A great day for the sport.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

I don't have the answer but it feels like educating them about the game further can only help. Horses racing longer, so people actually can follow a horses career for more than a few months will help.

There are a lot of logistical challenges facing horse racing from racing dates, calendars, simulcast pricing, rules/regs etc. yadda yadda yadda.

But, if there is one thing I've learned here at LAD is that there are lots of people out there who want to learn horse racing, who want to become involved, who want to gamble more... but they find the sport too intimidating. The language, the terms, the past performances - it's an awful lot to someone.

I'm admittedly proud about this "Beginners Wall" we put in at LAD before the meet. The folks downstairs tell me that not a day goes by where patrons aren't stopping to take a picture or look, read and learn. And most of those doing the reading are young, too. I think the response its received is a big indicator into where racing needs to focus some of its effort.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

There are a lot of logistical challenges facing horse racing from racing dates, calendars, simulcast pricing, rules/regs etc. yadda yadda yadda.

But, if there is one thing I've learned here at LAD is that there are lots of people out there who want to learn horse racing, who want to become involved, who want to gamble more... but they find the sport too intimidating. The language, the terms, the past performances - it's an awful lot to someone.

I'm admittedly proud about this "Beginners Wall" we put in at LAD before the meet. The folks downstairs tell me that not a day goes by where patrons aren't stopping to take a picture or look, read and learn. And most of those doing the reading are young, too. I think the response its received is a big indicator into where racing needs to focus some of its effort.

I think your first sentence has a lot more to do with the issues then the rest. In some areas betting on horse racing is very easy, in other areas not so much. Racing is not reaching its potential audience with modern technology and until that changes I don't see how it can grow.

It can be intimidating and the wall is great but honestly if someone has a slight interest in learning to bet horses and the internet getting the information really is not that difficult. I think it used to be much more so than today, I honestly did not learn that much in my first 10 years following the sport compared to the next 10 with the internet. One could read Andy's or Drug's articles and learn about the sport in ways that just were not available 20 years ago.

[King Glorious]

I think that what happens a lot of times is people use the wrong word in describing how they feel about something. I'm going to guess that Kasept didn't mean that the racing itself was magical. How could he? It was average at best but that doesn't mean that the whole experience itself couldn't have indeed been magical. First of all, just being in NY can make it a magical experience. I love that place. Then being there with a ton of people having a shared experience increases the enjoyment of the moment. The day went smooth, the races went smooth, the Belmont made up for its lack of quality with an entertaining finish. Overall, the day had to go as well as it could have under the circumstances and considering how many times that doesn't happen in this sport, just to have that happen has to be considered magical.

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

There are a lot of logistical challenges facing horse racing from racing dates, calendars, simulcast pricing, rules/regs etc. yadda yadda yadda.

But, if there is one thing I've learned here at LAD is that there are lots of people out there who want to learn horse racing, who want to become involved, who want to gamble more... but they find the sport too intimidating. The language, the terms, the past performances - it's an awful lot to someone.

I'm admittedly proud about this "Beginners Wall" we put in at LAD before the meet. The folks downstairs tell me that not a day goes by where patrons aren't stopping to take a picture or look, read and learn. And most of those doing the reading are young, too. I think the response its received is a big indicator into where racing needs to focus some of its effort.

How is the handicapping class at BPCC coming along?

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

How is the handicapping class at BPCC coming along?

Great... the goal is...

Fan -> Handicapper -> Gambler -> DT Member.

In all seriousness, the mix of students is amazing.

75-year-old lady.
30-year-old guy.

And everything in between.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

There are a lot of logistical challenges facing horse racing from racing dates, calendars, simulcast pricing, rules/regs etc. yadda yadda yadda.

But, if there is one thing I've learned here at LAD is that there are lots of people out there who want to learn horse racing, who want to become involved, who want to gamble more... but they find the sport too intimidating. The language, the terms, the past performances - it's an awful lot to someone.

I'm admittedly proud about this "Beginners Wall" we put in at LAD before the meet. The folks downstairs tell me that not a day goes by where patrons aren't stopping to take a picture or look, read and learn. And most of those doing the reading are young, too. I think the response its received is a big indicator into where racing needs to focus some of its effort.

I've been teaching my boyfriend about racing and it very hard to not overload one with information, both in analyzing form and in actually placing bets. You've put up a really great effort here.

[Calzone Lord]

Travis is all about effort. He does a very good job in a lot of areas.

[PatCummings]

Good thread and discussion.

This was my fourth Belmont in person, and second non-Triple Crown chance Belmont. In this day, when 85,000 people show up to the track, and you figure maybe 30,000 REALLY know what's going on (the class of the races, all the players in the bit races, etc)...that is a special day.

I watched races from many different places throughout the day, and a few things I noticed.

- The crowd was INTO it, and you knew most of them really didn't know what was up. Spontaneously cheering during post parades, every race went off with a magnificent degree of excitement. A TON of young people there, many enjoying the day out and the atmosphere.

- It is so much easier to be involved in the racing at Belmont than the other two TC venues, and that is so easy to see. If you are in the backyard, it's tough to avoid the paddock, and after that, you are either in the grandstand or on the apron.

- Almost all the races had very good finishes, and the crowd got into that even more.

- Steve uses the word "magical," and it is, to a degree, very understandable. There were a few times when I found myself incredibly surprised by the crescendo of excitement in the crowd. Everyone I saw really seemed to want to be there, and enjoy the day. I'll Have Another not racing may have dimmed the numbers, but tough to say many didn't walk away satisfied with the experience.

- I was walking to the paddock for the Manhattan, and the line for the ATM in the 3rd floor grandstand was literally 40 deep, when I got to the clubhouse escalator down, a different ATM line was maybe 20 deep. Maybe they were just buying drinks with that cash, but who cares.

Saratoga, Del Mar, and Keeneland have created an atmosphere of an all-day, every-day experience at their meets. Their meets are limited, festival-like experiences. They treasure fashion, partying, fun, and every time I've been there, seen scads of under 35s having a great day out - they are enjoying the full experience, and two of those tracks are actual destinations, the other being in a town built around the thoroughbred.

Every other track on this continent is up against it when creating an experience, but many tracks do it well for a day or three, and that's it. That's the hurdle.

I thought Saturday was an incredibly enjoyable day, and I found myself surprised and heartened by the experience.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by PatCummings

Every other track on this continent is up against it when creating an experience, but many tracks do it well for a day or three, and that's it. That's the hurdle.

You need thing like Exchange betting, in-race betting, and low takeouts and you won't have any hurdles.

The true hurdle is that the public views horse racing as a "sucker" game -- and they view fans and bettors as old men with disposable time and disposable income -- a mix of degenerate gamblers and uncool well-off snobs.

The general public doesn't believe they could make any money betting horses -- and they probably don't know anyone who makes a living betting horses either.

The festive atmospheres on big racing days will always attract people who want to hang out, socialize, and drink. Serious bettors will always bet a lot more money on big racing days because overlays are easier to find.

Unstoppable U was 11/1. No horse in the entire Belmont field went off at odds higher than 27/1 -- and five horses in that field were clearly over 100/1 true odds. The people who showed up and threw money away on hopeless longshots aren't the people to go for. It's the people who don't ever show up -- but who would become very useful fans and bettors who follow the sport 7 days a week if the climate was right for them.

I did a fantasy football draft last year with 13 other guys...all in their 20's or 30's. It was just $100 to get in -- and the prize money was stinking $1,400. Everyone had laptops with them, everyone came with strategies, people bought books and made sheets for this stupid thing. I was BY FAR the least informed person in that basement. After about 12 rounds -- I didn't even know the names of any players left.

These are 13 guys that all live within about five minutes of me -- that could be serious and USEFUL horse racing fans and bettors. They're not the ones just showing up and betting $20 on Guyana Star Dweej at 23/1 odds and having a few drinks. Who cares about those people? You're simply not going to get them to follow the sport and keep coming back to the racetrack.

You can spend 50 dollars on past performances in a day...yet the overall tone by fans like us is hey if you can't afford 7 dollars for a racing form then pi.ss on ya.

Well it's not about affordability. It's about catering and marketing to consumers. And quite frankly there isn't an industry much worse than American horse racing.

Just look at Australia. Plenty of information available for free, on the web, from major handicapping sites in that country.

South Africa doesn't do a shabby job either.

It's silly to charge for past performances for a sport that has such a high takeout. This was avoidable years ago. During the time Doug wishes he lived in.

[PatCummings]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

You need thing like Exchange betting, in-race betting, and low takeouts and you won't have any hurdles.

The true hurdle is that the public views horse racing as a "sucker" game -- and they view fans and bettors as old men with disposable time and disposable income -- a mix of degenerate gamblers and uncool well-off snobs.

The general public doesn't believe they could make any money betting horses -- and they probably don't know anyone who makes a living betting horses either.

The festive atmospheres on big racing days will always attract people who want to hang out, socialize, and drink. Serious bettors will always bet a lot more money on big racing days because overlays are easier to find.

Unstoppable U was 11/1. No horse in the entire Belmont field went off at odds higher than 27/1 -- and five horses in that field were clearly over 100/1 true odds. The people who showed up and threw money away on hopeless longshots aren't the people to go for. It's the people who don't ever show up -- but who would become very useful fans and bettors who follow the sport 7 days a week if the climate was right for them.

I did a fantasy football draft last year with 13 other guys...all in their 20's or 30's. It was just $100 to get in -- and the prize money was stinking $1,400. Everyone had laptops with them, everyone came with strategies, people bought books and made sheets for this stupid thing. I was BY FAR the least informed person in that basement. After about 12 rounds -- I didn't even know the names of any players left.

These are 13 guys that all live within about five minutes of me -- that could be serious and USEFUL horse racing fans and bettors. They're not the ones just showing up and betting $20 on Guyana Star Dweej at 23/1 odds and having a few drinks. Who cares about those people? You're simply not going to get them to follow the sport and keep coming back to the racetrack.

I was on the escalator during the mid-part of the card, heading up to 3rd floor, and guy in front me says..."you look like you know what you're doing, any suggestions where to watch the race from?"

He was one of four siblings who came out to the races, two guys, two girls, probably from ages 20 to 30. The one girl lived in NYC, the brothers lived in Jacksonville, and the other sister lived in Dallas, they were all in town for oldest sister's 30th birthday. The one who lived in Dallas had been to Lone Star Park once, and suggested it would be a fun day out.

I gave them some recommendations on where to watch the big race, then asked if they had bet yet. They said they hadn't, and wanted some recommendations. Asked how much they wanted to bet, and suggested pooling their money and trying to get a small trifecta together.

The thing that was unavoidable to me, however, is that the person who spurred them all to the track was the only one in the group who had ever been to the track before, and it was just a single visit at Lone Star on a non-descript night, according to her at least.

Bring some friends, get em involved...see what happens.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by PatCummings

Bring some friends, get em involved...see what happens.

Given a climate of betting exchanges, in-race betting, and low takeout -- it wouldn't be long until the sport would become absolutely infested with people like this:

Fantasy Sports geeks that number in the millions:






Young people who have been lured to Poker:








Wanna-be Day Traders who watch Jim Cramer on Mad Money and on and on.

[3kings]

On Friday night I went to the Meadowlands with Heels and BT. We were outside and they had a band, $2 beer special and betting promotion. They had a jockey come over and he and a track handicapper rounded up people to throw in $5 each. They were helping people handicap and betting a group P4 with the money collected. Fifty-one people participated and the group hit the P4 for over $17,000. Many of these people were very excited about winning $244. Some of these people will tell others and come back.

This type of promotion can be easily run at every track and it drums up interest in the game and more importantly interest in gambling on it.

[Dahoss]

Yeah Travis, that wall is a great idea and you deserve to be commended for it.

If you really think about it, open up a form and pretend you have no idea how to read it. It probably looks like a different language.