My lack of cable has me out of the loop on the commercials; I have not seen any of these.
But I once asked those “in the know” about the purpose of cable/network TV commercials, since they always seemed kind of silly to me. No one plans their matings because of a TV commercial.
I was told the commercials are strictly for industry support; by buying advertising time, they are helping racing remain in the public eye. Keeping racing on the air benefits everyone, and maybe, just maybe, a farm will garner a few new clients by putting their name out there.
Stall 1 at Claiborne I personally almost feel an insult to the greats that have been housed over the years in Stall 1.
That’s a bit harsh. Claiborne Farm is a leader in the industry; they have evaluated Runhappy as a stallion, I have not. They can market and stable him however they want.
Is it that big a deal that he was drug/lasix free?
With drugs being a hot button issue, it makes sense to tout that he ran without them, especially since it is so unusual for a North America-raced stallion. It may or may not sway any breeders’ decisions, but it certainly is a positive PR talking point. It also sounds good on TV when the world is watching. Since these commercials are generated for industry support and self promotion, it makes sense to advertise something that will represent them favorably to the public.
Was he really that good a horse with that strong a pedigree or is Claiborne advertising the snot out of him to try to get mares in his book (and for this year, really late to breed and they’re still advertising much more, IMO, than other stallions).
Am I selling Runhappy short or what am I missing?
He was a champion; you don’t become a champion for no reason. That’s what makes managing these young stallion prospects’ racing careers such a gamble. Breeders and fans have short memories. If Runhappy had retired while he was undefeated in his G1 races, no one would question his ability. But because he was beaten, he lost his hype and immortality status.
The numbers for 2017 are not out yet, but I doubt Runhappy had trouble filling his book. The season is over now, even if these commercials were for the purpose of attracting breeders (which they aren’t), they would not be trying to get mares to him for this year. Remember, this was only his first year at stud, we don’t even know what he will throw. It’s not unusual to continue promoting him heavily going into his second season.
