The Color Purple

Another Breeders’ Cup has come and gone and again there is the familiar controversial refrain from racing fans over the use of the purple saddlecloths. One side backs tradition and the building of the Breeders’ Cup brand, while the other side believes the fans interest would be better served by using the standard color-coded saddlecloths.

On the one side, you have the Breeders’ Cup trying to make their brand name stronger. They say that when a fan sees the purple saddlecloth they know that this is a Breeders’ Cup event. The color purple is used throughout their marketing efforts and is strongly tied into the Breeders’ Cup logo and name. Although it makes it more difficult for the racing fan to follow the action, it is more important to emphasize their branding efforts for the overall growth of the Breeders’ Cup and the industry.

Here is an excerpt from a bloodhorse.com online discussion with Peter Land, Breeders’ Cup Chief Marketing Officer:

Pompano Beach, FL:
A Breeders’ Cup press release claims the organization reinstated the dime superfectas in the two classics because the organization “heard” the fans. Fans have been clamoring and begging all over the Internet, on radio talk shows and everywhere else possible for two years for the BC to ditch the useless, impractical and fan- unfriendly purple saddlecloth towels. When is the BC going to respond to what fans want in this regard or does the organization only care when handle becomes threatened due to dissatisfaction?

Land:
It’s a great question and I’ll be honest with you and let you know that we debated it internally earlier this year. There are some within our organization that support your point of view and others who believe the tradition of the purple saddlecloths is one that separates us out from every other event and is core to our identity. Frankly, the solution is Trakus, which would allow the wagerer/fan to track the horses without worrying about the color of the saddlecloth.

The full transcript is located here

On the other side we have the typical racing fan; who believes it is hard enough as it is to watch a race and the use of the same purple saddlecloth for each horse only exacerbates the problem. They argue that the standard system used everyday at each and every thoroughbred racetrack was adopted for good reason, to make watching the races easier. These fans just want the best viewing experience, the one that they have come to rely upon for a number of years now. This point of view also states that true fans of the game are by passing the Breeders’ Cup races and handle is not as much as it could be because of this saddlecloth issue.

This view is succinctly expressed by the authoress of the Green But Game blog, and other fans that have commented on her post here

Possibly a compromise could be reached. Maybe the Breeders’ Cup could use the standard color-coded saddlecloths with a purple border and the words Breeders’ Cup printed in the bottom half of the border. This way the horses could be followed more easily and the Breeders’ Cup name and purple color are still utilized.

I for one am only one data point, but I have significantly cut down my wagering on Breeders’ Cup races since it is frustrating to try and follow the horses I am betting on. I know that the compromise proposed would work for me and I would invest much more on this two-day event.

What do you think?

Craig Walker

TrackMaster Senior Product Development Specialist

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm and is filed under General Industry, Thoroughbred Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.