AQ Saturday

[Cholly]

On the spectrum of NYRA supporters vs. bashers, I am well over onto the supporter side. I think their record on integrity and safety issues is tops in the industry. And their video product is light years ahead of the rest. So I really hate to join the dog pile on this AQ meet, but…

Yesterday’s print media reflects that this supposed “golden year” for New York racing is getting off to an inauspicious start:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/horse...LcDoeMhkUUa80L

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo...cle-1.1028587#

Regarding Little Legend, one can make the argument that bettors are always working with incomplete information; but it turned into a public relations embarrassment if nothing else.

More troubling to me was the meet’s 10th horse fatality in yesterday’s final race. That strikes me as an inordinate rate of death for a year this young. The ratio of ten fatalities in 7 weeks will yield a toll of 75 horses dying on the track over a year’s time…not pretty.

Ninety per cent of my wagering occurs in N1x allowances and N2l claimers, so I watch these races more closely. And while I don’t have research to back this up, my casual observation is that a disproportionate number of these deaths are occurring in the $7,500 N2L races. That would correspond to a study I once read purporting that racetrack fatalities increase with the ratio of purse size to claiming price.

Like the bettors in yesterdays’ fifth race, I'm operating with some incomplete information here. But until I become convinced that these $7.5/n2l claiming races are no more dangerous than any others, today I begin a boycott of these particular contests that seem to show up on every card.

[JustRalph]

If I read this right, the last race for the horse was 2 days earlier and that running line wasn't even in the form?

I wonder how many times that's happen before?

[Pcon04]

not in the form but they announced it on andy's show and over

the pa on the changes show..

[FenceBored]

Saturday's Form is available at your local retailer in print on Friday afternoon. At what time Thursday do they need to put it to bed to make the print run and get it out to the distributers and from them to the retailers?

[OTM Al]

This was announced repeatedly throughout the programming, beginning with the day's changes, during the handicapping show, and regularly by the track announcer. I have to believe the vast majority had more than one opportunity to see this information. The owner has the right to run and that shouldn't be taken away because of print schedules.

[VastinMT]

NYRA (all tracks) earns my respect just from making the term "post time" mean something.

No five, six, seven minute standard-issue, Tampa-style, delays after "post time" until the horse are actually at, you know, the post and loading.

I'm guessing this kind of accuracy is difficult to accomplish. My kudos to NYRA.

[Cholly]

Originally Posted by Cholly

On the spectrum of NYRA supporters vs. bashers, I am well over onto the supporter side. I think their record on integrity and safety issues is tops in the industry. And their video product is light years ahead of the rest. So I really hate to join the dog pile on this AQ meet, but…

Yesterday’s print media reflects that this supposed “golden year” for New York racing is getting off to an inauspicious start:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/horse...LcDoeMhkUUa80L

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo...cle-1.1028587#

Regarding Little Legend, one can make the argument that bettors are always working with incomplete information; but it turned into a public relations embarrassment if nothing else.

More troubling to me was the meet’s 10th horse fatality in yesterday’s final race. That strikes me as an inordinate rate of death for a year this young. The ratio of ten fatalities in 7 weeks will yield a toll of 75 horses dying on the track over a year’s time…not pretty.

Ninety per cent of my wagering occurs in N1x allowances and N2l claimers, so I watch these races more closely. And while I don’t have research to back this up, my casual observation is that a disproportionate number of these deaths are occurring in the $7,500 N2L races. That would correspond to a study I once read purporting that racetrack fatalities increase with the ratio of purse size to claiming price.

Like the bettors in yesterdays’ fifth race, I'm operating with some incomplete information here. But until I become convinced that these $7.5/n2l claiming races are no more dangerous than any others, today I begin a boycott of these particular contests that seem to show up on every card.

Humbly, I must admit that once again I am in error. My records show 14 races of 7.5/n2l in this inner meet, and after researching the charts for each of them, yesterday was the only recorded incident of a horse in those races dying on track.

I'll stand by my statement that 1.5 fatalities per week is too many, but I was wrong to infer that this most-bottom level is the primary culprit. Chastened, I crawl back into my hole.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by OTM Al

This was announced repeatedly throughout the programming, beginning with the day's changes, during the handicapping show, and regularly by the track announcer. I have to believe the vast majority had more than one opportunity to see this information. The owner has the right to run and that shouldn't be taken away because of print schedules.

That totally ignores the large number of people who are not at the track, don't watch the handicapping show, and have no access to on track announcements during the day. I would guess far more people never had a clue than did.

Screw the owners right, what about the paying customer's rights?

[OTM Al]

Originally Posted by Tom

That totally ignores the large number of people who are not at the track, don't watch the handicapping show, and have no access to on track announcements during the day. I would guess far more people never had a clue than did.

Screw the owners right, what about the paying customer's rights?

Well, the printed PPs said "Entered Feb23". The ones I downloaded that day actually had the race listed, so if PPs were being used at all, the player should know.

But what if the player is not using PPs and not paying attention to anything. Is it your contention then that is anything differs from some originally printed entry sheet that the horse should run for purse money only? Cornelio Velazquez was off his mounts today, but listed as the jock originally on a few horses. Should all his mounts have run for purse money only because of the change? If there is a late scratch, should the whole race be run for purse money only as it could change the whole dynamic of the race and somebody not paying attention might be "screwed"?

And what about the players who wanted to play the horse? Take away their right to bet on it then?

Changes happen that cannot be captured in everyone's printed PPs. As long as announcements are clearly and frequently made and graphics are scrolled on the screen, what more can or should be done?

[Tom]

No mention of it in the BRIS PPs. Either the Ultimate PPs or the data file.
And as far as paying attention, if your are at a simulcast outlet, it is rare to be able to her anything from any single track feed.

Your suggestion that people are not paying attention is off the mark. You can't play attention what is not there. A late scratch or a jockey change can be seen on the board with no sound required.

[NJ Stinks]

Originally Posted by Cholly

Humbly, I must admit that once again I am in error. My records show 14 races of 7.5/n2l in this inner meet, and after researching the charts for each of them, yesterday was the only recorded incident of a horse in those races dying on track.

I'll stand by my statement that 1.5 fatalities per week is too many, but I was wrong to infer that this most-bottom level is the primary culprit. Chastened, I crawl back into my hole.

Very stand up of you to post this correction, Cholly.

[Linny]

The print edition of the DRF didn't have the race from Thursday as I'm sure the data files are pulled and processed too early to make the paper.

As for breakdowns, the bottom level horses are now running for such huge purses that many trainers appear to be pressing pretty hard to run back often. Horses in for a $10k tag are routing for $31k. A purse of more than 3x the value of the horse means I can buy today, run back in 5 days, if I win I get about $15k and if the horse has any form, I'm very likely to lose the horse for $10k. I feed him for a week and make $15k and don't have to feed him anymore. Any sense of the proportion between the cost of aquisition and the purse is out the window until you get to about the $18k-20k levels.
The horses will pay because they are seen as disposable and with SO many claims being made (well over 300 this year not counting many many more dropped and lost in the shake) trainers with a damaged horse is willing to risk him if his form is OK because there's a good change he's going to be claimed and the vet/ambulance/disposal bill then goes to the new owner.