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Events and Attractions

Preakness' Kegasus Campaign Generating Controversy, Ticket Sales

The Kegasus campaign ahead of Saturday's Preakness Stakes is for many a "vulgar attempt by a desperate Maryland Jockey Club that lost more than $25 million from 2007 to 2009, and needs as much revenue as it can squeeze from the Preakness after taking $5 million from the Maryland State Assembly this April merely to keep its doors open," according to Joe Drape of the N.Y. TIMES. Maryland Delegate Pat McDonough: "The campaign is infantile and another example why the horse industry is in decline. They've taken a great sporting event and turned it into a fraternity party." But MJC President & COO Tom Chuckas is "making no apologies to those who think he is promoting binge drinking or to horse racing traditionalists who say he is demeaning an old sport." Drape noted ticket sales for Saturday's race are up 17% from last year, and Pimlico Race Course officials "expect attendance to exceed 100,000 people." Chuckas: "I've taken the phone calls and have heard how horrified people are, but I've got a business to run and I have got to attract young people to our event, and we knew the elegance and grandeur of the sport was not the way to get them here. ... We have two aging racetrack facilities and declining revenues. We can't operate like we have in the past" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/18). Preakness VP/Communications Mike Gathagan said, "We took a hit in '09 (after the BYOB ban). We were boycotted. So we upgraded the bands, we have a lot of things going on in here, volleyball ... Wagering 101. ... We took a couple of steps back. And now we're moving forward, and it appears that it's working, because the building is pretty much sold out and in the infield we're up" (USA TODAY, 5/18).

ALL HAIL KEGASUS: ESPN's Jim Rome noted the MJC "has dialed it way up" with the Kegasus marketing campaign. McDonough has said of the Kegasus campaign, "You can't fix stupid." Rome: "You're right, you can't fix stupid, but you can acknowledge brilliance. The campaign is infantile? Your take is infantile, sir. This sport is dying for all sorts of reasons, but that's not one of them" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 5/18).

CLOSER LOOK NOT PLEASANT: In DC, Stephen Whyno noted, "Plagued by poor planning and without the expected revenue from slot-machine gambling, Maryland's storied racing industry has been left with fewer horses, smaller purses, aging facilities and no visible plan for long-term stability." The introduction of slots and casinos in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia "in particular has handcuffed Maryland racing, which for decades served as the hub for thoroughbreds in the region, thanks in large part to the Preakness." That race is "safe for now, and the single biggest sports event in Maryland is expected to draw another big crowd and monster ratings Saturday, but the rest of the industry doesn't have many other reasons for optimism." An "influx of slots money with a casino at a racetrack would solve many problems, but legislators and those in the industry are aware that the process is complicated." Chuckas said that Maryland is "requiring the horse racing industry to come up with a long-term plan for sustainability that 'cannot take into account any slots revenue'" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/18).

BEST WAY TO GET ON TRACK: In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck noted some have suggested that it would be a "good idea" to move the Preakness to Sunday, and the Black-eyed Susan Stakes from Friday to Saturday, as it would "give Pimlico two major weekend racing cards instead of one." But Schmuck wrote, "The Preakness doesn't need fixing. The Preakness is just fine." If MJC Owners MI Developments and Penn National Gaming "want to do something to enhance the Preakness experience for race fans, we should be talking about a significant upgrade at one of the nation's most historic racetracks, which would have a positive impact beyond just the third Saturday in May." Chuckas: "If the Preakness is to remain at Pimlico, it's incumbent upon ownership to upgrade Pimlico, improve and increase the amenities and -- based on what I see this year -- add more inventory, which means more seats and spaces for the public" (Baltimore SUN, 5/15).

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