As if anybody cares...Laurel down to 60 days for winter meet

[Barbaro06]

To me it looks like a game...keep cutting racing dates, purses, and stakes races and maybe, just maybe the politicos in Annapolis will pass a slots resolution. They won't for the sake of keeping the breeders and the racing going in Maryland....hell, they don't seem to care that Marylanders drive to Delware and PA to play slots...sure, give the neighboring states the money...we don't need it, wait, budget crisis, maybe we need slots, but not to save the racing/breeding industry....all I can say is WHATEVER. I think they could care less that racing industry folks get put out of business...they can get money out of those involved in the big BRAC deal coming here in 2010-2011....


http://handicapping.bloodhorse.com/index.asp?source=http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/article.cgi%3Fid=9608%26print=true%26header=bh

[winds]

They'll cry when it's gone. When they realize they let the cash cow die, they will cry.

I won't be there to wipe their tears. I'll be in PA or NY laughing at them, but mourning the death of a dear friend.

I hate politics.

winds

[mightyhijames]

with all due respect, its easy to sit back and complain as racing goes down the tubes. if you haven't already, i suggest you write letters to the editor (annapolis capitol, baltimore sun) about the impact of the loss of racing. it's never mentioned, all the press is about the slots. maryland citizens are totally ignorant of how we will all be impacted when/if racing ceases to exist. you can go to the maryland horse breeders association website and read the report by the american horse council. people need to know what's at stake.

[Barbaro06]

I agree with you both. I am going to sit down and gather my thoughts about the whole issue and piece together a good strong editorial of my own. Indeed, they focus on the slots, arguing how it will be a drain on poor people's wallets, how neighborhoods will be destroyed, yada yada. They never talk about the farms and the people who work on those farms or those at the track, etc. They seem to forget such is their livelihood!They argue they do not want to subsidize the wealthy track owners but they overlook the breeders in this state who are now buying farms in neighboring states in order to race for better purses. What is it that makes them so blind to those who are going to be the most affected?

Politics suck, for lack of a better term. Those in power are Neros, fiddling as the racing industry dies a slow death. All we hear is talk about how this state needs revenue and yet they allow money to seep and then pour out of the state.

I'll share my writing when I get done with it!

[Tiz]

Magna is using the horsemen of Maryland as unpaid lobbyists, in their bid for expanded gambling opportunities. Lovely outfit.

[SCandproud]

DeFrancis got in bed with Stronach, now everyone else is paying the price. Racing in Md. is dead, just a matter of time. And it is a shame because Laurel has always been a wonderful track at which to run, it will be missed!! Now Pimlico?...not so much..

[winds]

I've never been a fan of the Pimlico plant either or the backside, no grass or trees. I know that Laurel's backside had become like Pimlico's, did it change with the changes they implimented?

I guess I got spoiled with the grass and trees of Belmont and Saratoga. I'm not a fan of Aqueducts backside either, but that track is needed for winter racing.

There is so much history in MD, it would be a shame if it disappears.

winds

[SCandproud]

Last time I was on the backside at Laurel was 2 years ago and they still had some trees and grass where you could graze a horse. I don't know if with the barn renovations they have eaten into those areas or not. I too was spoiled by being at Belmont and Saratoga, also Arlington and Churchill where you also can still find some grass for grazing.

[Barbaro06]

I have not been to the backside by the barns to see if the rennovations took up the green space.

I may be published in the coming days. I had to give the guy who called the websites for the numbers I used in the letter and he also asked if I had any involvement in the industry. Nope, just a saddened fan. He told me people just aren't interested in racing (could have fooled me on Preakness and Maryland Million Day). I came back with why do people spend good money to watch losing baseball and football teams (I should have added with overpaid louts who get into enough trouble to make a con doing life blush)?

[majxmom]

Magna is using the horsemen of Maryland as unpaid lobbyists, in their bid for expanded gambling opportunities. Lovely outfit.

They did the same thing at GGF, had a booth there for months for their casino initiative in CA, which failed.

[mightyhijames]

I have not been to the backside by the barns to see if the rennovations took up the green space.

I may be published in the coming days. I had to give the guy who called the websites for the numbers I used in the letter and he also asked if I had any involvement in the industry. Nope, just a saddened fan. He told me people just aren't interested in racing (could have fooled me on Preakness and Maryland Million Day). I came back with why do people spend good money to watch losing baseball and football teams (I should have added with overpaid louts who get into enough trouble to make a con doing life blush)?

here's hoping you make the press. as for racing interest, if that's the case, why was there a record crowd at maryland million and on preakness day........again? maybe if the media would promote the sport even one-tenth what they do the others, more people would be interested. i haven't heard one word about the breeder's cup races or that fogelsonger and pino have (had?) mounts. and i agree about the contract sports players, what a bunch of overpaid prima donas. and who pays for those state-of-the-art sports palaces? give racing half of what the state spent for the ravens stadium and send us on our way.

so, anybody else feel like voicing their opinions? there's strength in numbers.

[winds]

It needs to be pointed out to the legislature that this is no different than the stadiums being built with tax payer money. Who are they bailing out then, the rich team owner. It's not like the stadiums employ people year round, just for the season. Well, racing is year round.

People that love racing just aren't as vocal as those fans of other sports. But the main factor is the sports editors aren't interested in racing, they're the ones that call the shots.

winds

[Barbaro06]

I have not been to the backside by the barns to see if the rennovations took up the green space.

I may be published in the coming days. I had to give the guy who called the websites for the numbers I used in the letter and he also asked if I had any involvement in the industry. Nope, just a saddened fan. He told me people just aren't interested in racing (could have fooled me on Preakness and Maryland Million Day). I came back with why do people spend good money to watch losing baseball and football teams (I should have added with overpaid louts who get into enough trouble to make a con doing life blush)?

here's hoping you make the press. as for racing interest, if that's the case, why was there a record crowd at maryland million and on preakness day........again? maybe if the media would promote the sport even one-tenth what they do the others, more people would be interested. i haven't heard one word about the breeder's cup races or that fogelsonger and pino have (had?) mounts. and i agree about the contract sports players, what a bunch of overpaid prima donas. and who pays for those state-of-the-art sports palaces? give racing half of what the state spent for the ravens stadium and send us on our way.

so, anybody else feel like voicing their opinions? there's strength in numbers.

I agree...the media could do a heck of a lot better with its coverage. but look how results and entries are no longer printed in many of the papers nowadays. I remember having to search high and low to get my hands on a Form. One bookstore here used to carry it and then "due to lack of interest" it was never stocked again. Thank the Lord the CVS across the street from where I work carries it. I would probably be better off getting a subscription! And when the media does cover it, it usually has to do with a horse breaking down. The Gold Cup steeplechase races were last weekend and guess what they had on the front page of the Post? A horse and jockey taking a nose dive over a fence.

People forget that everytime they play Mega Millions is that it supports the Maryland Stadium Authority. Hmmm, talk about a subsidy.

Yeah, do write the editors of the major papers here in Maryland. Let your voices be heard.

[mightyhijames]

i sent an email to the sports director at wtop radio (washington, d.c. metro area) complaining about the lack of breeder's cup coverage, espcially since two local jockeys had mounts. this is his response, which i appreciate. check out the part about the race calls:

- What I squeeze in to reports is based on level of interest and not economic impact. I am sure we could back and forth on this but there is not enough interest to cover thoroughbred racing on a regular basis. Big races we will report the results but in this particular week I did not have time for even a feature on a local rider. I am not saying there are not people interested in thoroughbred racing but not enough for me to cover on a regular basis. This is based on years of experience. About 10 years ago WTOP ran the results from Pimlico and Laurel and even aired the call of the feature race. We had to drop it because of the intense negative reaction--and this was based on market reserach..angry e-mails and phone calls. It was a sponsorship deal that we had to turn down. In other words it was not worth the sponsor money to keep doing it.

I am taking the time to give you this much background..because I know you are sincere and I have always appreciated your e-mails. I get 1:30 to 2:00 minutes to cover a lot of ground. I have to make a judgment on what fits. -