.  Betfair charges a “commission” only to the winner of each bet.   This was a revelation to me.  As you well know, pari-mutuel wagering charges “take-out” on every bet; both winners and losers contribute to the racing industry’s revenue base.  So our parallel revenue streams are a blended 20% takeout on all pari-mutuel wagering compared to a yet-to-be-determined percentage on perhaps a 5% commission from only the winning wager.  Thus, naturally, we must ask: where do we “break-even,” the point at which the lost pari-mutuel wagering at much higher rates of return to the industry equals wagering volume created by exchange betting at much lower rates of return to the industry?  Interestingly enough, no such pro-forma financial data exists. Nevertheless, California has passed exchange wagering legislation, and New Jersey is in the process of also doing so.  Isn’t this the proverbial cart before the horse (pun intended!)?

It was also reported by Betfair that “in-play/in-game” wagering (the wagering concept new to the pari-mutuel model) represents approximately 25% of all wagers.  Is that where new wagers will occur?  Will this be our net gain”?  Can we re-think how we process this new wagering within the confines of our existing concept of wagering integrity and security?  Is this how we capture the younger age group into our fan base?  Is this how we convert wagers that contribute less to racing into wagers that will contribute more to racing?  Lots of questions, some with hopeful outcomes.

The California legislation has not yet been launched because the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) has been given until May of 2012 to write the regulations for exchange wagering.  Surely all racing stakeholders in California will be involved in that process.  The bill sunsets in 2015 and tracks (and presumably the Thoroughbred Owners of California and California Thoroughbred Trainers) have veto rights to engaging in exchange wagering (opting out) once the regulations have been written.

It was also reported that during the New Jersey examination of exchange wagering legislation, that state considered single pool wagering, off-track betting (OTB) in bars, instant racing, and other similar wagering opportunities.  New Jersey's gaming and racing industries are under the pressure of a five year, 37% decline in Atlantic City gambling and a very possible elimination of the New Jeresy casino subsidy of purses that has endured for the last ten years.  An interesting side note to the “in-process” exchange wagering bill is a pari-mutuel wagering revenue sharing allocation formula based upon breed specific wagering whereby wagers on Thoroughbred racing, no matter where taken in New Jersey, benefits the Thoroughbred racing industry, and similarly so on the Standardbred side.  Finally, New Jersey may only start with win, place, and show wagering in its exchange wagering platform before it considers adding in-play or “wagers to lose.”  On the lighter side, my handicapping skills could be considered “wagering to lose” within our pari-mutuel system.

The CPA in me wonders how legislation in one state has already been passed and in another state is seriously being considered without any pro forma financial projections to support it.  If the premise is that there is no precedent on which to base it, then once again the industry will be asked to “trust” that it will result in a “net gain.”  Certainly,  a U.S. dominant pari-mutuel based wagering platform cannot be compared with a UK dominant “book” based wagering environment.   

I keep an open mind about exchange wagering because anything that improves the economics of our industry is worth considering.  Furthermore, my many conversations over several years with the Betfair management team have been positive and relatively transparent.  If it attracts a younger fan base - a notion we all agree has been elusive yet important to the future of our sport - it has merit.  If it promises a “net revenue gain” that is measurable and sustainable, then a careful examination and the conduct of due diligence should precede - not follow - legislation.  We should have learned from the simulcast “more is better” hypothesis that scrutiny of the long-term effect is essential and paramount to this decision making process.

We have learned from the OTB and advanced deposit wagering (ADW) expansion to our sport that while the promise of new players was the impetus to embark into those areas, we simply made it more convenient for the “on-track” player to wager closer to home or at home.  In essence, we have substituted the most profitable revenue source to the industry, the on-track wager, for the least profitable revenue source to the industry, the off-track wager.  It is no wonder that the emergence of exchange wagering is met with trepidation.   Should racing accept yet another form of wagering that becomes the next “only growing revenue source” in the industry where the “increase” does not positively affect the very sport that produces it?

We should be able to disagree at this point and use the uncertainty that exists as the impetus to work together to solve the mystery that surrounds the issue.

Will exchange wagering drive more fans away from the magnificence and excitement of the “live” race at the track?  What do you think?

I will address the other two gaming expansion topics - internet gaming and intrastate gaming - in a future blog post.  Thanks for taking the time to read my recollection of the presentations from the panelists and my interpretation of their remarks.

We need to be sure that as we stand on the track and look into the tunnel that it is the other end of the tunnel that we see, and not the train a 'comin'.

Arkansas HBPA Director Lamberth Resigns Post to Accept Appointment to Arkansas Racing Commission

Arkansas HBPA Director Mark Lamberth has resigned from the Arkansas HBPA Board Of Directors because Governor Mike Beebe has appointed him to the Arkansas Racing Commission.  The Commission in Arkansas consists of five members, each appointed to a five-year staggered term. 

Mark said his appointment was bittersweet for him because he had enjoyed his service on the Arkansas HBPA Board very much.  He also commented on how many friends he had made in this business while attending National HBPA meetings. 

Bill Walmsley, president of Arkansas HBPA, was very happy with this appointment although Mark will be missed on the Board.  Walmsley said, "It is a paramount importance that people be appointed to our Racing Commissions who have a good knowledge of this industry.  As a Thoroughbred owner and active HBPA official, Mark has an excellent background in the industry."

The appointment was effective on Saturday, January 29, 2011.