A DOG DAY AT THE RACES? NTRA ON FOX SERIES SEEN AS A FAILURE

          The "NTRA Champions on Fox" series, which was
     structured with point standings and bonus awards "to assure
     a definitive showdown in the finale, the Pacific Classic at
     Del Mar," ended its season "not with a bang, but a whimper,"
     as, due to horse injuries, "not a single winner of a
     previous race in the series" appeared in the field,
     according to Andrew Beyer of the WASHINGTON POST.  Beyer
     wrote that the series "presented many top races with top
     horses, but they were still disconnected events, not a true
     championship series like NASCAR's Winston Cup."  NTRA
     Commissioner Tim Smith: "There are ways in which we could
     tweak the rules of the series, and we're going to look at
     them.  But overall we're pleased, and Fox is pleased"
     (WASHINGTON POST, 8/29).  In L.A., Bill Christine wrote that
     the NTRA "is under fire on many fronts."  Among issues: TVG,
     the new all-racing TV network that was launched to
     "widespread critical panning," while the "NTRA Champions on
     Fox" series is "in need of an overhaul" (L.A. TIMES, 8/29).