Tomorrow is the long awaited Kentucky Derby, one of thoroughbred horse racing’s crown jewels, and part of the Triple Crown (Visa’s, of course). This week, it was announced that jockeys could add advertising to their silks in order to make a little money.
If you’re not familiar with how racing works, the jockeys literally make dollars a day at most tracks. Winners of larger stakes races taking some dough home, but not as much as you hear about the owner making. Right or wrong, that’s how it works. It’s pretty well known to most people who follow the sport that the jockeys aren’t treated as well as they should be, but it’s not something that will be fixed overnight.
Just this afternoon, it was announced that two jockeys had a liqueur sponsor in HPNOTIQ, the cool blue drink that had made its way into the top shelf in a short period of time - and continues to be very trendy. Both Alex Solis and Jose Santos will wear the “distinctive logotype on the upper pants leg of each jockeys’ silks, where it will be visible as the jockeys crouch in the irons,” the press release says. A second logo will be on their jersey collars.
I have a call into the representative for the company about this, as I’m curious to hear what he has to say about the reaction that HPNOTIQ is expecting from the American public with regards to advertising on uniforms, which isn’t very common here except for Major League Soccer and Arena Football.
[via BusinessWire]
2 responses so far ↓
1 Debbie // Apr 30, 2004 at 10:19 pm
Everything will eventually be sold. I’m waiting for the United States to be renamed the United States of Banana Republic.
2 Mark // Apr 30, 2004 at 10:49 pm
Tom, I’m almost ashamed to be associated with this in any way (Ms. Galant, you may ask Tom if you wish to know of what I’m speaking). It horrifies me even more that I grew up in Lexington, KY and my parents both grew up in Louisville and I still have relatives there (including MeMaw, bless her). I’ve been to the Derby a few times. Keeneland (Lexington) is far classier than Churchill, but they’ve got the Derby and that’s that.
This I can accept from the world’s soccer teams, but to see it sink to thoroughbred racing’s premier event - it’s just sad. Not even the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, as far as I know, tried advertising on a jockey’s silks. It’s the farm’s silks - that’s like putting a Pepsi ad on the US flag just for NFL game cameras. Heresy, but what we’ve come to!