You're such a hater Steve.

Please read Freddy's post. Your view is so myopic.. An industry is much more than the handle of a racetrack.

Freddy knows I love him, so I know he won't take this the wrong way. But don't you think his view is pretty myopic?

PID was up to its horse player friendly tricks tonight ... they sent the tellers home after the last race. If you want to bet Hollywood Park or anything else tonight, get a voucher.

The old OTB parlor, they would keep two tellers there until Balmoral's last race at 1AM ... and for one year even stayed open in the middle of the night while 2 or 3 true degen's stuck around and bet Australia without PP's or whatever the hell it was they were showing.

Greatest mystery in the world is how that place was never robbed. They had real dough in the money room, one senior citizen security guard who was hooked on scratch off lotto tickets sticking around and about four or five employees who valued life a million times more than the companys money. Most of the cameras didn't even work. You take a right out of the parking lot and you're on the Interstate. You take a left and you're onto Peach street which is loaded with malls and stores for two straight miles. Or you could drive past the Interstate and take the backroads if you know them. Probably the hardest place in the city to capture someone who recently escaped from and easiest spot to escape from.

It sounds like you had a plan, so what happened? Did RHT agree to be the stick-up man, but then back out at the last second? You were expecting RHT to come to the getaway car with a bag of jingle, but instead all he brought was tomorrow's Form.

I just googled horse racing industry. Guess who was first in line?

Uh, I would assure you that it would have been an easy five figure score and an almost 100% chance of clean escape with just about any two man team except RHT doing the deed and me doing the driving. That specific combo could screw up anything.

I worked there as a teller right after I turned 18. The tellers had it easy - betting on credit and covering shorts on payday was very much a common thing. They'd always have a BS story about some tale of woe mistake that left them short. And they never threatened employment until it became heavily abused.

It was a big sprawling OTB with 3 different very spacey rooms. Probably five times the size of the ones you'd see when you go into New York State. The cameras didn't work in the back dining room...but even in the other two rooms, no one cared what was going on. It was amazing the kind of stuff that could have been pulled that wasn't.

The short time I worked there, I'd tell the manager and other tellers that "I saw the mad bomber today! He was here! I talked to him! The Man, the myth, the legend!" ... some fictional person I made up that I swore to them would bet 300K or more to show on a horse when the right situation comes up. And he was scouting things out right here on the weekends. How cool was that?

After I was gone, I guess my fictional guy did show up for a teller I was friends with. In 2003, Medaglia D' Oro just won his 4yo debut with a 119 Beyer in his prior start .. he was in the Oaklawn Park Handicap against 4 hopeless other horses, none of which had any pace to bother him. One of the all-time great mismatches on paper and they didn't cancel show betting.

He paid $2.20 to win $2.20 to place and $2.20 to show because OP had $2.20 minimum prices. They let him crawl on the lead in the race .. and a horse that Joe Woodard trained who had recently missed the board twice in a row at Mountaineer Park chugged home 2nd to MDO.

It's a shame cameras didn't work back where he made the bet ... I might have asked the manager to review the tape. It could have been a blast to see a figment of my imagination in action.

you been hittin the pipe tonight...


Hey Mr. Belmont fan... The over/under for scratches today at Belmont is 10, what side are you on? Enjoy it.

HomerS -Blinkers On ;)

http://www.drf.com/news/article/114670.html

more bad news for nyra. they are in a very weak position right now, and it looks like horsemen are using that to their advantage in this case.

This is a pretty typical comment and further illustrates Steve's point.

Dude... Steve has said racing is a BILLION dollar industry in NJ... Now if racing goes away in NJ what does that mean to the State as far as revenue goes? They lose all the taxes and they lose on the unemployment payouts. You give Monmouth 50 mill and hope they get within the zip code of breaking even. Sounds like a huge win for the State to me. This is much more than Monmouth breaking even or not breaking even.

PS

Welcome Back

I don't want to see racing go anywhere in Jersey. One of my favorite meets of the year was the Meadowlands fall thoroughbred meet. It sucks it's gone this year. What I was saying is Homer is saying he is a Monmouth guy, but wants to see a sustainable model.

Maybe the state will decide to give Monmouth another 50 million next year and do the same thing. But at this point IMO that seems like a longshot. I'm curious to see what happens when Saratoga opens. I do agree with Homer though that it will all come down to business.

The state didn't give Monmouth anything. The casinos gave Monmouth $10 million to let them keep their gaming monopoly in Jersey.

I think it'll happen again next year, when AC cracks and gives up the token hush dough again.

As for Saratoga- I am very concerned. It is my favorite place on the face of the earth and I have serious reservations about them having the horseflesh to put on a 6 day a week meet. There is just no good reason to run in NY right now, even at Saratoga. Will the bettors show up like they always do if there's more 5-6-7 horse fields with a big favorite? Will the Churchill shippers go that direction or to the Shore, or to (gasp) Philadelphia/Delaware?

based on stall apps, it didn't sound like saratoga was having a hard time drawing horses.

I think Saratoga will be fine it is an island. NYRA really needs to run this place Memorial day to Labor day. I know the die-hards are against this but they should/will learn to adjust. Saratoga is the feature back and should get as many carries as possible.... Belmont 6 months/Saratoga 3 months and AQU 3 or 0 months.

Come on Phil, you know what I am saying. There really is no point of you and I having this discussion again. We've had it and we don't see eye to eye.

You said the state gave them $50 million. I corrected you, because they didn't. The casinos gave them monopoly hush money. That is all I had to say.

I am not arguing this thing anymore because clearly people won't change their stance, including you.

Actually jms made the 50 million by the state comment. I repeated it.

I get it, you love Monmouth and despise anything NYRA these days. You're a less angry version of The Closeted Man. But spare me the change their stance nonsense. Because you are as closed minded as it comes.

Thanks for putting words in my mouth.

You couldn't be more wrong.

You can pretend you aren't but I don't need to put the words into your mouth. Take a look at what you say. Everything is a thinly veiled criticism. Saying "I'm a NY guy" before a slam doesn't change what you are really saying.

Sure. Keep fishing for a confrontation. Maybe they'll bite over at PA this afternoon.

He is a reverse Byk. But of course I am the only person in the entire world that has that opinion per Steve.

That's pretty hypocritical isn't it?

Why?

Because that is what your modus operandi has been lately.

Where... and how?

JMHO Phil is one of the most level headed posters on this board.

like they ever will, they ship in all over, it does provide an illusion though that there is a thriving horse population to draw from.

Isnt Rachel in one of those precious SPA stall's? I hear see loves TRAINING at SPA lol

Good to know, thanks.

You don't think she is running at the meet?

I don't.. I think MP will get her back for another BC prep.. They want to run every 5 weeks with her so her next start would be the last weekend in Aug. Monmouth can make the Molly Pitcher purse 750k and get her to run on the weekend after her 7/24 prep. Apparently Jess is playing by his on rules and MP seems to be his best partner in crime.

In a way things couldnt have turned out worse for racing with Zenyatta and Rachel NOT retiring. You had a great opportunity to promote the sport and truly get people pumped again. Instead we will have potentially a 1 race show down if either make it CD. Shame

you're probably dead right on that thought. jess choosing the ungraded race now, and they make it worth his while later. monmouth can also attempt to get their ungraded race graded next year when they go back and look at the field...

both rachel and zenyatta are accomplishing nothing this year, and doing nothing for racing. they may as well have retired them for all they're doing with them this year. what a waste.

That's a good point Freddy. I'm not sure you'll see the top jocks again if they have a second year Elite Meet, however. I was able to chat with Garret Gomez yesterday and he indicated that while he loves the area, he's going to Saratoga. The meet was not what he expected in terms of attracting good horses. He said the purses are great but he's spending more time in the jocks room than riding.

I think she is a lock to run in the Personal Ensign if she runs well at Monmouth. Who is there to avoid, even at 10f?