By Frank Scandale @Fscandale
Poet Robert Frost may have immortalized the phrase, “The Road Less Traveled,” but a new video ad campaign seeks to put a new spin on it as momentum builds for the first leg of horse racing’s most coveted jewel – the Triple Crown.
Launched by America’s Best Racing, the four-part series promotes the road to the Triple Crown, arguably one of the most difficult titles in sports. The first ad kicked off today (Monday, April 6) and is called appropriately, “The Road Less Traveled: The Road to the Triple Crown.”
The first video, http://youtu.be/BAxtFGM05bw , employs a narrative effect on what it takes to be great by invoking the names of great athletes of our recent generation, such as Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan. A 1958 Chevy Apache truck rolling down the the road in lush horse country while the narrator waxes poetic achieves its goal of building interest in the Derby on May 2, the Preakness on May 16 and the final leg, the Belmont Stakes on June 6.
Shot in Kentucky, the successive videos will be rolled April 13, April 20 and May 6, a few days after the first leg of the Triple Crown is run in Louisville.
The Triple Crown has only happened on 11 occasions since 1919, with the last time occurring in 1978, when Affirmed captured the title. Prior to that, Secretariat, also mentioned in the first video ad, broke a 25-year drought, according to BelmontStakes.com. Twenty one horses have come into the Belmont Stakes last leg with two victories under their belts, only to fall short on the final attempt
A 3-year-old Thoroughbred must win three races – Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, each at a different distance – over the span of five weeks. Despite the overwhelming odds, the annual quest to capture this coveted crown attracts millions of viewers. According to Nielsen Ratings, 20.6 million viewers tuned into NBC to watch the California Chrome’s quest fall short at the Belmont Stakes.
The ads will utilize the hashtag #RoadtoTC and will pop up on Facebook, YouTube and Yahoo.com, says America’s Best Racing’s release. The ads can be seen on www.AmericasBestRacing.net, which will also feed updates, news, blogs, photos and gambling insights for all three races.