Interesting to see corporate extortion is still alive and well in MD. Too bad Magna/PNG doesn't spend as much time trying to grow their racing business through innovative ideas, while finding ways to reduce expenses, instead of having blinkers on for slots and/or gov't handouts.
Simply charging $5 per day per stall at Bowie and Lau could generate about $3mm a year. Charging $50 per horse being shipped from Bowie to Lau, or from Bowie and Lau to Pimlico could easily eliminate a huge expenditure for Magna/PNG. Adding $.10 supers and $.50 tris, pick 3's, etc could add to the handle. I'd be willing to bet I've just identified $4mm in savings/earnings MJC could implement - but they'd rather have the handout.
As happy as I am for the track employees who can least afford to be laid off, this is nothing more than offering a band-aid to an amputee. I hate the thought of going through this again next Nov/Dec, especially if it involves having to endure 2 hrs plus of Frank Stronach testifying that "...the model is broken, we have to make monies, we can't afford to lose monies...". He literally answered every question with the same phrase for 2 freaking hours yesterday. It was painful.
We need a new track owner. We need a new track. Did I mention we need a new track owner? PNG is not the answer. Frank is not the answer. Painting the turds that are Laurel and Pimlico is not the answer.
And yet, I can't wait to run run in 2011 for MD's slot fueled purses.....luckily, my partnership managed to earn a nice profit in 2010 because we owned the only horse to win 6 races during the Laurel fall meet....
|
12-22-2010, 01:07 PM
Hybrid Mode
