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Originally Posted by scanman
I wouldn't put AkSarBen and Atlantic City in the same category as Delaware. If they closed all the mid-level tracks in the northeast, Delaware would be the one they should keep. As for Hialeah, tragic. It was a matter of 3 rats fighting over a one piece of cheese and the two bigger rats won. Never made it to Washington Park or Rockhampton.
Unfortunate, but true.
Okay, staying with your thesis - let's close all of the tracks (just in the northeast) that are slots (or will be) supported. Now closed are Mountaineer, Charles Town, Penn National, Philadelphia Park, Finger Lakes, Fort Erie, Woodbine, Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park.
Now we're talking about a lot of horses. Where do you send them?
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Hey, I loved Atlantic City. Saw Manilla win the UN there in the mid 80's.
The 'decent' horses from those tracks would run anywhere else. As for the nickel clamers, I don't care, really. A nickel claimer today was a $2000 claimer 15 years ago. I'm sure they're important to the people who own and train them but serious players would much rather see fewer races with fuller fields and better horses. They could keep those tracks open for what they are. Some would make it, others wouldn't. What would the peolple displaced do? I don't know. They'd do whatever the people displaced out of the auto or steel industries did, I expect. The other dynamic that keeps bottom tier tracks alive is the insane simulcasting revenue sharing arrangements that exist. "Live handle" has very, very little to do with how well most race tracks financially perform. From a serious wagerer's view, the world might well be better without Philly Park, Charlestown or any other slot track that cannibalizes field size, quality and pool size at better race tracks.