Keeneland apparently raising takeout
 

Also raised host fees.

Other than entertainment there really is no reason to play this sport as a financial endeavor.. I would assume this goes across the board in Ky tracks.

When a track everyone raves about and loves and is seemingly doing great financially sticks it up your ass, it is seriously disheartening.

Is Kentucky Downs doing the same?

It makes my decision of where to play in October a lot easier. . .

Love the exacta rake with the new, longer prongs. You only have to be right 23% more often than par to break even. What a future for this boy!

Good Luck Keeneland, you are now dead to me. :headbanger:

their product as been going downhill too on a consistent basis.

i am taking a vacation at the end of Saratoga and know of about 5 other people that are either quitting all together or just taking a brake.

my guess is that the overall national handle will fall at least 5% because the tote access guys will cut back as well once they see the handles drop.

i am also pretty sure that the raise in takeout at Keeneland will hurt their handle at least 10% with the host fees going up as well unless they have some type of deal to export their signal to an overseas country which could be the reason behind raising the host fees.

i don't think that Keeneland will like this thread because it is making people aware of the hike and i truly believe that members here will stop playing the track.

Doesn't surprise me. After all, they are essentially a sales house that has racing, not vice versa.

This is the Canterbury Effect. The biggest disaster to lowering takeout EVER.

And the effect of wanting the Breeders Cup.

We can either eat it or take it. Look for Ca. to raise takeout as well.

they are selling plenty of horses to people from Viet Nam, Singapore, South Korea and a few other Asian destination's where racing is starting to take off.

i guess they don't have a need to showcase their fall and spring meet in the USA.

Discouraging from my home track. Seems like there is NEVER any good news coming out of the world of horse racing.

We don't know each other well enough to speak on the phone or meet personally, but you can include me in with your five friends. This is most definitely my very last Saratoga, and it has nothing to do with winning or not. So far, I'm behind my Spa record of the last few years but I'm still ahead at the moment.

I am sour over the game and the sport's direction plain and simple. The size of my wallet has absolutely nothing to do with this angst. The game simply sucks, especially day-to-day racing. And the broadcasts have become nothing but shill TV and a cheap hustle.

The broadcasting itself at TVG is a joke and while the NYRA show on FS 2 is still very good, there's not enough trainers or riders on talking racing. There's too many owners on who only seem to go on there to talk about a great 'team' they have and how much they just love Saratoga. :eek:

Maybe Maggie could ask any one of these frauds if they are for or against the higher takeout at Keeneland from here on in. Yeah right. This takeout raise could truly be the clarion call where long time players finally say, 'that's it, enough already'.