Zoccali: Importance of the ‘little guy’ winning a Breeders Crown

The Breeders Crown included quite a bit of diversity pertaining to the connections of the Champions that were crowned. As expected, the “marquis” names in the industry won their fill of events. In fact, half the races were won by Ron Burke and Jimmy Takter. Given the quality and quantity of their stable, this comes as no surprise. Four of those six combined wins came with Yannick Gingras in the sulky.

While it’s fun to see the stars of the sport continuously put forth amazing performances, it can be quite intimidating for smaller or prospective owners. I am not presently an owner (I was at one time), because I simply don’t think I can compete against the biggest stables and I cannot afford them either.

That being said, it was good to see someone who isn’t necessarily a “household name” have success at the Breeders Crown. Fiftydallarbill pulled off a 7-1 upset in the 2-year-old trot on Saturday night for trainer William Crone, with the likes of Julie Miller, Jimmy Takter, Tony Alagna and Jim Campbell trainees finishing behind the Crone trainee. Beckham’s Z Tam also scored a popular victory for the Hoosier state for the Macomber family, who is by no-means a “small” stable, but it is significant to note their ability to have success against the biggest stables in the country. Much like the freshman colt trot, Beckham’s Z Tam’s win in the 3-year-old pace for the Macombers came with Brian Brown, Ron Burke, Jim Campbell, Erv Miller and Jimmy Takter trainees all finishing behind the winner.

By no means am I saying that because William Crone and Jamie Macomber won Breeders Crown races am I suddenly more likely to become involved in standardbred ownership again, but this is something the sport needs more of and if more of this occurs, I may be more inclined to take another swing at ownership. Complete domination by a select few or a sole team/individual is never received well outside of those who directly support that team or individual in any sport. The most hated team in baseball is the New York Yankees because they have the most money and win often. The most hated team in football is the New England Patriots because they always win. Nobody likes Sidney Crosby or the Penguins who aren’t Penguin fans and even Lebron James and Stephen Curry are seeing more and more dislike from the NBA fans. People don’t like it when big-names dominate and the same can be said for racing. In thoroughbred racing, many people cannot stand when Bob Baffert, Chad Brown or Todd Pletcher win big races. Just like the rest of sports, horse racing fans like the underdog.

The decrease in horse population is not helping matters as the market for “elite” horses becomes more and more competitive amongst the harness racing elite. Furthermore, because there are fewer horses in general, the biggest owners and trainers in the sport are spending more for horses below the “top level” at yearling sales as demand surpasses supply, which further diminishes the appeal of ownership to a smaller stable/owner.

I don’t need to win a Breeders Crown race to consider owning a standardbred a success, but the Breeders Crown is a microcosm of the industry as a whole. The big name trainers dominate on nearly every level and you cannot make money in this industry over the long term by owning cheaper horses. I hope to see more names like Crone and Macomber in the winner’s circle in some of the sports’ premier events, because if they can win at that level, maybe someone like me actually has a chance.

While Mike Gulotta cannot be categorized as a “small-stable” by any stretch of the imagination, it was great to see him win a Breeders Crown race. It has been a tough few months for Gulotta that began with the controversial disqualification of What The Hill in the Hambletonian. That was followed by many of his Trixton yearlings (23 of those offered) slotted on nights three and four of the Lexington sale, resulting in an average selling price of just above $50,000. Gulotta is one of the most forward-thinking, risk-taking minds in the industry and his success is of great significance pertaining to the overall health of the industry. The win by What The Hill, which I can only presume will result in a year-end championship as the top 3-year-old colt trotter, was a welcomed sight.