Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 PM PDT

Michelle Sharp, who keeps some of her racehorses in Pimlico's barns, does not normally muck out her own stables.

These days, though, she is doing just that, as well as other menial but essential chores that go hand-in-hand with the occasional glories of turf racing. There's almost no one else to do it.

A dearth of Latino racetrack workers — grooms, exercise riders and other stable hands, the largely unseen but indispensable backbone of the $1 billion thoroughbred horse racing industry — is forcing a realignment of duties at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course and other tracks, and appears to be affecting the ability of some owners to compete effectively at the races.

"Without us, there wouldn't be anything here," said Jesús Guerrero García, a 33-year-old groom for a horse trainer who came to the U.S. three years ago from Michoacán, Mexico, and is working here legally. "We try to keep the horses healthy and clean. If not, they wouldn't be able to compete in any races, no matter how big or small."

But economic woes, a reduction in temporary visas and concerns raised by the simmering debate over immigration are combining to deprive racetracks of the labor they need to function. As a result, the culture that traditionally infused the backstretch at Pimlico, where dozens of Spanish-speaking immigrants lived and worked during the long racing season, is undergoing radical change.

The relatively few Latino grooms, "hot walkers" and exercise riders at Pimlico are much in demand, their skills in many cases developed on family farms in their native countries. The workers usually start at about 5:30 or 6 a.m., and most of the heavy work — exercising the horses, cleaning out the stables — is over about four hours later. For their efforts, they can collect about $500 a week, with a bonus if the horse they are caring for comes in a winner.

Without a steady supply of labor, however, owners like Sharp — who runs Sunny Ridge Farm in Martinsburg, W.Va. — are pitching in more often. "When you have seven horses here looking at you that need care seven days a week, what are you going to do?" she asked. "It's a huge problem."

While undocumented workers have never been allowed to work officially on Maryland's racetracks, Sharp and other racehorse owners are chafing at crackdowns on immigrants that have sharply reduced the number of people applying legally for the hard, filthy and often dangerous job of tending to thoroughbred horses.

A big reason for the drop in numbers of such workers is a cap on a federal guest-worker program that had allowed thousands of Latinos to work legally, if temporarily, in this country. Another is the bankruptcy of Pimlico's parent company, which sharply curtailed the track's annual racing season and scattered workers to other states.

Janet Davidson, co-owner of D3 Racing in White Hall, was stabling 14 horses at Pimlico last week with help from just three pairs of hands — a female groom who is recovering from cancer, and two men, neither of them Latino. Even so, Davidson, whose colt Volcanic Ice won a Maiden Special Weight race during last year's Preakness week, won't be running any horses at Pimlico this year, largely because she needs more help with training and exercising the animals.

"I just won't be ready," she said, but will aim instead for the season at Colonial Downs in Virginia that begins later this month. "People on the backside work very, very hard. They are my support. They're important. It's a dirty job."

Immigrants — legal and undocumented — have long been a staple of the industry, including on many racetracks where officials turn a blind eye to their status. Americans, many breeders, owners and trainers say privately, don't want those jobs.

For years, U.S. law had allowed non-citizens to obtain so-called H-2B permits to fill part-time positions if American workers failed to take the jobs. Only 66,000 such visas are issued each year, good for up to 11 months. In 2005, Congress allowed workers who had received the visas during the three prior years to be given new visas regardless of the cap. In 2007, about 250,000 such visas were granted.

But the exemptions were then halted, and despite lobbying from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and other groups, lawmakers appear unlikely to raise the limits until comprehensive immigration reform becomes a reality.

Applicants for track jobs must "provide documentation that they're here legally," said J. Michael Hopkins, executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission, in an interview. "We've always taken that stance."

Juan Becerra Ocegera, a 64-year-old groom who works for the trainer Ferris Allen, said Monday that he came to the U.S. illegally in 1980 from his native Romero de Guzmán, Michoacán, and worked at racetracks all over the country before finally establishing legal residency in 1997. During the years in between, he said, he often resorted to "playing a lot of tricks" so that he could work, including telling officials that he was not Mexican but from Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.

"I went home three or four times, running back and forth across the border at night," he said in Spanish. "I don't have to do that any more."

Maintenance employees at the Maryland tracks are under the same strictures that apply to backstretch workers.

"You don't get to work here without a visa," said Francisco Aguilar, 23, from Chiapas, Mexico, a maintenance worker who spends most of the year at the Laurel track but who helps out at Pimlico for the month of May in preparation for the Preakness. "The security people check your papers."

As he spoke, he was applying a coat of white paint to a staircase with a help of a colleague, also from Chiapas. "In the stables, most of the guys are Hispanic, maybe 90 percent," said Aguilar, who is working legally. But last year, he noted, the company that owns the tracks "threw 20 guys out of Laurel after their visas ran out."

Many horse owners, however, need the help and don't check whether workers have the proper documentation, Aguilar said.

The lone track worker helping Sharp at Pimlico last week was Miles Heinen, 43, from Ocala, Fla., who is licensed as a trainer, groom and exercise rider and who travels with Sharp on the racing circuit. His skills as a blacksmith had him shoeing horses the other day for at least two other owners — a task that he described as "a combination of geometry, physics and common sense."

Heinen, casually wiping the blood that dripped from his hand after he had pierced a finger with a nail, addressed the issue of immigrant labor.

"Look, I understand about wanting to protect jobs, and laws are laws," Heinen said. "But by the same token the Hispanics in this business, they really have been a saving grace to the industry, because Americans don't want to work, to show up every day. With horses, you've got to take care of them every day."

Sharp, who has entered three horses in races on Black-Eyed Susan Day at Pimlico, said the best groom she has ever hired is a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico named Ramon who worked for her earlier this year at Tampa Bay Downs. Ramon, she said, came into the country through Texas just over a year ago, having never worked with horses.

"There was never a day that he didn't show up at 4:30 in the morning, and he was terrific with the horses," she said. But Ramon could not accompany her to Pimlico because of the restrictions, she said, so he went instead to Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, N.J.

A local worker she hired shortly after arriving in Baltimore, to whom she promised $500 a week, worked for a few hours the first day, left, and didn't come back.

Sharp said she intends to help Ramon work legally in this country. "He's already called me here," she said. "He's worried about his horses."

nick.madigan@baltsun.com

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State horse racing industry avoids national slump

Posted: 10 May 2010 03:02 PM PDT

ANDERSON - Horse breeders and track managers say Indiana's horse racing industry has avoided the national slump because of bigger race purses since casinos opened at the state's two pari-mutuel tracks.

Revenue from slot machines at Hoosier Park in Anderson and Indiana Downs at Shelbyville has gone to more than quadruple horse racing subsidies - from $15 million when they were supported by riverboat casinos - to nearly $63 million now. The Indianapolis Star reported today that the increase in purses also drives increased breeding of Indiana horses, since many races are open only to horses bred in the state.

"Unfortunately, because of the economic downturn and horse racing falling into disfavor with a portion of the public, that's really muted to a substantial degree the progress the Indiana horse-racing industry might have made otherwise," said Joe Gorajec, executive director of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission.

"But unlike some states where they're in a free fall, Indiana - just by inching forward - is doing much better than a lot of other states."

Indiana is doing well enough it's attracting breeders from other states.

Mike Markos of Michigan says he's shopping for a horse farm in Indiana. Currently, he helps out with horses at the Cunmulag Stable in Perry, Mich., and drives four hours to Anderson at least twice a week to race and qualify at Hoosier Park. He says racing in Michigan is "kaput."

"We're tired of making this drive, so we're looking to move. It's so much better in Indiana. The difference is night and day," he said.

Nationwide, the Jockey Club says the number of thoroughbred mares bred has dropped by 20 percent, and the number of stallions standing stud has declined by 25 percent since 2007.

But in Indiana, the number of registered mares nearly doubled from 520 in 2007 to 1,038 in 2009, and the number of registered foals went from 322 in 2007 to nearly 600 last year, according to racing commission statistics.

"We've had the best stallions we've ever had coming to the state the last two years and the best mares we've ever had, too," said Eddie Martin, executive director of the Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

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Crowds show up as horse racing returns to CCF

Posted: 10 May 2010 04:33 PM PDT

Thoroughbred and Quarter horse racing returned to the Cochise County Fairgrounds this past weekend and the size of the crowds seem to indicate the event was missed last year.

Early reports indicate over 4,000 people came through the gates Saturday and Sunday.

Despite all the conflicting events going on with the races fans seemed to show up in large numbers Saturday and Sunday with a new sense of appreciation for the event which was cancelled last year due in part to state budget cuts.

Even the trainers and jockeys were happy to be back in Douglas.

Longtime local trainer Ron Salmon has been coming to the Douglas races for 19 years and had a horse in the fourth race Sunday which won making the weekend more enjoyable.

"This is probably the best track there is," he said. "It's wide, it's well maintained. It's one of the better tracks we run on."

Salmon races horses all over the state and has seen his fare share of tracks. He says the horse racing environment at the Cochise County Fairgrounds is something special.

"There's no other place like it," he said. "Everybody seems to have a good time when they come here."

Not having the horse races last year hurt not only Salmon who had a hard time finding work during those "dark weeks" but also the fairgrounds and local businesses that rely on the races to help them remain open.

Salmon said he and the other trainers hope what happened last year doesn't happen again for a long time.

"It's a good track, good environment, they have plenty of stalls here for all the horses, it's an overall good atmosphere," he said.

Ten races were held each day this past weekend and the lines at the betting windows were taking bets up till the very last minute all day long.

Reports the day after the race indicate the betting held its own which is good.

Jockey Rick Oliver who rode both days in Douglas, echoed Salmon's feelings.

"I love coming down here," he said. "It's such a nice facility. The crowd seems to really get into the races. They seem to have such a great turnout year after year. … This is one of the best tracks on the fair circuit."

When Douglas was unable to host the races last year Oliver said he felt they may never come back.

"I didn't think we'd ever be down here again," he said "I really like coming here."

Oliver was a jockey for 10 years, quit for 15 and returned to riding in 2004. He has become a regular in the El Moro de Cumpas stakes winning the race in 2006 and again last year when the finals were held in Sonoita.

"I'd wish they would bring the finals back here," he said. "It helps having the border right here."

Oliver said he did not realize the significance of the El Moro de Cumpas until he got his horse back in front of the grandstand in 2006 to the cheering fans and the large group waiting to greet him with the El Moro de Cumpas trophy.

"This race means more to me than any other race all year long that I ride," he said. "The money is not all that great but this race is great for older horses. We need more races like this."

Oliver rode three different horses in the El Moro de Cumpas time trials Saturday finishing third, fourth and third in the sixth, seventh and eighth races. His horse in the eighth race Monarca Dash, qualified for the finals in Sonoita.

In 2008 another jockey, Anna Barrio, who has a big fan base of her own, told the Douglas Dispatch in a story they were doing on her she too enjoys coming to Douglas every year because the track conditions are excellent and there is a strong sense of support here for the sport.

"Its fun riding in front of a crowd that's into the race," she said. "I've done well here … I really like coming here."

An injury prevented Barrio from riding in Douglas this year.

Fairgrounds officials report they had two track records set Saturday in the seventh and eighth races of the El Moro de Cumpas trials. The first record was set in the seventh race but broken in the very next race by a Quarter Horse called Jesstifiable who was ridden by Floyd Campbell.

Jesstifiable, owned by Victor Ramos and trained by Roy Ronquillo, was one of the eight horses to advance to the El Moro de Cumpas finals which will he held in Sonoita.

The other qualifiers for the finals were Leonas TR, owned and trained by Armando Orozco; Stoli Chaser, owned by Manuel Medrano and trained by Dennis Martsteller; Lanes Luck, owned by Francisco Ayon and Abel Rodriguez and trained by Ayon;

Fly Corona Cat, owned by Y/N Horse Stables LLC and trained by Omar Lorta; Monarca Dash, owned by Jose Gallardo and trained by Alejandro Sanchez; Chicks on the Berge, owned by Chuck Stanton and trained by Ramon Fontes and Oh So Chilly owned by Victor C. Ramos and Francisco J. Rivera and trained by Roy Ronquillo

Cochise County Fairgrounds manager Karen Strongin said she was quite pleased by what she saw this past weekend.

"All of the vendors did well and were happy, there were no accidents or incidents and the whole race meet went smoothly," she said. "The Cochise County Fair Association would like to thank all of the people who attended, helped, participated and supported the horse races."

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Horse racing's media makeover is paying off

Posted: 10 May 2010 06:41 AM PDT

Less sport and more style. That's the winning ticket at the racetrack these days, as the horse racing industry is trying to reinvent itself in an effort to attract new, younger and female fans.

It's happening on TV screens with shows emphasizing the people as much as the horses, while the major races themselves are being recast as lifestyle events rather than just competitions. And it's happening on computer and mobile screens, with fans and riders connecting on Facebook and jockeys using Twitter.

Using a cable TV contest with hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and a TV series that built up to last week's big race, the Kentucky Derby last week enjoyed its largest television audience in 21 years, with 16.5 million viewers. A similar media mix helped the Kentucky Oaks, a race for 3-year-old fillies held the day before the Derby at famed Churchill Downs, break its attendance and TV ratings records. And if the Derby and the Oaks are Exhibit A for using media to redefine the image of horse racing, Saturday's Preakness is Exhibit B.

"The racing model that was in place over the past 40 years needed to be redefined," says Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club. "Racing can still be the centerpiece, but you need other activities and events going on in conjunction with it to draw a new and younger demographic. We've been trying to work toward that goal over the last year or two."

Executives of the major races and largest tracks didn't have much choice. In 2008, with attendance, purses and TV ratings for most races in decline, something clearly had to be done.

"The races were being covered [in the media], and the handicapping was covered, too, but we were losing our audience. They weren't going to the track; they weren't tuning in. They'd lost interest," says Liz Harris, vice president of Churchill Downs Inc., owner of the track at which the Derby and Oaks are held.

Thinking maybe they were "maxed out with the traditional audience of men and handicappers," Churchill Downs management sought a way to "reach out to another audience, more audiences," according to Harris. And the audience they went after first was women.

That strategy was crafted by Churchill Downs CEO Bob Evans after seeing data from NBC Sports that showed there are only three major sporting events that have more female viewers than male.

"They are: Winter Olympics, Summer Olympics and the Kentucky Derby," says Mike McCarley, senior vice president of marketing for NBC Sports. "And when you dig beneath the demographics … you see there are things that are inherent in major horse races that appeal to women that aren't inherent in other major sports events."

They include food and drink: "the mint julep and the black-eyed Susan," McCarley says.

"And fashion — everybody knows that for the lady going to a race, her entire outfit starts with her hat," the NBC executive says.

Also part of the mix are celebrities and parties.

"That last one was pretty shocking to us — how important entertaining around horse racing was with people throwing parties, much in the same way they throw Super Bowl or Oscar parties," McCarley says. "And while the Preakness and Belmont have more men than women, it is very close, almost 50-50."

Not surprisingly, Churchill Downs joined with NBC Sports to try to reach that much wider audience of women who are not hard-core racing fans. In addition to the reach of the network. Churchill was also attracted by what Harris called NBC's "family" of cable channels such as Bravo, USA and CNBC.

Last year, Bravo, a channel with a large female audience, covered the Oaks for the first time, and the TV audience for the event more than doubled, to 49 percent from 21 percent, according to Harris.

This year, Churchill Downs and NBC Sports presented a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series — three broadcasts featuring six Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown prep races leading up the Derby. That series saw an increase not only in overall viewership but also a significant rise in the number of women watching. The audience shifted from 40 percent female in 2009 to 52 percent this year, and the average age of the viewer dropped by three years.

As important as Churchill Downs and NBC have been the past two years in trying to redefine the industry image and expand the audience for horse racing, they are only part of a minor media zeitgeist. It includes an upcoming HBO series, "Luck," set in the world of horse racing and starring Dustin Hoffman, and a Disney feature film, "Secretariat," which recounts the exploits of the 1973 Triple Crown winner, set to open in theaters in October.

And then there's reality TV. In early 2009, the Animal Planet cable channel launched "Jockeys," a reality TV series set at a California racetrack. By its second season, the series was seen by about 7 million viewers, according to Nielsen research provided by the Discovery-owned channel in Silver Spring, Md.

"Jockeys" also put horse racing on the social media map, thanks in large part to its Facebook page and such jockeys as then-18-year-old Joe Talamo and Chantal Sutherland on Twitter.

"I think we were a bit ahead of the trend," says Victoria Lowell, senior vice president for marketing at Animal Planet. "We saw this world of horse racing as being a really exciting, intriguing, dramatic world that a lot of people didn't know much about. … I think 'Jockeys' touched a lot of people and opened up this new and larger audience for racing in general."

Preakness planners are hoping to attract some of that audience to events Friday and Saturday at Pimlico with a mix of lifestyle-oriented productions and edgier, youth-targeted promotion.

Talking the same "lifestyle" talk as Churchill Down's Harris, Chuckas emphasizes the upgrades this year in music, food and fashion.

He also stresses women-oriented events, including a race Friday featuring female jockeys who have come out of retirement to ride in a charity competition to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Churchill Downs also featured events benefitting the breast cancer foundation this year.

But if the Preakness is mostly imitating the Churchill Downs formula in that regard, it is breaking ground in the degree of its commitment to attracting a new generation of fans — both in its use of Twitter and Facebook and the tenor of its marketing strategy, the much-discussed "Get Your Preak On" campaign.

"The old-media strategies dealing partially with print and basic network TV have to be expanded," says Chuckas, 55. "If you're looking for a younger demographic, you have to be able to utilize cable channels like VH1 and MTV and the social media networks to reach out and touch them. So, this year, we have a Facebook page, and we have bloggers who work the page."

"We obviously have our own Preakness site, but we also have a getyourpreakon.com site," the track president adds. "And the idea of that site is to expand the demographic into that 21- to 35-year-old audience."

While media and sports analysts acknowledge the significant jump in TV ratings last year and generally agree with the strategy of reaching out to women and younger audiences, they caution against going beyond the data to conclude that the racing industry is automatically on its way back.

Sports Illustrated columnist Tim Layden says he appreciates the way that NBC is using the same "big-event strategy" that it brings to the Olympics to enlarge the audiences for the Derby and the Preakness, but says, "I don't think you can draw any conclusions about the long-term health of horse racing based on NBC's ratings for these races."

"I think horse racing can definitely help itself through new media and social media," says Jason Fry, who writes about sports and new media for Indiana University. "But the distinction I would definitely make is that their best opportunities to make inroads with young people aren't really so much about horse racing as a sport as they are about horse racing as a spectacle, as a chance to get together."

And while Fry celebrates both the Derby and the Preakness for offering young people a "great opportunity to dress up, have a party and watch a horse race for three minutes," he adds, "that's not quite the same as saying horse racing is necessarily on the rebound as a sport."

david.zurawik@baltsun.com

Ratings for Kentucky Derby:

2007—13.8 million viewers

2008—14.2 million viewers

2009—16.3 million viewers

2010—16.5 million viewers

Preakness:

2007—8.4 million viewers

2008—7.9 million viewers

2009—10.9 million viewers

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Horse Racing

Monday, May 10, 2010

“2010 PREAKNESS Shortage of Latino workers affects horse racing” plus 3 more

“2010 PREAKNESS Shortage of Latino workers affects horse racing” plus 3 more

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