PA gov proposes $204 million cut to horse racing subsidies

[Tom]

Originally Posted by castaway01

I imagine the plan will be to greatly cut purses back to 1990s levels. I mean, 88% of the purse money was casino money, that's crazy.

That woudl be great!
Racing was much better in the 1990s than today.
Maybe if owners are not making enough money, they will race more often.

[JustRalph]

Of all the places that deserve to have their funds cut off......

I think this is a bullseye

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by Tom

That woudl be great!
Racing was much better in the 1990s than today.
Maybe if owners are not making enough money, they will race more often.

It wouldn't be great if you like to bet on Parx. Racing there sucked 20 years ago. However, the track is almost entirely propped up by casino subsidies, and other than jacking up purses they have done little to justify that.

Parx/Philadelphia Park has always been good at making money and giving little back to racing or horseplayers. They developed a great OTB system and while I won't go into stuff from 20 years ago, it was well documented how they funneled that money overseas while not paying any taxes here. When they got their casino windfall, they could have cut their ridiculous takeout and never did a thing to benefit horseplayers.

From the chart with the Paulick Report article, it's amazing how much handle has declined despite the massive increase in the quality of racing. What that says about horse racing as a whole isn't pretty.

[cj]

Big purses have done absolutely nothing to help the sport. If anything, it has been the exact opposite. I'd argue it has led to horses being treated more like commodities than living animals. This has brought on plenty of problems by itself. They have ruined the claiming game and they have also greatly increased the incentive to cheat while at the same time making it more affordable to do just that with illegal meds. They have made bettors minor customers since it isn't betting dollars creating the big purses.

I have no idea if racing can survive without all the subsidies any longer, but we'll find out in coming years, that is a certainty. It isn't a matter of if but when.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by castaway01

It wouldn't be great if you like to bet on Parx. Racing there sucked 20 years ago. However, the track is almost entirely propped up by casino subsidies, and other than jacking up purses they have done little to justify that.

Parx/Philadelphia Park has always been good at making money and giving little back to racing or horseplayers. They developed a great OTB system and while I won't go into stuff from 20 years ago, it was well documented how they funneled that money overseas while not paying any taxes here. When they got their casino windfall, they could have cut their ridiculous takeout and never did a thing to benefit horseplayers.

From the chart with the Paulick Report article, it's amazing how much handle has declined despite the massive increase in the quality of racing. What that says about horse racing as a whole isn't pretty.

I loved Parx since it was Keystone, Philly Park.....since Tony Black was an apprentice!

One of the highlights of my racing life was when OTB would take Keystone on Tuesdays.

[lamboguy]

the higher the purses lead to higher prices for horses and bigger vet bills and day rates which lead to fewer people owing horses which leads to less people interested in racing.

[cj]

Originally Posted by Tom

I loved Parx since it was Keystone, Philly Park.....since Tony Black was an apprentice!

One of the highlights of my racing life was when OTB would take Keystone on Tuesdays.

Some of the best racing days in my life were spent on the apron freezing my butt off in January after betting speed on frozen tracks at Philly Park and watching them wire and win off by many lengths! Some days was literally so cold I couldn't make it the whole race if it were two turns.

[alydar]

Bottom line:

Any business that cannot support itself needs to readjust and not look for handouts. Anyone who didn't see this coming is blind. More to come as states look for more money. Racing needs to find a way to survive on its own two feet.

[Redboard]

The PA horsemen have had a lot of time to get their act together. We all knew purse supplements wouldn’t last forever. They’ve had a “window of opportunity” to put a decent product on the track that would interest horse players and make ends meet. And maybe threw in a couple of ideas we kicked around in the “Incentives for Track Attendee” thread.

First of all, there is no logical reason why PA’s three tracks can’t operate sequentially, instead of simultaneously. Penn National, Parx, and Presque Isle do not have to have overlapping meets. Southern California, for many years, ran three tracks (Hollywood, Santa Anita, and Del Mar) that way. With no purse supplements. Why can’t PA do the same?

Parx and Penn National run 12 months a year. For who? For what? From May to October, all three of them are running simultaneously. The three tracks run about 450 days a year combined, around 3,600 races.

As the new czar of PA racing, here’s what I’d do:
Penn National : March, April, May.
Presque Isle: June, July, August.
Parx: September, October, November.

Four days a week, 10 races per day. Take December, January, February off. That would equal around 480 races per meet, with three meets, that’s 1,440 races per year. I’m sure the governor would settle for a 50% cut in supplements ($125 million) rather than the 80% cut he proposed($204 M).
So you’d have 1,440 races to supplement with $125 million (rather than 3,600 races with $250 million). That’s about $87k per race rather than $69k(or about $18k more). You could offer higher purses which would attract better trainers/connections, and have better fields. Get rid of the statebreds, if these people can’t breed a decent horse that can compete, that’s their problem. I didn’t say “fuller” fields. The concept of larger fields being “better” fields for the horse player, is not always true.

The meets would be more “special,” since each track would have live racing only 12 weeks of the year. Attendance would be better.

[Redboard]

Originally Posted by lamboguy

the higher the purses lead to higher prices for horses and bigger vet bills and day rates which lead to fewer people owing horses which leads to less people interested in racing.

You'll have to explain why higher purses lead to this. I can understand why higher purses lead to better competition, but don't the summer Saratoga and Del Mar meets have the highest purses and the best fields?

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by Redboard

You'll have to explain why higher purses lead to this. I can understand why higher purses lead to better competition, but don't the summer Saratoga and Del Mar meets have the highest purses and the best fields?

I dont think the purses at those meets mean much in drawing fields, they have history and prestige that attract people to participate.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by Redboard

You'll have to explain why higher purses lead to this. I can understand why higher purses lead to better competition, but don't the summer Saratoga and Del Mar meets have the highest purses and the best fields?

It certainly doesn't apply to Parx because their main defense for not having their casino funds taken is the massive increase in PA breeding (and jobs) from breeders going after those big purses and how the whole state would be devastated if that ended. Which obviously isn't true, but casino subsidies are the only reason there is still racing at Parx and Penn National. Those purses led to a gravy train for a select few for a number of years, but horseplayers were never in that group (but I will admit having the big slot-fueled race days a half-hour from me was cool...it was fun to see those horses up close).

[cj]

Originally Posted by Redboard

You'll have to explain why higher purses lead to this. I can understand why higher purses lead to better competition, but don't the summer Saratoga and Del Mar meets have the highest purses and the best fields?

I don't think Del Mar is really in the same class as Saratoga any more. The purses aren't that great and the fields aren't that good.

[Big Peps]

Originally Posted by cj

I don't think Del Mar is really in the same class as Saratoga any more. The purses aren't that great and the fields aren't that good.

Agreed. I think there are 4 premier meets at this point where racing is actually a solid attraction.

Keeneland ( spring/ fall) Saratoga and Oaklawn. That's it, IMO.

Everything else is pretty much tumbleweed filler

[therussmeister]

Originally Posted by Big Peps

Agreed. I think there are 4 premier meets at this point where racing is actually a solid attraction.

Keeneland ( spring/ fall) Saratoga and Oaklawn. That's it, IMO.

Everything else is pretty much tumbleweed filler

So you are not a fan of Kentucky Downs?