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[andymays]

On the Steve Byk show with Lou Raffetto, Lou told the listeners that he wants lower takeout and he made an offer of lowering the two horse bets by 2 points. The suggestion was that the TOC give back 1 point and that the tracks should give back one point. That statement seems reasonable if you don’t really know the truth. The truth is that he’s asking the Tracks to give back something they never had. The TOC got the full two point increase for purses. Why should the tracks give back something they never had? People need to know that this type of tactic is what the TOC leadership does and always has done. Another good example is the TOC shakedown of the Tracks over the popular low takeout P5. The TOC never wanted the bet because they thought it would be a big loser. To their credit Hollywood Park had to fight for the bet and put it in. What most people don’t know is that the TOC waited till the last minute and finally approved the bet but only if the Tracks would guarantee them a bigger cut of the takeout (also known as a shakedown). You tell me. Do the actions by the TOC sound like those of a partner or an adversary?

Everyone who followed the Del Mar meet knows that Joe Harper stood up for the Customers on several occasions and asked to have the takeout lowered on the two horse bets. Everyone who followed the Del Mar meet knows that Santa Anita and Hollywood Park sent a letter to the TOC asking for the same thing. The letter wasn’t made public until several days after it was in the hands of the TOC. Everyone who has dealt with the TOC knows that what they do is wait till the last minute when it comes to negotiating with the Tracks. They do this so they can have the most leverage over the tracks. Again, the TOC is not a partner with the Tracks they are an adversary. In order to be able to compete for customers the Tracks need the flexibility to innovate and adjust the wagering menu and takeout rates from meet to meet. The TOC stops them at every turn and the public is finally learning the truth about the problems in California.

On another note it seems that the strategy of the TOC in the election is to sling as much mud as possible and hope it sticks. They are trying to confuse Owners with false statements, lies, and innuendo. Implying that dead people signed the letters and that letters were forged is as low as it gets. It is my understanding that two Owners passed away AFTER they signed the letter. You have to be a real lowlife to use the death of a couple of Owners to mislead the public. People need to know how low this group will go. The other thing that’s happening is that at least one person with owner’s license claims that he did not sign the letter and he points to the misspelling of his name on the petition. The thing is that when you have a common name like Sean McCarthy for example, it is likely that there could be another Owner with the same/similar name. That Owner might spell his first name a little different. Now the TOC is spreading lies about forging signatures when they know it’s not true. How low can they go?

I’m pretty sure that Lou Raffetto (A.K.A. Pinocchio) is just repeating lies that were told to him by the Puppet Masters at the TOC but he’s also spreading a few of his own.

If people want to know the truth it’s out there. Don’t let the TOC distort the truth anymore. They are the organization with a checkered past and present.

Thanks,

Andy