Texas Thoroughbred Forum

[Horsecrazy]

This effort is a big-time, well planned, well financed push for the House and Senate versions of VLT bills. There will be extensive press coverage and a BIG crowd. Charter busses, free, from DFW, Houston and San Antonio are coming. Personally, I question your plan of talking about subjects beyond the scope of the specific objective of the function. I believe you have every right to do that, but should do it on your own time and nickel. Don't crash the party. It will be counter-productive if you do. My opinion. A big rambling dissortation about your history and your rights is not required. I have heard that speech. Thanks and good luck.

[keyranch]

You may be right about the shuffle at the top, but my sources have been consistent for a long time. I can see a friendly non wager coming up over that one.
I hope you are right about the participation, but am sceptical and frankly a bit afraid it will be attended like some of the regional meetings we are hearing about. It seams the bill has been promoted to everyone but the horsemen. I have been asked many times in the last few weeks about what was in the bill etc. When I tell them it has not changed much since two years ago, they still do not know what all is involved.
There are some things I have read in the bill that brings up concerns, I have not and will not challenge them on the net or in front of the legislative staffs. The final version could look very different than what is being presented at this time and if it progresses that far I hope they can clean it up a bit.
The concept that Theo brings to the table is simple, support any and all legislation that can help the horsemen! He has asked the questions, read the bills, talked to the sponsors, and frankly has done a rather good job of evaluating the merits of each bill. The whole slots or nothing agenda and the concept of not expanding the footprint of gambling, is being heard from the slots or nothing crowd but I have not heard that one time in all of the conversations in Austin. I am not saying the Gov did not make that statement ten years ago or whenever, but once the session ends they start all over again. Unless he said it in the last ten days it does not mean jack.
The legislators and their staffs are concerned on what will generate the most money for the state in this budget! What is the political impact of those decisions! I agree with Theo and the bulk of the horsemen would agree to support any and all the measures that will improve the industry and purse structure in Texas. Again, the only ones that have had to adhere to the slots or nothing agenda is the horsemen; there are bills for poker rooms, eight liners, and casinos. There are no bills for horse related revenue streams such as ADW's, IRM's, OTB's, etc. So what do we get if the slots or nothing agenda does not pass; will we get more reduced race dates, less breeders incentives, more create a crisis to get the legislators attention!
I hope the leadership that put all the marbles in one basket will do the right thing and fall on the sword if this fails again! Because, you have gambled the livelihoods of many Texas horsemen on an agenda that has consistently failed! Before you get on your crazy horse, I have every right to voice these concerns, every dollar I make comes from this industry and the hundreds of thousands spent has gone back into it!
I hope I am wrong and everything will fly as planned, I chose not to delude myself or my friends with propaganda contrary to common sense. That is my opinion and I am sticking to it!

[Horsecrazy]

I don't know how to answer some of that, except to tell you that you just can't put all your strategy on the street for the opposition (or internet, for litterally millions to to read). You just have to understand that. You also have to understand that if the tracks don't have a viable solution to get them out of the hole, they will close and you will have NO racing in Texas. I am truly sorry that's the way it is, but it is what it is. I was raised under the premise that the tracks provide the venue, the horsemen provide the show, and a partnership was in place. Unfortunately, the show has gone south because adjoining states are generating purse income that we cannot generate because of legislative constraints. I, like you, would like to see purse revenue generated from sources dependant upon racing, but it is not happening, and won't, period, end of story. Yes, horsemen are accepting a band-aid to live to fight another day. Your initiatives, ADW, OTB, ITW are great, just simply "too little, to late". They would help purses for the horsemen, but they will not save the race tracks. If VLT legislation is not passed now, race tracks will close. All the race dates you can conjur up will not help you if there is no venue available to run them. We are now in the 11th hour, going down for the third time and had better give up our milk. I don't know what else to say, so I won't say any more, except that you and your's had better wake up and smell the roses, because you are about to be history in this state. This is not about who is driving the train, but how to get a new lease on life for the Texas Racing Industry.

[jrgators]

Mr./Mrs/Ms/Miss Horsecrazy....you really just said that! Wow!!

Too little too late! Never has the tracks or the associations been more disinterested in anything but VLT's in the past 2 years that I KNOW of! Shame on you for making such a false statement! The agenda has been, and it still is slots or nothing. You say it in your own words, just colored up a little bit, but you say it! Can I quote you..."Your initiatives, ADS, OTB, ITW are great, just simply "too little, to late" This is the fault of the mushrooms? Are you kidding! This is what it's been about all along, SLOTS!! Stop spreading this junk around like you or most others are being honest, it's about slots man! Dang, it's OK, but don't berate someone who has a wider view!

I love the thought, and will support VLT's to the best of my ability, I've said it over and over. I just don't think that's the end of the list of things we should be searching for and trying to achieve!

Why wouldn't we TEXAS folks support Rep. Hildebrand and the Texas Derby?

Why wouldn't we Texas folks support HB 382 and bring Poker to the tracks and the state?

Why wouldn't we support things that will assist the tracks, and the owners breeders, and trainers?

Why the hello not?

The tracks are ready to close because we haven't had a vision of anything but those dang slots!

Good night!

[Horsecrazy]

Why? Because it's too little, too late! You folks really wear me out. You only hear what you want to hear and you only listen to each other. You won't have to worry with me anymore, though. Adios.

[keyranch]

The finances of the racetracks vs an industry that has already lost millions out of the economy. That fear that all the tracks will close without slots supplement has been used and abused for a decade now. The finances of the racetracks are better than the bulk of the industry in this state and if you can not operate a racetrack in cities of multimillion populations than it is time to give up the license to someone who can!

If you want to know how to grow and manage a racing facility without slots, venture over to Oaklawn Park and have a look at what can be done. The went from being on the edge to the leading facility in the southwest and did it with the cards dealt to them.

We went through this in the race dates debate and the financials of the tracks delivered to the associations and TRC were misleading to say the least. The management of both Retama and SHRP did their best and have done their best to create the save us or we will crash and burn scenario. I have an answer for both the state and the horsemen, if you can not manage a track in Texas under these circumstances than let the state put the license back up for bid to generate state revenue! I would say that there would be someone show up to buy the license with the intent of keeping their pact with the state and the horsemen!

By having the license to operate a racing plant in Texas the state has given that facility a monopoly in that area with the implicit understanding that the track will provide revenue to the state, employment to the area, and racing opportunity to the horsemen! Since the tracks are doing their best with the help of the associations to minimize all three, then the state should have the option of revisiting the status of their racing license. The whole concept that the horsemen have got to continue to sacrifice their livelihoods in order to improve the bottom lines of these tracks is beyond me and again the great disconnect with the associations and their membership. The create a crisis agenda was the biggest scam yet to be perpetrated on the horsemen and the state; the participants should be held accountable! That is my opinion and I am sticking to it!

[jrgators]

Adios Crazy horse!

[Horsecrazy]

Oaklawn races about 60 days, you idiot, with total emphasis on the quality of the show. Where's the quality of your show? Adios for the last time.

[keyranch]

Lets see, Hot Springs population is about 35k. The greater Houston area is about 5 mil! 28 days at 150k or 60 days at 240k! SHRP has the best turf, weather, and time slots for simulcasting in the southwest! Shall we go on!

I fail to see where the idiot comment comes in at for my statement? I could see it for the obvious choices made not to follow the path that Oaklawn did to save their track. Is it the fool that trys and fails or fails to try?

[jrgators]

Wow, Idiot!

That's pretty sad that we have this kinda of word choice coming from someone who's suppose to be an adult, and is suppose to have already left the board!

Is this the same person who stated that they were on the board of the TTA?

This is silly!!

Joe, you can't get more insulting than these guys! I just think the elitism is at work at it's finest again! If you are an idiot, it'd be very intertaining names for me!

Show quality, and show class are different. We'd have more quality with a little help from our associations, but your lack of class isn't something that can be helped!
LOL
Theo

[Roger]

Have any of you attended a Regional Meeting? I was just wondering if there are enough Texas Horsepeople left to attend one. If one takes the time to look at the owners and trainers that ran at Retama in 2010 and compare that with the owners and trainers that ran at SH in 2011, it will become apparent that we've lost a bunch. The suicide meet at SH killed off a lot of us. What could have caused SH to run the TB meet so close to the QH meet? How many TB trainers and owners had to ship in because SH was saving stalls for the QH folks. On the surface it looks to me like it was a planned attempt to ensure failure. QH folks had it put to them too.

[Dream2B]

Joe is anything but an idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If if was not for him we would only have 60 days here in TX. I 'll not buy into the view that it was THP that put SHRP back on the radar srceen. Let's see AR =1 X Class 1 racetrack = 60 days racing, TX 3 class 1 racetracks = 180 days racing (*&^(*&%*&^$&%^#^%#&^. Go home Crazy horse, hide behind your pseudodym. Still have not answered my question about what you have done fo the TX thoroughbred industry? What have you donated to PAC that makes your opinion valid?

[Bedouwia]

Well, I have to take back my observation that the tenor of the discourse had improved. I see that when you cannot win an argument, the resort to personal insults returns. It reminds me of junior high school It seems for some that to be a part of "the in crowd" is all that matters. Our so called leaders need to grow up.

I had logged on to note that the federal bill to regulate and legalize on-line betting has been reintroduced. I do not know if it will pass this session, but if it does, Texas will again be behind the times, and left behind. There needs to be a provision for regulating ADW in Texas. Those who are supposed to be managing our tracks should be responsible and pay attention to this, rather than the slots or nothing agenda. Why not both? Just my opinion as someone who has no interest in going to a racetrack to play a video game.

Bedouwia

[keyranch]

The race dates debate was not Joe, it was a group of folks; many of which have never posted on this site or the FB site. I did the presentations but the arguements and research were done by the group! These folks are still here supporting our efforts in Austin and researching information that can be used to defend me in the libel suite filed against me for statements made about the TTHBPA on this site.
The injunction was thrown out by the judge, but the suite is still in tact and if we are lucky we will have the chance to defend our statements in court. The hearing on the injunction is now public record and can be found in the Dallas county court.
There is one point I would like to defend, the rumor that the THP is spreading that I said all the board members are on the payroll of Lone Star Park and that was why this was a easy case to win against me and would teach a lesson to all the mushrooms for making statements about the associations by prosecuting Mr. Kerby. This has made full circle from more than one of your board members and I would suggest this childish CYA crap gets put the rest until our day in court! If you are a board member reading this, I would suggest you ask to see the statements in writing and in context. If you are gullable enough to continue to beilieve the assocaitions leadership without verification, then you have not learned anything from the race dates debate. This is my opinion and I am sticking to it!

[Horsecrazy]

BS! In my opinon, You're ALL Idiots, All Ten Of You! Adios again!