Quote:
Originally Posted by classhandicapper
Ultimately you have to make a choice.
Do you want draw bigger crowds for marquee races but risk the purse money going to NY or other out of town trainers or do you want 2nd tier racing?
That's why I like the vacation destination model best. If people are in the area because it's an attractive vacation spot, you can try to make a day at the races one of the main entertainment options. As long at the quality of racing is pretty good and the facility attractive, the crowds should be better than in a non vacation destination area.
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While a lot of this has happened since I left in early 2001, the horsemen were faced with further daily purse cuts while races like the Pimlico Special for instance, if memory serves, were trying to be revived. That was a good thing.
But Owners and riders were very upset, not just horsemen. I promise you this was not just trainers sitting around drumming up an idea as , owners, breeders, etc. had just as big a voice. The Md. Million day had been implemented and that was indeed a tremendous boost for Md. breeders, owners and trainers, jockeys , who by the way, would normally sit in the jocks room and watch out of town riders come in and win 1/2 the card on Preakness day. They as well were upset.
Nobody wanted 2nd tier racing, but without a change of some sort, something was going to die off which would have led to less handle and less interest for fans either way. It was a real problem. There were other problems as well, one being the illegal drug situation and the lack of funding for the testing procedures. It could not keep up .
Not so much in the marquee races, but the everyday claiming, etc. racing was a problem if you were one of those that were trying to compete on what , IMO had become a very unlevel playing field.
For me, my kids were starting to grow up and with all that drug stuff to compete against, it was time to go. The game itself meant too much to me to cheat to compete at the level I was accustomed to so that was that.
I left shortly thereafter after 25 years of training in early 2001 so not much help as to any horsemen's decisions after that time period.
