horse owners

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

By the same token, if the public wants to see the horse run more, that's not the owner's problem.

Not if the public decided to fight back and stop betting.

Your argument is easy to make but also patently not true.[/quote]

This whole argument reminds me of something that happened to me about 20 years ago. I was in Las Vegas and I decided to take a taxi to a hotel that was about a mile away from my hotel. When the cab driver realized that I was going a short distance, he said, "You better give me a big tip because I had to wait in a long line and I'm not going to make much on your fare." I said something to the effect that I didn't have that much money on me and I was having a bad run at the tables. He answered, "That's not my problem that you're losing at the tables."

I felt like saying to him, "Well it's not my problem that you waited in a long line."

it's an excellent analogy
the owners, most of who are millionaires and billionaires
complain of losing money
but the fact is the majority of bettors lose money (and probably more than they should)
and most of those are 9 to 5ers
so...kinda hard to feel too bad for the owners
when they can afford to take the risk for big reward
without it coming back on them with an eviction notice
if it things go south...

[Honu]

Some owners are very wealthy and some are not , Karen and Mickey Taylor were not wealthy people when they bought Slew but became wealthy by getting lucky and getting a good horse.
There are also factors that the public has no concept of, such as the cost for insuring a very good horse, it is mind boggling how much they pay each month to insure good horses and everytime they send them to the track either in the morning or the afternoon they hold their breath that something doesnt happen. There are so many risks involved in owning a good horse that retiring them before something tragic happens is often on peoples minds because they have invested the money ( not just with said good horse but all the crappy one's in between) and the time that it is hard not to want to make something back by retiring them to stud or broodmare duty.
I know that fans fuel the sport but really how many hard core gamblers really care if good horse doesnt race anymore really, I mean if the horse is that good they most likely wont get any odds on them anyway when they run .

Originally Posted by Honu

Some owners are very wealthy and some are not , Karen and Mickey Taylor were not wealthy people when they bought Slew but became wealthy by getting lucky and getting a good horse.
There are also factors that the public has no concept of, such as the cost for insuring a very good horse, it is mind boggling how much they pay each month to insure good horses and everytime they send them to the track either in the morning or the afternoon they hold their breath that something doesnt happen. There are so many risks involved in owning a good horse that retiring them before something tragic happens is often on peoples minds because they have invested the money ( not just with said good horse but all the crappy one's in between) and the time that it is hard not to want to make something back by retiring them to stud or broodmare duty.
I know that fans fuel the sport but really how many hard core gamblers really care if good horse doesnt race anymore really, I mean if the horse is that good they most likely wont get any odds on them anyway when they run .

ok, you want to talk Taylor's
well they raced Slew 7 times at age 4
after his triple crown season
and, like you said, they weren't wealthy...

[ELA]

I've been in the horse business as a owner, breeder, buyer/seller, for most of my adult life. I have been a fan and a gambler for even longer than that. So, first I would like to clarify a few things -- most owners are not millionaires or billionaires. Most? What are you saying here -- 51%? 75%? If you truly believe this than you are either completely and totally misinformed, very naive and judgemental, or just looking to lay blame.

Second, yes -- most owners do in fact lose money, and for the most part it is their own fault. I have made a profit every year I have been in this game. However, unlike many, I treat it, approach it, and run it like a business -- period. If I wasn't making money, I love this sport and business so much and have such a passion for them, then I would own a horse or two. However, I see opportunity. I race and place my horses very aggressively. There are others, many smaller and many bigger than me who do the same. I see plenty of owners lose money -- bad trainer, bad situation, bad advice, incompetence, and so many other reasons.

If 90% of the owners are losing money then the market and economics dictate that you must exist in the other 10%. If 90% are losing money, then there is a tremendous opportunity for the other 10%. When I draw into an 8 horse field -- I usually have half the field beat before the draw; because half the field is improperly placed. It's because most people don't play the game correctly that they lose money -- and a small % do make money.

Now, about owners doing what they want, retiring horses early, etc. -- here is the fact . . . you don't like it, tough luck. Pack up your marbles and go home. Now listen, sure, I am dissappointed that Bernardini is being retired. Henny Hughes as well. But that is life. I never hold anything against an owner for doing what they want to do. I am a huge fan. I am just not wired that way. It's their horse and that's it. Now to talk about how the gamblers fuel this business -- yes, we all know it's true. However, it is foolish to believe that gamblers across the world are going to unite and boycott racing. It's a circular arguement that goes nowhere. The other side of the coin is that if there were less, or no owners, there would be less horses, less tracks, and so on, and then there would be nothing to wager on. This arguement is right next to "my dad can beat up your dad".

It's easy to be on the sidelines or in the stands and critisize what the players do. Just remember, all you have to do is just pack up and go home.

Eric

[Honu]

Originally Posted by BellamyRd.

ok, you want to talk Taylor's
well they raced Slew 7 times at age 4
after his triple crown season
and, like you said, they weren't wealthy...

Yes and they did just what they wanted to do didnt they .

[Merlinsky]

Ok question I hear about "insurance premiums" in general but really how much can we guestimate that a horse like Bernardini or Henny Hughes costs in payments? What's a monthly look like?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

Ok question I hear about "insurance premiums" in general but really how much can we guestimate that a horse like Bernardini or Henny Hughes costs in payments? What's a monthly look like?

Let's figure that Bernardini is worth about $60 million. The insurance premium is usually about 5% of the horse's value. So if Bernardini is worth $60 million and they want to insure him for $60 million that means it would cost about $3 million a year to insure Bernardini.

[disappearingdan_akaplaya]

ill give a little owners perspective from my point of view. alotta owners especially people who have been in the game/business for a long time will take the money while its there more times than not. theyve had past experiences(or heard ofa thousand times over) where theyve been offered money for their horse and they turned it down only to have negatives to follow such as the horse being injured/broke down or not running up to the potential that was once seen in the animal. it happened in my case with my horse. 3 starts after i had him with only 1 3rd i was offered actually a little more than what i claimed him for by a guy@mountaineer who saw him run 3rd on the grass in indiana. i turned the money down and have come out- obviously ever since financially. i dont regret my decision at all becuase i love dan and got personal attachment to the horse but most owners in my same spot woulda said sold in a heartbeat. lol i promise if i ever own a derby winner they will return for their 4yo year on the track. speaking of the derby were running 1@CD next week