Sunday, February 07, 1999
Furniture takes over at Turfway
Track trying to make us forget the Jim Beam
BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE — There's a lot of work going on at Turfway Park these days. It's seven weeks before the big spring race and, well, hardly anybody knows what it's called.
After 17 years as the Jim Beam Stakes, the track's Derby prep race is renamed this year after new sponsor Gallery Furniture of Houston. The change has mobilized marketing and public relations gurus.
They have a lot to work with. The purse is bigger — up to $750,000, ranking it with the richest pre-Derby races. And the race will be live on national television.
But The Gallery Furniture.com Stakes is a mouthful. And, for all of those who adopted the Beam over almost two decades, an unknown.
Turfway's campaign started weeks ago, with a big push on Super Bowl Sunday. The track had never advertised during the Super Bowl before and never before started ads so early for the March 27 race.
“We figured, "We've got to create a new brand name here. What's the best opportunity?'” said Damon Thayer, Turfway's director of communications. “We said, "It's the Super Bowl. Let's do it.'”
Fans can expect more advertising during University of Kentucky basketball games, too.
Another new idea is a promotion under way with the Kentucky Lottery. Starting last week, lottery terminals in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties began spitting out at random coupons good for free admission, free parking or a free program. As of March 1, the terminals will generate cou pons good on Gallery Day.
All this change comes amid a big change for the track, too — its pending sale to Keeneland; Harrah's casino company; and GTECH, a lottery operator. The closing is expected to take place next month and has the horse industry buzzing about the somewhat unusual trio and what it will mean for the future of the track.
But the sale has had little effect on the planning of the Gallery stakes, which started when Gallery owner Jim “Mattress Mac” McIngvale announced his sponsorship last summer. His three-year contract remains intact, no matter who owns the track.
Some things will look familiar from years past — the parade of celebrities, for example, and current owner Jerry Carroll's annual crawfish boil for horsemen and employees. Mr. Carroll, who's moving on after the track's sale to spend more time on his auto racing track project, is still expected to be on hand for the race.
The VIP tent will be dressed up and full, too, just with more furniture-industry people than Jim Beam executives. And they'll be drinking Raspberry Recliners, the race's new drink. No more bourbon or Golden Beamers.
There might even be a guy dressed up like a mattress. That's what Mr. McIngvale does in the Houston area, where he's known as “Mattress Mac” for his no-holds-barred hawking of his furniture store. He's a little like Cincinnati's Buddy of Buddy's carpet.
“I'm pretty good at marketing,” he said. “It's like I say, "If it's going to be, it's up to me.'”
But all that name and store recognition is in Texas, hundreds of miles from Florence. That leaves Turfway officials trying to figure out ways to make track-goers identify with a product they've never seen and can't access except via the Internet.
Hence, the “.com” part of the race's new name. To make that connection with race-goers, Turfway's plan is to set up “rooms” of furniture in various places around the track to show off Gallery's stock. Computer terminals will be available, too, in case anybody wants to place an instant order.
The displays also come into play as officials try to make race fans stay at Turfway even after the Gallery is run. Because of the live telecast on ABC, the race has to come off at 2:15 p.m., earlier than the traditional 5:30 p.m. Beam post time. That leaves seven races to go after the big one.
The couches and chairs will be given away at the end of the day — but only to people still present.
“"We are here to help this guy sell furniture,” Mr. Thayer said. “We have to figure out how to do that.”
How to Make a Raspberry Recliner
At the Kentucky Derby, there's the famous mint julep. At Turfway's former Jim Beam Stakes, people drank Golden Beamers. But the Florence track, now with a furniture company as the sponsor of its big spring race, introduces (drumroll) the Raspberry Recliner.
Track officials suggest trying it at home to get ready for the March 27 event.
In a tall glass, add ice and a quarter ounce each of white rum, vodka, gin, tequila and triple sec. Fill the rest of the glass with raspberry-cranberry juice and garnish with a slice of lime.
Taste-tested at a staff meeting Thursday, the Recliner “got rave reviews,” said track spokesman Robert Forbeck. Samplers described it as similar to a Long Island Iced Tea.
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