Beyers trash

[kenwoodallpromos]

From DRF 8/27:

His retirement (Smarty Jones) underscores one of the reasons that the popularity of horse racing has declined so precipitously: The sport suffers from a shortage of recognizable stars. In the eras of Seabiscuit, of Citation, of Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid, horses raced long enough to become celebrities and box-office attractions. Smarty Jones was becoming a star of their magnitude. His humble origins and his brilliant performances had captured the interest of America; his bid for the Triple Crown had lured a record crowd of 120,139 to Belmont Park. If he had raced for another year, he would have stirred more interest in racing than any 4-year-old in the last quarter century.

Perhaps it is naove to criticize breeders for acting in their own self-interest and cashing in on

stallion prospects as quickly as possible. But shouldn't they feel some responsibility to promote the well-being of the sport?

_________________________
Shouldn't writers like Beyers feel some responsibility when trashing a horrse up and down for lack of breeding, then trashing breeders when it is sold for $39 million to produce hundreds of more KY Derby winners who do not have the pedigree to get 1 1/2?

[sq764]

Um, what part of this is trash? Seems quite factual to me..

[freeneasy]

andy lives and dies with all three sides of his face. left, right and down the middle

[PaceAdvantage]

And when we have a recognizable star still racing (Azeri), guys like freeneasy love to dump all over the connections because she doesn't win every one of her races.

Newsflash to Andy Beyer:

Horse racing has precipitously declined? How so Andy? I see MORE racing on TV these days then I have over the past 10-15 years. Tons of coverage on ESPN. We also have TVG being simulcast on the local Fox Sports stations.

ABC had the Arlington Million this year, NBC has enjoyed RECORD ratings with the Triple Crown the last couple of years....

HANDLE continues to rise EVERY YEAR. Smarty Jones is talked about on the Letterman show....

Where is this decline? The only decline has been on on-track attendance, and that's only because there are OTBs and the Internet. Wagering dollars are all that matter, and in that sense, horse racing is still quite healthy.

[Zman179]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
And when we have a recognizable star still racing (Azeri), guys like freeneasy love to dump all over the connections because she doesn't win every one of her races.

Newsflash to Andy Beyer:

Horse racing has precipitously declined? How so Andy? I see MORE racing on TV these days then I have over the past 10-15 years. Tons of coverage on ESPN. We also have TVG being simulcast on the local Fox Sports stations.

ABC had the Arlington Million this year, NBC has enjoyed RECORD ratings with the Triple Crown the last couple of years....

HANDLE continues to rise EVERY YEAR. Smarty Jones is talked about on the Letterman show....

Where is this decline? The only decline has been on on-track attendance, and that's only because there are OTBs and the Internet. Wagering dollars are all that matter, and in that sense, horse racing is still quite healthy.

Well if that truly is the case, then racetracks really don't need slots now, do they? Yet all you hear from horsemen and racetracks is that business is bad and they cannot survive for much longer without slots. Maybe it's true or maybe it's just shrewdness on their part. But just wait until slots are just about everywhere and the slots product becomes severely diluted, then we'll truly see whether racing is self sufficient or not. Only a matter of time before that happens.

In regards to the ESPN coverage, those blocks of time are purchased by the racetracks themselves which in turn sell the advertising during those blocks of time. ESPN is then put into an absolute can't lose proposition. That's the only reason why you see so much horse racing on ESPN.

Lastly, I'll hold out on a position in regards to NBC's triple crown ratings until there is a year where there is no possible triple crown winner for the Belmont Stakes.

[BIG RED]

They want slots because not only for they extra money, but it brings in bodies who wine and dine. All that profit goes directly to the track. Imagine another 5,000 head a day who eat and drink, that will help the bottom line of the establishment.

[Tom]

No offense to Beyer, but when he writes aobut times and speed figures, he an expert. Anything else he writes has no more credence than the drunk sitting next to me at the track bar (Hope I am not sitting next to a mirror!)
I agree with PA....racing is better off than few years ago...it is getting more coverage, more exposure, more fans than ever before.

[kenwoodallpromos]

The trash is Beyers trashing horses, breeders, etc; then then saying there are not enough stars when he could help bring recognition to the sport ny promoting not demoting.

[PaceAdvantage]

I'm all for criticism where it is warranted. Writers like Beyer are in short supply (writers who won't shy away from tough topics or unpopular opinions)

I just happen to disagree with him on this one point, but I still think he is one of the best out there....

[freeneasy]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
And when we have a recognizable star still racing (Azeri), guys like freeneasy love to dump all over the connections because she doesn't win every one of her races.

Newsflash to Andy Beyer:

Horse racing has precipitously declined? How so Andy? I see MORE racing on TV these days then I have over the past 10-15 years. Tons of coverage on ESPN. We also have TVG being simulcast on the local Fox Sports stations.

ABC had the Arlington Million this year, NBC has enjoyed RECORD ratings with the Triple Crown the last couple of years....

HANDLE continues to rise EVERY YEAR. Smarty Jones is talked about on the Letterman show....

Where is this decline? The only decline has been on on-track attendance, and that's only because there are OTBs and the Internet. Wagering dollars are all that matter, and in that sense, horse racing is still quite healthy.

your wrong my man, and i didnt expect that kind of a remark (that iam the kind of guy who loves to dump all over trainers simply because they dont win every race) from someone who shares just as much passion about horseracing as i do.

[PaceAdvantage]

I don't think I implied that you dump all over all trainerS....just one trainer so far....and one owner....

This isn't the thread to get into this, but I will say that Paulson is finally "kicking the tires" on Azeri and seeing "what he's got under the hood"

With Laura, Azeri was pampered and run against easy competition. And she won. And she won alot!

Now, he's putting her to the test, and seeing what she can and can't really do.

It's like owning a Ferrari. With Ms. Laura, the Ferrari was only taken out on the local expressway and driven at the speed limit.

With Lukas, the Ferrari is being tested on the hardest of roads at the highest of speeds and seeing what's really there.....I don't think you can really fault the man for kicking the tires a little more than usual...

[Tom]

Sometimes a horse can earn more respect in defeat than in victory.
Seeing Azeri digging in when passed and not fading was impressive to me. She has her heart back.
Horses don't often win on heart alone, but they sure do lose without it.

[RXB]

"Where is this decline in horse racing?"

Well, how about:

1. Declining field sizes
2. Declining starts per horse (only about 50% of what it used to be)
3. Declining quality (never used to be so many maiden claiming and cheap/conditioned claiming races)
4. Declining race distances (always a sign of cheaper and less fit/able animals)

As the product goes, eventually so goes the market for that product. Simulcasting and internet video/betting stemmed the tide, but that's about all. When you have to go begging for a handout (slots), you know your business is in trouble.

And of course, because they are getting the handout, horsemen and track management will not be forced to confront the real causes of these negative trends. They'll just keep the breed going down its present declining path. And as Zman pointed out, the infusion of slots money will ultimately just hasten this unfortunate slide.

[PaceAdvantage]

But Andy specifically mentioned the decline in the POPULARITY of horse racing. The wagering numbers don't support this theory.

[Zman179]

The wagering numbers will NEVER support that theory "Pace". That's because the numbers are supported by inflation.

However what has turned out to be a double-edged sword has been internet wagering. Now, bets are being made by people who normally wouldn't be wagering at the track/otb due to time constraints, etc. This alone results in new handle. On the other hand, it also results in reduced revenues for the racetracks as a much smaller percentage of the takeout finds it's way into track coffers and the lions share of the takeout winds up in the hands of the ADW companies. So even though handle goes up, revenues go down.

Like I said before, if business was so good, they wouldn't be crying for slots.

[Tom]

What inflation?
I paid $2.00 a ticket 30 years ago and the price is still the same today. I call that a bargin. (the best I ev-er had!);)

[Zaf]

You can even buy $1 tickets at NY & California tracks.

ZAFONIC