Les is Moore: handle up 51.4%

[The_Knight_Sky]

http://i54.tinypic.com/el5oj9.jpg

[lamboguy]

interesting to say the least. this was never one of my idea's of how to strengthen the sport. the same basic idea is done in hong kong, weekends only and limited tracks=big handles+big attendance. the difference is that horseracing isn't as big an industry in hong kong as it is here in the united states. we have lots of farms producing lots of foal population that need places to run. horseracing is actually on balance great for the economy.

after seeing PENNY CHENERY on saturday, i see that the racing game is missing personalities like her in it. it is still alive in steeplechase game, they get 50,000 people to show up to an event that doesn't even have gambling!

the horseracing game has not been fair to most people, and the result is what we have to day, a sport on fumes

[The_Knight_Sky]

interesting to say the least.
this was never one of my idea's of how to strengthen the sport.

the same basic idea is done in hong kong,
weekends only and limited tracks=big handles+big attendance.



lamboguy -

I'm holding out until the very end of the autumn meet to grade this experiment. Racing all the way until Sunday, November 21st is still too much for one track like Monmouth. So I am fully expecting gradual decreases in October and November.

One thing for sure though, Monmouth Park does not need the $1 million / day concept to improve the product. The less racing days helps create a "new brand" of racing.

The mystery remains why the rest of the nations racetrack have not yet embraced a 3 day racing week? Right now I'd like to see some Level B track take over Mon-Tuesday-Wednesdays for the long haul instead of going up against the top level tracks on the weekends.

[the little guy]

The mystery remains why the rest of the nations racetrack have not yet embraced a 3 day racing week?


The mystery is whether or not you post this silliness with a straight face.

[The Hawk]

it is still alive in steeplechase game, they get 50,000 people to show up to an event that doesn't even have gambling!

This is true, and it supports the "less is more" argument. How many would they get there if they ran a few times a week instead of a few times a year? :)

Obviously, a balance needs to be struck in each state, but whether you support Monmouth or not it's clear that five days a week was too many. Whether the current schedule is enough is debatable (I think it's perfect myself) but it's certainly been a step in the right direction.

[onefast99]

it is still alive in steeplechase game, they get 50,000 people to show up to an event that doesn't even have gambling!

Not legal gambling anyway...

[sandpit]

lamboguy -

The mystery remains why the rest of the nations racetrack have not yet embraced a 3 day racing week? Right now I'd like to see some Level B track take over Mon-Tuesday-Wednesdays for the long haul instead of going up against the top level tracks on the weekends.

I think Ellis Park raced 3 days a week this summer, but their racing product is so poor that it gets virtually no coverage with the big tracks also running.

Turfway Park may well do some 3 day weeks this winter as well. Dates for KY 2011 have not been allotted yet.

[Robert Goren]

Santa Anitia had a lot short weeks last winter.:rolleyes:

[The_Knight_Sky]

Obviously, a balance needs to be struck in each state,
but whether you support Monmouth or not it's clear that five days a week was too many.


Three days a week or even two days (for certain tracks) would be a step in the right direction. The modern racing program makes Ohio's Seven and Seven program obsolete.

Monmouth can still improve upon this by trimming the fat at the tail end of the meet next year. I also think the Maryland circuit should try this.

The autumn meet concludes on Sunday, November 21st which is the weekend before Thanksgiving. That means there will be an additional two weeks of racing after the climax of the racing season, The Breeders Cup weekend. While I am in favor of a truncated racing season, I am skeptical that the handle and attendance figures will remain at this level. The feeling here is that a May to November racing season is still a very long season. Especially for a racetrack which has carved a niche by being a summer-time racetrack.

since it is proper netiquette post an excerpt and link to the orginal source: :ThmbUp: (http://www.theknightskyracing.blogspot.com/)