As racing attempts to restore its image through press statements regarding drug offenses and fatal injuries, along with tighter police work and stiffer penalties for cheaters, perhaps it is time to allow the horses to help by focusing on their popularity and creating the same kind of emotional bond with the public that existed years ago. It will never again reach that level, but hopefully the Secretariat “Vox Populi” Award can become more important each year in bringing out the human interest and feel-good stories and create new equine heroes. ~ Steve Haskin
Popularity of Horses Could Boost Racing’s Image
By Steve Haskin
As racing becomes less popular, in some ways it makes the Secretariat Vox Populi Award more popular. That is because popularity is one of the important elements that will keep the sport alive 20 years from now, as it attempts to encourage new fans and bring back the old fans who have deserted it for a variety of reasons. Right now the sport is attempting to survive under the constant firestorm ignited by the anti-racing activists in the wake of several recent horrific and injuries. By showcasing the positive aspect of racing through its heart and soul it is hoped the Vox Populi Award will continue to grab hold of people’s emotions and strengthen their bond with the horses that has existed for centuries.
We no longer have the iconic heroes of the past who achieve national stardom like Kelso or Seabiscuit or Secretariat or Man o’ War, all of whom possessed the power to lure people to the racetrack in droves. The popular horses we do have today are pretty much seen by the public on TV and computer screens or on their cell phones. They no longer are the powerful live physical entities they once were.
Gone are the days when racing fans packed the grandstand, many of them carrying binoculars to enable them see the horses and their glistening coats and all the action up close. Gone are the days of spending an afternoon at the track in the fresh air with the intoxicating (to me) smell of cigars, mustard, and beer wafting through the grandstand. Gone is the camaraderie between horseplayers as they share their victories and defeats with whoever is in ear shot. There were no Rainbow Pick 6 wagers, not even exactas; just win, place, and show and one daily double on the first and second race to encourage bettors to get to the track early. We not only knew all the stakes horses, but were fans of our favorite allowance horses and claimers as well.
There was something special about waking up on a Saturday morning knowing that Kelso or Buckpasser was running that day or that Damascus and Dr. Fager were about to clash in what promised to be another epic showdown. That was followed by the “Golden Decade” of the ‘70s with its parade of all-time great superstars and Triple Crown winners. Racing was thriving, bringing in new fans looking for new sports heroes to worship.
Then in the 21st century it all changed. You have to remember that racing lost perhaps its most powerful public relations weapon when newspapers as a whole starting becoming obsolete, and those that have survived have pretty much eliminated its coverage of horse racing. The sport no longer had the likes of Red Smith, Jim Murray, Damon Runyon, Edwin Pope, Whitney Tower, Grantland Rice and other nationally known sports journalists to promote racing and its equine stars and bring in new fans.
Those who used to run the sport never had to do much from an innovative aspect to promote it. Racing sold itself and its equine heroes were plentiful. They were known affectionately as Big Red, Kelly, Big Cy, The Biscuit, The Admiral, Mr Longtail, Old Bones, The Chocolate Soldier, and The Gray Ghost, just to name a few. That kind of intimacy between the horses and fans no longer exists. Today, the stars of the sport make far fewer appearances on the stage. With their lack of identity they are unable to attain the popularity of their predecessors.
The sport also had virtually no major obstacles back then. With no competition from other gambling outlets; with no corporate raiders threatening the survival of major racetracks; with no profit-craving companies running the sport; with no speed-seeking owners looking for instant gratification to weaken the breed; and without the powerful lure of dollar signs from stallion-happy stud farms, racing was allowed to go about its business undisturbed by outside forces, and the horses allowed to do what they were born to do, which is race.
Most of them were homebreds, who were born, raised, broken, and trained in one place under the watchful eye of their breeders until it was time to ship to the racetrack. Their childhood was pretty much carefree and they were allowed to mature and grow into their bones, which were much stronger than the horses of today. Stamina was not a dirty word as it is today, and in fact was coveted by breeders looking for classic horses and future stallions. After their racing careers many horses were returned to their place of birth to stand at stud. It wasn’t until 1967 that a magnificent-looking yearling later to be named Majestic Prince gained headlines as the highest-priced yearling sold at public auction when he was purchased by Frank McMahon for $250,000.
When Majestic Prince won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness it sent buyers dashing off to the sales. But The Prince, who was by the fast but unsound Raise a Native, never made it past the Belmont. It was his arch rival from the Triple Crown, Arts and Letters, a son of the strong-boned and major stamina influence Ribot, who turned the tables in the Belmont and went on to be named Horse of the Year and elected to the Hall of Fame.
From the new popularity of the yearling sales eventually came the growth of the 2-year-olds sales where young horses whose bones were still not fully grown were asked to work an eighth of a mile in under 10 seconds and a quarter-mile in under :21 seconds, which is totally unnatural. The increasing number of 2-year-olds sold at public auction brought increased numbers of pinhookers, who buy and resell hoping for a profit, which meant that more and more young horses would have to go through the sales ring twice and be asked to run much faster as a newly turned 2-year-old than they would ever have to run as a racehorse. With speed now reigning and with the early siren calls from the breeding farms, stamina and longevity became less important.
So, with fewer starts, being overbred to fast unsound stallions, and the increased number of medications being administered, Thoroughbreds as a whole were no longer given the chance to become popular on the scale of those strong-boned, stamina-oriented homebreds of the past.
Enter Penny Chenery, who grew up knowing only sound and sturdy horses bred by her father Christopher Chenery at the family’s Meadow Stud in Virginia. She also knew the power of popularity from her two big stars Riva Ridge and of course the legendary Secretariat, who, aided by the power of television, became arguably the most popular racehorse in history, surpassing even Man o’ War and Seabiscuit, whose popularity outside the racetrack was confined to newspapers and radio and the occasional movie theater newsreel.
Penny was a firm believer that popularity helped fuel the sport and those horses who did reach deep into people’s hearts with their feats of valor earned and deserved a place of honor right up there with the divisional champions who were decided by a group of specified voters. But popularity had to be decided by the people and only the people, giving a voice to the fans, who have always been the engine that drives the sport. And so the Secretariat Vox Populi Award was conceived in 2010 to honor the nation’s and in some cases the world’s most popular horse.
From 2010 until 2021, the award was given to the horse who displayed all the qualities specified by Penny. On one occasion in 2013, it was the trainer, Kathy Ritvo, and her courageous fight for life combined with the gutsy effort of her colt, Mucho Macho Man, in the Breeders’ Cup Classic following an equally game, but losing effort in the previous year’s Classic that earned the horse the award. And in 2020, the award was given to Authentic, a horse who, although a top-class major stakes winner later in the year, won the award mainly due to the thousands of micro partners that comprised his ownership.
But then came 2022. For most of the year Cody’s Wish was known as a vastly improving colt owned by the powerful Godolphin juggernaut who excelled in one-turn races. To most, there was nothing overly popular about the horse. Then late in the year prior to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, NBC ran the heartwarming story of Cody Dorman, the son of the colt’s owner, for whom Cody’s Wish was named. The story was so inspiring and touched so many people that when the horse just got up to win the Dirt Mile it all but assured him the Vox Populi Award over the spectacular Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Flightline, who with only six career starts at 2, 3, and 4, all by huge margins, made him a virtual unknown among racing fans and many held his inactivity against him.
Now we come to 2023 and a possible crossroads for the voters of the Vox Populi Award. Last year there wasn’t much of a choice. But this year the fans will have to decide whether the award is for the most popular horse or the most popular story. When Cody’s Wish easily won the prestigious Met Mile to stretch his winning streak to six, and nine of his last 10, and with the Cody Dorman story being retold and updated, the 5-year-old son of Curlin clearly was again the most popular horse in the country. Yes the story made people aware of the horse, but his exploits on the racetrack gave him a popularity of his own.
Even following his defeat in the Whitney, stretching out to two turns, he still didn’t lose much, if any, of his popularity. He then bounced back with a victory in the Vosburgh Stakes, with NYRA running another feature on Cody Dorman. But when it comes to a horse gaining popularity through the human interest story behind his or her connections he was not alone. When small-time trainer Jena Antonucci won the Belmont Stakes with the lightly raced Arcangelo, becoming the first female in history to win a classic, it launched the trainer and her colt into the national spotlight, with Antonucci now the most sought after interview in the sport and the whole world knowing the Cinderella story behind her success. Arcangelo’s subsequent victory in the Travers Stakes off an 11-week layoff further enhanced the story and his trainer’s reputation, and the colt became the early favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
That gave us two main contenders for the Vox Populi Award, both through the stories behind their human connections. But could there be more? The 2-year-old colt Carson’s Run, who recently won the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine, was named by Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds after Carson Yost, who suffers from the same affliction as Cody Dorman. Finley was a classmate of Yost’s father Wade at West Point and had promised to name horse after his son, but it took a while to find the right one. With two victories in three starts, Carson’s Run could add his name to the list of Vox Populi contenders if he continues his success this year. We would then have three human interest stories for racing fans to consider.
So what is the most important criteria for the Vox Populi Award and what might Penny Chenery have had in mind when she conceived it? According to Penny the award was established to reward the horse “who most resonates with the public and gains recognition for the sport.” As she said, “How can we, as an industry, expect the rest of the world to embrace our sport when we don’t annually honor our most beloved horses internally?
Well, there is another horse who personifies what the Vox Populi Award stands for, and it is based solely on his toughness, courage, longevity, and consistency, performing well at different distances in top-class races and still winning Grade 1 stakes at the age of 7. And he is a complete horse who eventually will head to stud. His name is Casa Creed, a throwback to a different era in racing, and this year he could very well challenge the three aforementioned horses for the award and force the Vox Populi voters to decide on who best “resonates with the public.” Voters will have to come to terms with whether popularity is based on the story or the horse. Penny’s words left that open for each person to search his or her heart for the answer.
Each horse still has a Breeders’ Cup race coming up, and how they perform in front of the nation and how they are presented to the public could be the deciding factors. That is why the Vox Populi Award is so compelling. And who knows what new stories or horses will emerge in the coming weeks.
Because there are few horses these days who maintain a strong fan base throughout the year, we often see stories emerge later in the year like we did with Cody’s Wish. At this writing there are other contenders who can possibly wind up as Vox Populi nominees. Before she even ran, Tamara had a fan following because of her dam Beholder, one of the most popular horses in recent years and a Grade 1 winner at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. When Tamara won her debut impressively it brought a great deal of discussion on social media. She now heads to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies where a victory would boost her popularity even more. And we also have to pay attention to the brilliant filly Echo Zulu, who not only is undefeated this year with three dominating performances, she was a nominee for the Vox Populi in 2021 after winning all four of her starts, three of them Grade 1 stakes, by huge margins. So she has already resonated with the public. And how can you overlook the hard-knocking, hard luck 6-year-old mare War Like Goddess, who is always dangerous, against males and females, and would vault into contention with another big effort in the Breeders’ Cup, especially the Turf, in which she finished a solid third last year behind two male European invaders. She has been victimized by a number of sluggish paces, but always puts in a powerful stretch run and she definitely has developed a strong fan following. Will we see a comeback from Kentucky Derby winner Mage, one of the great stories of the year? If he should bounce back in the Classic it would surely re-ignite his fan base and make him a candidate for the Vox Populi Award.
In the past we have had two fillies win the Vox Populi, one (Zenyatta) from the U.S. and one (Winx) from Australia, and both based mainly on long winning streaks and exciting stretch runs. Both fillies became household names around the world. We even had a claimer named Rapid Redux who resonated with the public due to an amazing 22-race winning streak in one year and a tough, courageous turf sprinter named Ben’s Cat who was beloved in Maryland. Voters fell in love with the comeback from near death of Paynter, who was able to perform at a high level in major stakes. They ignored the lack of wins by Hot Rod Charlie and voted for him partly because of his toughness and always giving 100 percent even in several hard-luck defeats, and also because of his group of young and very visible owners who made their presence felt with great passion and excitement. We had the back story and rise from the Cal-bred ranks of California Chrome, the striking chestnut who became so popular his huge fan base called themselves Chromies. And finally there was Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who had more visitors to his barn and interaction with the public than any 3-year-old in memory.
This kind of diversity is what makes the Vox Populi Award so special, and that it is why it will be interesting to see in which direction the voters go this year.
But looking at the big picture, there is no doubt that racing has an image problem and its popularity could very well dictate its future. We will never again see the days when baseball, boxing, and horse racing ruled the sports world. The one-time Sport of Kings no longer is run by sportsmen who built racing and breeding empires, were closer to their horses, and appreciated the history of the sport. With the coming of the businessmen who strive for profits over all else, racing has spread itself thin and diluted its product, with stallions being bred to hundreds of mares a year and shuttling all over the world, and many top trainers now with hundreds of horses instead of the 40 they used to train. That leaves the smaller trainer with far fewer potent weapons to compete for the big bucks.
Many believe there has not been a male horse considered a true all-time great since Cigar or John Henry. They simply do not remain long enough to accomplish the feats of their predecessors and endear themselves to the public. That makes it more difficult for fans to embrace the stars we do have. It is the more extensive careers of superstar fillies such as Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, and Beholder that have moved them up the popularity ladder, surpassing the males. Modern technology is great and like everything in this new world it makes it easier on the public, especially when it comes to wagering. But we must maintain that emotional link to the horse, without whom all else is meaningless.
That is why it is so important to let your voice be heard and participate in the Vox Populi poll to give the old warriors, the budding superstars, or those with great human interest stories an opportunity to be rewarded for their popularity on whatever level the public chooses. The more we keep the public involved, the longer racing will endure.
Racing historian, author, and award-winning retired journalist for the Daily Racing Form and The Blood-Horse, Steve Haskin was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame’s Media Roll of Honor in 2016. Known for his racing knowledge and insightful prose, he has been an exclusive contributor to Secretariat.com since 2020.