Horseshoes or Homeroom in PA?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Keep in mind Chuck, I have as much of an interest in racing succeeding as you do, and more interest in seeing as many tracks open as possible.

The business model for racing sucks. Costs are way too high for bettors and horsemen alike. Putting on the show could cost a whole lot less than it does now. But you are right, the tracks will die without subsidies. It was blown a long time ago when simulcasting models were implemented, and later when it was carried over to allow third parties to run ADWs and siphon off tons of money.

The whole thing needs to be blown up. There would be a lot of pain involved, but really I don't see any other way. We keep applying patches to a broken game, and eventually it will just die.

While your assessment is really spot on I just dont see how it is possible.

I have a lot of experience in racing. I worked as a groom as a kid in Saratoga before I was legal to work. Worked in the parking lot at night at Saratoga harness. I went to the U of AZ race track program. I spent 2 years as asst racing secretary at Yonkers. I have moonlighted charting races and punching tickets at various times. I worked for some of the top trainers in the US and have trained, owned and bred horses on my own since 1999. I have been thinking about how to fix the game for 25 years and sadly the more experience in different area's that I got, the more I realized that racing was essentially doomed.

You will never get "racing" to act as a single entity despite the clamor for a commissioner or league office of sorts. There are few businesses in the world where so many different working parts work together while serving different masters with different goals in mind. Self interest is simply too strong of a human flaw to overcome. There are a lot of people who are making a lot of money as racing is currently constructed an despite an awareness that things NEED to change many feel they will just ride it out to the end squeezing every penny they can get before the end comes.

There has been a sense of doom surrounding this business for 100 years if you read the old thoroughbred record news reports from the past so you have to understand that a lot of racing people continue to see it as crying wolf even as Hollywood Park closes and Bay Meadows closes and we have Penn National gaming building "tracks" with zero live mutual clerks. The Feds carted off a couple of trainers on trumped up charges of race fixing yet miracle workers in other area's are still working magic. This is a vision less industry with short term considerations a virtual given.

I see exchage wagering as a potential revelation of sorts but the industry will surely screw it up. At the very least Monmouth has a few guys willing to try different things like sports betting and exchange wagering. Though I suppose once sports betting gets humming the state will surely take it away like they do with slots money right?

I guess when it comes right down to it I know far too may of the industry movers and shakers to have any confidence that they can solve virtually any mundane issue let alone a massive overhaul. I'm old enough to ride it out till the end but anyone who is young and interested in the sport, go to Pat Cummings for advice because the game in this country is in far worse shape than most even realize.