Originally Posted by ateamstupid (Post 978863)

Coburn may be a bit curmudgeonly, but he and Art Sherman are both very real and easy to root for.

Originally Posted by dylbert (Post 978896)

Classic non-story. Churchill response was both cordial and dismissive. Next year and years beyond, CD will have 160,000+ Derby attendees, more than 20 horses vying for Kentucky Derby start, and, unless California Chrome wins Triple Crown, no one will remember Coburn and his comments.

Originally Posted by ateamstupid (Post 978863)

Coburn may be a bit curmudgeonly, but he and Art Sherman are both very real and easy to root for.

Originally Posted by dylbert (Post 978896)

Classic non-story. Churchill response was both cordial and dismissive. Next year and years beyond, CD will have 160,000+ Derby attendees, more than 20 horses vying for Kentucky Derby start, and, unless California Chrome wins Triple Crown, no one will remember Coburn and his comments.

Originally Posted by pointman (Post 979050)

SA 8

The 1 is clearly the horse to beat here, but the 4 interests me at the price.

$20W 4
$10EXB 1,4
$10DD 4/3,5
$2TRIB 1,4,8

Originally Posted by Sightseek (Post 980318)

Wildcat Red's owners were not too happy with their experience either:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...with-churchill

Originally Posted by Sightseek (Post 980318)

Wildcat Red's owners were not too happy with their experience either:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...with-churchill

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes (Post 980334)

do you think Suffolk Downs got Cigar 2 years in a row by being classless as Churchill ?

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes (Post 980334)

At saratoga the good energy and vibe that runs through the place has a little something to do with how well everyone is treated.

Originally Posted by ne to socal (Post 980325)

What is the proper level of expectation of services for an owner attending the KD (or BC or other big race for that matter), even more so if there's a group of, say, 30 partners?

It seems inconceivable that a host track/association (in this case CDI) wouldn't put a golden halo on owners and give them basically butler-level treatment for the day. And have that explicitly spelled out well ahead of time. There are only 20 entrants, and the ownership groups associated with them comprise a tiny % of the overall attendance. CDI's exposure so to speak is very limited. Steve Coburn could eat 300 hot dogs and CDI would lose maybe 20 cents. They could limit it too...like 6 ultra-VIP tickets per owner and then first dibs on buying more. The key is to be explicit and precise in your offerings and deliver 110%.

Originally Posted by NTamm1215 (Post 980332)

She deserves special treatment. Period. Her horse is running in the only race CDI cares about and the least they could do is make sure she and however many guests she's bringing are accommodated. We're talking about incredibly basic customer service.

If Churchill wasn't hellbent on selling every bit of premium seating, they would reserve some for connections. The only major race (and it's obviously a much smaller scale then the Derby) where I've been anywhere near an owner was last year's Arlington Million. Unsurprisingly, Arlington's staff went above and beyond with hospitality. That's what you do. Personal concierges, private seating, transportation, etc.

She has every right to be annoyed/disappointed and quite honestly, she deserved better treatment than people who simply bought a ticket adjacent to where Churchill sat her.

Originally Posted by NTamm1215 (Post 980332)

She deserves special treatment. Period. Her horse is running in the only race CDI cares about and the least they could do is make sure she and however many guests she's bringing are accommodated. We're talking about incredibly basic customer service.

If Churchill wasn't hellbent on selling every bit of premium seating, they would reserve some for connections. The only major race (and it's obviously a much smaller scale then the Derby) where I've been anywhere near an owner was last year's Arlington Million. Unsurprisingly, Arlington's staff went above and beyond with hospitality. That's what you do. Personal concierges, private seating, transportation, etc.

She has every right to be annoyed/disappointed and quite honestly, she deserved better treatment than people who simply bought a ticket adjacent to where Churchill sat her.

Originally Posted by Danzig (Post 980319)

"I felt like we were in exactly the same position as the people around me that weren't owners," Delfino said. "The treatment was no different. It was so badly organized; my husband was so disappointed."

i was sympathetic until that point.

Originally Posted by Antitrust32 (Post 980326)

wow, what a feeling of entitlement. Wonder if she wants some cheese with that whine...

Originally Posted by Danzig (Post 980339)

if i pay the same money as an owner, i want the same service.
should churchill improve? absolutely.

Originally Posted by Antitrust32 (Post 980348)

I just have no sympathy for someone who complains about their hotel and not getting a hotel from Churchill... She should have asked if hotels were included, not assumed. People can still plan, even if they are rich, make plans and know what the itinerary is. The trouble with her seats and food... that should have been handled better by Churchill, but the rest of the letter made me :rolleyes:.

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis (Post 980331)

Without the Kentucky Derby, that s-hole doesn't even exist. I don't think it's asking a whole lot to provide 20 boxes and a little attention to the people responsible for floating your entire year. That's not to say that they need to bend over backwards for the 600 West Point "owners" that have a .005% stake in an entrant; but provide a concierge and 20 VIP boxes for the controlling interests of the horses that put on your show for you. It's really not that costly or difficult.

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat (Post 980345)

Tough crowd.

I think maybe some things don't translate well. Remember English isn't her primary language.

From everything I remember reading about this couple before the Derby she was the one who fell in love with the story of Big Red, wanted her own "Red" and the husband, seemingly, just kinda went along.

Maybe she was trying to include him or maybe he doesn't speak English or has issues or something... I take no offense in an owner or anyone saying they made the trip from Venezuela and were disappointed and mentioning oh yeah as was my spouse. This isn't whining this is just calling it like it is. She sounds disappointed and rightly so.

I agree with everything Nick said and yes...


...even if you pay the same as an owner sorry but they deserve to be indulged, spoiled and made to feel special. We're only talking about connections of 20 horses for one damned day a year. It's surprising that any track wouldn't get this right but that it's Churchill on Derby day? It's embarrassing.

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat (Post 980345)

Tough crowd.

I think maybe some things don't translate well. Remember English isn't her primary language.

From everything I remember reading about this couple before the Derby she was the one who fell in love with the story of Big Red, wanted her own "Red" and the husband, seemingly, just kinda went along.

Maybe she was trying to include him or maybe he doesn't speak English or has issues or something... I take no offense in an owner or anyone saying they made the trip from Venezuela and were disappointed and mentioning oh yeah as was my spouse. This isn't whining this is just calling it like it is. She sounds disappointed and rightly so.

Originally Posted by Danzig (Post 980369)

They have a derby runner. Everything else is gravy

Originally Posted by Monarchos1 (Post 980370)

Just to set the record straight, her husband does not speak English.