Live horse racing in las Vegas

[RaceBookJoe]

I would love to see a track here in Vegas but I dont think it will ever happen. Oct/Nov would work weather wise here. I just dont think it would draw enough people. They are trying to decide if a pro sports team would work here, and if they have doubts about that I really cant see a track being successful here.

[LARRY GEORGE]

i heard at one they was going to build a indoor racetrack that was back in
seventies just talk i guess

[Dan Montilion]

No track in Vegas... Well there is White Pine County Raceway in Ely.

[ratpack]

Originally Posted by RaceBookJoe

I would love to see a track here in Vegas but I dont think it will ever happen. Oct/Nov would work weather wise here. I just dont think it would draw enough people. They are trying to decide if a pro sports team would work here, and if they have doubts about that I really cant see a track being successful here.

Well, for what it's worth the Las Vegas 51's the Dodgers AAA team drew 366,000 last year. That was 39th out of 243 teams.

Who know what a track will do but it would be nice to kill a couple of hours rather in the fresh fall air.

[RaceBookJoe]

Originally Posted by ratpack

Well, for what it's worth the Las Vegas 51's the Dodgers AAA team drew 366,000 last year. That was 39th out of 243 teams.

Who know what a track will do but it would be nice to kill a couple of hours rather in the fresh fall air.

To be honest, I have only been to 1 51's game. I didnt realize that they averaged over 5000 a home game last year. That being said, dont forget that many of those games are at night when school is not in session. A 72-day horse meet will probably not come close to those numbers here. Check out the attendance at regularly run meets (especially the small tracks ), some are good some are pathetic. I would support a track here, unfortunately with the exception of the members here and the"old-timers" i sit with in the racebooks here, i just dont see the sport growing , which I find really sad. I have been playing horses for 35 years, put my first speed figures on a horse when I was 6, so yes if they built a track I would go.
They would definately have to get the Southern CA roster of horses/jockeys/trainers to even have a chance. I say that because whenever those tracks are running the racebooks are crowded, even on a monday. Most likely it would not have a turf course, because of maintaining grass here....water issues. But I am customer #1 when it opens.

[ratpack]

Originally Posted by RaceBookJoe

To be honest, I have only been to 1 51's game. I didnt realize that they averaged over 5000 a home game last year. That being said, dont forget that many of those games are at night when school is not in session. A 72-day horse meet will probably not come close to those numbers here. Check out the attendance at regularly run meets (especially the small tracks ), some are good some are pathetic. I would support a track here, unfortunately with the exception of the members here and the"old-timers" i sit with in the racebooks here, i just dont see the sport growing , which I find really sad. I have been playing horses for 35 years, put my first speed figures on a horse when I was 6, so yes if they built a track I would go.
They would definately have to get the Southern CA roster of horses/jockeys/trainers to even have a chance. I say that because whenever those tracks are running the racebooks are crowded, even on a monday. Most likely it would not have a turf course, because of maintaining grass here....water issues. But I am customer #1 when it opens.

I don't think we are talking about competing with Santa Anita. I think more along the lines of the Las Vegas Speedway.

Have 6 weeks of Class racing and a Breeders Cup every few years, I just think it would be great for Horse Racing.

[RaceBookJoe]

I think anything to try to revive horse racing is good. I am excited about the new track in Erie, PA. I might actually have to follow the stats up there once they start running. Scott Lake should do well there. I assume a bunch of sharp shippers will try to hit the purses early. Maybe from FL, or OH,WV tracks. Either way it should be a really interesting meet.

[Kelso]

Originally Posted by ratpack

I don't think it would be too far fetched now a days to have a short 6 week meet in Las Vegas around October/Nov

Wouldn't the daytime weather through February (March?) work just as well? Would racing under the lights open a longer window?

[ratpack]

Originally Posted by Kelso

Wouldn't the daytime weather through February (March?) work just as well? Would racing under the lights open a longer window?

I really don't think they would want a longer window, after all they really want them back in the casions.

The racetrack would be like big day of publicity for both Las Vegas and Horse Racing. just invent some big Handicap races with some big horses.

The Breeders Cup every few years with guarenteed great weather it would seem like a natural.

[BlueShoe]

In one of my very old stacks of racing books and publications have seen a chart of a race from Thunderbird Downs run in the early 60's.If memory is correct,the track was a half miler and the handle and purse was very small,even for those days.So,yes there was live racing in the LV area at one time.

[BIG49010]

Didn't they have an April Fools joke a few years back in the Racing Form about a track in Vegas? Indoor dome?

[boomman]

Originally Posted by prospector

could be the name..
i remember all the runners and pro's flocked there for ez money..they didn't know how to stop steam horses...that was the days of someone betting a few bucks at a small track to change the odds on the winners...remember, the house q's paid 1/2 of the place horse times the winner..casinos were always looking for steam horses and passed the word along to other casinos..
i heard from a few of the old timers that they also had help from employees on losing money...

prospector:Anyone who was betting when house quinellas were around loved 'em, and as you said, the Sport of Kings got BURIED! I once made a HUGE score on a quinella at Arlington that paid $11 on track and $112.80 in the racebook when the 42x1 shot (which made no difference in the track quinella of course) finished on top of the favorite. I had a monster bar tab that night! LOL

Boomer

[prospector]

Originally Posted by boomman

prospector:Anyone who was betting when house quinellas were around loved 'em, and as you said, the Sport of Kings got BURIED! I once made a HUGE score on a quinella at Arlington that paid $11 on track and $112.80 in the racebook when the 42x1 shot (which made no difference in the track quinella of course) finished on top of the favorite. I had a monster bar tab that night! LOL

Boomer

i was working at the horseshoe one night and paid a guy $64,000 on a $200 house q box....told him to take it in casino chips and leave it in the casino's safekeeping and explained as long as he took out less than $10,000/day..no taxs...my tip for that....zero
actually jimmy taught me how to bet house q's..he was in shock at the amount of money he won...so was the horseshoe!
only a few still let you bet them..i think palace station and i know the riverside in laughlin..and...the riverside lets you use your slot card for bennies on the ponies..its a win win..

[happy1]

The horseman would require common pool which the casinos would not participate in as they would have to give up their lucrative fixed-odds wagering. So it will never happen in Nevada.

[prospector]

Originally Posted by happy1

The horseman would require common pool which the casinos would not participate in as they would have to give up their lucrative fixed-odds wagering. So it will never happen in Nevada.

if you're talking about house q's, at that time in the 70's and 80's the tracks wern't hooked up to the casinos...casinos booked the bets and paid track odds..and sometimes got killed by a few guys at small tracks jimming the odds...happened every week somewhere..no way to stop it..
and all casinos then had house q's...