Fravel Speaks on Breeders' Cup Decision

In the wake of the Breeders' Cup's announcement June 27 that the 2019 World Championships would remain at Santa Anita Park, Breeders' Cup president and CEO Craig Fravel spoke with BloodHorse features editor Lenny Shulman about the decision.

Lenny Shulman: How difficult a decision was it for the Breeders' Cup board to decide to stay at Santa Anita Park?

Craig Fravel: It was approached with a great deal of seriousness. Belinda Stronach and Dionne Benson met with the board eye-to-eye, and understanding the sincerity of their commitment to fixing the situation was a big part of making this decision. We feel it was the right thing to do.

LS: How potentially damaging would it have been to California racing had you decided to go elsewhere?

CF: It would have been a devastating blow, which I tried to make clear to people. Morale has been quite low and this represents a momentum shift to try and tell a positive story and acknowledge the progress that has been made. Part of our job at Breeders' Cup is to be an example of how the sport should be played, with also a bigger view as to how the industry should perform. So that went into the decision.

LS: What is the board's confidence level of the new rules and regulations in place in California?

CF: They are very stringent but not radical in that they're modeled on international standards, so we know, for example, from watching Royal Ascot recently that great racing takes place under these sorts of rules. They're nothing to be afraid of. The board is very confident in the rules and in the safety of the racing surfaces. We received a full description of the maintenance and renovation work that will be done over the course of the summer, and we're highly confident that we can put on a great show. 

LS: Does BC have any amount of control or input into how the track is maintained?

CF: We certainly take an active role in monitoring the work that's being done. We receive reports directly from Santa Anita and track superintendent Dennis Moore. Mick Peterson has been consulting for 10 years and does surface testing. And that testing will be going on all summer and fall so there will be a heightened level of involvement in that. Dennis Moore is extremely good at what he does, so while we stay in close contact with him, we don't pretend to tell him how to maintain the racetrack.

LS: How difficult would the logistics have been in moving at this late date, both for the host track and ticket

holders?

CF: We have a lot of confidence in our staff and management that we can pull off anything, so we weren't intimidated by that possibility. It certainly would have inconvenienced a lot of people though. We start planning for these events two years out, not five or six months; we have arrangements with various vendors and temporary infrastructure and events surrounding the races. But most importantly we've got people who have bought nearly $7 million worth of tickets, and we want to keep them happy. They deserve time to make their arrangements.

More importantly, it is about putting the horse first and safety first and that was the determining factor.

LS: Does this situation make you want to work toward expanding your potential host sites?

CF: That's something we've been looking at. Sometimes it's out of our control for various reasons. New York would be the classic situation. I've had meetings with NYRA management every six months for the last seven years about their goals for renovating facilities, and they're on the verge of beginning those projects, so it would be great to have another candidate in the mix. The Stronach Group has indicated an interest in updating Laurel to meet our standards. Right now we have a base of four tracks that have proven themselves as host sites, and I think there will be one or two more on the horizon.

LS: Some say this decision was made because of a potential lawsuit if you moved the event away from Santa Anita. 

CF: First of all, being a good partner to people is important. And part of that is addressing problems head on. We know they've had a rough year out there; incidents have been reported elsewhere as well. But I don't think you address problems by running away from them. We're going to address the concerns we and the public have. There will be 14 veterinarians ontrack Breeders' Cup week examining horses. We're going to do everything we can not just that week, but throughout the summer, taking a look at potential horses and making sure we have eyes on them from the time they run in a Breeders' Cup Challenge race. 

A lot of the decision-making had to do with the care and concern and quality of the veterinary care we do pre-race and also acknowledging what our partner did to improve the situation by addressing it head on. The easy thing from outer appearances would have been for us to pick up and move. But the fact of the matter is we think this was the right thing to do.