View Full Version : Why Don't Tracks Educate Handicappers?
sq764
08-20-2003, 12:41 PM
I find that the single biggest opportunity that racetracks miss out on is to educate the horseplayers. Not necessarily the serious players, but moreso the casual ones or the ‘aspiring’ serious players.
If each track would just take the time to have short free seminars on occasion to teach people how to win, I guarantee they would retain more fans. Bottom line is if you teach people how to win, they will have more money and will play longer. And from a track/takeout perspective, isn’t this all the track wants?? For each player to recycle their money through wagers??
I frequent 3 tracks in my area (Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Philadelphia Park) and only 1 (Philly) gives any type of handicapping help. I believe every other Saturday they have the track handicapper go over each race on the Saturday card. And the one time I made it up for that, the area was packed..
Wouldn’t it behoove each track to take the initiative to educate the fans? Are they just oblivious to the potential benefit to their bottom line this would be? Or is it just the same old story where they could care less about the fans?
Scott
GameTheory
08-20-2003, 12:44 PM
Some tracks do more of this than others -- isn't this what Reid does?
I have heard Hawthorne has a pretty nice set-up for the fans -- seminars, free video library available for viewing past races, etc...
alysheba88
08-20-2003, 01:01 PM
Monmouth does a good job with it too. Unfortunately those that need the guidance the most are in the picnic area getting loaded. Looking for lucky numbers of horses or supposed inside info.
There is much more help available then when I started out.
I think there are a few more things tracks could do but unfortunately many of the newer players do not want help. In todays everything now society people just aren't as willing to put in the time to learn
PurplePower
08-20-2003, 04:00 PM
Originally posted by GameTheory
Some tracks do more of this than others -- isn't this what Reid does?........ Yep. We have a fan education room (that doubles as my office) on the first floor of our grandstand. It is glass walled, has 14 comfortable chairs, a big screen and four smaller screened TVs and is open to anyone who wants to come in and learn how to play this game. Each week I do a "How to Play This Game" stage show in our theater seat area on the club level. Access to the club level is free and the seats are free. I start when the runners walk up for the first race, analyze the horses walking to the paddock, tell them what is going on in the paddock, show them what to look for in the program to help them select a horse, evaluate the horses as they post parade right in front of us, tell them what WIN and Show wager I would make on the first race, add Quinella and Exacta box to the second, add trifecta for the third and give them directions to the fan education room in case they want to learn about Pick 3's and 4's or superfecta. Most Saturdays I'll have 400 or so by the third race (some are not "newbies" of course but many are) and on major racing promotion Saturdays have had 700 by the time I am done. I think this is an important part of racing, but good handicappers don't necessairly make good fan educators. Overwhelming newcomers with all the nuances of handicapping can create impression to new fans that this game is only for math whizzes. Letting them know that a lady won $28.80 on a $6 show bet because she knew how to coordinate color of silks with the color of the saddle towel keeps them open to learning about pace and speed figures on a future visit after they have had a fun day at the races without feeling "test anxiety".
SandyE
08-21-2003, 11:34 AM
First of all cool name, and second from the sounds of it your doing an awesome job. Silly question probably but do you also talk about the horse's over all appearance, attitude? Personally I like to watch the horses in the walking ring and while their being saddled/tacked up to see how they take to the latter and their behavior in both areas. What do you say to the people who see a horse get lose or throws a tempertandrum? Just curious:)
PurplePower
08-21-2003, 03:13 PM
Sandy,
Yes, I give the fans a brief lesson in "Racehorse speak". Tell them that a horse "talks" with its body language and point out a few statements made by the neck, ears and tail. I tell them that when a horse looks over and winks at the lady of a couple and says "I am going to win this race", forget all handicapping advice and bet that horse to WIN. Ladies seem to be able to pick up on that "language" and not even know that they are actually reading signs that suggest the horse is actually saying something like that. Sometimes they mis- translate and actually what the horse said was "I am NOT going to WIN this race".
I am not standing by the paddock, but we do occasionally see one "freaking" in the paddock on the TV that is on the stage with me. (We do have a great view of the post parade, however, and I evaluate the runners as they parade in front of us.) I incorporate Racehorse training into the handicapping lesson, explaining that training is "Education, Cardio-vascular conditioning and muscle conditioning". In the Education part I include paddock schooling, gate training and teaching horses to run inside, outside and through the middle. I point out the pre race vet checks, vet monitoring of warmups, post race drug testing and explain the cooling out process. Now, obviously i can't cover all of this in detail in one 90 minute show, but each week something will happen that will enable me to expound on one area or another (such as a horse flipping and getting hung up in gate, or another one tossing rider and running off, etc.)
Valuist
08-21-2003, 05:13 PM
Game Theory--
Hawthorne is probably one of the more handicapper-friendly tracks around. They do have a handicapping center run by a pro.
I think most tracks don't care because their management is clueless. They think people that bet on horses are all sick addicts who would come out and bet their product regardless of takeout. It took many tracks a number of years to figure out that fans didn't like small fields. Screw the regulars; lets go after the stroller crowd. Lastly, most of these people in management positions probably have an MBA but have never bet on a race themselves so they only understand the business from an administration standpoint, not from a customer service/relations standpoint.
SandyE
08-21-2003, 06:29 PM
Too bad I live 3 days away from where your at. I think it would be cool to watch you in action. I've seen horses act up in the walking ring and the saddling enclosoure. Once saw a horse get a bit mad at his groom, and of course the backing out of the stall while being tacked up. With the ears layed back ya know? My list of places to go see/visit keeps getting longer and one of these days gotta just go. The racescourses down in Texas are at the top of my list of things to do. I saw a site of racecourses in a country at one time I didn't know had any. I still want to go over to Europe basicly for the racing but mostly for the horses.
PurplePower
08-21-2003, 09:47 PM
My horseracing travel "goal" is to go go Australia. South Africa is doing a Groom Elite class and the President of The Elite Program, Inc. is going over there in October for their assessment. She told me that I'll be doing their assessment next year. So I may reach my goal before the three year expected date.
sq764
08-21-2003, 10:37 PM
Purple, I think its great what you do, wish there were more like you..
Maybe one of these days you could get a taped night and put it online for all of us to see. I know I would be very interested!
PurplePower
08-21-2003, 10:58 PM
Good Idea SQ. We have a great director of our TV department, I'll see what he thinks.
SandyE
08-22-2003, 05:58 PM
I second what SQ said and it's also totally awesome that you'll be reaching your travel goal well within the 3 year plan. OH when you do get to either down under ot Africa you'll let us know what it's like, tay?
VetScratch
08-22-2003, 06:54 PM
Originally posted by PurplePower
My horseracing travel "goal" is to go go Australia. South Africa is doing a Groom Elite class and the President of The Elite Program, Inc. is going over there in October for their assessment. She told me that I'll be doing their assessment next year. So I may reach my goal before the three year expected date. I hope that you find Australian backside society is emerging from the sexist dark age that was revealed by the Jockey Valerie Kost scandal in 2001. Her story and that of many other females in Australian racing stain that country with disgrace and shame!
Fastracehorse
08-22-2003, 07:09 PM
Tracks themselves don't know how to win.
IMO,
If some Joe or Sally is giving seminars at a track they'll teach the public too lose their money when they can do it themselves - just fine thank you.
A money money management class and education on the type of wagers possible, to me is an interesting approach.
fffastt
sq764
08-22-2003, 08:14 PM
Isn't it funny that any casino you go to will have craps and blackjack 'shows' 5 times a day and they try to teach people to, in essence, beat them..
Yet racetracks, who cannot be beat (only by lack of wagering), do not want to take the time to educate..
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