NTRA Breeders' Cup Blogs

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:41 pm

On The NTRA.Com Home page there is a link to 14 bloggers that have been selected to cover each Breeders' Cup race. Members from the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance are the ones writing the articles

I posted my first article today, and the race I have choses to cover is the Breeders' Cup Turf. I had my reason, and it's a great international race.

You can check mine out and others as well here...

http://www.ntra.com/blog.aspx?blogid=39

Bohemia · Postby **Bohemia** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:47 am

Why have they turned to bloggers? Personally, I wouldn't read any of this stuff. Maybe they work for free? What could they tell me that an established turf writer couldn't?

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:19 am

I disagree. If anyone knows me, they know I bring passion and knowledge of the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

I myself have never cared for the term logger, but as of know, that's what the group is called and I am part of it. There are 14 races that are being covered, and each will have a different spin on the way they cover it.

I can assure you I bring as much knowledge and passion to my writing as any "Turf Writer" can or does.

And there are many established Turf Writers on the NTRA website as well. And any extra coverage of a sport that does not have a strong a fan base as some of the other more mainstream sports is fine by me.

winds · Postby **winds** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:38 am

I agree the more the better. Look forward to reading the blogs.

winds

Bohemia · Postby **Bohemia** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:51 am

So basically bloggers are bringing their opinions to the table. Credentialed reporters do actual interviews and break news stories. The bloggers will be to the site what "Final Turn" is to the Blood-Horse. I guess what mystifies me is, with all the newspapers and magazines cutting down on their staff of qualified turf writers, why the BC has turned to bloggers. The fact that they don't have to pay them much, if at all, is probably the reason.

winds · Postby **winds** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:31 am

Blogging is the present and the future, you can't get a position with the Blood Horse, NTRA or any other organization unless you show a knowledge and determination to get the job done. You have to have shown them you can do the job. It's a good thing.

winds

Bohemia · Postby **Bohemia** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:07 pm

You are probably right, Winds, I never thought of it that way. That wasn't the case years ago; guess I'm still stuck in the past.

winds · Postby **winds** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:31 pm

That's ok, though I read blogs and on line, I still prefer hard copy.

winds

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:57 am

You can look at what have written in the past and judge for yourself. The one thing I take pride in more than any other thing is finding young horses and handicapping.

I do intend to get an interview down the road from the connections of horse that will run in the BC Turf.

I am just doing what come naturally for me, can't speak for other bloggers or writers. As long as one has the passion and knowledge, the platform in which they choose to use to get out their work out should not matter. To be honest I have never thought of myself as a blogger or writer. I started a website because I was a racing fan and have a passion for Thoroughbreds. Some how it's evolved into this...

Some writers feel the way you do. Nothing I can do about it.

Opinions, comments are welcome.

winds · Postby **winds** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:55 am

Stevie, we're all for it. Congratulations and best of luck!

winds

nancy4487 · Postby **nancy4487** » Tue Sep 22, 2009 6:14 pm

I always like the way you support your selections with facts, Steve.
Also, always reporting in a visual manner for those of us who can't be onsite.

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:09 pm

Latest Entry

http://www.ntra.com/blog.aspx?blogid=39

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:24 am

Breeders’ Cup Turf Field Begins to Take Shape

Latest Entry

I put links to the races that have already been run...

http://www.ntra.com/blog.aspx?blogid=39

Stevie Belmont · Postby **Stevie Belmont** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:15 am

All the horses have incoming link to thier pedigree here. I always thought that was something that people would want to see.

jellac · Postby **jellac** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:06 am

Stevie - As someone who is firmly rooted in 'my present', ergo 'the past' it would come naturally to me to gripe about NTRA going to the blogsphere. In the interest in full disclosure/truth in reporting: I should admit to a deep prejudice towards the hard copy form of news/reporting: in one of my many past lives I worked as a weekly features writer, almost went into journalism as my major in college and still like to read the paper from cover to cover every day, if I can find the time.

HOWEVER....you've adeptly shown an 'old gray mare' like me the rationale behind the move to blogging in just these first few links/posts you've provided.

Unlike hardcopy news - no matter how hard it works at being 'hot off the presses', i.e. current, blogging can be more so. By its nature it is current with the present, not hours/days old. It has the added feature of being able to connect photos, with data like pedigrees, with well researched/in depth reporting/interviews, with streaming videos of past races all while being very much in the here and now newswise. Additionally it connect/possibally engage it's readers with what "news" always generates: discussion and commentary: the story after the story. I like it and cheer you on in living up to blogging's full potential....it can only be good for racing (IMO).

Guess I'm not quite ready to be put out to pasture just yet!

The one thing about some blogs that has really turned me off of them in the past was the bloggers' seeming desire to 'become the news' rather than to report the news. That's not unique to blogging as I have witnessed the transition to this "I'm reporting it therefore I am the news' stance in much of the last 20 years of paper journalism and I see it all the more frequently in the paper press today. I suppose that's an outgrowth from the paper media's attempts to compete with the "live" media, i.e. televised news. I'm curious is there a code of ethics/standards of behaviour for bloggers' reporting 'news' as there is for journalists?