Handle down? $281k bet into SA 6 Sunday..

[Kasept]

Not sure how many heard John Nerud on the topic 10 days ago on ATR, but he said that racing was the last sport affected during the Depression and that would be the case during this downturn as well. He said that the owners and breeders are in position to tread water until things stabilize, and the horseplayers simply budget themselves appropriately.

I've also maintained that '09 will present a great opportunity to the game to draw visits to the track from people who will be priced out of MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL seats. Specifically, the major event locales like Belmont, Santa Anita, Churchill and Arlington; the specialty venues like Saratoga, Del Mar and Keeneland; and intimate boutique venues like Tampa Bay, Colonial and Oaklawn need to make special efforts to promote visits from economically disenfranchised major sports 'fans'.

I don't know exactly what percentage of first time visitors can be captured as repeat customers, but drawing on my marketing background experience, I would estimate that 20-25 of 100 'new' patrons could be lured back to the track after initial visits, and at least 4-5 of those would become committed fans/horseplayers.