Sign of the times??

[bdw0617]

I prefer to watch horse racing, rather than betting on a horse. I found great excitement with great races, great horses..whether live, simucast or
youtobe all the same.

oh i never miss a day of racing at santa anita. watch it everyday. just don't bet it. although I do like to get the 8th at Santa Anita on a daily basis.. the last at santa anita is usually one of the most vauable playing races of the day anywhere. guaranteed damn near 14 horse fields everyday. I hit orientation hall today.

Oh dude...you everyday have your eyes tuned onto tracks..no need working ? Or you are a sports writer or some sort similar to that ?

I pay my bills by handicapping believe it or not. in the last 8 months I have gotten the itch to get back into business so I started a web development firm as well (black17media.com) but I also run that from my house, so I'm at home in front of the TV all day regardless.

I would say the best tracks to play for the money are Oaklawn, Arlington Park, Mountineer, Gulfstream, Turf Paridise, Churchill, Keeneland, Saratoga, Belmont. My year revolves around those tracks. Charles Town is good but a little too cooky for me at times, same with Penn National. Mountineer is the best kept secret in horse racing. Year round 10-11 horse cards.

[Dave C]

This raises an interesting point. I was reading last week some economics stuff about the effect this recession is likely to have on the availability of leisure time. It occurred to me while reading it that there is a strong correlation between the success of racing as a sport and the amount of leisure time people have available. From the 1930's through to the end of the '70's, the amount of leisure time people had available was steadily increasing. This corresponds to racings' heyday. From about 1980 to the present people's leisure time has steadily decreased, to the point where in my neck of the woods a 60 hour work week is considered normal. This corresponds quite well with the steady decline of horse racing. Perhaps horse racings problem isn't just that there are alternative gambling opportunities, but that people just don't have time to sit through an entire race card.

It will be interesting social experiment (very painful experiment for some) to see if all those unemployed people suddenly have time to spend at the racetrack. It also raises the potential for racetracks to attract these people through having cheap food available during race cards. And even if these people only bet $5 on the day, that's $5 more in the handle.

[wilf]

I was born in England and spent 20 years in Australia, all the time intoxicated by racing and it's spectacle from the Grand National Steeplechase to the Derby and on to the Melbourne Cup. As time went by I started reading American racing magazines and the first shock I got was the 100 day"Meets" at one track. How boring is that? After a while living in the States and training runners I understood how the system worked but unless you change with the times you will fail. It became obvious that off track wagering had to come to attract those race fans who lived out of range of the tracks in the 80's and then as business declined we had to cozy up to the casino-style racinos to survive and boost purses. Times are as tough now as they have ever been and the days of tracks running cards 5 days a week is insane when you look at the weak betting cards that they offer. Tracks like Mountaineer and Beulah survive as best they can by simulcasting and giving the chance for owners to win a race with the condition book well written to give lesser horses a chance for redemption even in the midst of winter and modest purses. It's a great game this one that we choose but we must police ourselves in many ways. Not only as far as humane treatment to the animals that give us so much but we must be realistic with business plans for the future. I could never figure out why Stronach didn't just buy one track and learn how to run it well then slowly expand as the game plan paid for itself. They seemed to change general managers every month,another bad sign! Racing is simple really; just play to your strengths and do the best you can in your situation. If you can only survive on three days racing per week then suck it up coz your still in the game.

[wangkw]

In one of my travels to Vancouver in late October, 2003, I decided that I should go take a 1st ever glimpse at its Hastings track.

That was the big Santa Anita day...the running of the year's fat breeders cup cards was scheduled in the afternoon.

It was not as crowded as I would have imagined. About 1/2 present were more senior folks..half white and also about half yellow
who were speaking cantonese among them.

I went there to see big thing, BC Classic and then BC Turf..and had placed penny bets in them...probably unconsciously out
of a desire to prove my presence back home later.. But I noticed there were not quite many before those SA screens when
the BC program began to unravel. Those folks were on others...and all over. There were just killing time there, I told myself.

The main turf event in SA returned with a deadheat, both High Chaparral and Johar were listed winners.

I emerged winner too having got a chance finally to take part in those famous actions live. Only my pocket was slightly lighter.

[zinn21]

Tuc wrote:

Soft tissue doesn't get turned out for 3 or 4 or or 6 months. it's a year before we can get them back! If we can't keep them sound, then the relevance of what was bred for by any one is moot. They won't be running anyway.

Exactly..

No matter what is auctioned off, or who buys what, we are more than likely stuck with this synthetic garbage for years to come.

I hope not and they will put a synthetic surface in at Pleasanton over my dead body.

[Tucumcari]

Yep, Zinn! And the tale of the trip to Tup Paradise and a jump is almost famous. As is a next out on turf post maiden breaker.. is this your horse? I could name names, but it's not always relevant. but the story of a horse doing a big jump at Turf Paradise, running in the money sounded a little too familliar. The :trainer" had never had a trainer's license, but did for the race at T Paradise and the following one on Turf.