Florida racing

[EMD4ME]

Thoughts on the pending GP / CRC agreement?

Hate to see another track contract race dates down to 40

[pele polo]

I'd like to see it go back to the mid 90s

GP Jan- March
Hia March- May
Crc May- Dec

Maybe give GP December and April...

State needs to step in and regulate

[1st time lasix]

Some may not like the owners...but Gulfstream is a quality venue. The Payson Training Park,...the GP backside...and the paddock area are well done. Florida weather is usually very good from November to May. Unfortunately they removed a lot of seating when they got a slot room. My wife likes it for a weekend visit because they also have a mall with numerous restaurants and bars on property. I will return every year. I just make sure I have arranged for reserved seating either at Palms Restaurant over looking the home stretch...a reserved box....or a table at the restaurant by the paddock. I would only "wing it" without a reserved seat on weekdays. Tampa is neat too. A bit more laid back where you can enjoy the racing with smaller crowds. Great turf course. Backside is probably 2nd class relative to others. I always thought if City of Tampa can host superbowls...it could host a Breeders Cup...but some major capital improvements would be needed to the seating areas. Never been to Hialeh..... but Florida doesn't need another tb track. Three is probably one too many.

[therussmeister]

Thoughts on the pending GP / CRC agreement?

Hate to see another track contract race dates down to 40
I don't quite understand this sentiment. Calder seems to me to be nothing special, and it's not like it's the only track in the metropolitan area, or even t he only track in that part of town. I don't see how Florida racing is losing anything with this agreement.

[magwell]

Thoughts on the pending GP / CRC agreement?

Hate to see another track contract race dates down to 40 What's not to like about 10 months at GP and 2 months at CRC.? its great for racing in Miami finally.........:ThmbUp::ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

[Hoofless_Wonder]

The new Gulfstream Park stinks for the horseplayer. Terrible seating, and way too crowded on the big days.

I'd love to see Hialeah revamped and get some dates, but that's not going to happen.....

[Tom]

I do very well not even looking at entries at GP or CRC.
Both are dead tracks to me.

[nvemil]

While something had to be done to fix that mess, from afar it seems to me that Calder's racing surface holds up and plays better during the summer rains than GP. Wonder why the 40 days that Calder gets could not have been say, July-Aug. The Summit of Speed could have stayed there.

CDI ran Calder into the ground so I am guessing none of the above was much of a priority in the discussion.

[EMD4ME]

I don't quite understand this sentiment. Calder seems to me to be nothing special, and it's not like it's the only track in the metropolitan area, or even t he only track in that part of town. I don't see how Florida racing is losing anything with this agreement.

No matter what track it is, I don't like to see any track close or reduce dates down to a shell of what they used to be.

Mark my words, 10 years from now, there will be so few tracks running that we will miss the days of over saturation. It's a sad domino effect. Less tracks, less breeders, less foals, smaller field sizes, smaller handle, more takeout = death of our beloved game.

If there's less small tracks running, there's less simulcast money. If there's fewer live racing across the country, there will be fewer players brought into the game, less simulcast money.

Not good.

[RXB]

While something had to be done to fix that mess, from afar it seems to me that Calder's racing surface holds up and plays better during the summer rains than GP. Wonder why the 40 days that Calder gets could not have been say, July-Aug. The Summit of Speed could have stayed there.

CDI ran Calder into the ground so I am guessing none of the above was much of a priority in the discussion.

Gulfstream will be able to start the major (winter) part of its meet with a refreshed grass course if they run at Crc in the fall, so I think it makes sense. Also, Miami gets as much rainfall in Sept & Oct combined as in July & Aug combined.

[RXB]

No matter what track it is, I don't like to see any track close or reduce dates down to a shell of what they used to be.

Mark my words, 10 years from now, there will be so few tracks running that we will miss the days of over saturation. It's a sad domino effect. Less tracks, less breeders, less foals, smaller field sizes, smaller handle, more takeout = death of our beloved game.

If there's less small tracks running, there's less simulcast money. If there's fewer live racing across the country, there will be fewer players brought into the game, less simulcast money.

Not good.

This isn't really a reduction of dates; it's a shifting of dates. And it's a shift of dates and racing operations from the couldn't-care-less CDI carpetbaggers to an organization that does still care about the racing side of its business.

Also, GP's handle is several multiples higher than Crc's during the head-to-head racing. The public has spoken and it very clearly wants GP, not Crc/CDI. And for good reason.

[EMD4ME]

This isn't really a reduction of dates; it's a shifting of dates. And it's a shift of dates and racing operations from the couldn't-care-less CDI carpetbaggers to an organization that does still care about the racing side of its business.

Also, GP's handle is several multiples higher than Crc's during the head-to-head racing. The public has spoken and it very clearly wants GP, not Crc/CDI. And for good reason.


Good points, I see your logic. I too hate CDI. I just hope GP sustains and it doesn't turn into A) less racing dates in the future and another track (Calder) almost shutting down or B) GP hurting the NY horse population with quality races in the summer taking away some of the better horses in NY.

However, either way CDI is a cancer and should be extinguished.

[tanner12oz]

Even before the Gs dispute Calder ran super small fields...more of the same at Calder now...i think the Gs product has taken the worst of the dispute by far

[therussmeister]

Even before the Gs dispute Calder ran super small fields...more of the same at Calder now...i think the Gs product has taken the worst of the dispute by far
I think the Calder handle has taken the worst of the dispute by far.