Del Mar opens Wed. Racing hurting all over the place

[philcski]

Originally Posted by MisterB

Elite meet opens with a card of 3 maidan races, an ungraded stakes, with the first 3 races with 8 startes before the scratches come out. Boy, this has got to be the worst I have seen in many years.

How is this a sh!tty card? I just made a first pass on it and it's not bad at all. Other than the polytrack, of course.

[dino]

We will always have shitty cards as long as the trainers of good horses have no problem only running them 4 or 5 times a year. It's ruined horse racing just like pitch count has ruined baseball. The breed is now as week as the pitchers arms.

[geeker2]

If you are going to opening day at DMR you aren't going for the horse racing.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by philcski

How is this a sh!tty card? I just made a first pass on it and it's not bad at all. Other than the polytrack, of course.

I'm with you Phil, there's nothing wrong with the opening day card.

[Travis Stone]

Racing is suffering everywhere... it gets harder and harder to put together "quality" cards. Foal crops are down, quality is diminishing etc.

[joeydb]

This thread is depressing. So I'm wasting my time playing a "dead" game? how the hell am I supposed to get my buddies to go to the track if you guys are writing the epitaph on the game?

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by joeydb

This thread is depressing. So I'm wasting my time playing a "dead" game? how the hell am I supposed to get my buddies to go to the track if you guys are writing the epitaph on the game?

Show them videos of Zenyatta dancing and of her fans chanting like rabid cult members.

That's what I'd do.

She's gotten millions of new people into the sport.

[Seattleallstar]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Show them videos of Zenyatta dancing and of her fans chanting like rabid cult members.

That's what I'd do.

She's gotten millions of new people into the sport.

but unfortunately a good deal of those people arent gamblers and probably go to the track like Catholics go to church.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

Racing is suffering everywhere... it gets harder and harder to put together "quality" cards. Foal crops are down, quality is diminishing etc.

Foal crop has nothing to do with it yet. Owner crop is down significantly. That is the single biggest problem in the sport right now yet no one wants to admit it or talk about it. People in the sport worry all the time about attracting new customers (which obviously is important) yet the people who are footing the bill for the show with a 95% loss rate are increasingly disappearing. The sad truth is that it is a lot harder to find a guy with enough money willing to buy into ownership than it is to find people who may be interested in the game in general or in becoming a player. The vast majority of the people who follow this board play the races to some degree. What % do you think have the wherewithal to claim a $15000 claimer and pay the bills on a B circuit? 10%? Less? Can you name 1 person in the media or from one of the organizations that have addressed this problem or even acknowledged that it exists? Is there any movement to make the game more attractive for owners?

[phystech]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Foal crop has nothing to do with it yet. Owner crop is down significantly. That is the single biggest problem in the sport right now yet no one wants to admit it or talk about it. People in the sport worry all the time about attracting new customers (which obviously is important) yet the people who are footing the bill for the show with a 95% loss rate are increasingly disappearing. The sad truth is that it is a lot harder to find a guy with enough money willing to buy into ownership than it is to find people who may be interested in the game in general or in becoming a player. The vast majority of the people who follow this board play the races to some degree. What % do you think have the wherewithal to claim a $15000 claimer and pay the bills on a B circuit? 10%? Less? Can you name 1 person in the media or from one of the organizations that have addressed this problem or even acknowledged that it exists? Is there any movement to make the game more attractive for owners?

Couldn't agree more, Chuck - couldn't agree more.

Racing needs to find a way to attract more owners, and then keep them in the game. And I'm not talking about the suit and ties that are only into ownership because they want to go to a party and win the KY Derby, I'm talking about the ones that will gut it out day to day. And when they get their throat stepped on a couple times, they'll still figure out a way to stay in the game. Not many of those kind left anymore...... and we certainly don't get much encouragement from the tracks or the bettors to stick around.

4 weeks ago, I had three horses running. Since then, one was claimed and the other two have had to be retired due to injury. The claim left me with enough to go buy two more, but the restrictive claiming policies at the track I want to claim at denies me the chance to claim. So, instead of being able to spend my money and get back to racing, I'll sit it out for quite a few months until MD opens again and things shake out a little. Does that help my business? No. Does that help the track's business? No. Does that help the bettors? No. Does the track or the bettors care about my business operations? No. But they'll both feel better if my horses don't run on lasix anymore.......

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Foal crop has nothing to do with it yet. Owner crop is down significantly. That is the single biggest problem in the sport right now yet no one wants to admit it or talk about it. People in the sport worry all the time about attracting new customers (which obviously is important) yet the people who are footing the bill for the show with a 95% loss rate are increasingly disappearing. The sad truth is that it is a lot harder to find a guy with enough money willing to buy into ownership than it is to find people who may be interested in the game in general or in becoming a player. The vast majority of the people who follow this board play the races to some degree. What % do you think have the wherewithal to claim a $15000 claimer and pay the bills on a B circuit? 10%? Less? Can you name 1 person in the media or from one of the organizations that have addressed this problem or even acknowledged that it exists? Is there any movement to make the game more attractive for owners?

I absolutely agree. My foal crop statement was more forward speaking...

For example, in LA there were 1,678 registered foals in 2010 versus 2,316 in 2009. Yet racetracks are still required to run 84 days within 21 weeks... so the same amount of races, with less and less horses to race in those races

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

I absolutely agree. My foal crop statement was more forward speaking...

For example, in LA there were 1,678 registered foals in 2010 versus 2,316 in 2009. Yet racetracks are still required to run 84 days within 21 weeks... so the same amount of races, with less and less horses to race in those races

And that is in a state where the purse structure is great for owners, especially statebreds

[philcski]

Originally Posted by geeker2

If you are going to opening day at DMR you aren't going for the horse racing.

Yeah, no kidding. Opening week there is just awesome even if the races were terrible. Can't wait till I move out there and can do it every year.

Originally Posted by MaTH716

I'm with you Phil, there's nothing wrong with the opening day card.

I'm doing some handicapping on my lunch break and it's a really interesting card. Obviously I won't be going crazy on it because of the polytrack but I like the 1st race, the baby race, and the Oceanside in particular.

[10 pnt move up]

Is this the CHRB's fault for the decline of California racing?

I would say the decline started around 2000ish, though small fields have been plaguing socal for about 25 years.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Is this the CHRB's fault for the decline of California racing?

I would say the decline started around 2000ish, though small fields have been plaguing socal for about 25 years.

Whoever decided it would be a better idea to fight the Indians as opposed to joining them should take the majority of the blame.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Whoever decided it would be a better idea to fight the Indians as opposed to joining them should take the majority of the blame.

Would that have ever been passed by the legislature?

I assume your post means you believe this to be a purse issue?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Would that have ever been passed by the legislature?

I assume your post means you believe this to be a purse issue?

Seems like anything the Indians want, they get.

Well had the purses been as high as they could have been, there probably would not have been a owner exodus and surely the 2% takeout increase would have never been implemented.

Is it a purse issue? Of course. Last year there were races at Penn National that were running for the same money or more money as the same class at Hollywood Park. I know a lot of KY breeders who send their horses where the money is highest. They have good horses and a steady supply of them. They now run in NY, Monmouth and Woodbine as opposed to CA. There are several traditionally CA based owners that fill the barns of guys like Phil Aristone and others at Parx.

Between low purses, polytrack, Stronach's issues, the CHRB's ineptness and general malaise the racing product has slipped quite a bit and handle has followed. Had they played nice with the Indians and came up with some sort of agreement years ago not only would have the monetary situation been better the atmosphere of desperation that now exists probably wouldn't have reached the levels that it is now at. Sure the general economic downturn would have still hurt somewhat but the timing in which it hit seems to simply accelerated the downward trend CA racing was already in.