Quote:
Originally Posted by MJC922
I would even argue the pace of finding a play has meaning. The game doesn't fit into people's hectic lifestyles as neatly as something like the NFL. It's still just this daily playground for retirees and people who work in the industry. I find it difficult to justify thoroughly handicapping even a few races 'cold' especially when a person comes to understand the importance of doing the work, watching replays to find an edge in a race, then ultimately seeing the odds and finding no good play is there anyway after burning through a couple of hours. The game can keep pushing long horizontals and that's great for the subset of people who want lottery on horseback. Me personally I don't have the time for that. My one play on the Breeders Cup this year? Zandon -115 to finish ahead of Saudi Crown. Now that's gambling IMO, the horse didn't even run a jump and I still got paid, lol. Those are two horses you could have even been following as a 'casual' fan and then made a sound wager after handicapping a race for all of 45 seconds. When racing finally figures out there's a market for those types of match-up bets then it may finally start to make some serious inroads with sports bettors and the general public. If not then I guess I'll see them when I finally retire. People running the game need to get a clue, most folks who work and have families simply don't have time for the level of effort required here.
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I'd say the opposite is true
Horse Racing thrives in the US when it is part of a positive atmosphere, including for families having a day out, think of the Saratoga backyard for example, Del Mar in the summer is a go to, so are Far Hills and Nashville for their popular one day events
Same is true in the UK during Cheltenham or Royal Ascot, they are "must be seen at" events, and are very successful, as is the Kentucky Derby of course as well
Racing thrives in Japan, HK, Australia as above, but not here, specifically when the game is performed in a soulless manner, as it is at Parx or the Big A in winter frankly
It's also why many of us are big fans of Peter Berry (chased from this board by someone who should know better) and Mark Patterson, without which Royal Mountaineer wouldn't be so much fun
Racing in NYC would be better off if they took the winter off - less is more
(if anyone in NYC remembers that there is such a thing as horse racing, no wonder the sport fades when young people flock to the country's most vibrant city are presented with what NYRA has on offer most of the time)
Hence, the Breeders Cup works well at Keeneland, Del Mar and other places where social aspects are considered, and except for this past summer's very disappointing anad disastrous meet, Saratoga should be racing's pinnacle in the US, or at least it was before the summer of 2023 - that's the opportunity to work on
Racing isn't dead in the US, that's been called for since I started being interested in the game in the 1970s, it just needs to be fun and enjoyable and not presented as a dark, dank factory
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