Interesting article on the Pegasus
 

A lot of us figure out what was going on a long time ago, but there is some really good stuff in here that wasn't specifically spelled out before.

https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/a...sus-world-cup/

That was a good read--thanks for posting. My take-away from the article is that the Pegasus is a work in progress; at least they're trying to do something for older dirt horses at the time of year when they're not bucking up against the twin juggernauts of college & pro football.

Personally, I like the idea in the comments at the bottom of having Stronach staging a series with The Big Cap, The Pegasus, and the Pimlico Special. $5mil bonus for sweeping all 3, $2.5 for winning two

They are trying, and it is a good thing, but there is no reason to keep making up fake purse amounts. Turns out they never even took a million from the entrants this year so the purse was phony not only in theory but in actual practice.

The fake purse is absolutely central to marketing the race. It needs to be high enough that Dubai is deterred from further purse hikes.

Good luck trying to outbid Dubai out of anything. I just returned from a week-long vacation there. Do you know that they charge $24 for a 16.9 oz. plastic bottle of water in their hotels? I paid $32 for a bottle of water in their restaurants...but, at least that was for a bigger bottle.

I'd like to see him promoting the classics of handicapping instead of helping to kill them. The Pegasus, just like the Donn it replaced, comes too soon in the year (or too late depending on how you want to see it). It may keep a big stars around for one more race, but it doesn't keep them racing. Make a superfund series with the Pegasus in July, sandwiched between the WC and BCC. We might at least get more 3 yos to come back at 4.

Move the Big Cap to Feb, so it can be a prep for the WC, move the Gold Cup and the JCGC to Memorial Day weekend, so they can be preps for the Pegasus on July 4, move the Pacific Classic and Whitney to the first weekend in August, move the Woodward and Awesome Again to Labor Day weekend, so they can BCC preps (the Awesome Again is, but the Woodward is at a weird time).

Have a superfund triple crown series, and east coast/west coast handicap series, with bonuses, and with a monster bonus to any horse that sweeps the superfund and handicap series. Then let horses rest from Nov to Feb. I don't know what race to pair with the Big Cap, maybe the Hal's Hope.

The Stephen Foster and Pimlico Special are on their own.

But when it is a lie and everyone knows it that isn't really good marketing. Horses can and do run in both so they aren't really competing anyway. They had to find three no hope horses just the fill the gate. Nobody was fooled.

If thing go right there will be a 16 million dollar race in Saudi arabia next year with no entry fee. why put a million up front when you just need to get your horse to saudi arabia for a change at the big bucks

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1281806/sports

Allan

I don't understand why a purse should ever be so large the betting handle from it doesn't come close to covering the purse. Granted, if it's a marquee race and draws extra attendance, merchandise sales, and betting on other races like the Pegasus, that has to be part of the equation also.

But basically, if a certain race or race type doesn't generate as much as the track is giving out in purse money, someone is losing money on it.

So why do it?

Why should some races subsidize others?

The fake purse allows Stronach to say "no matter how high you go you won't have the richest race". That is ridiculously important.

It prevents Dubai from being able to say they have the richest race, which in turn deters an arms race that Dubai would win.

That's sentiment. Business doesn't run on sentiment.

In the business world, the Pegasus solved a real problem.

I don't buy that. What is crucial is getting the best horses to run, and so far they have done that. The fake purse isn't getting them there, the real purse is.

Since racing decision makers already think it's ok to make horseplayers deal with fake attendance numbers, fake workouts, fake rides, fake surfaces, fake distances, fake times, and fake odds:

What's the harm in letting the Stronach Group have at least one race a year with a fake purse?



-jp

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How does it deter an arms race as you say? If anything it encourages one. If they advertised the real purse it is lower than the World Cup.