I’m Penelope Miller and I’m the Social Media Manager for the NTRA. I’ve been involved with the Thoroughbred industry for most of my life and I want to make sure that the great sport of horse racing is enjoyed by people all over the nation. Please share your thoughts and ideas with me in the comments section below!
Luck, the HBO drama set in our fast-paced world of horse racing, has premiered to great acclaim from critics and viewers alike. So far (and I’ve only seen the first two episodes) I have to agree that Luck promises to be an intricate character study on par with The Sopranos, with the added bonus of the absolutely arresting visual backdrop of Santa Anita.
Luck's opening credits
This isn’t going to be a review of the show because there are hundreds of reviews out there done by trained professionals. Instead, I’m going to focus on a common theme that I’ve seen in these reviews and from viewer comments. Namely, that the show is intriguing and the cinematography is outstanding, but what the heck are these guys talking about?
From the New York Post
From Seattle Pi
From Sports Illustrated
From The Washington Post
I think the solution can be summed up in one word: Twitter.
Along with Dan Needham (@thorotrends) and some of the Luck cast members, I’m planning to hold a #LuckChat on twitter every Monday at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific—roughly 24 hours following each new episode of the series. On occasion, Luck stars John Ortiz (who plays trainer Turo Escalante, @johnortiz718), Gary Stevens (in the dual role of real-life horse racing expert and Luck’s jockey Ronnie Jenkins, @HRTVGary) and Chantal Sutherland (real-life jockey and Lizzie in Luck, @jockeychantal) may participate in various capacities in order to help promote and explain the show.The idea here is to provide a place where fans of the show who are unfamiliar with racing can learn about some of the nuances discussed in Ace Bernstein’s world.
If you’re not already on Twitter, signing up is really easy, and you can do so here. If you want to join in the #LuckChat, simply include that hashtag in your tweets at the assigned hour and ask whatever questions you may have. Remember, you only have 140 characters (including punctuation and spaces) to use, so be concise! Below is an example of a question that may come up during a #LuckChat:
Then one of your friendly neighborhood Twitter #LuckChat administrators would reply to you with the answer.
If you miss #LuckChat or want to “listen in” on the discussion but not get involved, no problem! Simply go to Twitter, become a member, and then go to the search engine on the upper right-hand side of the screen and type in #LuckChat.
Then you can follow along at your own pace. A tip: once you get to the search results, you may want to switch over to the “all” view instead of “top” so you don’t miss out on the latest questions and answers.
Luck has provided this industry with an opportunity to expose and educate a vast number of people about the sport we love so much. And, yes, there are elements of the show that don’t present horse racing in its best light; but remember, this happens in real life, too, and this is our time to help people understand why the good – the great – makes this sport so wonderful. It’s time to take the initiative here and get people familiar with the parlance of the racetrack; and, hey, you never know, we might just see more reactions like the one from this commenter and see some new faces at the track:
Times in 100ths: :23:24 :48:63 1:13:40 1:37:49 2:02:04 Unplaced horses listed in order of finish. Also run:
Shackleford, Master of Hounds, Santiva, Brilliant Speed, Dialed In, Pants On Fire, Twice the Appeal, Soldat, Stay Thirsty, Derby Kitten, Decisive Moment, Archarcharch, Midnight Interlude, Twinspired, Watch Me Go and Comma to the Top Scrached:
Uncle Mo Winning Breeder: Team Valor Winning Trainer: H. Graham Motion Winning Owner: Team Valor International
Times in 100ths: :22:69 :46:87 1:12:01 1:37:22 1:56:47 Unplaced horses listed in order of finish. Also run:
Dialed In, Dance City, Mucho Macho Man, King Congie, Mr. Commons, Isn't He Perfect, Concealed Identity, Norman Asbjornson, Sway Away, Midnight Interlude and Flashpoint Scrached: Winning Breeder: Mike Lauffer & Bill Cubbedge Winning Trainer: Dale L. Romans Winning Owner: Lauffer, Michael and Cubbedge, W.D.
Wager Type
Winning Numbers
Payoff
$2 Daily Double
4-5
$65.20
$2 Daily Double
B E SUSAN/PREAKNESS 1-5
$120.60
$2 Exacta
5-11
$114.80
$1 Superfecta
5-11-1-10
$3,106.30
$2 Super High Five
5-11-1-10-8
$49,742.00
$2 Trifecta
5-11-1
$1,401.80
$0 Pick 3
2/3/4/7-3/4-5
$29.10
$0 Pick 4
2-2/3/4/7-3/4-5
$135.80
$0 Pick 5
5-2-2/3/4/7-3/4-5
$730.65
Race Results
BELMONT PARK, Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 11st Race
Belmont S. - Grade: 1 Purse:
$1,000,000 Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/2 Miles, Dirt, 3-Year-Olds, STAKES Winning Time: 2:30:88
Pgm.
Horse
Win
Place
Show
3
Ruler On Ice
51.50
26.00
13.60
2
Stay Thirsty
19.40
10.80
5
Brilliant Speed
7.90
Times in 100ths: :23:92 :49:08 1:14:51 1:39:95 2:05:09 2:30:88 Unplaced horses listed in order of finish. Also run:
Nehro, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Monzon, Master of Hounds, Prime Cut and Isn't He Perfect Scrached: Winning Breeder: Liberation Farm & Brandywine Farm Winning Trainer: Kelly J. Breen Winning Owner: Hall, George and Lori
Wager Type
Winning Numbers
Payoff
$2 Pick 3
4-1-3
$21,005.00
$2 Pick 4
2-4-1-3
$142,097.00
$2 Pick 6
4-3/4/7-2-4-1-3
$20,530.00
$2 Daily Double
(BROOKLYN-BELMONT DOUBLE) 4-3
$434.00
$2 Daily Double
1-3
$1,988.00
$2 Exacta
3-2
$928.00
$2 Superfecta
3-2-5-6
$74,052.00
$2 Trifecta
3-2-5
$8,268.00
Race Results
BELMONT PARK, Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 11st Race
Belmont S. - Grade: 1 Purse:
$1,000,000 Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/2 Miles, Dirt, 3-Year-Olds, STAKES Winning Time: 2:30:88
Pgm.
Horse
Win
Place
Show
3
Ruler On Ice
51.50
26.00
13.60
2
Stay Thirsty
19.40
10.80
5
Brilliant Speed
7.90
Times in 100ths: :23:92 :49:08 1:14:51 1:39:95 2:05:09 2:30:88 Unplaced horses listed in order of finish. Also run:
Nehro, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Monzon, Master of Hounds, Prime Cut and Isn't He Perfect Scrached: Winning Breeder: Liberation Farm & Brandywine Farm Winning Trainer: Kelly J. Breen Winning Owner: Hall, George and Lori
Wager Type
Winning Numbers
Payoff
$2 Pick 3
4-1-3
$21,005.00
$2 Pick 4
2-4-1-3
$142,097.00
$2 Pick 6
4-3/4/7-2-4-1-3
$20,530.00
$2 Daily Double
(BROOKLYN-BELMONT DOUBLE) 4-3
$434.00
$2 Daily Double
1-3
$1,988.00
$2 Exacta
3-2
$928.00
$2 Superfecta
3-2-5-6
$74,052.00
$2 Trifecta
3-2-5
$8,268.00
Race Results
BELMONT PARK, Saturday, June 11, 2011 - 11st Race
Belmont S. - Grade: 1 Purse:
$1,000,000 Distance/Restrictions: 1 1/2 Miles, Dirt, 3-Year-Olds, STAKES Winning Time: 2:30:88
Pgm.
Horse
Win
Place
Show
3
Ruler On Ice
51.50
26.00
13.60
2
Stay Thirsty
19.40
10.80
5
Brilliant Speed
7.90
Times in 100ths: :23:92 :49:08 1:14:51 1:39:95 2:05:09 2:30:88 Unplaced horses listed in order of finish. Also run:
Nehro, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Monzon, Master of Hounds, Prime Cut and Isn't He Perfect Scrached: Winning Breeder: Liberation Farm & Brandywine Farm Winning Trainer: Kelly J. Breen Winning Owner: Hall, George and Lori
