Lone Star Park on a thursday night - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

dav4463 · 05-07-2017, 01:41 AM

There used to be live racing at Lone Star Park on Thursday nights and even some Wednesday's, but now it's mostly a Friday, Saturday-Sunday only track.

Anyway, I went on a Thursday since I was in the area to play the last few races at EvD and PrM. I walked into a nearly empty racebook and saw the place to buy a racing form was closed! Normally I download the DRF at home, but I happened to be in Grand Prairie and felt like betting a few races on the way home.

So, I went to the bar and asked how I could get a Daily Racing Form. He said they only gave us ten....you might try the gas station up the road. I am like... "Are you serious?!!! I cannot believe an actual horse racing track does not have a Daily Racing Form! "

I am one of those who needs the DRF layout and I do admittedly use the Beyer figures. They work great for me and the way I use them doesn't work as well with other speed figures. I do not feel comfortable with any other PP's. I take only 5 or 6 minutes to handicap a race and enjoy doing it between races if I am the track.

Luckily, a nice man who was about to leave gave me his racing form and I was able to bet the last couple of races.

While there, I looked around....the outdoor area was dark while the ancient TVs on the wall hung there ....not even turned on in case someone wanted to sit outside. The big screen tv inside was blurry and odds were almost unreadable! Not one person was outside. The inside had maybe 25 or 30 people there on a night where there were actually some decent races to bet across the country. The racebook was dirty; the tv's are the same ones that were there in the 90's. Hardly anyone is working there.....I guess you don't need many tellers to serve 25 people!

The bartender was nice. He found an old Daily Racing Program and gave it to me; not realizing that the Daily Racing Program and Daily Racing Form are not the same thing. Hey, at least he tried!

It was sad. This track has really gone downhill.

MonmouthParkJoe · 05-07-2017, 06:53 AM

My cousin moved to Dallas a couple years back from Jersey. Said the exact same thing. I have no idea what the crowd is but most days during the week its not very busy from what he says.

I think most places are like that during the week. Seems to be more of the norm these days.

RunForTheRoses · 05-07-2017, 10:49 AM

I think horse racing all over has gone downhill. I went to an OTW in East Stroudsburg PA on a Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and it was dead, Aqueduct and Gulfstream were running.

Just in general, I told people at work it was a holiday weekend because of the Kentucky Derby and got attitude like uh ok loser. Years ago people would be interested and say yeah I sometimes go to X racetrack. Not so much anymore.

castaway01 · 05-07-2017, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunForTheRoses

I think horse racing all over has gone downhill. I went to an OTW in East Stroudsburg PA on a Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and it was dead, Aqueduct and Gulfstream were running.

Just in general, I told people at work it was a holiday weekend because of the Kentucky Derby and got attitude like uh ok loser. Years ago people would be interested and say yeah I sometimes go to X racetrack. Not so much anymore.

Actually, I find that the Derby is the one day when casual fans are interested. I see people posting about watching the Derby, get asked who I like, etc. It's the one day it's cool to drink a mint julep (bleh) and watch a big race. Other than that though, yeah, we've been a fringe sport for decades, and it's hard to get much fringier than simulcasting at Lone Star on a Thursday.

dav4463 · 05-07-2017, 01:13 PM

I just find it hard to believe that this track can't get enough horses to run a live race card on a Thursday. It's not that long of a meet. I think there are maybe three or four Thursday cards for the whole meet.

WalkingL · 05-08-2017, 04:54 PM

The Texas legislature does everything in their power to kill the racing industry (no ADW allowed, no simulcast anywhere in the massive state except the tracks, and froze funding of the Racing Commission for approving pari-mutual historic racing). You cannot afford to train and race horses here except for hobby. All of this means poor purses and not many horses to run.

NTamm1215 · 05-08-2017, 07:48 PM

Lone Star Park has some of the best on track business in the country. To take them to task for light attendance on a Thursday night with no live racing seems a little silly.

tanner12oz · 05-08-2017, 08:15 PM

They hosted a BC !

ReplayRandall · 05-08-2017, 08:30 PM

Hard to believe it was just in 2004 that Lone Star Park hosted the Breeders Cup, with the great performance by Ghostzapper in the fastest Classic ever:

JustRalph · 05-08-2017, 09:28 PM

I haven't been to LS for a couple of years.....but I thought the place was the nicest OTB simulcast I had ever been in. Including Keeneland. It was rocking on the weekend when I went. It was slow during the week, but it was clean and the food was great. Wait staff was exceptional on weekends.

Maybe things have changed

garyscpa · 05-08-2017, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustRalph

I haven't been to LS for a couple of years.....but I thought the place was the nicest OTB simulcast I had ever been in. Including Keeneland. It was rocking on the weekend when I went. It was slow during the week, but it was clean and the food was great. Wait staff was exceptional on weekends.

Maybe things have changed

Nope, still great from what I have seen.

dav4463 · 05-12-2017, 02:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyscpa

Nope, still great from what I have seen.

If you like broken down blurry televisions from the 90's. It was cleaner tonight though....I'll admit!

garyscpa · 05-12-2017, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dav4463

If you like broken down blurry televisions from the 90's. It was cleaner tonight though....I'll admit!

Yes, the outside tv's are from the 90's, but all of the inside tv's are only a few years old at most.

SuperPickle · 05-13-2017, 01:02 AM

This is what I don't get about posts like this. In 2017 who's going to a track to watch simulcasting? I can understand if you're there for a short period and want to see a place they've never experienced.

But honestly it's 2017. There's a million ADWs. There's a dedicated channel to horse racing. I know technically some of this is banned in places like Texas but it's a pretty simple work around to get access anywhere in the world.

I just don't get the posts about people going to the track at dark days and nothing being opened and it being deserted. My takeaway is generally not that the track should change things but that the person should probably not be there.

I totally get people going for live racing. I don't get people driving somewhere to watch races on tv they could watch home in a less expensive and better environment.

dav4463 · 05-18-2017, 09:02 PM

I posted because I was in the area and felt like going to the Racebook and watch some races. It was a spur of the moment thing. I just didn't expect them to have no Daily Racing Form available so that ruined it for me.

Normally if I do go there; I do my handicapping at home and have no problems.

I did get a nice email from someone at Lone Star Park and he assured me they are making improvements. He also offered to comp a DRF if I let him know when I'm coming.....That was unexpected and shows that they do care about the people that go to the Racebook.

Some people do enjoy a night out to bet and watch races instead of sitting at home watching on TV. It's no different than going out to the bar to watch a basketball game.