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Indulto
11-30-2007, 04:03 PM
Poster Derby Trail's coverage in his radio show of a variety of issues has been exemplary, particularly in his focus on the life of Bill Hartack; providing great insights and references. Thank you, DT.

http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/ (http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/)

Steve Crist Nov. 26 (Hour 1 -- halfway in)

Great discussion. Crist’s willing participation -- along with Hegarty’s later in the week -- were refreshing; going well beyond the content of their articles. The fact that the NY Times maligning the image of horseplayers was accorded concern equal to Bloomberg's OTB utterances was particularly satisfying.

It would have been interesting to learn which racing secretaries were “guilty” of retaining the graded handicaps Crist wants to make weight-for age. DT did a good job in obtaining a contrary opinion the next day from Tommy Trotter.

Tommy Trotter Nov. 27 (Hour 1 -- halfway in)

In response to a favorable comment on “Exotic Betting," Crist replied, ”The whole idea is for everyone to have more fun playing the game.” This was Trotter’s theme in describing the popularity of handicaps from the period following the Civil War through the 1970s. It's hard to disagree with Trotter when the decline in diversity of race types is demonstrated almost daily.

Crist is correct that meaningless weight spreads and conditions that result in longshots carrying higher weights than favorites defeat their purpose, but the existence of exotics hardly eliminates the value of Grade I handicaps. A 3-5 shot is just as unappetizing in a vertical or horizontal exotic as it is to win, and owners will almost always avoid competition they have no chance against.

What does support Crist’s position (but wasn’t mentioned) is that
a) there are too few (if any) consistently outstanding horses that justify the huge weight concessions of yesteryear,
b) there are too many opportunities for black type available which -- combined with fewer average starts per horse -- decrease the likelihood of repeated encounters at the highest level,
c) increased awareness of the safety issue regarding today's horses (and their questionable soundness) creates the spectre of a champion breaking down under a "crushing impost," and
d) today’s racing secretaries are under too much pressure to attract the all too rare equine stars to scare their connections off with substantial burdens.

Indulto
11-30-2007, 04:10 PM
The issue of black type opportunities was also addressed by DT and others with regard to the recent Graded Stakes Committee action:

http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/ (http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/)

Graded Stakes Discussion Nov. 29 (Hour 1 -- midway)
Matt Hegarty Nov. 29 (Hour 3 -- beginning)

DT pointed out the glaring oversight in not conferring G1 status on the Arkansas Derby despite upgrading both the Rebel and Southwest stakes at Oaklawn. I share his reaction considering the subsequent G1 victories by winners Curlin, Lawyer Ron, and Afleet Alex. The Committee’s failure to do so apparently either escaped or didn't alarm the authors off both the following otherwise interesting articles:

http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/7504586 (http://msn.foxsports.com/horseracing/story/7504586)
Florida racing heats up for winter
BY JERRY KLEIN

… For the second year in a row, the ranks of Grade 1 races have grown by three, continuing a four-year climb that has increased the number of top-level races by 10 percent. Moreover, there will be 481 graded stakes races in America in 2008, an increase of seven over this year. Since there were fewer eligible races this time, the committee's mandate means a two-percent overall increase in graded stakes — and graded stakes-winners — for next year.

The committee did demote eight races, including five Grade 3s that now are without a grade. … Moreover, while only three Grade 2s were reduced a level, seven Grade 3s moved up a notch.

The system, maintained by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, supposedly revolves around points earned by a race when its participants finish first, second or third in other graded events but only two of the upgraded races, the Rebel and Southwest Stakes, benefited from the presence of a 3-year-old superstar. In fact, 20 of the 28 ascenders were turf contests.

… Mind you, none of numbers generated by this arbitrary increase in our horses' ability factored in the three new Breeders' Cup races.

… BC officials offered no explanation but one can only speculate that the committee was poised to turn it down for a second year in a row Or, gasp, offer them a lesser designation. That continues to be an embarrassment to racing and the question remains: Why does the TOBA, whose members have a vested interest in the outcome, have the final say in these critical matters? It is like having students grade their own exams.http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3133604 (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/news/story?id=3133604)
Three new Grade 1 stakes for 2008
By Matt Hegarty

… Twenty turf stakes in the U.S. were upgraded, compared to only four downgraded. Turf racing in the U.S. has become more common over the past five years because they attract full fields and many horsemen prefer to run their horses over the surface.

… Currently, 110 of the 718 eligible stakes in the U.S. have been assigned Grade 1 status, or 15 percent.

…The committee made the upgrades and downgrades after reviewing 718 unrestricted stakes races in the U.S. with a minimum purse of $75,000, the criteria for a race being assigned a grade. The grading system was devised as a way to help buyers at auctions determine the class of races listed on catalog pages, but it has since evolved into a marketing tool for racetracks and an incentive for trainers and owners of horses destined for the breeding shed. …

DerbyTrail
12-03-2007, 07:44 PM
I,

Thanks very much. Pleased to hear you enjoyed last week particularly. I tried to beat the bushes on all the recent hard news. Crist and Hegarty are like hot knives through butter on any serious issue. Did quite a bit on the Lou Raffetto situation too, and had more terrific Hartack memories from Mike Stidham and Tony Black later in the week...

bigmack
12-03-2007, 08:19 PM
Steve-

You've really done a dynamite job developing your show into a nice place to spend some time. Great work :ThmbUp:

I don't know if you had any decision in using a JStrummer track for musica but I can vouch that he was one hell of a guy and one of the nicest cats you'd ever want to meet.

JustRalph
12-03-2007, 08:59 PM
Let's get a server/bandwidth upgrade Steve! Takes forever sometimes to download the show.............................


either you are very popular or you need more bandwidth..........

Like the show..........hate the download time

Tom
12-03-2007, 10:20 PM
Can you download the archives?
I would love to listen duringthe day at work.
The real time of the show is no good for me.

BillW
12-03-2007, 10:32 PM
Can you download the archives?
I would love to listen duringthe day at work.
The real time of the show is no good for me.

You can play the archives at any time - assuming no firewall lockout.

http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_events&Itemid=35

Tom
12-03-2007, 11:10 PM
Not at work. :(

Zaf
12-03-2007, 11:19 PM
Tom,

You can download the archives !

Go to : http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/

Click on the Orange PODCAST RSS Feed on the left hand side of the Page.

Then Right Click the shows you want to download (Save target as), then click save and you got it ! Works better for me with MIE rather than Firefox.

Z

JustRalph
12-04-2007, 02:27 AM
http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/images/stories/audio/index.xml

just right click on the shows you want (mp3 link) and choose "save target as"


bingo!

Tom
12-04-2007, 08:52 AM
Zaf, Ralph, nothing shows up as a link on either page.
Maybe it will when I get home, but here, no.

JustRalph
12-04-2007, 11:01 AM
Tom

just under the date you should see the Guest's name and just under that a link for the mp3.........see attached shot

BillW
12-04-2007, 11:38 AM
Tom

just under the date you should see the Guest's name and just under that a link for the mp3.........see attached shot

It's broken here too - Latest FF and IE 6.0. They must be using proprietary code. Replay works via flashplayer but no download links and RSS bookmark is null on FF and displays raw code under IE when selected from site.

levinmpa
12-04-2007, 01:30 PM
You should also be able to download directly using the address below, without the quotes:

"http://www.thoroughbredracingradionetwork.com/images/stories/audio/110207c.mp3"

You will need to change the last part of the address to reflect the date and segment you want. The link above would get you the 3rd hour on Nov 2. If you wanted the 2nd hour on December 3, for example, change the mp3 filename at the end of the URL to 120307b.mp3.

Zaf
12-04-2007, 08:18 PM
Bill & Tom,

Works very well with MIE 7.0.5730.11

Just as Ralph described above.

Thats a great trick Levinmpa.

Z

Tom
12-04-2007, 09:31 PM
Nadda with FF or IE 6 - I won't put IE 7 on my machine.
Wish I could get IE 6 off!

Too bad - but I do not support sites that do not support FF.

Zaf
12-04-2007, 09:53 PM
Tom,

Did you try Levinmpa's suggestion ? That may be a way to get around that.

Z

Tom
12-04-2007, 10:22 PM
That worked!

Thanks, both of you.

Zaf
12-04-2007, 10:37 PM
Glad it worked Tom ! You'll love it. Ever since Steve has taken over the show, its been awesome !

Z

DerbyTrail
12-05-2007, 11:09 AM
Steve-

You've really done a dynamite job developing your show into a nice place to spend some time. Great work :ThmbUp:

I don't know if you had any decision in using a JStrummer track for musica but I can vouch that he was one hell of a guy and one of the nicest cats you'd ever want to meet.
Mack,

Thanks very much.. It's been tremendously fun and rewarding trying to make the show valuable to race fans and the industry.

And music selection does fall to me. Am going to try and incorporate more into the show too. Everything I've ever read about Joe 'Strummer' says he was unbelievably generous to fans. Taken way too soon...

DerbyTrail
12-05-2007, 03:50 PM
Tonight's show...

'Raceday Live' Wednesday with visits from Ken McPeek and Doug O'Neill on tap to look at the 2 fillies and colts they each send in the Delta Princess and Jackpot Friday night!

Gary West/Seth Merrow and the 3rd-7th of the HOL P6 Carryover too! Tune in..!

866-454-6848 the contact line..

LIVE LINK:
http://www.clearstreaming.com/radios...sandbeyond.asx (http://www.clearstreaming.com/radiostreams/attheracesandbeyond/attheracesandbeyond.asx)

4:00-News/Open phones
4:30-Doug O'Neill

5:00-Seth Merrow
5:30-Ken McPeek

6:00-Gary West
6:30-Open phones

point given
12-05-2007, 11:49 PM
Derbytrail wrote " Gary West/Seth Merrow and the 3rd-7th of the HOL P6 Carryover too! Tune in..! "


Now, i realize Seth merrow is the producer of Equidaily, a website with a spiderweb of articles grabbed from the internet. Actually a very useful site to keep up with stuff. BUT - and thats a big BUTT , what actually is Seth Merrows expertise in horse racing ? i believe he was involved in producing plays or some such in the albany area, so, how is he such an expert on horse racing from pulling together postings from other sources ? I have seen him feature Steve Byk, and Steve Byk feature Seth Merrow in a kinda albany ny mutual admiration society at the Teletheater ? The Albany Posse has taken over from its downstate brethern it seems, as they are all bloggers now. With Jeanne Wood, Anthony Mormino, Nick Kling etc. who could ask for anything more ! Seriously. who are all these people and what do they do for a living, besides Klling who writes for a small paper upstate. Bio's can be such a trip. ;)

BillW
12-06-2007, 12:17 AM
what actually is Seth Merrows expertise in horse racing ?

Why not just PM him and ask?

JustRalph
12-06-2007, 01:11 AM
Derbytrail wrote " Gary West/Seth Merrow and the 3rd-7th of the HOL P6 Carryover too! Tune in..! "


Now, i realize Seth merrow is the producer of Equidaily, a website with a spiderweb of articles grabbed from the internet. Actually a very useful site to keep up with stuff. BUT - and thats a big BUTT , what actually is Seth Merrows expertise in horse racing ? i believe he was involved in producing plays or some such in the albany area, so, how is he such an expert on horse racing from pulling together postings from other sources ? I have seen him feature Steve Byk, and Steve Byk feature Seth Merrow in a kinda albany ny mutual admiration society at the Teletheater ? The Albany Posse has taken over from its downstate brethern it seems, as they are all bloggers now. With Jeanne Wood, Anthony Mormino, Nick Kling etc. who could ask for anything more ! Seriously. who are all these people and what do they do for a living, besides Klling who writes for a small paper upstate. Bio's can be such a trip. ;)

nope, no PM's , now I want to know................

DerbyTrail
12-06-2007, 10:25 AM
Derbytrail wrote " Gary West/Seth Merrow and the 3rd-7th of the HOL P6 Carryover too! Tune in..! "


Now, i realize Seth merrow is the producer of Equidaily, a website with a spiderweb of articles grabbed from the internet. Actually a very useful site to keep up with stuff. BUT - and thats a big BUTT , what actually is Seth Merrows expertise in horse racing ? i believe he was involved in producing plays or some such in the albany area, so, how is he such an expert on horse racing from pulling together postings from other sources ? I have seen him feature Steve Byk, and Steve Byk feature Seth Merrow in a kinda albany ny mutual admiration society at the Teletheater ? The Albany Posse has taken over from its downstate brethern it seems, as they are all bloggers now. With Jeanne Wood, Anthony Mormino, Nick Kling etc. who could ask for anything more ! Seriously. who are all these people and what do they do for a living, besides Klling who writes for a small paper upstate. Bio's can be such a trip. ;)
I didn't realize that people who handicap publicly had a set of criteria that deigned their expertise as worthy. One would think that the expertise is easily judged by the results...

Like many public racing-related media members, Seth Merrow is an avid horseplayer whose handicapping skills are on display regularly and earned him a place on Capital OTB TV as a host. He is as astute a player as I know. His Equidaily.com website was the first portal of its kind on the Net, and his selections have been a big part of its' success.

His contributions to 'At the Races' are very popular among listeners with an appreciation for his straightforward approach to playing horses and building winning tickets. In addition to his responsibilities with Capital OTB and Equidaily, he owns a television/video production company. He has been very generous and supportive of my career interests in race media, and together we hosted "Keyword: Saratoga" on Capital OTB 12 this past summer.

Jeanne Wood works full time at Capital OTB as their lead producer/on-air host. Nick Kling is widely respected for his opinion by peers nationwide as handicapper/race writer of The Troy Record, regularly finishing atop the Saratoga capping 'standings'. Don't know much about Anthony Mormino except that you rarely see a guy so regularly give out successful 20-1 shots as on-top key horses as he does.

point given
12-06-2007, 11:20 AM
Thanks for answering my questions.

Before , I started using Equidaily, I used Cindy Pierson Dulays , About.com horseracing , as a comprehensive site. What i like about Equdaily is the format, its easy to use, and he unearths some unique stories. What raised my question , was that Gary West is a longtime writer on horseracing for many newspapers and well known by his writings. Seth Merrow does the Equidaily website. I was unfamiliar with his background and expertise in handicapping, thats all, and I have not seen any written handicapping background/ history of his handicapping. I did watch the Capital OTB shows a couple of times though, but didnot take notes. So, I don't know how to evaluate his opinions and picks never having seen anything of his in writing. Is there a site where i may view the analysis,picks and results ? Yours are on your website,for all to view; and I appreciate your views, rationals etc. whether I agree with them or not.

When is Mr. Merrows show on OTB and is it on the internet site of Capital OTB ? I missed your "Keyword Saratoga" show last summer, what type of show is it, and what time slot is it on and will it return ? I 've spoken briefly w/ jean wood and she is a knowledgable handicapper to me , and Nick Kling is certainly known for his strong , issues oriented commentaries/handicapping. you're rignt , Mormino I know little about too.

Thanks again for the answers to my questions. I do enjoy listening to your show with all the industry issues you address , personalities you get on and the promotion of thoroughbred racing in the US. Unfortunately, I don't get to listen as much as I once did. Good Luck - PG


I didn't realize that people who handicap publicly had a set of criteria that deigned their expertise as worthy. One would think that the expertise is easily judged by the results...

Like many public racing-related media members, Seth Merrow is an avid horseplayer whose handicapping skills are on display regularly and earned him a place on Capital OTB TV as a host. He is as astute a player as I know. His Equidaily.com website was the first portal of its kind on the Net, and his selections have been a big part of its' success.

His contributions to 'At the Races' are very popular among listeners with an appreciation for his straightforward approach to playing horses and building winning tickets. In addition to his responsibilities with Capital OTB and Equidaily, he owns a television/video production company. He has been very generous and supportive of my career interests in race media, and together we hosted "Keyword: Saratoga" on Capital OTB 12 this past summer.

Jeanne Wood works full time at Capital OTB as their lead producer/on-air host. Nick Kling is widely respected for his opinion by peers nationwide as handicapper/race writer of The Troy Record, regularly finishing atop the Saratoga capping 'standings'. Don't know much about Anthony Mormino except that you rarely see a guy so regularly give out successful 20-1 shots as on-top key horses as he does.

saratoga guy
12-06-2007, 05:55 PM
...what actually is Seth Merrows expertise in horse racing?


yeah, who is that clown?!? Doh! It's me! ;)


The internet can be such an anonymous place that asking, “Who are you and why should I care what you say?” is a legit question. For example, it’s disconcerting to be engaged in an internet conversation about artificial surfaces and it’s only after a question about Remington’s experiment years ago with Equitrack elicits silence that you realize the other person is fifteen years old!

But as Steve [Derby Trail] alluded, it’s hard to know just what “validates” a handicapper/racing commentator. There is no “Masters Degree of Horse Race Commentating” offered. Obviously you want someone with experience, knowledge and a passion for the sport, but ultimately you have to judge their work -- whether it’s available in the “old media” or now on the “new media” -- and decide if you find it entertaining and/or informative.

After five years of putting together the equidaily.com website on a daily basis I think I follow horse-racing day-to-day as closely as anyone. I try to bring that perspective to the written and broadcast work I do.

I’ve owned a television production company for the past twenty years in the Albany/Saratoga area (never have produced a play, as was speculated in an earlier post). We've produced hundreds of hours of broadcast programming and won perhaps a dozen national awards. I graduated from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Also, I had a regular column in The Saratogian’s “Pink Sheet” during the 2006 Saratoga meet. I hope that background gives me some type of journalistic “cred”.

Also, as mentioned above, I'm a regular handicapper/commentator on Capital OTB-TV (and part of a very good team that includes Wood, Mormino, and Kling, as well as John Pricci, Mike Veitch and others). And Steve and I did the "Keyword: Saratoga" show every Monday during the 2007 meet. I've also been a panelist at Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup seminars at the OTB teletheater in Albany and the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs.

As a handicapper I guess the best credentials are simply to go to the “scorecard”. I handicap the full-card every day during the Saratoga meet and the picks are posted and archived at equidaily.com. During the years 2003, 2004, and 2005 a $2 win-bet on each of my top picks produced a flat-bet profit.

In 2005 I added a feature called “Best Bets” to equidaily.com’s weekly look at weekend stakes races. Each week I listed a small handful of ‘best bets’. Listing 209 total ‘best bet’ plays every Saturday for twelve months in 2005 produced a 43% ROI. Granted, much of that was due to Giacomo winning the Ky Derby -- but even after subtracting the “Giacomo-effect”, the ‘best bets’ produced a 5% ROI for 2005. (I have to admit I haven’t been as diligent about tracking the 'best bet' results the past couple of seasons -- because of time. But the selections are still archived.)

I’ve learned over the years that part of the fun of the game is that it’s somewhat competitive even on the betting side of the sport. Therefore, no matter how well you do someone will always say, “Yeah, great results, BUT...” I can live with that and I’m confident enough in my work that all my selections are still archived and available for people to peruse.

There it is: The "Reader's Digest resumé"!

Seth Merrow/saratoga guy

Indulto
12-06-2007, 09:49 PM
... The internet can be such an anonymous place that asking, “Who are you and why should I care what you say?” is a legit question. For example, it’s disconcerting to be engaged in an internet conversation about artificial surfaces and it’s only after a question about Remington’s experiment years ago with Equitrack elicits silence that you realize the other person is fifteen years old!
SG,
It's nice to know that another ATRAB regular is a poster here, but in response to the bolded question above, you've already proven that what you had to say was more important than who you were.

Your posts always struck me as those not only of a racing insider, but of a political insider as well. I'm relieved to hear that you're not a direct contributor to the franchise renewal debacle, after all.

Though I haven't listened to a lot of handicapping segments other than Hammerle's because weekend SoCal racing is my focus in addition to NY graded stakes. I'll try to catch more of yours in the future.

Thank goodness for the archives. If I were a daily commuter, I would probably listen to the show live, but it's difficult for me to concentrate on any other computer tasks and listen to the show simultaneously. Also, the archive audio is generally better than the live audio for me as the latter sometimes sounds tinny, has an echo, breaks up, or doesn't adequately amplify the voices of guests who speak softly (they know who they are ;)).