Derby day handle takes a dip

[rgustafson]

Steve Sexton. the president of Churchill Downs, has the gall to blame it on short fields in three of the early races on the card. Give me a break.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by rgustafson

Steve Sexton. the president of Churchill Downs, has the gaul to blame it on short fields in three of the early races on the card. Give me a break.

sounds like a valid reason.

[AeWingnut]

I didn't waste much money on the first 3 races
but how may of the "Derby" crowd actually showed up before the 5th race.

[AeWingnut]

Originally Posted by Bababooyee

Had nothing to do with the spat with TVG, youbet, etc. Nope. Nothing.

that is an excellent point

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Bababooyee

Had nothing to do with the spat with TVG, youbet, etc. Nope. Nothing.

Who are those people??

[Cannon Shell]

they did have two very short fields that the previous year were full fields

TV ratings were up 12% for the Derby itself.
Not bad at all.

[JJP]

Several reasons for the handle being down.

Numero Uno: Not having all the account wagerers on board. And to shut out big bettors like IRG? Unforgivable.

2. Early post time. There is no need to have an hour between races. This is nonsense/bullshit. THese 10 AM posts that they do T-Giving weekend and Derby weekend are idiotic. Bettors need as much time as possible to handicap. No need for more than 30 minutes between races and the idiotic early start.

3. Did they run the obligatory 2YO race? For God's sake, is it really difficult to figure out to put it the opening race of the day so it one wrecks one set of P3s? Most years they ran a 2YO Stake, the WHAS, and they'd put it in the middle of the card

4. THey can call that track "good" but for the early part of the card it was closer to sloppy. Many bettors back off when the track is off.

[docicu3]

Don't you think handle will be down because it was far harder to get a play down when YOUBET and TVG are not taking money from Churchill.

It just stands to reason that the casual fan or the less frequent player will not jump through hoops to get a bet down.....

The race was a great opportunity to maximize interest in the Triple Crown with a good 6 horses as legit contenders.

They screwed themselves by making it harder to play....

[philcski]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Post time was 11am and there was no 2 year old race.

2nd race was a 2YO race, favorites ran 1-2-3.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Yeah, you're right, I'm an idiot. Figures too, because I got to the OTB I was at right before the 3rd and hadn't looked at the first two. Probably should have before posting.

Believe me... you didn't miss anything. I was on the phone w/ ATRAB for the first (won by a Frankel 1/5 shot) then the worthless 2YO race.

For all that people bash Pimlico/Magna, the Preakness card is an INCREDIBLE wagering day every year, even if it isn't quite as star-studded as the Derby or Belmont cards.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by philcski

For all that people bash Pimlico/Magna, the Preakness card is an INCREDIBLE wagering day every year, even if it isn't quite as star-studded as the Derby or Belmont cards.

Absolutely.

[ALostTexan]

Originally Posted by Bababooyee

Had nothing to do with the spat with TVG, youbet, etc. Nope. Nothing.

Those were just flesh wounds...

ALostTexan

[3kings]

Most of the points above are valid: If you can't place a bet as usual or have to set up a new account, there was no urgency to do it for the early races on the card. Also if you couldn't find a internet source and had to head to the OTB there are a lot of other weekend resposibilities that preclude the 10 AM journey. The Post time, early start time, short fields, and new betting platforms all contributed.

3Kings

[JJP]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Post time was 11am and there was no 2 year old race.

I guess I should clarify; I'm in the Midwest so 10 am for me meant 11 am Eastern. Way too early. Two hours earlier than usual which is idiotic. I realize with the crowd they need a little bit more time but this is overdone.

And they did run a 2YO race (the 2nd).

[Bigsmc]

Originally Posted by JJP

Several reasons for the handle being down.

Numero Uno: Not having all the account wagerers on board. And to shut out big bettors like IRG? Unforgivable.

2. Early post time. There is no need to have an hour between races. This is nonsense/bullshit. THese 10 AM posts that they do T-Giving weekend and Derby weekend are idiotic. Bettors need as much time as possible to handicap. No need for more than 30 minutes between races and the idiotic early start.

3. Did they run the obligatory 2YO race? For God's sake, is it really difficult to figure out to put it the opening race of the day so it one wrecks one set of P3s? Most years they ran a 2YO Stake, the WHAS, and they'd put it in the middle of the card

4. THey can call that track "good" but for the early part of the card it was closer to sloppy. Many bettors back off when the track is off.

1. Correct.

2. They have early post times every year. Nothing has changed there, so this year being down from last year because of the early start times, does not hold water. The hour between races later in the card is a necessary evil. It has nothing to do with time to handicap. I have stood in line at a window a Churchill on Derby day and used up nearly that whole hour trying to get a bet in. They want all the money they can get and shutting out patrons at the window is not the way to do it.

3. The 2yr old Stake has not been on the Derby card for a couple years. I personally love 2yr old racing, so it does not bother me in the least.

4. Correct again.

[ALostTexan]

Well, according to NBC, the official network of the Kentucky Derby, it was in part do to Youbet and "TGN" not having wagering on the Derby.

I guess the headline just catches me as funny, how this official network that thinks so highly of racing cannot even get their titles straight. I really don't know who I want to cover horse racing anymore...

ALostTexan

[JJP]

I wasn't aware of how much the wagering was down until reading Steven Crist's column in Sunday's DRF.

11 million to under 7 million? That's gi-normous. I wonder how many years ago the handle was at 7 million.

But what's really amazing was the response of CDI, saying on their conference call that "the economics of the overall results proved its direction is the correct one".

I guess considering the arrogance of CDI, it should be no surprise. How many days until Ellis opens?

[Scav]

Originally Posted by philcski

For all that people bash Pimlico/Magna, the Preakness card is an INCREDIBLE wagering day every year, even if it isn't quite as star-studded as the Derby or Belmont cards.

They have to, no Preakness and there is no Maryland racing. I think I read that the revenue gained from Preakness weekend is the only thing that is keeping it running

[Scav]

Originally Posted by JJP

I wasn't aware of how much the wagering was down until reading Steven Crist's column in Sunday's DRF.

11 million to under 7 million? That's gi-normous. I wonder how many years ago the handle was at 7 million.

But what's really amazing was the response of CDI, saying on their conference call that "the economics of the overall results proved its direction is the correct one".

I guess considering the arrogance of CDI, it should be no surprise. How many days until Ellis opens?

It is 100% related to ADW's not having access, I could care less what they say and what bullshit marketing stat they try and find.

Fact is that the whole industry will get back to normal once it hurts enough. When they have to fire some people because of no revenue or when shareholders start making fuss, it will all get worked out. Luckily, we still have the trusty OTB system for a place to flush all our money