Questions.....

[Vinman]

The Northfield "Rockcino" opened on 12/18. When are they going to raise their purses?

Why, with the bigger purses on the way, would Northfield choose to race only on Mondays thru Thursdays throughout 2014?

Where is Dan Noble driving? He was successful at Northfield a year or two ago but hasn't driven there regularly in quite some time. I noticed he was driving at Lebanon a few months ago. Any theories?

What is happening with former Illinois and Cal Expo track announcer Scott Ehrlich? I had heard at one time that he left the Cal Expo job to care for his wife, who was ill. Anyone know the scoop on his situation?

Vinman

[Just a Fan]

Nfld overpaid purses in 2013, "borrowing" from the added revenue that they knew would come from the casino. Right now, they are in a period where they are getting the purse account back into balance. Northfield is also in a situation similar to Yonkers right now, where they have had horses racing there that would race elsewhere in other parts of the year. I would guess that as other tracks in the region start to reopen (Buffalo, the new Miami Valley track, Chicago, and Hoosier) they will raise purses to try to reward the true Nfld horsemen that are based there year round, and also to keep their purse structure as competitive as possible when those other tracks open up.

The Mon-Thu thing I suspect is because Nfld has always been all about the simulcast dollar, and those are the nights that they get the biggest exposure in simulcastland. I'm not sure there are enough horses for them to add additional race dates during the summer... but they could probably add a 5th day right now if they wanted. Still, they race a lot of days, and a lot of races each night, which spreads the casino dollars thinner than most tracks.

Don't know if/where Noble is driving these days - his dad (Chip) is dealing with a serious health issue, and its possible that he is spending some time with his dad (but I don't know that).

I have no firsthand knowledge on Ehrlich's situation and I'm not going to spread gossip. Does his wife still own horses that race at CalX? I thought Scott was an excellent announcer, and he also was doing a very good job with his analysis between races, often pointing out trip notes that were not apparent in the program. I would like to hear him again somewhere.

[Just a Fan]

LOL this just got posted this afternoon.

http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/templates/article.aspx?articleid=57317&zoneid=63

[cmp92]

Nfld overpaid purses in 2013, "borrowing" from the added revenue that they knew would come from the casino. Right now, they are in a period where they are getting the purse account back into balance. Northfield is also in a situation similar to Yonkers right now, where they have had horses racing there that would race elsewhere in other parts of the year. I would guess that as other tracks in the region start to reopen (Buffalo, the new Miami Valley track, Chicago, and Hoosier) they will raise purses to try to reward the true Nfld horsemen that are based there year round, and also to keep their purse structure as competitive as possible when those other tracks open up.

The Mon-Thu thing I suspect is because Nfld has always been all about the simulcast dollar, and those are the nights that they get the biggest exposure in simulcastland. I'm not sure there are enough horses for them to add additional race dates during the summer... but they could probably add a 5th day right now if they wanted. Still, they race a lot of days, and a lot of races each night, which spreads the casino dollars thinner than most tracks.

Don't know if/where Noble is driving these days - his dad (Chip) is dealing with a serious health issue, and its possible that he is spending some time with his dad (but I don't know that).

I have no firsthand knowledge on Ehrlich's situation and I'm not going to spread gossip. Does his wife still own horses that race at CalX? I thought Scott was an excellent announcer, and he also was doing a very good job with his analysis between races, often pointing out trip notes that were not apparent in the program. I would like to hear him again somewhere.
I think you're right about Noble. I do remember reading somewhere that Noble's dad had cancer. Dan Noble raced at Buffalo up until last April/May, or whenever Scioto opened. Since then he's been hanging around there and Lebanon. From what I understand, Noble didn't mind the WNY circuit, since the purses were good, but he liked being closer to home and racing in Ohio. I liked him when he drove here, and I look forward to seeing him race in Ohio with some more lucrative purses and horses.

As far as Northfield's schedule, I think you're right on that too. By not racing on weekends, they avoid days where both Woodbine/Mohawk and the Meadowlands race. Northfield does get significant betting attention and by racing on weekdays they avoid serious competition.

[BlueShoe]

What is happening with former Illinois and Cal Expo track announcer Scott Ehrlich? I had heard at one time that he left the Cal Expo job to care for his wife, who was ill. Anyone know the scoop on his situation?
The news is now one year old, but allegedly Mr. Ehrlick was teminated for engaging in a heated dispute with a female track employee. Will not post the links, but on harness racing forums there were many posts discussing this incident. Entering Scott Ehrlich announcer in your search engine will produce the links. Always thought that his announcing work was quite good, but apparently he had enemies in the harness racing world. Unable to find out how the dispute was resolved, or where Mr. Ehrlich is now employed or engaged in.