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[classhandicapper]

Jeff,

I agree with everything you said.

Markets sometimes have self reinforcing upward or downward cycles. Racing is in a downward cycle where the game is not attractive enough relative to alternatives for gamblers, that leads to players dropping out, that leads to less ability to make it more attractive to owners and gamblers, that leads to fewer owners, that leads to lower demand for horses, that leads to smaller fields, that leads to an even less attractive game for gamblers… You have to short circuit that process and get moving into a self reinforcing positive direction, but I’ve come to think this industry can’t handle the truth about what has to be done and then move fast enough.

Thaskalos,

I was pretty sure tournaments were going to be a spark to bring some new blood into the game the way poker tournaments did for poker. You’d see a few non pros make a score like Moneymaker and that would be it. I don’t follow the tournament scene at all, but I don’t think it gets enough coverage and it’s certainly not on ESPN where a LOT of people get exposed to it. I’m assuming that’s at least part of why I was wrong. No one knows or cares about tournaments except that smallish group of tournament players and everyone else is playing privately.