Here's one I've never heard before

[breakage]

Here's a reason for cancelling racing that I've never heard before. "Live racing at Penn National was cancelled last night (Saturday) after the conclusion of the third race on the scheduled nine-race program. The remainder of the card was cancelled when the jockeys felt that an insufficient number of assistant starters were available to work out the remainder of the races on the program." :D Penn Gaming sure does seem to be having alot of trouble getting the jocks to ride at two of their tracks (Charlestown and Penn National), espescially when it rains.

[Doc]

I was wondering what happened out there. I went to check the charts and only saw three...and the track was fast. I looked on their website but I didn't find anything.

Jeez...management must be a little peeved at the jockey colony. On a Saturday night, to boot.

[sniezer]

Some assistant starters quit, leaving too few to safely continue the races.

[takeout]

Talk about short notice! They just didn't show up or what?

[takeout]

Penn Gaming sure does seem to be having alot of trouble getting the jocks to ride at two of their tracks (Charlestown and Penn National), espescially when it rains.
So true. I’m still trying to figure out what percentages of the problem to attribute to Penn Gaming/Jockeys/Track Supers. Right now I’m giving them all a 1/3 but that may be waaay off. One thing’s for sure. Something is not right somewhere.

[Doc]

I got the low-down from someone that works up there in Grantville, Pa. Seems management didn't want to give the starters a $1 per hour raise, so some walked off the job. They make $120 per night (for four nights per week) and management was trying to bring in starters from another track and pay them $180 for the night they were substituting (the extra money for mileage, supposedly). How cheap can they get? Serves them right for the jockeys canceling.

[TonyK@HSH]

Doc's description is pretty close. The assistants knew they would cause an unsafe condition and most likely a cancellation. A bit of a cheap shot IMHO as they knew the rate when they accepted the job. I'm far from a fan of Penn management but I understand their position on the pay.
What I cannot understand is they were told by the riders MANY times that there had to be at least 5 asst starters for the jock colony to consider riding safe. Yet they maintained a staff of only 6, without having any backup plans in place.
The unfortunate victims were the trainers and owners that pre-raced their horses. Most spent money on lasix shot plus any other pre-race necessities without a shot at recovering a penny.

Tony

[Skanoochies]

And once again everybody forgets about the UNFORTUNATE horse player that pays for programs, parking, entrance fees, wasted time sitting on busses, etc,etc,etc. I hope they were all given freebies to compensate for their inconvenience. :mad:

[TonyK@HSH]

Skanoochies,

Great point about the players. I lost sight of this because I had another 80 or so races to wager on through the simulcasting.

Tony

[toetoe]

For $1 per hour? Thashuss WEAK!

[breakage]

For $1 per hour? Thashuss WEAK!
Same thing I was thinking. What do they work, four or five hours a night? So that's about four or five dollars on top of $120? That doesn't seem to make any sense. I also know that the concessions now open at 6:30 there now instead of 5:00 to save on hours paid to the staff. Guess they're doing a little belt tightening due to the slot approval process being endlessly dragged out. I'm not sure if they made a deal with the horsemen like Philly Park did to raise purses early in anticipation of the slot money windfall.

[BetHorses!]

I had $5 pk 3's started with the $20 horse with 4 by 4 in the next 2 legs--- I would have paid them :)

[breakage]

I had $5 pk 3's started with the $20 horse with 4 by 4 in the next 2 legs--- I would have paid them :)
Are you sure you needed $5 wagers using a longshot like that in the first leg? After all, with their small pools I see the whole pool for the first pic 3 was taken by a $3 (or a $2 and $1, or three $1's) bet. Aren't you just lowering your own payoff a little by doing that?

[BetHorses!]

Are you sure you needed $5 wagers using a longshot like that in the first leg? After all, with their small pools I see the whole pool for the first pic 3 was taken by a $3 (or a $2 and $1, or three $1's) bet. Aren't you just lowering your own payoff a little by doing that?


Only 5 horses in the 3rd race and Dill was only 9-1 and there was another horse longer so I don't think $5 pk 3's were too high in that spot. I usually limit my exotics to 5's and 10's there no matter what.

[CryingForTheHorses]

Here's a reason for cancelling racing that I've never heard before. "Live racing at Penn National was cancelled last night (Saturday) after the conclusion of the third race on the scheduled nine-race program. The remainder of the card was cancelled when the jockeys felt that an insufficient number of assistant starters were available to work out the remainder of the races on the program." :D Penn Gaming sure does seem to be having alot of trouble getting the jocks to ride at two of their tracks (Charlestown and Penn National), espescially when it rains.

They need to pay these guys more,In all reality, Jockys look to these guys as life savers, They try to keep your horse settled and also take their own chances of getting hurt,They are there to make sure nothing goes wrong and everybody is safe.This job is very dangerous and takes a nimble fast person with good reflexes to work there, Jumping from stall to stall , Leading the horses in the gate, Standing in front of the gate to hold it in place as a fractious horse is pushed in.Grabbing tails to keep horses from rearing and holding them still to keep them from jumping. The asst Starters are the MOST underpaid people in the business. GLAD they did what they did!!

[TonyK@HSH]

McSchell,

I understand your position and agree about the job being under rated but would you have felt that way if one of your horses was in that night? You've already paid for pre-race meds maybe even had your charge on your way to the paddock. Your owner sits in the dining room expecting a major pipece of the purse....I believe the gate crew handled this one poorly.
It's fine to fight for better wages, but at who's expense?

Tony

[CryingForTheHorses]

McSchell,

I understand your position and agree about the job being under rated but would you have felt that way if one of your horses was in that night? You've already paid for pre-race meds maybe even had your charge on your way to the paddock. Your owner sits in the dining room expecting a major pipece of the purse....I believe the gate crew handled this one poorly.
It's fine to fight for better wages, but at who's expense?

Tony

Ill better that...How bout having your horse in the gate and the sec the gate opens you horse rears and you loses all chance..Do I blame the gate crew?? for hanging on to her??..Glad he did hang on as she may have flipped and hurt the jock or herself...Management listens when they are put on the spot..This was a on going thing with the starters and management. Sorry for all the innocent people involved..Ths was the only way to get them to listen.

[PurplePower]

Texas' Rules of Racing requries an assistant starter for EVERY runner, so a track that is going to run a 14 horse gate must have AT LEAST 14 assistant starters. When I was training I found out when I started my first horse at Blue Ribbon Downs that if I wanted to have a "header" as they called them there, I was IT! I developed an even GREATER respect for assistant starter as a result of my visits, albeit infrequent, to Sallisaw, Oklahoma.