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View Full Version : Beyer: Gulfstream its own worst enemy


Clocker
02-06-2014, 05:08 PM
Article from the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/gulfstream-park-expands-its-season-and-dilutes-its-product-in-taking-on-calder-race-course/2014/01/29/bc777172-8929-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html)

Cratos
02-06-2014, 07:00 PM
Article from the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/gulfstream-park-expands-its-season-and-dilutes-its-product-in-taking-on-calder-race-course/2014/01/29/bc777172-8929-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html)

A very interesting read; Beyer is at his best when he writes.

wisconsin
02-06-2014, 10:15 PM
Beyer is spot on.

taxicab
02-06-2014, 10:16 PM
Beyer has it right.
Three obvious points.
Churchill just doesn't care about anything but their money.
They don't care who they treat badly to get it.
Stronach is a clown.
When he bought GP they were perhaps the number one meet in the country.
Now they don't even crack the top 5.
He drove away everybody who enjoyed a day at the races with his idiot remodel of the property.
And now his handle is sinking also.
My word, Fickle Frank sure doesn't get "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

CincyHorseplayer
02-06-2014, 11:47 PM
I agree and I am a person that absolutely loves Gulfstream.It is my hub track during the winter.Not only has the dilution effect come into obvious being,the beloved turf course is taking too prolonged of a beating,a total sin.Do your winter meet and possibly something similar to Oaktree at Santa Anita around BC and IMO that's perfection.

Robert Goren
02-07-2014, 07:14 AM
Pretty well sets up the state of the sport every where in this country not just Florida. The tracks are either in hands of greedy blood suckers or crazy than loons. It is pretty bleak everywhere.

onefast99
02-07-2014, 08:29 AM
This boils down to only the strong will survive, thus GP will do whatever it has to to make Calder a non-entity during the winter racing season even if that includes the dilution of the product. The positives for GP is that the winter stakes racing will continue to draw both attendance and handle wise. Calder should go back to the table and work-out a solution to this issue with GP.

1st time lasix
02-07-2014, 11:05 AM
With the high takeouts...past-post syndicate batch betting...and now dismal weaker fields....the handle at Calder will continue to decline. If they didn't have slots and poker on site they likely would have shut down already. From a players perspective.... I see no reason why it shouldn't simply go away. Gulfstream and Tampa can fill any winter void very easily. (Of course i don't play NY in the winter....I don't play Florida in the sunmmer either.}

CincyHorseplayer
02-07-2014, 11:52 AM
Didn't Calder start all this insanity back in the 90's anyway?Trying to be a year long running track?It's nuts to even compete in the same city at the same time.With Hialeah coming back IMO that should be the dominant track in the spring-summer months.Running GP and Tampa at the same doesn't doesn't completely interfere because they are two different tiers of racing.Calder definitely hurts Tampa and so would Hialeah.

So if I'm in charge Hialeah and Calder split dates April-October,the other 2 get the rest.

Valuist
02-07-2014, 11:53 AM
The most interesting thing I find is that there's a definite decrease in betting handle on Gulfstream. This finding is a week after we see betting on the Super Bowl in Nevada had its biggest year over year increase (20%) ever.

RXB
02-07-2014, 12:11 PM
The perfect period for racing at Gulfstream is December through March. Those four months offer the ideal combo of the driest weather span in Miami and not much competition for good horses on the east coast. That's why the December/April dates-switch with Calder a few years ago made sense (and should've been done years earlier).

Calder could use a break instead of racing eight consecutive months so a mid-level summer meet at Gulfstream would make sense, too.

Dec-Mar: GP
Apr-Jun: Crc
Jul-Aug: GP
Sep-Nov: Crc

Grits
02-07-2014, 12:28 PM
Because Gulfstream has raced on fewer days, total wagering for December and January has plunged by more than $80 million, a stunning figure.

This is a huge drop. No one tells the story of thoroughbred racing better than this man. He's forgotten more than 99% of us will know in our lifetime.

Tom
02-07-2014, 01:32 PM
As far as I'm concerned, there is only one track in Florida, and it ain't Calder of Gulfstream.

Saratoga_Mike
02-07-2014, 01:35 PM
As far as I'm concerned, there is only one track in Florida, and it ain't Calder of Gulfstream.

Derby Lane in Tampa?

Redboard
02-07-2014, 01:37 PM
I noticed that GP lowered the purse on their MSW to $47k, down from $52k last year. When I see things like that being done, for no apparent reason except to spread that purse over the summer(I guess), GP losses a little bit of it's luster for me.

Stillriledup
02-07-2014, 01:56 PM
I agree with the premise that GP "watered down" their product by racing in the summer with garbage races and small pools. Also, there's no urgency to bet on Gulfstream because they run year round now, you can get a "gulfstream fix" anytime you want apparently.

Clocker
02-07-2014, 02:03 PM
I agree with the premise that GP "watered down" their product by racing in the summer with garbage races and small pools. Also, there's no urgency to bet on Gulfstream because they run year round now, you can get a "gulfstream fix" anytime you want apparently.

I prefer to get my "Florida fix" at Tampa these days. ;)

Stillriledup
02-07-2014, 02:11 PM
I prefer to get my "Florida fix" at Tampa these days. ;)

Yikes. That's not a track i would ever play and to my knowledge, have never made a wager there. My "Fla fix" is at Calder these days, easiest track running right now...its just a matter of how much i want to win at that place. :D

andtheyreoff
02-07-2014, 04:16 PM
Yikes. That's not a track i would ever play and to my knowledge, have never made a wager there. My "Fla fix" is at Calder these days, easiest track running right now...its just a matter of how much i want to win at that place. :D

So you'd never bet Tampa, but you bet Calder, land of small fields and even smaller pools? Gah.

PhantomOnTour
02-07-2014, 11:04 PM
What's happening in Florida racing right now is fu***ng ridiculous.
How damn dumb can a bunch of people get, seriously?

The GP turf course is in terrible shape, they can't time a damn race correctly, and subsequently I have bet about three races there this whole meet.

Used to follow GP on a daily basis.
Now I don't give a hoot except for the Derby preps. Pay absolutely no attention to anything else in Florida racing.

tanner12oz
02-07-2014, 11:08 PM
This isn't gulfstream vs Calder this is stronach vs. Cdi and I wouldn't expect this to end anytime soon

tanner12oz
02-07-2014, 11:09 PM
What's happening in Florida racing right now is fu***ng ridiculous.
How damn dumb can a bunch of people get, seriously?

The GP turf course is in terrible shape, they can't time a damn race correctly, and subsequently I have bet about three races there this whole meet.

Used to follow GP on a daily basis.
Now I don't give a hoot except for the Derby preps. Pay absolutely no attention to anything else in Florida racing.

there signal looks like crap now too

NJ Stinks
02-08-2014, 01:08 AM
Yikes. That's not a track i would ever play and to my knowledge, have never made a wager there.


Oh yea. What if Tampa Bay ran on Christmas Day? Or better yet, an evening card on Super Bowl Sunday? :p

CincyHorseplayer
02-08-2014, 03:54 AM
Gulfstream Park has the best turf racing under the sun.

Love punching out my pedigrees to see the young fillies.

Love seeing my late pace numbers blow it up last Sunday.

Gulfstream,for all it's weaknesses,is still great.Got a 6-1 on dirt Sunday.

Why don't that hole in the face shut for winning instead of bitching?

PhantomOnTour
02-08-2014, 12:36 PM
Gulfstream Park has the best turf racing under the sun.

Love punching out my pedigrees to see the young fillies.

Love seeing my late pace numbers blow it up last Sunday.

Gulfstream,for all it's weaknesses,is still great.Got a 6-1 on dirt Sunday.

Why don't that hole in the face shut for winning instead of bitching?
Or I could be like you and use it for redboarding ;)

bottom line is that these guys have cut off their noses to spite their faces - their handle is a joke, and that's the proof that this isn't working.

CincyHorseplayer
02-08-2014, 06:55 PM
Or I could be like you and use it for redboarding ;)

bottom line is that these guys have cut off their noses to spite their faces - their handle is a joke, and that's the proof that this isn't working.

The only reason I celebrate wins at any point in time is because I have them.The timing is for someone else who doesn't to worry about!

The handle issue is largely because of 2 tracks running in the same town.Plus even I admit dirt racing has been so chalky this winter it's sick.Hence I'm clicking my heels together I got a 6-1 on dirt!But the turf racing is absolutely great.It's 2/3rds of my play and they are full fields and never a short price.

I admit I have a soft spot for Gulfstream but the conversation here reminds of one I had about 20 years when talking about women's private parts=there's 2 kinds=good and better.Gulfstream is good but could do better no doubt!

proximity
02-08-2014, 07:12 PM
So you'd never bet Tampa, but you bet Calder, land of small fields and even smaller pools? Gah.

not to mention he's starting to show severe withdrawal effects after a couple cancelled penn national cards! :eek: