BMeadow
12-27-2010, 01:17 PM
The comment I sent to the Paulick Report...
lAs we watch the handle numbers at Santa Anita over the next few weeks and compare them with previous meetings, remember that many factors will affect the handle numbers, including (but not limited to):
* General downturn of economy
* Generally lessened interest in racing
* Weather last year vs. this year
* Field sizes
* Attendance/promotions
* Dirt vs. synthetics
* Increase in takeout
* Number of races per day
* Change in rebate rates
* Number of racing cards
* Quality of fields
* Which places do or don't take signals
* Effect of horseplayers' boycott
* More effective competition from other tracks
But no matter what, track officials will crow that everything is terrific, and the cheerleading house organs (Bloodhorse and Thoroughbred Times) will do the same. Had these guys covered the cruise-ship industry, they would have written that the Titanic made excellent time and the voyage would have been even better had there not been a minor ice problem.
* * *
We want the CHRB will rescind its takeout hike. But who on the board can relate to horseplayers? Most of these guys are either lawyers or people with so much money that anything presented by gamblers is far, far away from anything in their world. Think of the Bernie Madoff debacle--the SEC lawyers kept giving Bernie the seal of approval, while math types complained furiously before, years later, the whole thing came down.
But as handle continues to plummet--which it will (particularly thanks to the takeout hike), because every meet begins with high expectations and slowly limps to a conclusion, even the CHRB will be forced to act. I hope.
lAs we watch the handle numbers at Santa Anita over the next few weeks and compare them with previous meetings, remember that many factors will affect the handle numbers, including (but not limited to):
* General downturn of economy
* Generally lessened interest in racing
* Weather last year vs. this year
* Field sizes
* Attendance/promotions
* Dirt vs. synthetics
* Increase in takeout
* Number of races per day
* Change in rebate rates
* Number of racing cards
* Quality of fields
* Which places do or don't take signals
* Effect of horseplayers' boycott
* More effective competition from other tracks
But no matter what, track officials will crow that everything is terrific, and the cheerleading house organs (Bloodhorse and Thoroughbred Times) will do the same. Had these guys covered the cruise-ship industry, they would have written that the Titanic made excellent time and the voyage would have been even better had there not been a minor ice problem.
* * *
We want the CHRB will rescind its takeout hike. But who on the board can relate to horseplayers? Most of these guys are either lawyers or people with so much money that anything presented by gamblers is far, far away from anything in their world. Think of the Bernie Madoff debacle--the SEC lawyers kept giving Bernie the seal of approval, while math types complained furiously before, years later, the whole thing came down.
But as handle continues to plummet--which it will (particularly thanks to the takeout hike), because every meet begins with high expectations and slowly limps to a conclusion, even the CHRB will be forced to act. I hope.