[ELA]

Thank you Andy.

Personally, I think there is a much bigger issue going on here. This is not an accusation or stereotype so just bear with me here. Often, the bettors feel that their dollars "drive the boat" so to speak. The owners feel they are responsible for making the game happen and putting on the show. I've heard trainers say that the jocks shouldn't get the same % as the trainer as the trainer is the one who does the real day to day with the horse. The jockeys want health insurance and rightfully so. The big owner wants higher purses for the big stakes, bonus money, syndications with real cash, and so on. The small owner wants to be able to pay the jock fee when his horse finishes up the track and wants higher purses for $5k claimers (by the way, I have one of these racing today so don't think I am preaching to a choir that I am unfamiliar with, LOL). The tracks want more simulcasting revenue, VLT's, better tax deals and legislation, and more of the ever shrinking pie.

Anyway, do all of us see a theme here? Does everyone see what's going on in the background. Think about it. Everybody wants something, most often for themselves. It's the "what's in it for me" mentality. I've seen it go on for many years. Now I am not critisizing any one of these factions -- but they are factionalized.

I have said it before -- there needs to be a massive paradigm shift in the mindset of all of these parties. They need to be brought together, to work together on the sport and on the business.

Anyway, that's enough transformation talk for now, LOL. Thanks again Andy.

Eric