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View Full Version : Plonk's Big Dream.....interesting article on less racing


JustRalph
11-14-2008, 01:01 AM
This is a very interesting piece........less racing at one time.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist=plonk_jeremy&id=3696177

When I was eight, I dreamt of being Mario Andretti. Now I drive like a grandpa twice my age and cuss those whizzing by on the interstate at anything more than 7 mph over the speed limit.

So I understand pipe dreams as well as the next guy, and also recognize reality. It's with great caution and minimal optimism that I present this pipe dream of a roadmap. But it's also with purpose.

Those tied to horse racing almost universally agree that there's too much racing. Not enough healthy and sound horses, not enough fans, not enough oomph in the gas tank to fuel the show. I don't pretend to have the magic wand, but I do know enough about the racing landscape to put pen to paper and start the thought process.

Racing desperately needs to trim the excess. Go into any racetrack or OTB, or point your browser to a number of wagering websites, and you'll see upwards of 20-30 tracks offered on any given race day. You don't need me to tell you that is too much of a good thing -- much less too much of a bad product in many cases.

I wholeheartedly believe that there should be no more than two or three racing signals presented at any one time during the day. And while that sounds preposterous to some numerically, the schedule actually can be inked out. I'll show you in a moment. Now, getting the entities involved to agree on a national schedule is where the pipe dream comes into play.

Too many racetrack executives are narrow-minded and worried about the wrong things. They fear moving traditional schedules that might upset their on-track fan base. But the reality is that 85 percent of their betting handle comes from fans off-track. While they scratch and claw to lay claim to those popcorn and parking receipts, they fail to embrace the low-overhead, solid return they get in the simulcasting game.

~much much more at the link~