SENIOR CITIZEN BURNOUT

[PIC6SIX]

I started this thread and your comments seem most in line with what I am going through. You hit the nail on the head when you said you looked forward to opening of SA the day after Christmas but not so much anymore. I still play but I do not get juiced like I used to when I was younger. I would play from noon til late at night on weekends at the OTB and not feel tired. Would drive from Cleveland to Pittsburgh (the Meadows) just to bet Penn National since Ohio did not have simulcasting. Would travel the eastern portion of the USA playing contests and I can go on and on. I guess I should have John O'Neil inspire me since he was 74 years of age and battling cancer when he won the NHC Championship two years ago. I wish they could bottle "Enthusiasm" and sell me some. Getting old ent fun, going on 72. Thank god I am healthy. Thanks everyone for your comments. Seems I am not alone.

[Aner]

Made my first bet in 1957. Still get excited every race during the stretch when I have a possibility of winning. Saturday is my horse day and I usually follow 5 tracks on-line. Returned recently from a trip to Prineville, OR for their yearly 4 day meet. Wonderful game for an old timer who will be 83 on Saturday.

[jahura2]

Originally Posted by PIC6SIX

Any of you over 60 and 70 years of age feel they suffer from handicapping burnout having done this for near to 40 years? Like your enthusiastic zeal for the game has waned over time and your handicapping process has become more of a chore than a hobby to be enjoyed. Just some comments from the aged ones on this board is appreciated. Thanks

60 yrs old and retiring in September. Been going to the track since I was 13 and plan to go more now that I will have the time. Looking forward to working at Keeneland (my home track) 2 mos of the year and following racing the rest of the time. I love the process and will ramp it up watching more replays and work at refining my wagering. I pretty much stick to a few major tracks, NYRA, KEE. GP and a few "B" tracks so if I ever feel burnout coming I just lay off for awhile. Looking forward to following my passion year round.

[MONEY]

I've been betting for more than 40 years and almost every day since I retired in 98.
The only times that I would miss going to the track was the times that I was hospitalized.

A month ago I stopped betting. What finally got to me to stop was too many scratches.

Last Friday, I decided that I would return to the track on Saturday.
I found 19 races to bet. Then on Saturday morning I checked Equibase for scratches.
After scratches I was down to only 4 betable races.
Either the fields were scratched down to 4 or 5 horses or the horse that I wanted to bet got scratched.
All these scratches happened with good weather. Obviously I didn't go.

I don't know when the next that I feel like going to the track will come, but I know it won't be soon.

BTW, Today I did some handicapping just to stay sharp.
I found 13 races that I liked, but was left with 5 after scratches.

[Shemp Howard]

It was a lot more fun, and profitable, when the grandstand was filled with suckers holding their Clocker Lawton and Stable Boy selection sheets.

[steveb]

what a great thread.

i am betting that there is probably lots of wisdom here just waiting to be tapped.

i am 64 and no longer bet, except for the odd peanut every now and again.
but i leave it with no regrets as i have never actually liked horse racing as such, very much.

the reason i stopped(well i think it's the reason), is because i asked myself one day what it was that i had achieved in all that time(it was my job from circa 1976 to maybe 2013, although i had been waning probably since 2000)

the answer of course was nothing.

i decided i wanted to do something of lasting value but not just for me.
so now i walk ocean beaches, finding, and protecting nests of a very vulnerable beach nesting bird, similar to what you have over there(piping plover)
it gives me something racing never did.
satisfaction, and a sense of self worth.

strangely though, i still love the learning and research, so at nights i am always looking and analysing racing data seeking new factors, that i will never use, even if they are very good.
it keeps your mind in good nick.

[appistappis]

Originally Posted by magwell

I still love the game, look forward to a fresh form 5 days a week or 6 like now with Saratoga, I've been hooked on the game probably longer then most, even with the way it has evolved, I still love seeing the horses up close and the challenges of betting on them......

couldn't have put it any better....just turned 61 and still tear into a new form almost every day like a puppy into a new toy.

[1GCFAN]

I am 72 and like most on this thread I have lost the zeal to tear into handicapping. Hate to bet on the internet and prefer to enjoy the company of others at the OTB. Years ago I couldn't wait for the Form to arrive and would spend hours planning my betting races. Now I seldom look at the entries except for Saturdays. I do find that betting multiple tracks (two or three) at the OTB is very unproductive. I am better off betting one track and races with 8 or more starters.

[thaskalos]

With the deterioration of the racing product...I have gotten deeper and deeper into poker and sports-betting. Surprisingly, the enthusiasm that I feel now compares quite favorably to what I used to feel when I was only betting horses...which means that I was solely money-motivated all along. Even baseball seems exciting to me now...when there is money at stake.

Horse betting has always occupied a special place in my heart/mind, and it is clearly the best gambling game in existence, when it is competently run. But with incompetent leadership at the helm, it gives one the unpleasant feeling that he is being taken...and that's not a desirable feeling for the bettor to harbor.

Of course, since I am only 54 years old (55 in November)...it is quite possible that I may be wrong in my assessment. If this is indeed the case...then, the ignorance of my youth is clearly to blame.

[NY BRED]

nearing age 76 ,I agree with most of the comments posted here.

Internet betting has encouraged many of us to bet more often
as against years ago when we frequented our local track and could
wager on the entries running that day.

Today, the sky is the limit including tracks located .
across the world.

I will be returning to my "youth" at the Spa, and simply zero on NY racing.

That said, I have been involved in owning and Breeding tbreds, which in certain cases offers a new and exciting dimension to this game.

[stuball]

Originally Posted by Aner

Made my first bet in 1957. Still get excited every race during the stretch when I have a possibility of winning. Saturday is my horse day and I usually follow 5 tracks on-line. Returned recently from a trip to Prineville, OR for their yearly 4 day meet. Wonderful game for an old timer who will be 83 on Saturday.

Happy Birthday Aner

Stuball