How many U.S. tracks/circuits will be running full meetings in 2028?
Full meeting" is defined to be 50 or more racing dates OR at least eight consecutive weeks.
My OPINION is that there will be ten:
NYRA
SoCal
Miami Florida
Kentucky
Texas
Bush Lousiana (DeD EvD)
Fair Grounds
Oaklawn
Tampa
Turf Paradise
The rest may run short meetings to keep licenses, breeding programs, or whatever else, but no extended meetings.
I see Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia all vanishing from existence. North California will be fairs-only. Hawthorne might run a couple of meetings per year (Arlington is headed to commercial development when Mr. Duchossois is gone).
The reason?
1) Greedy gaming companies tired of subsidizing racing.
2) Revenue-hungry states that will only-too-gladly allow decoupling, in return for an extra percent or two of tax and/or more revenue to tax without racing eating up income. It's a win-win for the states and gaming companies. Not so good for the horsemen.
3) Idiotic management, which never got its head out of where the sun doesn't shine, and instead continued --- up to the end --- to live in the 1950's.
You're welcome to a different view.
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