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[chickenhead]

Do away with the plants (now there's a word that dates a horseplayer) all together. Who needs a horseracing experience like Saratoga, DelMar, or Keeneland when you can gamble it on your Blackberry? Let each track provide their FREE pps to all online players, then DRF and BRIS go down the sewer. Get rid of any animal that can't get an 1/8th in .10 flat. That'll solve a lot of our problems right there won't it? Though the slaughterhouse thing could garner us some bad ink once again.

No no no Grits, you are not really understanding my point of view at all.

My point is to seperate the idea of a sporting event from a gambling event. A rock bottom Maiden Claimer can provide an outstanding gambling event. There is no reason for it to go away -- but it's a gambling event.

Miesque summed it up maybe better, but lets look at it like this. When people talk about baseball, people only think about MLB. They don't consider the hundreds of thousands of baseball games, at every level from tee ball on up, that occur every year, and that no one in particular cares about watching.

That doesn't mean that they should be eliminated. They need to be there, to find talent. And anyone that wants to see them, can go see them. But they aren't what is marketed to people as the face of the sport. MLB is what is market to people, the top 1/10th of 1% of all the baseball players. They hide the entire bottom of the pyramid. They just show you the good stuff.

Horseracing bemoans, and gnashes their teeth, and really is terribly concerned -- that no one shows up to watch the bad stuff. And they also insist that when someone might try to watch the good stuff -- they insist on making them watch the bad stuff -- usually 8 parts bad stuff to one parts good stuff.

I'm just suggesting they package it a bit differently. That doesn't mean we need to kill 20,000 horses, or close Saratoga (huh?) -- you are being overly dramatic -- that really doesn't serve any purpose.

I'm saying that some events will only ever be gambling events -- so focus on making them the best gambling events they can possibly be. Quit being upset people don't show up to watch them. Others can have a draw and are compelling as sporting events, which can draw in a whole different demographic -- so focus on building an understandable series of events around that.

[miesque]

Actually there already are free PPs available online in many locations and BRIS is not in danger of going anywhere now that it is part of Twinspires.com since that gives them a significant competitive advantage, and Equibase isn't going anywhere either, in fact both past performance providers in all likelihood will get bigger. Now DRF is another story and I would not want to own equity in that company as the latest venture capital firm to pick them up has found out and I am sure is trying their darndest squeeze every cent of potential profitability from the operation.

[Grits]

CH, on some points, yes, I was dramatizing. And I promise you, I do see what you are saying in regard to separation.

Here's an example. And I may need some help on recalling it. Still....let's go with it. Or what little I can recall.

Bob and Janice McNair, of course, who owned Stonerside Farm and raced many fine horses have removed themselves from this game. They've gone back home to Texas for the most part.

The reason being, if I recall, they, along with some other TOBA members wanted to create a series, annually, showcasing the upper tier of horses competing. And, if I recall, they wanted to do this all over, throughout the country, at various racetracks.

McNair felt that adding some more prevue days to the calendar throughout the year, aside from the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup, would garner new fans and grow new interest for the sport. He cared that much, and wanted, badly, to change conditions of the game as it stands today in regard to stagnant growth, and poor visability.

He encountered one unsurmountable problem in his vision, in his plan. It came in the form of--one--BREEDERS' CUP LIMITED.

This Texan has as much, or more, means than any of the "old guard" running the show from Kentucky to New York. Breeders' Cup and the Jockey Club included. He can buy 'em and sell 'em all day.

Business man that he is--he knew when to walk because he recognized close minded, self serving, non forward thinking. Sold his 2000 acre Stonerside Farm in Lexington, his Stonerside Farm in Saratoga, his training center in Aiken, SC, and at least a hundred + broodmares. Most of this to Sheik Mo. He still owns a few fine runners, Cowboy Cal comes to mind, but no where near the involvement he once enjoyed.

Today, he runs all of his business from his Houston homebase, one of which is his NFL franchise. Granted he's retirement age and can do what he wants, and focus his time and energy where he chooses, and his football team is very important to him. Still, this man's idea was stonewalled. And I'd call this a pretty damn big loss for the sport of horseracing, and for the boys running it today.

This is the kind of visability the sport badly needed; this would have gone far in reaching new fans nationwide. I don't care where one's technology interests or wagering platform may be--Bob McNair was good for horseracing.

[Grits]

Read a little deeper you'll find--none will ever get bigger than Equibase who's the owner of every one of the Bris pps you or I get for free through Twinspires every day. Same goes for every program printed at racetracks. Same goes for DRF, every running line they print comes from Equibase charts, which is owned--lock, stock, and barrel by the Jockey Club.

So, maybe we can both agree on the fact: Equibase owns all past performances, regardless who is offering them under whatever name--they're safe as long as horses are still stepping onto the tracks.

Happy Broadbent, in Lexington, who created and owned BRIS and TSN; he made a killing when CDI came calling.

Originally Posted by miesque

Actually there already are free PPs available online in many locations and BRIS is not in danger of going anywhere now that it is part of Twinspires.com since that gives them a significant competitive advantage, and Equibase isn't going anywhere either, in fact both past performance providers in all likelihood will get bigger. Now DRF is another story and I would not want to own equity in that company as the latest venture capital firm to pick them up has found out and I am sure is trying their darndest squeeze every cent of potential profitability from the operation.

[miesque]

Actually Equibase is owned by the Jockey Club and the TRA with an equal 50%/50% split. I do agree that the ownership of BRIS made out nicely when Churchill Downs came calling, but it was also a pretty astute acquisition on Churchill's part.

[DeanT]

Here are three website deomographics in terms of age. It is pretty clear that we have a great deal of work to do (imo).

http://pullthepocket.blogspot.com/20...hics-ouch.html

[Grits]

Dean, when you have some time, read posts in the new threads, "A Thin Veil of Ignorance" and "Looking at the Racing Form." More food for thought in regard to what you're working on. Both are in the handicapping folder with posts from new players and longtime players as well . . . . discussions along the same lines as this thread.