Breeders’ Cup Hasn’t Bred TV Ratings Its Creator Envisioned

When racing patriarch John Gaines dreamed up the concept of the Breeders’ Cup, he had the illusion of grandeur that this would be the Super Bowl of horse racing. Not only would it be an end-of-season single blockbuster afternoon of championship races, but it would capture the imagination of the ordinary sports fan and be one of the major television sports galas of the year.

The Breeders’ Cup has been a smashing success from a horse racing standpoint. The great TV expectations have not been realized, though.

“Six years ago, we were disappointed,” said D. G. Van Clief Jr., executive director of the Breeders’ Cup. “We have come to accept the lower ratings as a fact of life. We see that it rates as a championship event like the big golf and tennis tournaments which have prestige but which do not command high ratings.”

Its boosters advance legitimate reasons for the relatively low TV ratings of what ranks as a blockbuster event, second only to the Kentucky Derby as the most important racing day of the year:

- The fact that bettors are attending races at more than 100 other tracks, watching a simulcast feed and betting on the Breeders’ Cup takes away many potential viewers from NBC.

- The Breeders’ Cup has often run into tough opposition from the other networks, specifically big college football games. It would rate higher if it were run in the spring when there is less intense competition on the air. The Cup gets a bit of a break this year because CBS and ABC are presenting some blah games Saturday.

- It is difficult to sustain interest for a high rating over more than four hours as compared to a 90-minute, one-race program. It is of some note that the featured Breeders’ Classic races in the last half-hours have averaged more than a point higher rating and almost two share points higher than the overall Cup numbers.