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TEJAS KIDD
11-19-2007, 07:35 PM
I want to know what you think.
Is HORSE RACING a:

a. Spectator sport
b. Wagering game


Please pick one side.
If you work in the horse racing industry, please state your occupation.

bane
11-19-2007, 07:55 PM
For me, and I am one of the few, It's a spectator sport. I bet here nand there but for me I get more into the actual race then the odds behind it.

I was the personal groom for Devil His Due, Cryptoclearnce, Kela, Down The Aisle, The Deputy (ire), Pikepass and Evil Minister.

46zilzal
11-19-2007, 07:56 PM
Always had a soft spot for Teinowitz's Crypto. Often placed in races too short for him.

Great ride in the Belmont by Laffit.

TEJAS KIDD
11-19-2007, 08:06 PM
My guess is that a majority of the people who have worked at the racetrack will say "Spectator Sport"

Snow Chief
11-19-2007, 08:25 PM
It's both. I know that you said pick a side, but the sport/game needs to push both angles. It is one of racing's greatest attributes.

PS-did they do a piece on you (Bane) for the 1987 Ky. Derby?

alysheba88
11-19-2007, 09:58 PM
What is the NFL then?

boomman
11-20-2007, 12:12 AM
What is the NFL then?

Definitely a wagering game! If anyone has any doubts, teams are fined heavily by the NFL (because even though they won't publicly admit it, they KNOW it's a wagering game) if their weekly injury reports are not accurate. These of course, are used by gamblers to help handicap the games............:)

Boomer

Overlay
11-20-2007, 04:39 AM
It pains me to say it (because I find that the sport/history side of the game is great to watch and follow), but take away the legal wagering aspect, and I think you'd see general public interest in horse racing plummet.

alysheba88
11-20-2007, 08:25 AM
It pains me to say it (because I find that the sport/history side of the game is great to watch and follow), but take away the legal wagering aspect, and I think you'd see general public interest in horse racing plummet.

Same with the NFL

Bobzilla
11-20-2007, 08:42 AM
I agree with Overlay.

I'm also wondering of there should be a third option, A Breeders' game.

I was first attracted to the sport/game while a kid back in the golden era of the 70s. At the time a good racehorse, even a promising stallion prospect, could be expected to race a few seasons and if he were really good maybe become a household name. These days, when a horse breaks his maiden after one race with a Beyer figure in the 90s, it almost seems his future stud fee has already been determined, never mind what he might do during a sophmore campaign. They used to breed to race, then they raced to breed, now they breed to breed with the actual racing phase of a horse's life being a temporary nuisance to quickly and unreasonably bloat a reputation, establish a stud fee as quickly as possible, and get his chestnut butt off the track and into the breeding sheds of both the Earth's hemispheres as quickly as possible. It seems the modern day owner has not been drawn to horse ownweship for sporting reasons, as was the case during the golden years.

Although I think there are some, like myself, who appreciate horse racing as both a sport rich with pagaentry, tradition and history, while at the same time serving as a serious gaming opportunity, I fully admit that without the latter I truly doubt there would really be a viable market in North America for the racing product. A sad sign of the times I suppose.

DaylightDies
11-20-2007, 09:07 AM
For me, personally, it's a spectator sport with benefits. I might bet on the races, but I truly enjoy watching them more than anything.

For example, yesterday I watched about four races from the Mountaineer card and three from Thistledown. I always bet Mountaineer, just wasn't in the mood yesterday.

I think as a whole, more people are attracted to the gambling aspect.

bane
11-20-2007, 09:26 AM
Nah, that was his groom at the Track and it was while at the Derby, so they showed it during the Preakness. I was lucky for some reason prior to working at Margaux (I was at 19) I had most of Crypto's 3 year old campaign and some of his 4 year old.

Crypto is still my favorite out of the entire barn.

DJofSD
11-20-2007, 09:38 AM
Is this another trick riddle?

Semipro
11-20-2007, 11:07 AM
Wagering sport not one of the original options but my real postion.

john del riccio
11-20-2007, 11:17 AM
Definitely a wagering game! If anyone has any doubts, teams are fined heavily by the NFL (because even though they won't publicly admit it, they KNOW it's a wagering game) if their weekly injury reports are not accurate. These of course, are used by gamblers to help handicap the games............:)

Boomer

Imagine if stables had to publish injury reports, the claiming game woul dbe flipped on its head, now thats a riot !

John

Cratos
11-20-2007, 01:09 PM
I want to know what you think.
Is HORSE RACING a:

a. Spectator sport
b. Wagering game


Please pick one side.
If you work in the horse racing industry, please state your occupation.


I can't take one side or the other because horseracing is both a spectator sport and a wagering game for me. I enjoy watching horses run and I have traveled all over the country just to watch a particular horse run and never bet a dime. Betting is an exercise of wit and risk-taking for me that challenge both my intellect and my wallet, but when successful, it is very rewarding.

TEJAS KIDD
11-20-2007, 01:38 PM
Is this another trick riddle?

No, it's not another riddle.

If we polled every marketing executive in racing, what would the results be?

icebak
11-20-2007, 04:21 PM
Without wagering, horseracing doesn't exist. I don't care if it's the breeders cup or a $5000 claimer at Ellis Park, I'm in it for the money. Having said that, it is the most exciting game on the planet.

Try asking the same question about poker.

Dan Montilion
11-20-2007, 04:40 PM
No, it's not another riddle.

If we polled every marketing executive in racing, what would the results be?Racing and wagering would have to be explained to 95% of the suits and ties.

skate
11-20-2007, 04:53 PM
Wagering sport, id say.


and once you get past the RAH RAH part, (one reason why it's enjoyed by an older generation,IMO), so it would be for every other sport.

onefast99
11-20-2007, 06:05 PM
Imagine if stables had to publish injury reports, the claiming game woul dbe flipped on its head, now thats a riot !

John
Couldnt of said it any better!

badcompany
11-20-2007, 08:13 PM
Horseracing is a wagering sport until you run out of money. At that point, it becomes a spectator sport;)

Kelso
11-20-2007, 11:53 PM
take away the legal wagering aspect, and I think you'd see general public interest in horse racing plummet.


A truth confirmed by the steep decline in attendance that has paralleled the spread of Atlantic City Fever. With the exception of one isolated western state, horse racing used to be the only (legal) game in town.

boomman
11-21-2007, 01:33 PM
Horseracing is a wagering sport until you run out of money. At that point, it becomes a spectator sport;)

Very good point bc! I'm sure (especially at the beginning) that I was instantly transformed from bettor to spectator at one time or another!!!:D

Boomer

Robert Fischer
11-21-2007, 04:19 PM
It's a wagering game, but if I was wealthy or broke and didn't play, I would still love to watch the sport.

eddessaknight
11-21-2007, 08:56 PM
:ThmbUp: Hey Jd of SD-

A short but sincere note of appreciation for the incomprable 1939 musical artristry of these great jazz musicians Django Reinhardt & Giuseppe Greppeli.

In kind recprocation check out Yehudi Menuhin & Giuseppe Grappelli's Angel swing recordings including " Top Hat (http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Yehudi%20Menuhin%20%26%20Gius eppe%20Grappelli%20%20in%20Top%20Hat&search=Search&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&spell=1)" album.

Bye, the bye has several memorable musical jazz experiences at the Horton Plaza Hotel downtown in the Gas Light district and upstairs @ La Jolla Hotel (?).
Do they still book jazz at these properties?

Happy Thanksgiving Wishes,
EddessaKnight :)

DJofSD
11-21-2007, 11:53 PM
Unfortunately, Elario's on the top of the Summerhouse Inn is no longer there. Sigh. Gaslamp Quarter is still a happenin' place. A new venue is Anthology. (http://entertainment.signonsandiego.com/places/anthology/)

badcompany
11-22-2007, 08:08 AM
What is the NFL then?

IMO, the difference between horseracing and football, is that football would survive without the gambling, although with significantly less interest. When you see packed stadium at a college football game, I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of the people don't have bets on the game.

I have friends who are Jet and Giant season ticket holders. Except for the super bowl box, these guys never bet, but they sure as hell bet when they go to Saratoga.

TEJAS KIDD
11-22-2007, 12:38 PM
IMO, the difference between horseracing and football, is that football would survive without the gambling, although with significantly less interest. When you see packed stadium at a college football game, I'm pretty sure the overwhelming majority of the people don't have bets on the game.

I have friends who are Jet and Giant season ticket holders. Except for the super bowl box, these guys never bet, but they sure as hell bet when they go to Saratoga.

The thing about football is they know why they're where their at. They know that gambling has made football as big as it is today. Horse racing has no idea why they have fallen. They still think they're a spectator sport.

BETKING
11-22-2007, 02:45 PM
If it wasn't for the wagering, I sure wouldn't be watching a bunch of horses running around in a circle !!

Greyfox
11-22-2007, 04:17 PM
In Dubai, it is strictly a spectator sport, (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) No betting.
It is supposed to be a Sport of Kings (Sheiks.)


For me, while I enjoy the game visually, it can be just as boring as any other sport if you don't know the players and have no connection to the event.
For example, if I'm not playing Finger Lakes, and I happen to see a race there and don't really know whose running or the odds, it's a pretty boring occurence.
On the other hand if I have 50 beans riding on one of those cheap nags,
it becomes pretty exciting.

Greyfox
11-24-2007, 10:31 AM
Having said what I've said above:

If I don't know the participants in an activity and do not have a bet on them, I still find thoroughbred racing more exciting than
NFL, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer, UFC, Boxing and especially Harness Racing.

While I love sports, there is so much of it on the tube that if I don't have a connection one way or another, any sport can be boring. With respect to harness racing, even if I have a bet on the race, I still find it boring.
Yes, I know others love it. I'm just not that way.

onefast99
11-26-2007, 03:44 PM
If it wasn't for the wagering, I sure wouldn't be watching a bunch of horses running around in a circle !!
or a straight line like Los Alamitos...cant bet on those horses its easier for me to watch the roulette wheel spin..black or red? green.