In So Cal, It's the Economy Stupid

[Java Gold@TFT]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2009-10-21-1704685597_x.htm

"A downturn in wagering as a result of the sluggish economy is forcing Santa Anita to slash its overnight purses by 10 percent at the Oak Tree meeting.
The reductions take effect Saturday.

Track officials said Wednesday that through the first 16 days of racing, Oak Tree's overall pari-mutuel wagering was down 12 percent compared to last year."
Yep, it has nothing to do with your unpredictable track for reduced handle.

[andymays]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/horses/2009-10-21-1704685597_x.htm


Yep, it has nothing to do with your unpredictable track for reduced handle.


It's just bad everything out here.

People who would know still tell me they're going back to dirt so I'm hopefull about that. At this point there aren't enough horses and the purses aren't big enough to attract any. The cost of doing business in California is another problem. Everything has been mismanaged for years and the 40 or 50 million they invested in synthetic surfaces could have been used for more important things.

It comes down to bad leadership!

[fmolf]

It's just bad everything out here.

People who would know still tell me they're going back to dirt so I'm hopefull about that. At this point there aren't enough horses and the purses aren't big enough to attract any. The cost of doing business in California is another problem. Everything has been mismanaged for years and the 40 or 50 million they invested in synthetic surfaces could have been used for more important things.

It comes down to bad leadership!
Andy i agree with your take on poly %100 i do not gamble on any tracks races poly or turf if they have the stuff!I think the bettors have spoken and spoken loudly!The chrb and track management cannot come right out and say they made a huge mistake.That would be a public relations nightmare and suicide for the handle on the rest of the meets before the return to dirt.The trainers are near revolting so changes are in the wind.Hang in there!

[Bobzilla]

It's just bad everything out here.

People who would know still tell me they're going back to dirt so I'm hopefull about that. At this point there aren't enough horses and the purses aren't big enough to attract any. The cost of doing business in California is another problem. Everything has been mismanaged for years and the 40 or 50 million they invested in synthetic surfaces could have been used for more important things.

It comes down to bad leadership!


Andy, it wouldn't break my heart to see SA remove the Pro-Ride and replace it with a safe state-of-the-art traditional dirt surface. That's not to say I want to see a return to the very unsafe "paved highways" that were CA tracks during the pre-synthetic era either. Considering the fact that MEC is bankrupt and there have been all kinds of talks about SA going on the auction block, how realistic is this possibility of a return to dirt in the near future? I guess Jerry Jam thinks there is money somewhere for it. Seems like CA racing is between a rock and a hard place on this one.

[Imriledup]

Brutally low betting handles at Santa Anita and Golden Gate.


California used to have massive pools, now we have pick 6 carryovers of 50k when for years, the smallest 1 day carryover was approx 85k (regardless of day of week)


I know they love to spin this and say "its the economy" but its really not. There are just too many bettors who don't want to bet on fake tracks.

Fake tracks produce fake results.

People want to handicap horses, not rider strategy and track surfaces.

[andymays]

Andy, it wouldn't break my heart to see SA remove the Pro-Ride and replace it with a safe state-of-the-art traditional dirt surface. That's not to say I want to see a return to the very unsafe "paved highways" that were CA tracks during the pre-synthetic era either. Considering the fact that MEC is bankrupt and there have been all kinds of talks about SA going on the auction block, how realistic is this possibility of a return to dirt in the near future? I guess Jerry Jam thinks there is money somewhere for it. Seems like CA racing is between a rock and a hard place on this one.


The thing that the rest of the country doesn't realize is how bad the Pro Ride is right now. For last years Breeders' Cup it was fine because it was new. Take Gitano Hernando as an example. Does anyone think they brought him to Santa Anita to run in Dubai? He came to run in the Breeders' Cup! What I've been told by people on the ground is that he came out of the race thrashed by the Pro Ride. Nobody wants to come out and say it because the Breeders' Cup is coming up. They know how some of these Racing Executives and their puppets known as Racing Officials can punish them in the future. As usual most (not all) of the Racing Media is more interested in rubbing elbows in the Press Box and the Turf Club than informing the public.

[Imriledup]

The thing that the rest of the country doesn't realize is how bad the Pro Ride is right now. For last years Breeders' Cup it was fine because it was new. Take Gitano Hernando as an example. Does anyone think they brought him to Santa Anita to run in Dubai? He came to run in the Breeders' Cup! What I've been told by people on the ground is that he came out of the race thrashed by the Pro Ride. Nobody wants to come out and say it because the Breeders' Cup is coming up. They know how some of these Racing Executives and their puppets known as Racing Officials can punish them in the future. As usual most (not all) of the Racing Media is more interested in rubbing elbows in the Press Box and the Turf Club than informing the public.

Amazing post.

Racing 'media' is a bunch of coffee clubbers who want to just rug brush hard hitting topics. Just get your pressy and sit up there drinking coffee and laughing about old times. There are real life journalists out there who are flying to these middle eastern countries and standing in front of gunfire to get the story while racing reporters are just looking for their little feel good story, while racing in their state is dying. They all sit up in the press box laughing about old times and being big shots while the game crumbles around them. Whatever you do, don't rock the boat.

[andymays]

Amazing post.

Racing 'media' is a bunch of coffee clubbers who want to just rug brush hard hitting topics. Just get your pressy and sit up there drinking coffee and laughing about old times. There are real life journalists out there who are flying to these middle eastern countries and standing in front of gunfire to get the story while racing reporters are just looking for their little feel good story, while racing in their state is dying. They all sit up in the press box laughing about old times and being big shots while the game crumbles around them. Whatever you do, don't rock the boat.


A few exceptions would be Jeff Nahill of the North County Times, Art Wilson, and John Pricci. They are all pretty good although I spend a lot of my time pushing them to do more. I'm sure they think of me as a pain in the ass and they wouldn't be wrong. ;)

[nearco]

The thing that the rest of the country doesn't realize is how bad the Pro Ride is right now. For last years Breeders' Cup it was fine because it was new. Take Gitano Hernando as an example. Does anyone think they brought him to Santa Anita to run in Dubai? He came to run in the Breeders' Cup! What I've been told by people on the ground is that he came out of the race thrashed by the Pro Ride. Nobody wants to come out and say it because the Breeders' Cup is coming up. They know how some of these Racing Executives and their puppets known as Racing Officials can punish them in the future. As usual most (not all) of the Racing Media is more interested in rubbing elbows in the Press Box and the Turf Club than informing the public.

Why would GH's trainer and owner worry about ruffling feathers in SoCal? The trainer is an Italian based in England, how can they hurt him? The owner's main spokesman, B. Irwin, is hardly afraid to speak his mind, doesn't seem like the kow tow type to me. Do Team Valor have a stable of horses running at SA?
The horse is not BC nominated. I think they weren't willing to gamble $250k to run for place money, which is likely what he would be running for. Put him away and run a fresher horse for twice the purse against a likely weaker field of horses next Mar in Dubai, with no nomination fee and all your expenses paid.

[andymays]

Why would GH's trainer and owner worry about ruffling feathers in SoCal? The trainer is an Italian based in England, how can they hurt him? The owner's main spokesman, B. Irwin, is hardly afraid to speak his mind, doesn't seem like the kow tow type to me. Do Team Valor have a stable of horses running at SA?
The horse is not BC nominated. I think they weren't willing to gamble $250k to run for place money, which is likely what he would be running for. Put him away and run a fresher horse for twice the purse against a likely weaker field of horses next Mar in Dubai, with no nomination fee and all your expenses paid.


I spent an hour on the phone with someone on the ground yesterday and that's what the person told me. The person said he came out of the race thrashed by the Pro Ride. That is not to say that the person I spoke to is infallible although he is usually right. If anyone has been paying attention there are stories every day about a new horse not coming that they thought would come. For example take Dublin:

Dublin staying home
http://www.drf.com/news/article/108282.html

Excerpt:

Grade 1 winner Dublin bounced back quickly from his fifth-place finish in the Champagne, but even after a big workout Monday at Churchill Downs, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said the Hopeful winner will not ship west for the Juvenile.
"Artificial surfaces turned the Breeders' Cup upside down," Lukas said this week. "He might go out there and love it, but we'd rather not subject him to the uncertainty."

Lukas noted that, as his horses race primarily in Kentucky and New York, "I never have to run on artificial."


Just an informed opinion!

[rwwupl]

It's just bad everything out here.

People who would know still tell me they're going back to dirt so I'm hopefull about that. At this point there aren't enough horses and the purses aren't big enough to attract any. The cost of doing business in California is another problem. Everything has been mismanaged for years and the 40 or 50 million they invested in synthetic surfaces could have been used for more important things.

It comes down to bad leadership!



Bingo! It comes down to bad leadership.

Everything that has been done in the last 25 years is at the expense of the fans and we are seeing the result of unbalanced leadership.

[JustRalph]

take out the pro ride comments and I swear this thread was from about 2003

Why should california racing (Governed by Politicians) be in any different shape than the rest of the state?

When they start running 4 horse fields in every race.........it's over.........and we aren't far from that............

[Zman179]

As a bettor, I cannot make heads or tails of the races run on Poly out west; it is a total head scratcher for me. Considering that twinspires.com is taking a total of 53 tracks today (Saturday), it makes it that much easier to totally ignore California racing.

[owlet]

Yep, a real "head scratcher", that Pro-Ride. Eight out of nine favorites won today at Oak Tree.

The poly is a strawman, a sideshow. The racing was terrible four years ago and going back to dirt won't change a goddamn thing. Pick up a Form from 2005 and see for yourself.

[Zman179]

Yep, a real "head scratcher", that Pro-Ride. Eight out of nine favorites won today at Oak Tree.

The poly is a strawman, a sideshow. The racing was terrible four years ago and going back to dirt won't change a goddamn thing. Pick up a Form from 2005 and see for yourself.

Well if chalk won 8 out of 9 races, then I would have been slaughtered. Ain't a man alive who paid a mortgage at 3/5.