Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com - Horse Racing Message Board

Go Back   Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com - Horse Racing Message Board > Thoroughbred Horse Racing Discussion > General Racing Discussion


Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread
Old 08-06-2018, 11:01 PM   #61
v j stauffer
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,284
Quote:
Originally Posted by craigbraddick View Post
Track Collector:

Thank you very much. All the new owners are great people I had the chance on our opening weekend to meet Mr. Johnsen from Kentucky Downs. He is a very nice man and his expertise is invaluable. Just a small example, I am organizing our weekly handicapping contests and the folks at KD designed a spreadsheet for me to use based on the one they use, did a conference call with me to make sure I could navigate it in "real time" and how best to market it with our horseplayers. I am very glad to be learning from such people.

If you check our FB page, you will see I regularly do videos from the track on what is going on or make up videos. I think I can honestly say our FB page is busier than many tracks who are actually running live racing right now!

It will be a mixed meet. Obviously depends on the horse population but based on my Rillito experiences this spring where I am also the Announcer I would say on an 8 race card, 2-3 races would be QH races. You know before I called my first QH race at Arapahoe back in 2009 I had never seen a QH race in person! With some education from a lot of horsemen and people like Ed Burgart, I have grown to love QH racing a great deal. And its history here in Arizona means it is always a very popular attraction.

Days of the week we will have live racing on have not been set yet but when they do I will be sure to update you.

If I recall, you are based on the East Coast, right? If you want to come out for live racing next year, please do let me know as it would be wonderful to meet you.

Regards,
Craig, are you going to apply for the announcer's job?
__________________
"Just because she's a hitter and a thief doesn't mean she's not a good woman in all the other places" Mayrose Prizzi
v j stauffer is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-07-2018, 10:27 AM   #62
craigbraddick
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 657
Quote:
Originally Posted by v j stauffer View Post
Craig, are you going to apply for the announcer's job?
Thanks for your avid interest, but my primary focus is on doing everything possible to build the Arizona Downs brand as we gear up for our live race meet. I am very grateful to have the support of the owners and management. Other announcements will be made in due course.


Regards,
__________________
http://racecallercraig.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/callstheraces
craigbraddick is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-07-2018, 10:55 AM   #63
ReplayRandall
Buckle Up
 
ReplayRandall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 10,614
Quote:
Originally Posted by craigbraddick View Post
Thanks for your avid interest, but my primary focus is on doing everything possible to build the Arizona Downs brand as we gear up for our live race meet. I am very grateful to have the support of the owners and management. Other announcements will be made in due course.


Regards,

So, Boomer must already have the job locked up....
ReplayRandall is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-09-2018, 02:07 AM   #64
craigbraddick
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 657
Wink

Hi People!

If you are in AZ this weekend please join us at Arizona Downs OTB on Saturday! It is a great chance to beat the heat, the high will only be 84 degrees and we have all the top tracks from around the country to watch and wager on.

We have a free to enter handicapping contest on races 5 through 12 from Arlington. 1st prize is $100 cash. 2nd prize is $50 and 3rd prize is $25. The first two contests have gone down to the wire and everyone, regardless of experience is very welcome to enter.

Please follow us at facebook.com/arizonadownsracetrack

I shall also be doing several Facebook Live broadcasts throughout the day. If you would like a shout out or have a pick to share please tweet them on Saturday to @callstheraces. I would love to hear from you.

Many thanks,

Craig.
__________________
http://racecallercraig.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/callstheraces
craigbraddick is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-09-2018, 02:27 AM   #65
craigbraddick
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 657
One last thing I wanted to add...if you want to come out this weekend, we also have some great food and drink options from Chef Don and I would be happy to give you a tour of the property and show you what we are all working on as we ramp up for our live 2019 race meet.


Please also follow us on Facebook, we would very much appreciate it!

A really good friend said to me tonight: "Many people see Arizona Downs through your eyes." - What an awesome privilege and responsibility that is. So proud to be part of the winning team at Arizona Downs.

Cheers,

Craig.
__________________
http://racecallercraig.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/callstheraces

Last edited by craigbraddick; 08-09-2018 at 02:29 AM. Reason: adding info
craigbraddick is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-09-2018, 10:37 PM   #66
Peter Berry
Track Announcer
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 521
You certainly deserve the announcing job there, Craig. You have stuck with them through thick and thin. I hope you are rewarded for your efforts to keep the track in the forefront.
Peter Berry is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-27-2018, 04:31 PM   #67
craigbraddick
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 657
So, I have some news for racing fans in Arizona!

Yesterday, it was my pleasure to announce on our Facebook page, the opening of Arizona Downs first three offsite OTB's! Please check out our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/arizonadownsracetrack

Pending racing commission approval in September we will be opening three new locations at the beginning of October.

Firstly, The Museum Club, 3404 Historic East Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86004. As well as two Phoenix locations, Bull Shooters Sports Bar and Grill, 3337 W Peoria Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85029 and Connolly's Sports Grill, 2605 W Carefree Hwy, Phoenix, AZ 85085.

The OTB at the Arizona Downs racetrack has been open since July 13 and it has been a great experience to bring horseplayers in there and they have seen and embraced the better customer service, the better atmosphere, the handicapping contests and just the way we take care of people properly.

Profits from the OTB's will go into funding purses for our live race meet that starts on Memorial Day weekend next year!

Work is also continuing at a great pace on the complete renovation of the second, third and fourth floor of the grandstand. Stay tuned for more updates.

We want to be better than the competition and treat people the right way. So, we all invite you to one of our new locations and if you would like to come and visit us at Arizona Downs in beautiful Prescott Valley, AZ, I would be happy to welcome you all, give a tour and explain all we are up too!


Many thanks!
__________________
http://racecallercraig.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/callstheraces
craigbraddick is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 08-27-2018, 08:29 PM   #68
spiketoo
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 361
So Craig, how do your OTBs work in conjunction with TPs OTBs? Are yours wholly managed by AZ Downs? Are they in competition to TPs? Will you be limited to the number of races you simul b/t on-track simul and off-track OTB like TP is (e.g they only show SAR starting with race 3 or summin at the off-track OTB).

Looks better and better bud.
spiketoo is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 09-01-2018, 06:01 PM   #69
Thomas Roulston
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Lakehurst, NJ
Posts: 1,035
I have a friend who is a retired Yavapai County sheriff's deputy who lives in nearby Yarnell. He lost his home in that wildfire they had up there in 2013. Fortunately the home was insured and it has been completely rebuilt.
Thomas Roulston is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 09-01-2018, 06:19 PM   #70
GMB@BP
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Posts: 5,870
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas Roulston View Post
I have a friend who is a retired Yavapai County sheriff's deputy who lives in nearby Yarnell. He lost his home in that wildfire they had up there in 2013. Fortunately the home was insured and it has been completely rebuilt.
some last a lot more, terrible tragedy.
GMB@BP is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Old 09-01-2018, 06:46 PM   #71
Thomas Roulston
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Lakehurst, NJ
Posts: 1,035
Quote:
Originally Posted by GMB@BP View Post
1 mile, no turf...


No turf course = no big time racing at any track in the 21st Century.

What I'd like to see them do is add a super-wide 6 1/2-furlong turf course. This produces turns that are 825 feet long, same as the Aqueduct inner Turf course (Hawthorne's turf course has 806-foot-long turns; at the Fair Grounds they're 814 feet). With a total width of 137 feet (assuming a "no-man's land" of 20 feet between the inner rail on the dirt and the outer rail on the turf), a semi-permanent rail, set 73 feet out from the "zero" (6 1/2-furlong) position, results in an "outer turf course" of the same 9/10ths of a mile (7 furlongs plus 132 feet) circumference that Golden Gate Fields has, and Santa Anita used to have. Turf distances in this configuration include 4 furlongs and 4 1/2 furlongs (both from "zero," or the rail up 10 feet, etc.), 5 furlongs (rail at 52 feet or 73 feet), 7 furlongs, 7 1/2 furlongs, and 1 mile (rail at 0 or 10 feet), 1 mile 70 yards and 1 1/16 miles (rail up at 52 or 73 feet), 1 1/4 miles, 1 5/16 miles and 1 3/8 miles (rail at 0 or 10 feet), and 1 7/16 miles and 1 1/2 miles (rail at 52 or 73 feet).
Thomas Roulston is offline   Reply With Quote Reply
Reply




Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

» Advertisement
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 1999 - 2023 -- PaceAdvantage.Com -- All Rights Reserved
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program
designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.