BREEDERS CUP NA ISSUE 26_Jerkins feature.qxd 18/10/2012 00:48 Page 2
BREEDERS’ CUP
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Those who have never seen how a racetrack turns purple with the presence of the Breeders’ Cup might wonder how a two-day race meeting can require a year-round staff. WORDS: K.t. DONOVAN PHOtOS: HORSEPHOtOS.COM, K.t. DONOVAN
HE Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships is a huge annual event, comparable to a combination of a boutique meeting needing all the same staffing and hustling of entries foreign and domestic, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with security, television, and unpredictable weather. “This is not a two-day event. It starts with the Challenge races and ends with the Championships,” clarifies Senior Vice President of Entertainment and Media Peter Rotondo. Formerly with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Rotondo has worked on the Breeders’ Cup Championships since 2000, through the NTRA’s merger with Breeders’ Cup in 2003 and then exclusive to the Breeders’ Cup in 2006, overseeing its mainstream growth. Fewer than 20 full-time people plan and execute this international event. Here, some of them describe their roles. Dora Delgado has been with the Breeders’ Cup since 1983. She is the hub of the wheel, as Senior Vice President for Racing, Nominations, and On-site Operations. Horsemen’s relations, nominations, security, media, printed materials, ticketing, and logowear all are spokes emanating from Dora, who has three people on her staff. Dora: I’ve taken on more of a delegator role than I used to. I’ve worked every job in the racing department and nominations from bottom up. We have such a small staff that we’re lucky we have an extraordinarily good group of people who take pride in what they do and are task-oriented. The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series provides more opportunities for Breeders’ Cup-nominated runners. Dora: We’ve funded more than $500 million in purses and awards since 1984. Funding for the 2012 racing year has had nearly $3 million available in Challenge Stakes around the world and will have $26 million over the two-day World Championships. Dora is so involved with operations in Lexington the first part of the year that now Director of Racing Josh Christian, working for Dora since 2003, gives the horsemen most of the attention. Dora: Planning for the event, Josh goes out early in the year as I’m busy with nominations, and internationally that is supplemented by [President and CEO] Craig [Fravel] and [Senior VP and Chief Operating Officer] Bob [Elliston]. Josh makes sure that the contracts are in place,
signage, program ads – everything is in order for Challenge races, and we have 73 of them a year, 22 overseas. We track which Challenge race winners come to the Breeders’ Cup, we try to see what worked, which races were productive. Getting the first 8-10 horses is easy. It’s those that could finish 10-14 that is a lot harder, and Josh is very good at that. He lives and breathes it, knows pedigrees, visits sales. Josh: From March to May, I’m working on nominations, and going to two-year-old sales. Most of my traveling is from July to November. Between August and November I might be home 14 days! Last month I put a total of 52 miles on my truck. It’s all about relationships, and it’s important to be there for the horsemen. Dora: People don’t read the emails, tweets, letters, ads – we really need to talk to them and give that personal one-on-one focus. There has to be an exchange. Setting the 2013 Challenge schedule begins at the beginning of the year. We call tracks, and let them know what we can afford as far as funding and marketing, and this takes about three months. By Kentucky Derby we have the approvals, as we concentrate on post-Triple Crown, but internationally it overlaps.
“This is not a two-day event. It starts with the Challenge races and ends with the Championships” Peter Rotondo The Breeders’ Cup handles everything from licensing and insurance to seating and hotels. Gretchen Feld started as an intern in 1999 and worked in merchandise until 2007. She is now Horsemen’s Relations Manager and OnSite Operations. Gretchen: I organize participants’ hotels, and guarantee rooms for owner, trainer, jockey, and breeder of every horse entered. For Santa Anita, this is in five hotels, and the number of rooms per individual is per reasonable request. It’s a balancing act. I start taking reservations in June, and it picks up in July and is crazy by September [when NTRA’s Michelle Ravencraft assists]. Working closely with Gretchen is Senior Communications Consultant and Media Relations Jim Gluckson, who has worked every Breeders’ Cup except the first two. Jim: I oversee the publicity and media
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