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What is Racing's Biggest Current Hurdle?
Interested to see what people here think is the biggest current issue facing horse racing in the U.S.?
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Having to open multiple accounts to bet all the big tracks due to signal battles.
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might be simply expanding the fan base?
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Probably the polytrack/cushion surfaces ruining the game and rendering meets that were once looked forward to and cherished, pretty much insignificant... a la Santa Anita and Keeneland.
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The "Stars" of the game avoiding each other.
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The Host/Guest simulcast revenue model. It is as much a source of the game's ills as anything. It's repair would go a long way to righting the wrongs.
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The biggest hurdle to the game is declining handle. Now, there are a myriad of reasons for this. The economy is a convenient excuse, but far from the only one. There are too many races being run at too many tracks. Fields suck, so people don't bet as much. The takeout is certainly a factor. Even those that say they don't care about takeout can figure out they are going broke quicker. Signal wars don't help either. How many accounts do you need to bet all the North American tracks today? Three, four, five? It might be more next month. Until the handle is addressed, fighting over the current shrinking pie is short sighted and a colossal waste of time. |
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There is no simplistic 'fix-all' here is the message I think... There are so many inter-related issues that depend on almost a domino effect. That's why in the "Our Industry" segments I'm doing with Satish Sanan, we keep coming back to his 4 point program that tries to address things comprehensively AND specifically: 1. Overall Industry structure and governance 2. Re-sizing game and repairing the revenue model 3. Integrity (Medication; Safety; Tote; Sales) 4. Horseplayer/Customer-centric Marketing/Service |
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Lack of one overall industry organization = Fractured fifdoms with no national coordination of major issues: drugs-perception, wagering, calendar-scheduling-excess racing/disposable horses
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#1 Takeout too high
#2 Taxes on windfalls causes jackpot-style wagers to be no longer attractive |
#1 Idiots in charge of tracks, BC, etc making one bad decision after another, for years now.
It's like they are hell bent on destroying the industry. |
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Also look at how the BC has been handled the last few years. They are trying to appeal to a select few rich and famous celebs and they have no regard for the typical fan. Their decisions really make no sense at all. The CHRB decision to mandate synthetics? Don't get me started. CD management just a year or so ago saying they don't want to host the BC, due to some made up nonsense? Now they want it? The constant bickering with signal feeds? Stronachs dismantling of GP? It's really like they are all in a race with each other to see who can destroy themselves the quickest. Maybe the Breeders Cup has some sort of secret race. It's restricted to racing management types and the first ones to destroy themselves are the winners. Purse, $100 mil. Though, come to think of it, racings approach to running their businesses is pretty consistent with the normal way of doing things lately across the board in big companies these days. |
We need to draw more fans to this great game.
The ITW that I attend in Cali has fewer patrons every year. Those in attendance average at least 55 years old. |
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No doubt the game needs an influx of need blood. And, the best way to attract new players is to follow the model of POKER. Check out all the new players that POKER drew by providing special treatment for all their HIGH ROLLERS. I mean, in the World Series of Poker, for example, all HIGH ROLLERS get a 10% rebate on their stack. So, all the HIGH ROLLERS (including the BEST PLAYERS) aren't really winning on their own (for the most part).
Yeah. What racing really needs to do is show all the gamblers out there looking for a new game that ALL PLAYERS are treated EVENLY. And, that having a NEGATIVE ROI means that you LOSE MONEY. If they can't attract players to the game using this model, then maybe they need the game to be a bit SIMPLER. Keeping the game difficult for some while making it simpler for others is not exactly the way to go about making it an attractive proposition. I bet a lot of money, so I need an unfair advantage. This might work when it comes to dealing with banks, for example, but, in situations where there's a choice, it's not happening. |
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Fabulous Strike is getting a break on a farm in Ocala, Fla., and will be pointed to a limited 7-year-old campaign in 2010 that his connections hope ends with a start in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs in November. A multiple stakes winner, Fabulous Strike has not raced since getting run down by Kodiak Kowboy in the Grade 1 Vosburgh in the slop at Belmont in early October. A much deserved break after running all of what, 5 times in 2009? |
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Separately, why in the world would Fabulous Strike draw ire? All he does is show up every time out. Horses that run really fast are the most likely to get hurt and most likely to need time between starts. Todd Beattie has handled Fabulous Strike brilliantly, and his scheduling has ALLOWED him to make the starts he has and still have a horse going into his 7yo season. |
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I guess running 9-10 times a year is too demanding given the new medications most horses run on. |
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I like both: Betting on cheap races and watching races where Fabulous Strike wins at 3/5 type odds, a la the Vanderbilt and True North. Guess I will have to wait until April to see Fabulous Strike again.
Any guesses on his return race? The Carter? |
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As important as gamblers are to horse racing, it's a pretty expensive and inefficient way to provide that entertainment or livelihood.
Providing a gambling outlet is not why breeders, owners, trainers, track workers form a whole industry around, and dedicate their lives, to a live animal. |
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BC Sprint at Churchill (Nov)... Vosburgh (Oct) Vanderbilt (Aug) True North (June) Churchill Downs H. (May, but don't know if you want to go 7f first start back) |
Steve, has Fabulous Strike ever run at Churchill? Why not the Carter?
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First and foremost, the continuing decline of handle needs to be addressed, but once you really delve into the topic there are so many smaller factors that affect this and need fixing too. |
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It's difficult to do that when the top horses run 4-6 times a year. |
You need to turn gamblers into fans. Horse racing needs to lower the takeout. It is not a non-starter. It needs to be done across the board.
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