Gary Player For Racing Commissioner

Leave it to a golfer to get it!! Gary Player, the professional golfer and thoroughbred breeder, is the first recipient of the Breeder's Cup Sports and Racing Excellence Award. In his acceptance speech, he offered the following advice to owners of the sports superstars: "Don't hide them away. Don't make excuses about tracks. We need these champions to compete against each other."

There are two schools of thought about campaigning a champion in any sport. The first is to take on all comers, in all events and hopefully beat them at their own game. The second is to garner victories by racking up wins against lesser competition--the "winning is a matter of scheduling" attitude.

There is no doubt that both ways are effective. Witness Mine That Bird who qualified for the Kentucky Derby via races in New Mexico. But Player's point is that winning "above the radar" so to speak, in plain view of the fans, is better for the sport as a whole. And when you are a champion, or trying to be a champion, that's the way to go.

Player's comments were directed at the connections of Rachel Alexandra and Sea The Stars, who opted out of the Breeder's Cup. When the sport has a superstar like Rachel, it behooves the sport to show her off at its premiere event. And yes, her star appeal would have taken the Breeder's Cup to a whole new level.

But then again, any owner does have the option of resting his prize horse, especially when she has run a strenuous and public campaign. Note that Jess Jackson does intend, at least at this moment, to race her next year.

I don't believe the Breeder's Cup races will ever have the public appeal of those in the Triple Crown and that may be a combination of history and timing. It is hard to compete with races that have been around forever and that are run in the Spring of the year. The Breeder's Cup is late in the season and it is hard to campaign a horse for the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. It seems to be one series or the other.

Maybe some thought should be give to moving the Breeder's Cup up a bit--closer to the beginning of October than the end. Sort of like major league baseball. We shouldn't be playing the World Series in November and I don't think we should be asking horses who have run the Triple Crown to still be racing in November until we breed them for distance, not speed. It is no wonder that European horses are favored and usually out perform the native ones.

In the meantime, Player's comments do show that he is ideally suited to be a spokesman for the sport. Make that man Commissioner of Racing and let him clean up the mess!