What would you change?

[Sightseek]

If you could make one change, in any part of the industry, what would it be?

[blackthroatedwind]

Not necessarily legal ( collusive ), but I would like to see a comprehensive change in simulcasting fees charged which would coincide with a massive takeout reduction for the major league tracks. This would eliminate rebates, return big players to host tracks thus increasing their bottom line, even out the parimutual playing field for all players, increase handle, thus increasing purses, improve the health of the strong racing establishments, expose and eliminate the barnicle racetracks, and make it easier to win.

Good for pretty much everyone.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Stop allowing the theft that occurs when a trainer works a 1st timer in 1:15,or 1:16,and then unleashes a grenade at 40-1.In other words,no unraced horses in p4,or p6 races.No more Dutrow preparing a 2 year old first timer by using breezing pedestrian works(and then unleashing a can't lose bullet at 7-1.) That is simple thievery.Stop this sht,and then worry about the drugs.

[pmayjr]

Tracks somehow coming up with the $$$$ to have multi-million $$$ reward plans for keeping TC race winners in training thru the Breeder's Cup. Like saying to the connections of Bernardini- "congrats on your Preakness win- if you stay in training thru the Breeder's Cup and win, we'll give you a 10 million dollar bonus".

You can say "well Bernardini did stay in training that long". But Smarty didn't Alex didn't. We gotta find a way to keep these true stars running longer to build up more of a fan base... give the casual fans reason to watch more. come up with the cash, and that might put off the breeding decisions for a lil longer

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by pmayjr

Tracks somehow coming up with the $$$$ to have multi-million $$$ reward plans for keeping TC race winners in training thru the Breeder's Cup. Like saying to the connections of Bernardini- "congrats on your Preakness win- if you stay in training thru the Breeder's Cup and win, we'll give you a 10 million dollar bonus".

You can say "well Bernardini did stay in training that long". But Smarty didn't Alex didn't. We gotta find a way to keep these true stars running longer to build up more of a fan base... give the casual fans reason to watch more. come up with the cash, and that might put off the breeding decisions for a lil longer

My one wish has the same goal, but different angle.

Regulate breeding so that no stallion is allowed to breed until he is 5 years old. No exceptions. If a horse is truly injured before that, let him feed happily on oats for a year or two before breeding him.

There is precedent for regulating breeding--the rules against artificial insemination, for example.

Now, with a rule in place like that, don't you think we'd have seen both Alex and Smarty as 4-yr-olds? Probably Bernardini, too.

--Dunbar

[Danzig]

i disagree with dunbar. when the breeding business is down, horses stay on track longer. but no way you can force someone to race a horse, especially when insurance costs can become prohibitive. it's a business first and foremost. i'd love to see horses stay around to run at four, but you can't force that imo. all you can do is try to offer incentives to get owners to feel they have a chance at a reward large enough to merit the risk. a t.c. for older would be one way to do that.

my one change would be to have one regulatory body overseeing racing nationwide.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

My one wish has the same goal, but different angle.

Regulate breeding so that no stallion is allowed to breed until he is 5 years old. No exceptions. If a horse is truly injured before that, let him feed happily on oats for a year or two before breeding him.

There is precedent for regulating breeding--the rules against artificial insemination, for example.

Now, with a rule in place like that, don't you think we'd have seen both Alex and Smarty as 4-yr-olds? Probably Bernardini, too.

--Dunbar

I agree 100%. I think it is the single change that would do the most to save the sport. It would keep the top horses on the track longer and that is my biggest gripe with the sport. We'd have Bernardini, Henny Hughes, Aussie Rule, and Ivan Denisovich all coming back next year for starters.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

Stop allowing the theft that occurs when a trainer works a 1st timer in 1:15,or 1:16,and then unleashes a grenade at 40-1.In other words,no unraced horses in p4,or p6 races.No more Dutrow preparing a 2 year old first timer by using breezing pedestrian works(and then unleashing a can't lose bullet at 7-1.) That is simple thievery.Stop this sht,and then worry about the drugs.

There are so many things wrong with the game....

I am in the minority who loves seeing 2yo maiden sprints loaded with debuters in a back-end of a P3 or a P4.

I don't think "insiders" have anywhere near the kind of edge in those races, that everyone else seems to think. And when they do have something, they still need to "have" the winner in the two or three other legs.

In my opinion, a sharp takeout reduction would be the first change I want to see.

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

There are so many things wrong with the game....

I am in the minority who loves seeing 2yo maiden sprints loaded with debuters in a back-end of a P3 or a P4.

I don't think "insiders" have anywhere near the kind of edge in those races, that everyone else seems to think. And when they do have something, they still need to "have" the winner in the two or three other legs.

In my opinion, a sharp takeout reduction would be the first change I want to see.

Drugs,
Obviously handle reduction is what i would MOST like to see, but I'm trying to be realistic, Some very well respected people have tried to explain to politicos that we need to do this and they always balk because they lack the caring and understanding of the issue. Its a very hard battle.

[King Glorious]

I know these might sound as if they are a number of changes and the thread asked for one but I'd just put it all under the heading of changing the 3yo season:

Reduce the Derby to 9f, keep the Preakness at 9.5f, and reduce the Belmont to 10f. We don't need a 12f Belmont anymore to see which 3yo's will be able to go on and compete against their elders at that distance in the fall since we no longer have 12f races in the fall.

Keep the Derby on the first Saturday in May, move the Preakness to the first Saturday in June, and move the Belmont to the Fourth of July.

Raise the purse of the Derby to $3 million. The Preakness purse would be $1 million if the Derby winner doesn't show up, $1.5 million if the Derby winner is there, $2 million if the Derby 1-2 are there, $2.5 million if the Derby 1-2-3 are there. The Belmont purse would be $1 million if neither TC race winner is there, $2 million if one is there, $2.5 million if both are there.

Bring back the TC bonus. Score it 10-5-3-1 for first through fourth so that way the winner of two races is guaranteed no worse than a split of the pot. Make a horse have to run in all three races to be eligible. Make the bonus $2 million. Have a $5 million bonus for a TC sweep.

Have all graded 3yo stakes after the TC include a purse upgrade of $100k if u get a horse that ran third in a TC race, $200k if u get a horse that ran second in a TC race, $500k if u get a TC race winner. Have that upgrade doubled if u get two such horses, tripled if u get three such horses.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I would like to see a comprehensive change in simulcasting fees

The simulcast fees were considered found money when they first came about, but now, in hindsight, the fee rate is drastically out of whack. I agree, this is the best place to start.