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Old 07-12-2021, 05:28 PM   #241
dilanesp
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Don't you think the remaining tracks got a boatload of extra handle because gamblers were limited in their options?


Contraction will necessarily bring fewer qualified trainers, jockeys, grooms, and other necessary personnel. The minor leagues of racing will be where the contraction takes place and that is where people acquire their skills to be in the big leagues.


As an old-timer in racing I acquired my love for the sport by going to live racing. I am guessing that contraction would mean that many future fans would need to get hooked via TV. I am not optimistic that racing can generate enough new interest when access to live racing is greatly diminished.
BTW, this last point is actually a truism in many sports. For instance, baseball stadiums are now smaller than they used to be, and many more seats are now bought up by corporations. So fewer families go to the ballpark.

In the long term, that probably hurts the sport. But all the teams figure they can hook the young fans through television.
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Old 07-12-2021, 05:30 PM   #242
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Originally Posted by AndyC View Post
Don't you think the remaining tracks got a boatload of extra handle because gamblers were limited in their options?


Contraction will necessarily bring fewer qualified trainers, jockeys, grooms, and other necessary personnel. The minor leagues of racing will be where the contraction takes place and that is where people acquire their skills to be in the big leagues.


As an old-timer in racing I acquired my love for the sport by going to live racing. I am guessing that contraction would mean that many future fans would need to get hooked via TV. I am not optimistic that racing can generate enough new interest when access to live racing is greatly diminished.
I absolutely agree that the boatload of extra handle was because of fewer betting options. That's the whole point of a contraction in any business suffering from overcapacity and losses. You are removing a lot of the costs and dividing the same (or similar) revenue among the remainder.

It doesn't come without downsides. In any contraction there are going to be layoffs that hurt a lot of people. Some people may not be able to attend live racing.

It's not an easy decision. The state politics, while over my head, are probably a nightmare from hell. That's why it's taking so long. But it seems inevitable to me.
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Old 07-12-2021, 05:54 PM   #243
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As an old-timer in racing I acquired my love for the sport by going to live racing. I am guessing that contraction would mean that many future fans would need to get hooked via TV. I am not optimistic that racing can generate enough new interest when access to live racing is greatly diminished.
I too am an old-timer who fell in love with the live version of this game...but that's where our similarity ends. Because I happen to think that the TV-version that our game has evolved to is the only long-term survival chance that the game has. In today's gambling-happy atmosphere...there is no chance at all for a game that emphasizes "pageantry"...while offering only one betting opportunity every 25 minutes or so. Even if a gambling newcomer were to visit a racetrack today, he would barely notice the pageantry of the live product...because he would be deep in the bowels of the place at the simulcast center, watching and betting on the product by way of the TVs.
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Old 07-13-2021, 01:01 PM   #244
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I too am an old-timer who fell in love with the live version of this game...but that's where our similarity ends. Because I happen to think that the TV-version that our game has evolved to is the only long-term survival chance that the game has. In today's gambling-happy atmosphere...there is no chance at all for a game that emphasizes "pageantry"...while offering only one betting opportunity every 25 minutes or so. Even if a gambling newcomer were to visit a racetrack today, he would barely notice the pageantry of the live product...because he would be deep in the bowels of the place at the simulcast center, watching and betting on the product by way of the TVs.



I just think that the live racing is the hook. TV is definitely the life line. The question is what will draw a person to the TV in the first place and what will keep them there?
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Old 07-13-2021, 01:13 PM   #245
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Originally Posted by classhandicapper View Post
I absolutely agree that the boatload of extra handle was because of fewer betting options. That's the whole point of a contraction in any business suffering from overcapacity and losses. You are removing a lot of the costs and dividing the same (or similar) revenue among the remainder.

It doesn't come without downsides. In any contraction there are going to be layoffs that hurt a lot of people. Some people may not be able to attend live racing.

It's not an easy decision. The state politics, while over my head, are probably a nightmare from hell. That's why it's taking so long. But it seems inevitable to me.

How can racing expect to broaden their base with fewer and fewer opportunities for exposure? I get that some businesses try to expand too fast and are eventually forced into a contraction period. Racing has been in a long contraction phase and I doubt that more contraction is the cure.
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Old 07-13-2021, 01:14 PM   #246
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I just think that the live racing is the hook. TV is definitely the life line. The question is what will draw a person to the TV in the first place and what will keep them there?
I absolutely love going to the paddock and being part of live racing, but honestly, other than big race days and certain meets, no one goes anymore anyway.
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Old 07-13-2021, 01:18 PM   #247
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BTW, this last point is actually a truism in many sports. For instance, baseball stadiums are now smaller than they used to be, and many more seats are now bought up by corporations. So fewer families go to the ballpark.

In the long term, that probably hurts the sport. But all the teams figure they can hook the young fans through television.

All sports that are popular on TV are being experienced by kids through their schools, little leagues, Pop Warner, etc. It is much easier to get immersed in the TV product when you fully understand the game.
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Old 12-14-2021, 03:24 AM   #248
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this is definitely a show that should not disappear from TV
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Old 05-18-2022, 10:51 PM   #249
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have Hastings and Emerald Downs been weekend tracks for long?
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Old 05-19-2022, 02:34 PM   #250
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I believe they both ran some weekdays before the pandemic. Hastings shows a couple of weeks of Mon-Tue racing in late August on their calendar.

It's very difficult now to find a "bettable" card, IMHO, for most tracks in North America. Thask mentioned he has trouble finding weekday cards worth betting, but I can't even find very many cards on the weekends worth going through. Seeing races with 10+ horses restricted to state breds, maiden claimers or turf races (which often find many scratches/MTO horses), it's racing's "Big Days" now, and that's about it.

Even Australia and Hong Kong have been fielding races with fewer entrants. Contraction appears to be arriving pretty quickly now.
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Old 05-21-2022, 11:45 PM   #251
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Emerald Downs is in its 27th season? I have to make it this year for the 87th renewal of the $150,000 Longacres Mile on Sunday, Aug. 14.


If I don't this season, I might never see the facility which looks nice in the pictures.
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Old 05-22-2022, 11:57 PM   #252
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Emerald Downs is in its 27th season? I have to make it this year for the 87th renewal of the $150,000 Longacres Mile on Sunday, Aug. 14.


If I don't this season, I might never see the facility which looks nice in the pictures.
To show you where the sport is now, the '86 Mile, which I attended, was either 250K or 300K (I forgot which).
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Old 05-23-2022, 11:21 AM   #253
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To show you where the sport is now, the '86 Mile, which I attended, was either 250K or 300K (I forgot which).

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Old 05-23-2022, 12:24 PM   #254
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I don't think that ESPN was right in that telecast. Skywalker's winner's share was $177,000 (this is confirmed by multiple sources), so it's almost impossible that the race was a $200,000 race (because that would mean the winner got almost 90% of the purse- even with "added" money it seems hard to fathom, as the entry fees would have had to have been huge for Skywalker to make that much from a $200k added purse). It was either $250,000 or $300,000.

EDIT: This source lists it as $290,000. That comports with the $177,000 winner's share.

https://www.sportsbetting3.com/horse...rade-all-races

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Old 05-23-2022, 12:46 PM   #255
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In 1992, there were over 70,000 horse races run in the United States.

In 2008, it was slightly over 50,000 races.

In 2020, it was 27,700 races.
How many of those races in 1992 had only 6 horses? How many in 2020? That's additional hidden contraction for me. I seldom if ever bet on a 6 horse race. You can't get playable odds.
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