Confessions of a Racing Secretary

[Clocker]

An article by the racing secretary at Parx (http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/shared_content.cfm?Confessions_of_a_Racing_Secreta ry&id=310) about the current situation of the industry.

[BettinBilly]

Thanks for the post, Clocker.

As much as I think my career has been hard, I'd take it any day VS a Racing Secretary. Especially in today's racing climate.

[whodoyoulike]

Thanks for the link. I noticed something interesting, at least to me.

excerpt:

As we've added all these levels of complexity, we've all but forsaken our obligations to management, horsemen, and horseplayers. Let's write good, honest races that horsemen can understand and support, good, honest races that bettors can play with confidence. If they understand the race and find it competitive, they will bet it.
If we have the racing stock in the stable area to justify it, let's write the straight allowance races that allow horses to progress toward higher levels of competition. That was the purpose of these races from the very beginning. They serve the owner and trainer, and they give the horseplayers a field of horses that match up well.
And, let's write the higher-priced open claiming races that allow horses of that level to compete against each other for money that matches their quality. Our colleagues at Keeneland write these races, and we should, too.
Will there always be a place for optional claimers in our racing programs? Of course, they are here to stay. But we shouldn't allow them to be a crutch, an easier race to fill that sometimes has unintended bad consequences.
By keeping it simple we can best fulfill our duties to management, horsemen, and horseplayers. In the end, those obligations are in no way inconsistent, and we can do our part to keep horse racing engaging, exciting, and viable. Let's take the pledge to KISS.
Sal Sinatra is the Racing Secretary at Parx Racing.

His priority order seems to be screwed up as businesses go. This is similar to another article in a previous post about the decline at Fairgrounds.

When will these business executives realize that they need to consider the customer FIRST then race tracks (which are similar to employees) and finally the horsemen's interests (management/owners). This is what all successful businesses do.

You need a good product (racing) which draws in the customers (bettors). The tracks (employees) should make sure the customers enjoy their experiences and the horsemen (track mgmt./owners) will then be entitled to share the profits (or losses). JMO

[lamboguy]

what a great job Sinatra has done there. when was the last time we saw a 9 race card in that place?
what do you think is going to happen when the turf season is in? they can only run 2 turf races a day there, does anyone really think they will find enough horses to make 8 or 9 races?

Sinatra had his shot with all the slot money to create a real top notch racing program. instead he gave his stalls to all the hobo's of America that can't win a race anywhere else if their lives depended on it. he chose not to give the stalls to the good trainers, and the few that are in there don't have full strings there, and Anthony Dutrow has left the place.

Sal must be happy with the average on site daily handle under $50,000 a day. Sufolk Downs does more with worse horses.

[Clocker]

Sinatra had his shot with all the slot money to create a real top notch racing program. instead he gave his stalls to all the hobo's of America that can't win a race anywhere else if their lives depended on it. he chose not to give the stalls to the good trainers, and the few that are in there don't have full strings there, and Anthony Dutrow has left the place.


How are stalls allocated, there in particular and at most tracks in general? Is it entirely at the discretion of the racing secy.? Do horsemen pay rent for stalls? Are there any requirements in return for stall allocations, such as if a stable has "X" stalls, it is expected to have "Y" starters per month?

[lamboguy]

How are stalls allocated, there in particular and at most tracks in general? Is it entirely at the discretion of the racing secy.? Do horsemen pay rent for stalls? Are there any requirements in return for stall allocations, such as if a stable has "X" stalls, it is expected to have "Y" starters per month?he had Doug O'Neil there, he's gone. Tom Iamotti there, he's gone. Anthony Dutrow there, he's gone. Trombetta was there, not sure if he still is. i am pretty sure that Servis is going over to Monmouth this year as well. there are a few decent trainers still left like Cal Lynch, Butch Reid, Klesaris, Guadalupe and Ramon Preciado. go over to the Maryland circuit that doesn't have slot machines in its tracks and they have a solid group of trainers.

[jballscalls]

How are stalls allocated, there in particular and at most tracks in general? Is it entirely at the discretion of the racing secy.? Do horsemen pay rent for stalls? Are there any requirements in return for stall allocations, such as if a stable has "X" stalls, it is expected to have "Y" starters per month?

Most tracks I've worked at there is a stall superintendent who works in partnership with the Racing secretary. And I know at PM there is a starts per stall that is kept for trainers from the previous years to predict allocations for stalls the upcoming year.

[Shemp Howard]

what a great job Sinatra has done there. when was the last time we saw a 9 race card in that place?
what do you think is going to happen when the turf season is in? they can only run 2 turf races a day there, does anyone really think they will find enough horses to make 8 or 9 races?

Sinatra had his shot with all the slot money to create a real top notch racing program. instead he gave his stalls to all the hobo's of America that can't win a race anywhere else if their lives depended on it. he chose not to give the stalls to the good trainers, and the few that are in there don't have full strings there, and Anthony Dutrow has left the place.

Sal must be happy with the average on site daily handle under $50,000 a day. Sufolk Downs does more with worse horses.


If the racing hobo's of America are stabled at Parx, what do we call the pretender's at Penn National (besides indicted)?

[Rise Over Run]

what a great job Sinatra has done there. when was the last time we saw a 9 race card in that place?
I looked it up - March 24th, only 8 races in each the 9 cards since <---- Pathetic

Sinatra had his shot with all the slot money to create a real top notch racing program. instead he gave his stalls to all the hobo's of America that can't win a race anywhere else if their lives depended on it. he chose not to give the stalls to the good trainers, and the few that are in there don't have full strings there, and Anthony Dutrow has left the place.

If you recall, this place BOASTFULLY PROCLAIMED they would be the SPA (Saratoga) of the mid-Atlantic back in ~2005 with the approval of gaming in PA and the slots-fueled purses. I'm still waiting......


Sal has a nice working vacation coming up with the Atlantic City Turf Festival the last week of April. It doesn't matter what he cards, the fields will be filled beyond capacity with AEs.

[Delawaretrainer]

Not sure if it is a factor but there are still a core group of trainers that have ridiculous stats that everyone is scared to claim off of. I have seen their horses in the past get claimed, plummet. New guys take the horses to penn to try to get them claimed and no one takes them. 6 months later they are still running bad.

Also, they ban trainers and they run in someone else's name and train at a training center across the river. Nobody does anything.

I've seen horses that I know are bad bleeders (out the nose with max LASIX) win by 10+ lengths for these guys with little rest between races. It is mind boggling to me. But you can't say anything because maybe they figured the horse out legally, who knows.

But the perception is there.

[onefast99]

I wonder why sal never brought up the real reasons he cancelled a possible Monmouth Park/Parx get together where NJ breds and Pa breds would race together in restricted races at both tracks. That was a win-win for all involved!

[Robert Goren]

There is little doubt that Parx is one of the poster boys of what is wrong with Racinos. I am sure how much of it is Sal's fault. Whether we like it or not the horsemen hold all the cards right now and they are milking the system for all they can even if means putting tracks out of business with impossible to meet demands.

[johnhannibalsmith]

... even if means putting tracks out of business with impossible to meet demands.

Is this an actual reference to something in your very special way or is it just some poetic new way to meet your quota of satanic horsemen posts?

[Valuist]

If the racing hobo's of America are stabled at Parx, what do we call the pretender's at Penn National (besides indicted)?

David Coverdale would say drifters because the US audience might feel the word "hobo" sounds too much like homo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_I_Go_Again

[onefast99]

There is little doubt that Parx is one of the poster boys of what is wrong with Racinos. I am sure how much of it is Sal's fault. Whether we like it or not the horsemen hold all the cards right now and they are milking the system for all they can even if means putting tracks out of business with impossible to meet demands.
That has been your view since the casinos in NJ gave monies to the horseman to keep them from putting slots in. Where are both sides today? The AC casinos are running on fumes and the tracks are being run by private ownership fighting each other for each and every dollar! You can't wave your welfare for the horseman flag anymore in NJ.

[Robert Goren]

Is this an actual reference to something in your very special way or is it just some poetic new way to meet your quota of satanic horsemen posts?There was a small track in Idaho that they put out of business several years ago. They are doing a job on Colonial Downs right now. They use that simulcast money as hammer over and over again to get what they want. They very cleverly had it written to most state laws that can't bring in simulcasts without their approval when the simulcast laws written 20 years ago. Here in Nebraska, the Columbus track was turned over the horsemen because they were demanding 16 day meet from the non profit that used run it. With horsemen in charge it will be a 10 day meet because when horsemen got around to looking at the books for real they realized what the previous operator said was true. It is bottom rung tracks that are getting squeezed now because they depend so much on the simulcast money, but they are beginning to work their way the ladder. Open your eyes and you will see.

[johnhannibalsmith]

... Open your eyes and you will see.

:lol: :lol:

Okay, gotcha. Using the Idaho mess as an example to demonstrate abusive revocation of consent to simulcast that invariably leads to the death of race tracks is fairly amusing. Basically about what I expected and figured there had to be a tie in with Colonial that made little to no sense. Thanks.

[lamboguy]

i have you down as "Goren on Horseracing". by chance are you related to "Goren on Bridge"?

http://www.bridgeguys.com/Conventions/GorenBiddingSystem.html

[Cannon shell]

Sal is a good guy in an impossible spot.

[Cannon shell]

There was a small track in Idaho that they put out of business several years ago. They are doing a job on Colonial Downs right now. They use that simulcast money as hammer over and over again to get what they want. They very cleverly had it written to most state laws that can't bring in simulcasts without their approval when the simulcast laws written 20 years ago. Here in Nebraska, the Columbus track was turned over the horsemen because they were demanding 16 day meet from the non profit that used run it. With horsemen in charge it will be a 10 day meet because when horsemen got around to looking at the books for real they realized what the previous operator said was true. It is bottom rung tracks that are getting squeezed now because they depend so much on the simulcast money, but they are beginning to work their way the ladder. Open your eyes and you will see.
Yeah the horsemen are doing a number on Colonial Downs. A 6 day meet is exactly what you want to have after you have spend years raising VA breds to race at least part of the year in VA.

[NJ Stinks]

Sinatra had his shot with all the slot money to create a real top notch racing program. instead he gave his stalls to all the hobo's of America that can't win a race anywhere else if their lives depended on it. he chose not to give the stalls to the good trainers, and the few that are in there don't have full strings there, and Anthony Dutrow has left the place.

Sal must be happy with the average on site daily handle under $50,000 a day. Sufolk Downs does more with worse horses.

The last thing I want to do is defend the home of the 30% takeout. But now I have to.

First, the part about not winning races anywhere else. Philly shippers to other tracks are just plain respected by bettors. Obviously, the reason is because these horses are can run. You might still get overlays on PARX shippers at NY tracks and Gulfstream but I'm not sure about anywhere else in the East.

Second point: Handle and attendance at PARX the physical plant means little or nothing. There are 5 OTB's in and around Phiadelphia and everybody in PA and NJ can bet by phone or online. Overall handle at PARX has been steady for a long time as far as I can tell.

[Robert Goren]

i have you down as "Goren on Horseracing". by chance are you related to "Goren on Bridge"?

http://www.bridgeguys.com/Conventions/GorenBiddingSystem.html I wish I was one of heirs. The guy sold a lot of books.

[Robert Goren]

Yeah the horsemen are doing a number on Colonial Downs. A 6 day meet is exactly what you want to have after you have spend years raising VA breds to race at least part of the year in VA. You may not want it, but if that is all the market can bear, that is what you get. Colonial Downs can not pull money out of a hat. Having a lot of races with small fields and small handle maybe what the horsemen want, but it is not a sustainable business model for a race track . Fewer races, larger fields and higher handle per race is. The simulcast cast money is pretty much a fixed amount any more. It is divide up among the live races run. That is the laws almost everywhere. You can run a lot races with a small piece going to each race. Or you can run fewer races with a larger piece going to each race. A lot of tracks lose money on their operations each day they live race. That is why they want to race less. If they were making on live racing they want to race more. You can only force someone to lose money for so long. If the horsemen aren't careful, you won't have any days for your VA breds to race. From what I have read, VA like Nebraska is very close to being out the horse racing entirely.

[Cannon shell]

You may not want it, but if that is all the market can bear, that is what you get. Colonial Downs can not pull money out of a hat. Having a lot of races with small fields and small handle maybe what the horsemen want, but it is not a sustainable business model for a race track . Fewer races, larger fields and higher handle per race is. The simulcast cast money is pretty much a fixed amount any more. It is divide up among the live races run. That is the laws almost everywhere. You can run a lot races with a small piece going to each race. Or you can run fewer races with a larger piece going to each race. A lot of tracks lose money on their operations each day they live race. That is why they want to race less. If they were making on live racing they want to race more. You can only force someone to lose money for so long. If the horsemen aren't careful, you won't have any days for your VA breds to race. From what I have read, VA like Nebraska is very close to being out the horse racing entirely.
You are drinking the Kool aid. They dont want to run any races. Sure the VA horsemen should sign a contract that basically kills their breeding program and is designed for NY and KY trainers

[eqitec]

Anybody up for posting unduly complex conditions either here or in a separate thread? Perhaps a "ridiculist" could be compiled for communication to racing secretaries?

Here's an example from the 7th at PIM tomorrow. What is the meaning of the waiver clause?

ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING. Purse $45;000 FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES OTHER THAN MAIDEN; CLAIMING; STARTER; WAIVER CLAIMING OR MD SIRED STAKES OR MD BRED STAKES OR CLAIMING PRICE $25;000-$20;000. Three Year Olds; 11