If you were commissioner of all US horse racing what 3 things would you do first.

[thetripleclowns]

We're going to be doing shows talking about how they could can fix Horse Racing. We know our sport has serious problems and we wanna try to do something about it. We want to read the ideas of the people and talk about them. Thanks.

[lamboguy]

1. try to conform the game like in all major sports. create roster limits. so many for each trainer and so many for each owner. i am saying this because lots of times you see a 5 horse field in California and the same guy trains 4 of them in stake races. i would limit both trainer and owner..

2. i would work with the breeders to try to bring up the foal crop by offering more incentives for the people that breed the mares.

3. probably going to be the first thing that most are going to post. uniform medication rules, not allow direct access for the CAW into the mutual pools,

[Tom]

Pick out my company jet, to visit all tracks, hire my chauffer, hire my brother-n-law...

1. Set up Standard Operating Procedures that all tracks must conform to, like an ISO Standard, covering drug rules, racing rules.

2. Set up a national review board to oversee all stewards and review all decisions, and issue a monthly national report available to the public.

3. Create an equine health and safety arm to set and monitor standards for handling horses on and off track, including setting protocols for handling all breakdowns and fatalities.

[trifecta]

1. Stop CAW betting into all pools at 3 minutes to post.

2. Put surveillance on all those trainers who have suspiciously high win percentages to determine whether or not they're doping their horses. Get the guilty ones out of the sport.

3. Set up an inquiry review board like Major League Baseball where all inquiries and objections are reviewed, and determinations made, by independent panel members instead of by stewards at the tracks.

[Dan Montilion]

1. Clean up the sport. (See above and below my fellow PA members suggestions)

2. Lower Take Out.

2. Lower Take Out.

2. Lower Take Out.

2. Lower Take Out.

2. Lower Take Out.

3. Quit.

[stuball]

(1) I agree setting up rosters limiting number of horses for trainers - owners
tracking anyone that might try to have assistant running another stable
penalty being ???????? fines and suspension that would hurt badly..

(2) purses determined by number of horses in the race -- lasix free races to get
bonus... all trainer and jockey violations to be publicly posted on the odds
board and on internet easy to find for anyone to see. any suspensions are
honored nationwide ----horses must run if stabled at the track otherwise
they pay daily rent for stabling-----------------transparency

(3) breakage down to the penny.

[thaskalos]

1.) Update the antiquated money-processing system with one that fully protects the integrity of the betting pools, while also transferring the wagered funds from track to track in mere seconds rather than minutes. If there is a fear that the security of the mutuel pools might be compromised...then all other improvements are moot, and the battle for the gambling dollar is lost.

2.) Deal with the game's drug problems in a transparently harsh manner...in order to deter repeat offenders while also restoring the bettors' faith in the integrity of the game's leadership. You don't address a serious drug issue by punishing millionaires with slap-on-the-wrist fines...and vacation-type suspensions.

3.) The racino profits have enriched the other participants of this game, but they have somehow managed to totally avoid the wagering customer...upon whom the game depends for its survival. I know that there is a notion out there that the "Whale" is the game's 'best customer'...but that notion is horribly short-sighted, IMO. The Whales are currently feasting on the comparatively "unsophisticated" bettors...and if the "minnows" are gone, then the Whales will disappear as well. Give the Whales their mega-rebates...but figure out a way to give something significant back to the rest of the players, whose collective participation is just as important.

[Tom]

So it seems we all agree....bring racing into the 21st century, even we to skip over the 20th to do it.

[AskinHaskin]

Originally Posted by thetripleclowns

We're going to be doing shows talking about how they could can fix Horse Racing. We know our sport has serious problems and we wanna try to do something about it. We want to read the ideas of the people and talk about them. Thanks.

Just flip a switch and have racing play to its strengths and advantages rather than having spent the last 30+ years just sweeping those under the rug (in favor of seeking media coverage on dead horses, drugs in racing, race fixing, and the rest of the secondary items listed thus far in this thread)


If you can't optimize what you have, toward your main mission, who cares about all of the rest of this miniscule stuff which serve only as your talking points in justifying your doing zero for your fanbase.

LOL - just doooooooooooo something for the public for what would be the first time in many entire careers in race track management.

[sharkey11]

get rid of useless track employees that always seem to blame the players when they complain about the incompetent employees that really are self servant and only care about the pay check they get witch come directly from the players via takeout. and all of the above posters points to witch i agree with.except the guy above me lol go back to the az school of track mgm.

[delfman]

1 - train chimps to ride the horses


2 - figure out the one best type of racing surface to run over (horse safety, eliminating any type of biases due to weather conditions, etc...) and require that all tracks running in the US install this type of surface. (consistency)


3 - completely change the way owners get to hire a trainer. So that say a trainer like chad brown or todd pletcher, they get horses assigned to them. so their stable isn't something they can pick or choose. they get the same that every other trainer gets. Or make it something like an NFL draft. The trainer who performed the worst the previous season gets the highest draft pick, and so forth.

[Jeff P]

OBJECTIVE
Transform racing into an attractive gambling product the general public would be willing to embrace.

Thousands of horseplayers been surveyed multiple times since 2009.

Horseplayers have consistently identified three areas where racing needs improvement:

1. Takeout (Racing Takeout is too high compared to other forms of gambling)
2. Drugs (Racing has a Drug Integrity Problem)
3. Tote System (Odds that Change After the Bell will always be seen by the public as an Integrity Problem)

Players have also identified the following areas where racing needs improvement:

4. ADW (Account Deposit Wagering) has too many restrictions. Want the public to embrace your sport? Start by removing the roadblocks you created.

5. Track Signals blocked/not available to all ADWs or simulcast wagering outlets. Want the public to follow and bet the races at your track? Again, start by removing the roadblocks you created.

6. Mistimed Races ongoing problem discussed at length here at Paceadvantage.

Focusing on the top three:

1. TAKEOUT

A. Create a level playing field. Eliminate rebates and offer the same lower takeout to everybody.

I had phone a conversation about this with one of the largest whales (if not the largest in terms of betting volume) on the planet. He told me he would happily give up his rebates provided the same lower/equivalent takeout were offered not just to whales like himself but to all players everywhere.

B. Eliminate dime and nickel breakage. Break to the nearest $0.01

C. In many US states and Canadian provinces racing (a 22% takeout game) is being kept alive by welfare subsidies from slots (a 9% takeout game.) Casino slots payout percentage is approximately $0.91 for each $1.00 wagered because that's the price point that generates max total revenue. Think about that and let it sink in.

D. Racing faces stiff competition from Legalized Sports Betting (which offers 4.50% takeout to bettors picking Team A vs. Team B.)

Imo, competition from legalized sports betting is only going to get worse. And it will cannibalize racing handle.

Why not tier horse racing takeout rates to field size?

Example for Win Wagering:

Field Takeout
Size   Rate
----  ------
 2     4.50%
 3     5.75%
 4     7.00%
 5     8.25%
 6     9.50%
 7    10.75%
 8    12.00%
 9    13.25%
10    14.50%
11    15.75%
12+   17.00%

2. DRUGS

a. Make the rules for prohibited substances and test thresholds uniform across all racing jurisdictions.

b. Implement Out of Competition Testing.

c. Implement Penalties with Teeth for those caught cheating through the use of drugs. Especially for repeat offenders.

d. Reciprocity (suspended for 60 days or ruled off the grounds in Jurisdiction A means suspended for 60 days or ruled off the grounds everywhere.)


3. TOTE SYSTEM/Odds that Change after the Bell

a. Racing needs a modern secure tote system fast enough to render odds and payoffs in real time (think NYSE/Nasdaq/Crypto, etc.)


Imo, start with the Top Three:

Implement Lower Takeout for All, Uniform Drug Policy that includes Reciprocity and penalties with teeth for repeat offenders, and a Modern Secure Tote System fast enough to render odds and payoffs in real time.

After that work on the others: Make ADW available in every state, make all track signals available to every licensed ADW and simulcast wagering outlet, and make accurate race timing a priority.



-jp

.

[CheckMark]

1) Have a cap on how many horses a trainer should have in his/her barn; Not fair to have a super trainer with 10+ horses vs a smaller sized trainer trying to race his/her 3-4 horses or something low like that

2) Install newer technology at ALL racetracks which could include but not limited to:
a) New cameras around the racetrack so that judges/racing public has a "360" view of the races and also could help with the inquiry's when they need the best angles possible

b) newer graphics to all racetracks so that each racetrack feed is shown in HD or 4K with going back to what I said in a) with the new cameras to help with the feed and also inquiry's

c) using GPS tracking or a new tracking system so that each race is "accurate" with the positions/beaten lengths; this can help the public be sure that there is no "human error" even though it is probably best to have someone with a 2nd opinion in case of an issue

d) this will probably cost a lot but have tiny sensors in the jockey's whips so that we can adapt to the rules like Saudi Arabia with hitting/striking a horse no more than 10-11 times and if they whip more than the limit they will get a fine
The sensors have to be non-sensitive because if the jockey is only putting his whip in the air it could cause the sensor to think the jockey "hit" the horse but I still like this idea

e) This is another costly tech but have rapid testing at the racetracks that test for every banned/illegal drug so that if it comes back positive for a drug then the racetracks can easily fine/charge the trainer right then and there vs waiting a few days to find the testing results

f) install some sort of AI/computer handicapping system that includes their selections as well as positive/negative trends to look for and also possible betting strategies so that new bettors coming to the racetrack have something they can use and possibly win with

3) Fix the takeout rates! Period lol so that there is an even game everyone can look forward to playing

Honorable mention:
Free past performances to all handicappers but I know DRF/Bris/Trackmaster/Equibase will be mad at me

[delfman]

consistency with steward rulings nationwide.


a better racing product at as many race tracks as possible. If that means closing down some tracks, then so be it. Also I think that racing secretaries could improve upon their jobs making the product better. All the racing secretaries need to do is have better communication with the trainers.


camera's everywhere in the stables. A state official present for every vet visit made to make sure no shenanigans are going on.


here are more of my rantings concerning horse racing, copied from another thread.



plain and simple, the print edition of DRF is hardly worth the paper it's printed on, much less $11. Unfortunately a good bit of the blame for this is due to the current racing situation around the country. The two go hand in hand.
DRF would be absolutely more worth the asking price if the state of racing was better. Fuller competitive fields. At least 7 horse races. ten to twelve, ideally. not the current 5 or 6 in every race.
Like an above poster stated, the current conditions at some tracks would need to pay me $11 to handicap their race cards.


it has become a waste of time anymore to handicap most days. you start with 6 horses a race, and then with the vet scratches , trainer scratches, etc...
what's the point.
much more lucrative $ to be had with the gambling $ elsewhere.(DFS specifically)

then you got to deal with shit like what happened the first day of this past breeders cup when they don't even want to pay you when you pick the winners.
Or you end up losing for the day because the stewards determined that the winner you just hit might have cost a fading horse a minor placing.
Let's not even talk about the rampant cheating that has been going on for ever. race fixing, milkshakes, drugging, etc...



It's gotten to the point where this game is for entertainment purposes only. Unfortunately I was never in this game for entertainment.
It is looking more and more like I'm going to have to try out the product from Hong Kong.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by CheckMark

1) Have a cap on how many horses a trainer should have in his/her barn; Not fair to have a super trainer with 10+ horses vs a smaller sized trainer trying to race his/her 3-4 horses or something low like that......

There is a reason some trainers have more horses than other trainers. It's because they are better at training horses! This is a horse against horse sport and not a barn against barn sport. A large barn that does poorly won't stay large for long. A small barn that does well will have owners clamoring for their services.