Major tuning of BEL & SAR stakes/purses

Yes it would be a bad thing for a multitude of reasons and I cannot believe you don't see that.

Kentucky, New York, Florida, and California are the premier states for horse racing. Any thoroughbred track that would close in these states is a serious attack on the industry as a whole.

The sport won't survive if West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, etc. turn into the premier states.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Yes it would be a bad thing for a multitude of reasons and I cannot believe you don't see that.

Kentucky, New York, Florida, and California are the premier states for horse racing. Any thoroughbred track that would close in these states is a serious attack on the industry as a whole.

The sport won't survive if West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, etc. turn into the premier states.

we all know things change. i'd hate to see ky turn its back on one of its greatest industries, but i don't know that turfway going out of business would necessarily be a bad thing. it's been on a slow decline for years.
should there be a better business environment? of course. should turfway and others sit and wait for things to change? of course not. you have to deal with what is, not what you want. obviously other tracks are making it-turfway isn't it. but they're in the same climate as the ones who are making it-it's not all someone else's fault.

Originally Posted by Danzig

we all know things change. i'd hate to see ky turn its back on one of its greatest industries, but i don't know that turfway going out of business would necessarily be a bad thing. it's been on a slow decline for years.
should there be a better business environment? of course. should turfway and others sit and wait for things to change? of course not. you have to deal with what is, not what you want. obviously other tracks are making it-turfway isn't it. but they're in the same climate as the ones who are making it-it's not all someone else's fault.

Nothing will take Turfway's place. You're assuming Churchill or Keeneland wants the winter dates and I just don't see them having any interest whatsoever in running a winter meet at their respected tracks.

So yes it would be a loss. Turfway is surrounded by casinos and there is no way they can compete without offering, at the very least, slots.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Nothing will take Turfway's place. You're assuming Churchill or Keeneland wants the winter dates and I just don't see them having any interest whatsoever in running a winter meet at their respected tracks.

So yes it would be a loss. Turfway is surrounded by casinos and there is no way they can compete without offering, at the very least, slots.

hmmm. yeah, i can see that issue with dates. i'd have to think someone would benefit.
i just hate to see pols sitting on their hands like they are. turfway has a legit gripe, but they can't just sit and wait and hope for the best.

[Cannon Shell]

I don't thimk that instant racing will generate enough income to justify the investment that would need to be made. KY downs is a different story because they are in a market with no competition and had a facility that was easily and cheaply converted.

Without a year round or semi-year round circuit the racing in KY overall will continue to erode. People seem to forget that with the less racing that everyone is so hot to try out there still needs to be a place to train the horses and a place for them to run. It isnt like you can put them in a freezer and thaw them out when the racing starts back up again. And the cheaper horses that race in the winter are the ones that least can afford to not race for any length of time. IF Turfway were to close it isnt like the world would end but it would make CD and Kee into complete commuter tracks as trainers would ship out as soon as those meets ended and would be more selective with what horses they sent. In other word as NYRA raises the min claiming price more cheap horses would wind up at KY tracks which isnt going to produce better quality racing.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I don't thimk that instant racing will generate enough income to justify the investment that would need to be made. KY downs is a different story because they are in a market with no competition and had a facility that was easily and cheaply converted.

Without a year round or semi-year round circuit the racing in KY overall will continue to erode. People seem to forget that with the less racing that everyone is so hot to try out there still needs to be a place to train the horses and a place for them to run. It isnt like you can put them in a freezer and thaw them out when the racing starts back up again. And the cheaper horses that race in the winter are the ones that least can afford to not race for any length of time. IF Turfway were to close it isnt like the world would end but it would make CD and Kee into complete commuter tracks as trainers would ship out as soon as those meets ended and would be more selective with what horses they sent. In other word as NYRA raises the min claiming price more cheap horses would wind up at KY tracks which isnt going to produce better quality racing.

Everyone cries for a reduction in dates, less racing, bigger fields etc., which on many levels is right. However, a city without a track is a city with a significantly decreased interest in racing. And suddenly, virtually zero chance of cultivating a fan base, whether small or large.

If there was no horse racing at Louisiana Downs, then there would be very little interest in horse racing in Northwest Louisiana. Our business as an OTB would drastically reduce as a result, and the trickle down effect becomes significant.

There are so many different wheels at play when it comes to horse racing, putting a little grease on one but ignoring the others makes it very difficult.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

Everyone cries for a reduction in dates, less racing, bigger fields etc., which on many levels is right. However, a city without a track is a city with a significantly decreased interest in racing. And suddenly, virtually zero chance of cultivating a fan base, whether small or large.

If there was no horse racing at Louisiana Downs, then there would be very little interest in horse racing in Northwest Louisiana. Our business as an OTB would drastically reduce as a result, and the trickle down effect becomes significant.

There are so many different wheels at play when it comes to horse racing, putting a little grease on one but ignoring the others makes it very difficult.

Very true.

A big problem with reducing racing dates and venues is that it in no way guarantees better racing in its wake. Until racing secretaries change the way conditions books are written a reduction in racing days simply means that cheaper races will become an even greater percentage of races carded. It isn't like tracks are going to reduce days and then use 6 horse allowance fields and as long as a few trainers at each track control the vast majority of good horses then the other horsemen will continue to concentrate on the cheaper races. Especially if the reduction in days leads to even higher purses of which the cheap horses are disproportionally rewarded. And this doesnt even take into consideration the owners of the better quality but not quite stakes horses who will often be stuck on the sidelines because the track used a 10 horse 4k claimer instead of a 7 horse maiden special weight. Yeah field size is important but in a game that is having a really hard time finding new investors (and keeping those already involved) there has to be a balance that allows better quality horses to actually get a chance to race without having a parade of short priced, small field shitfests.