The Problem With Horse Racing

[AMPHAR]

You see a lot of young faces at the racino’s. Why are they there? Seems to be all mashed together casino gambling. Horse Racing. Social activities.

How much $$$$ gets pushed through the pools as a result varies.

That’s where you should start trying to get people paying more attention to the races.

The “How?” Is the hardest part.

I know Belterra Racing gets slammed during country concerts. How many are wagering before enjoying Luke Bryan. Very few is my guess but they are there.

[46zilzal]

Fossils, as you relate to, HAVE THE DISPOSABLE INCOME whippersnappers do NOT

Follow sometimes your churn during a program...once I started it amazed the crap out of me

[Fager Fan]

Originally Posted by PuckLuck

It is! You joke but thats what is needed.

Before people just call me a pessimist here is my way to fix racing.

1- create a national racing association like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL. The biggest and best tracks. All the others can have their fair type racing but the racing association would be the cream of the crop. Full fields on weekends with rich stakes racing.

2- ok so now with a national racing association i would set up a points system for each class that would go year to year. Jan 1 to Dec 31 just like the age system today.

3- The only time you would have to retire a horse is Dec 31 of each year. Yes a horse can be injured but a medical team would determine that injury.

ok so thats just a few of many changes. Like I said I would make it like the NFL and my super bowl would be the Breeders Cup. Gotta get the young people involved and a kardashian cup hery maybe that is the new name for the breeders cup classic!

Is this thread a joke?

Who gives a crap who knows who Conway is? The fact is that he was a famous comedian (and a brilliant one) who was associated with racing, and he just died. This is so unworthy of picking at, one wonders if you're drunk.

[Tom]

The problem with racing is that once they finally DO manage to get new people to the tracks, those people are not impressed with what is there.

[46zilzal]

Originally Posted by Tom

The problem with racing is that once they finally DO manage to get new people to the tracks, those people are not impressed with what is there.

That too...younger crowd has ADD in spades...I took some young family members, told them to unload on a sprint mid card, but they had lost all their bankroll playing slots before that race where the horse I told them to back ran off alone at 7/2.

Patience is a lost art, OR one that only comes with age....

[Flashbackdiner]

Originally Posted by Tom

The problem with racing is that once they finally DO manage to get new people to the tracks, those people are not impressed with what is there.

Ain’t that the truth! If anyone has a chance to introduce someone to live horse racing for the first time choose the track wisely. I dont think many tracks compare to Saratoga. It is a relaxing track in the middle of a quaint town. Just dont go on a rainy day and grab a picnic table if you can.

[MarkMare]

Originally Posted by Dave Schwartz

Have yo guys not noticed that we've all got ideas but nobody is implementing any of them?

The fact is that there is a "Turn out the lights when you're done" attitude among track owners.

We all know that the industry needs young people to replace the old people who are dying off or simply betting less as their income drops (relative to inflation). But the bottom line is that young people are simply not attracted to racing because it is a sucker bet, it takes real thinking, and it's slow.


Sucker bet
The takeout relative to sports bets or even slots is horrible.

Thinking
As we all know, it takes a certain amount of skill to look not stupid.

Slow
Consider how fast poker, blackjack, craps and slots are.


Franco said:


Good idea but, almost nobody believes that either of these are true.

Even the racetracks say that the game is purely for entertainment.

I think you hit the nail on the head. I've been into horse racing since my mid 20s, now in my 30s. None of my friends care, no one else at work etc. cares.

I try to stick to the weekend P4-P6s, figuring I have a much better chance than the lottery. Hit a P6 2 years ago for $36k, have missed a few more by a horse. I do love the sport and handicapping but overall I do think it's a suckers bet. Nothing to draw the younger crowds in and the takeouts are high, I'm not sure how a lot of these tracks, incl. harness, survive. Most of the older guys I've met seem addicted and I cannot imagine how much money they've lost in their lifetime. I enjoy it and have got carried away at times, but always set and stick to limits. Agree they will need to do a lot more in 15+ years to bring in the younger crowds.

[Gorrex]

One of racings biggest issues is there is it's far to complex to get a good start.

Almost any term in racing that we all take for granted is a hurdle for someone new.

ft in a program? Feet? Fat? First? Oh... Fast...

Track abbreviations, pool names, lingo etc...

Very few people in this day and age are going to bother searching and reading for an hour to try to find the answer any one of them, much less all of them.

There are other sports that have the same issue but not to the same degree and most of those the average person is exposed to at some point before age 10. I was 17 or 18 before I knew horse racing existed. 20 years in the industry and still I need to reference things for some of the abbreviations and such...


When people feel stupid trying to make a bet they either won't bother or take a random guess and likely give up after that. The climb from new to novice is damn steep.

[Dream_Police]

Was at Churchill this past Saturday night and the crowd, while decent, was not what the track was anticipating. Keeneland seems to have no trouble with bringing in fans so I think CD and other tracks need to look at them and see what they are doing right and although they are right down the road from UK the crowds are very diverse in age. On a normal day at CD you can throw a handful of skittles in the stands and not hit a soul so being in a largest city in the state is not the answer but as of right now i doesn't look as if the industry cares if the tracks are full as long as the $$ flow in from the other sources.

[Flashbackdiner]

Originally Posted by Dream_Police

Was at Churchill this past Saturday night and the crowd, while decent, was not what the track was anticipating. Keeneland seems to have no trouble with bringing in fans so I think CD and other tracks need to look at them and see what they are doing right and although they are right down the road from UK the crowds are very diverse in age. On a normal day at CD you can throw a handful of skittles in the stands and not hit a soul so being in a largest city in the state is not the answer but as of right now i doesn't look as if the industry cares if the tracks are full as long as the $$ flow in from the other sources.

Keeneland has two very short seasons so that is not a good example. It is also not in a bad area of town like Churchill Downs is. Location is everything and this includes racetracks. What may have once been considered a nice area 30-40 years ago in many cases that has dramatically changed. Every track has its own set of challenges but one thing that seems consistent is that most are outdated. Saratoga maintains a great product even though outdated they make some updates every year. I think because it’s a summer vacationer crowd they don’t expect everything to be modern with everything bright and shiny.

[Fager Fan]

Originally Posted by Flashbackdiner

Keeneland has two very short seasons so that is not a good example. It is also not in a bad area of town like Churchill Downs is. Location is everything and this includes racetracks. What may have once been considered a nice area 30-40 years ago in many cases that has dramatically changed. Every track has its own set of challenges but one thing that seems consistent is that most are outdated. Saratoga maintains a great product even though outdated they make some updates every year. I think because it’s a summer vacationer crowd they don’t expect everything to be modern with everything bright and shiny.

KEE draws from the racing industry which is in Lexington, in addition to the boutique nature of the 3 weeks.

[Flashbackdiner]

Originally Posted by Fager Fan

KEE draws from the racing industry which is in Lexington, in addition to the boutique nature of the 3 weeks.

100% agree.

[rastajenk]

Originally Posted by AMPHAR

I know Belterra Racing gets slammed during country concerts. How many are wagering before enjoying Luke Bryan. Very few is my guess but they are there.

That was much more true with the River Downs configuration than the current Belterra one. River shared parking lots with Riverbend, and it was easy to walk from one place to the other. Now there are no shared lots, the distance is greater, and the casino itself is in the way of a leisurely stroll from parking along the stretch to the concert venue.

You're right, though, they never bet much. But they are interesting to look at.

[porchy44]

Racing (apple pie) was once the only pie on the dessert table. Now there is slots (blueberry pie) on the table. Also there is lottery the (chocolate cream pie). Sports betting adds a (peach pie) to the table.

Everyone already knows this. I don't think there is a way to get people to not eat the other pies in lieu of the apple pie. Especially since you have to bring or buy your own plate and fork to eat it (program. racing form, knowledge of game).

[Dream_Police]

I guess I should have come out and just said the crowds at Keeneland are a result of great racing, great venue and a shorter meet, something a lot of tracks should look at. I was just commenting that Saratoga and Keeneland are doing things right and others might benefit from looking at what they are doing.