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Originally Posted by cmorioles
I realize Cannon is a decent guy. I also know he usually seems to be very pro bettor. This is why I guess I let the "get over it" comment bug me. I should have dropped it, but I didn't. It is all part of my overall frustration with the poor technology in the sport. Tote technology, timing (including run ups), horrible chart calls, poor drug testing, ridiculous online betting situation, etc.
I shouldn't have stooped to anything personal. The bobsledding thing pissed me off since Cannon knows nothing about me or why I'm in Belgium, and it had nothing to do with anything. I suppose it was funny at some level I guess. I reacted poorly. Oh well, time to move on.
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I think that if you read my posts in the original thread you would see that I said if it is happening all the time or someone is gaining an advantage than it is a big problem. Instead of reacting negatively to one comment like you guys did at the time and again yesterday. Perhaps I was wrongly assuming that the incident was an isolated case as was explained to me not only in the print media but by an exec at a major track related to the situation. Obviously it is happening at a greater frequency than first realized but I still have a hard time believing that tracks can tie individual tickets to players and chase down uncashed tickets through wagering accounts but cant definitively tell you that the pools are closed on time.
I will say that the attitude towards the horsemen and women on this site and others by bettors is troublesome. The relationship is a symbiotic one where each side cant exist without the other. Andy has said on many occasions that he feels that we are all in this together which I totally agree with. I was exposed to this sport at a young age through gambling (which in itself may be troubling) and I realize the importance of the dedication and tenacity of a group of hard core players that keeps the revenues flowing through the windows despite the long list of issues and little voice to speak for them. I realize as do many other horsemen that we need you guys to keep the sport alive. But you need us too. You need the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to putting on the show, most for a pittance. You need the thousands of owners that invest in horseflesh knowing that the odds of them breaking even are long and making money are even further remote. Your pick 4 investment may be an hour long deal for you but when I buy a yearling I am investing not only the purchase price of the horse but tens of thousands of dollars in expenses and in some cases years of time. To say that we should not have an interest in artificial surfaces because they are hard to handicap is wrong. Finding joy in horses getting injured because it 'proves' you were 'right' is wrong. We didn't invent these surfaces but we have to deal with them just as you do. Not all of our horses handle it and it is a major pain in the ass when that happens. Maybe bettors are pissed off when the tracks made the change without regard for them but Keeneland didn't give us a vote and probably wouldn't have listened anyway. As I said before the condescending attitude that as a bettor you are paying my salary is just bs. Try telling the state policeman giving you a ticket, that you pay his salary via taxes and he must listen to you. You are playing the for the same reason that we are owning and training, to make money. I dont buy horses to provide entertainment for you to wager on just as you dont wager to provide purses for me. So at least respect the fact that to some the welfare of the horses in their care, in many cases their friends, means as much to them as wagering security and clean racing means to you. Sorry for the ramble and the bobsled and waffle boy remarks.