BC Broadcasts to Emphasize Aftercare

[Wandering Eyes]

Viewers who watch next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN can expect to see an increased emphasis on aftercare awareness and Thoroughbred retirement efforts.

“We work closely with NBC on these broadcasts through the year,” Peter Rotondo, the vice president of media and entertainment for the Breeders’ Cup, told TDN. “We have 9 1/2 hours over the two days on Friday and Saturday, so obviously we have a lot of time to fill. Over the years, we might have done a story here and there on aftercare, but this year we want to put more of a focus on what the industry does to take care of horses.”

Rotondo acknowledged that the ramped-up coverage comes at a time when the industry as a whole is stepping up to amplify aspects of equine care that have largely existed behind the scenes to viewers who might only tune in once or twice a year for the sport’s major televised events.

“We’ve done it in the past, just not as outspoken or visible. It’s been a mention. But this year horse care is going to be weaved into the fabric of the coverage,” Rotondo said. “This will represent a significant uptick in coverage.”

In-show segments that have already been produced or are in the final editing stages include features on Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farms, the Retired Racehorse Project, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, and New Vocations, the nation’s largest rehabilitation and placement program for retired racehorses.

New Vocations, which is in the midst of its 10th annual fundraising drive that solicits pledges from Breeders’ Cup participants to donate a percentage of winnings if they earn purse money at the championships, is poised to get additional coverage. Rotondo said NBC has asked for an advance list of the owners, trainers and jockeys who have committed pledges, and if those connections win a race, the network intends to give those donors an on-air shout-out sometime during the post-race winner’s circle ceremony.

Anna Ford, the Thoroughbred program director for New Vocations, told TDN that even though her organization has worked hard through the decades to get noticed, just the mere mention of the pledge program on a live national broadcast could raise awareness of the aftercare cause exponentially.

“Having a national spotlight is huge, because in the past, because even though we are a larger aftercare organization, our reach is still very limited,” Ford said. “We typically reach out for donations to people who are utilizing our aftercare services. So hopefully, with getting a bit more national recognition, we can reach people who don’t normally utilize our services or who don’t know about them to donate either after the Breeders’ Cup or going forward in the future.”

Rotondo added that the NBC reach extends beyond the boundaries of America.

“Remember, the NBC signal doesn’t just go to the U.S.,” Rotondo said. “We have Sky Sports Racing in the UK and Ireland–they literally simulcast the NBC show over there. Plus certain parts of the show are seen in about 140 countries worldwide. So again, the idea is this will go far and wide.”

 

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