Way to go Charles Town!!!

[Qstick333]

As some of you might remember, I posted a thread about being annoyed with Charles Town having 2yo maiden races in the middle of their Pick4's. Along with the post, I also sent an email to Erich Zimny, the Director of Racing Operations.

He replied with a long, well thought out answer that included this section.......


I actually agree with you that this is something we should consider when setting the races for the card going forward. There might be some other situations that come into play from time to time where it’s optimal to use a 2YO race in another spot rather than using it to help those handicapping the Pick 4, but with no other considerations in play, it certainly makes sense. Obviously, we have to look at the totality of the card, rather than one particular bet, but it sounds like there would be some instances where this change would help us.




We continued a dialogue back and forth and it ultimately culminated with Saturday's card being configured with a 2yo maiden race as Race 2...or, the 1st leg of the early Pick 4.

Let's all support Charles Town with a few bets and see if we can get the pool to rise a bit. I found it to be a wonderful exchange and equally wonderful to know that management there is responsive to the consumer and concerned with putting out the best product they can.





Kudos, CT.


edit to add - shared with consent....

[OTM Al]

I know Erich. If he's not a major name in racing in the next 5 years I will be surprised. While other racinos sit back and do little to enhance their racing product, Erich has been full steam ahead on the racing side. Expect the CT Classic to be up to a Gr 2 next year and would be surprised if he gets gradings for a couple more of his Classic day races.

[BillW]

Kudos, CT.


Kudos to you too, Qstick333 for taking positive action that resulted in a positive result for the horseplayer!

[Charli125]

Great job CharlesTown, Erich, and Qstick333.

Rarely in racing do we see a customer identify an issue, bring it to track management, receive a response from track management, and see the issue resolved.

Based on this interaction, and Al's opinion, I certainly hope Erich continues to move up in racing.

[castaway01]

Nice work Qstick in taking action, and Charles Town for being open-minded and listening to its customers' concerns.

[Qstick333]

Thanks for the pat on the ole' back. It is appreciated, but certainly not necessary. If you can, throw a few bucks into the Charles Town pools and we can voice our support with our wallets. I am going to make an effort to play their P4's more as a result of what a great experience this has been. The pool did hit 14k last night, so that helps.

I thought of offering the story to the DRF etc... just to get more publicity out of a track being so open minded, but have my doubts over whether there is really any interest beyond our small group here.

Zach

[davefulche]

I am shocked that Charles Town has anyone competent since its owned by PN Gaming.

[Flysofree]

How is Charles Town these days ? Is the building adequate to handle the Saturday night crowds? I heard a few years ago a guy say he went and could not get a seat in the dining room. It was so crowded. I thought they might have done some enlargements since adding gaming.

[Qstick333]

How is Charles Town these days ? Is the building adequate to handle the Saturday night crowds? I heard a few years ago a guy say he went and could not get a seat in the dining room. It was so crowded. I thought they might have done some enlargements since adding gaming.

No idea about the restaurants. I have heard that there is plenty of seating available in the grandstand and that the poker room and casino will be packed. I am headed there Saturday for the first time in quite some time, so I will report back. Typically, I find it much easier to play online having more info directly in front of me. I'm going to have a quick meet with Erich and thank him personally for instituting change.

[davefulche]

Really great to hear there is someone out there that would read an actual complaint and logically respond and even do something about it. I've over 10 emails to Penn National between casino customer service, the racetrack, and the OTW itself and have not ever once received a response.

[takeout]

I have heard that there is plenty of seating available in the grandstand...That’s because they’ve just about run all of the horseplayers off upstairs. They’ve had the last two sections of the grandstand (the two closest to the paddock) closed off forever and there are only two betting machines in what’s left of the grandstand (and they’re down at the other end). Couple that with not being able to get anything to eat or drink and there aren’t many folks left up there.

[Qstick333]

That’s because they’ve just about run all of the horseplayers off upstairs. They’ve had the last two sections of the grandstand (the two closest to the paddock) closed off forever and there are only two betting machines in what’s left of the grandstand (and they’re down at the other end). Couple that with not being able to get anything to eat or drink and there aren’t many folks left up there.

Ok - it wasn't explained to me in that context - which is not surprising.

Since I am attending tomorrow for the first time in quite some time, where is the preferred place to be to have easy access to the betting machines? Is the place still smoky?

I'm quite excited to annoy everyone by typing in and printing a ton of P4 tickets....:eek::eek::eek:

[takeout]

I never go up there when I think it’s going to be even slightly crowded anymore so I really can’t give you a good answer. You’ll be able to size it up pretty quickly when you get there though. I’ll be anxious to hear your impressions since you haven’t been there for awhile. Hope it’s a good night $$ and a good time!