CD Night Racing

[alhattab]

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

Night racing will eventually become "normal". Most people work during the day. Moving racing to nights or late afternoons on weekdays will help drive interest from the most of us that either do or wish to work during normal business hours. Baseball figured this out 30 or 40 years ago and that sport seems to have done ok while racing has languished. Hard to fathom any customer-oriented reason why racing hasn't similarly embraced holding its events later in the day. In my view the major tracks starting cards at 4 or 5 pm is a certified no-brainer. Sure you may have the Philly Parks, the Portland Meadows or the Presque Isles of the world sticking to the early afternoon slots, or even the shorter meets like Keeneland or Saratoga doing same, but generally speaking the major meets ought to have post times that actually allow normal people to participate in the live event.

[JustRalph]

with a 6p post in June.........there won't be much "Night racing" going on.......

hell, it's light until 9:15 or later

[vikingrob]

The timing of this (including news media) and the fact that there is nothing in the news content on CD's website leads me to think this might be a perfectly-executed April Fool's hoax.

[andicap]

Originally Posted by vikingrob

The timing of this (including news media) and the fact that there is nothing in the news content on CD's website leads me to think this might be a perfectly-executed April Fool's hoax.

As a former PR person I can tell you no company/group would post a notice on their site until it had final approval to do so. Sounds to me like the AP writer picked up a local report and called Asher at CD.

Will it work? I'm not sure. Did Hollywood Park or Bay Meadows see any upside to their Friday night racing? How has Turfway's Friday night handle improved?
Are any of these people becoming long-term fans? Is there any industry research to suggest that any of these nighttime experiments have brought in new fans to the game?

If it's helped Turfway, it's worth a try of course. Nothing to lose.

[andicap]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

with a 6p post in June.........there won't be much "Night racing" going on.......

hell, it's light until 9:15 or later

I realize you're kind of kidding but..

story notes last race will be at 11 p.m. for 11-race card. And it doesn't have to be dark to be considered nighttime.

[Doc]

I hate night racing. Gimme a day soaking up the sun at a track like Monmouth Park, a program in one hand and a brewski in the other ... besides, I usually hit the sack about 10 p.m.

[SMOO]

Originally Posted by alhattab

http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

Night racing will eventually become "normal". Most people work during the day. Moving racing to nights or late afternoons on weekdays will help drive interest from the most of us that either do or wish to work during normal business hours. Baseball figured this out 30 or 40 years ago and that sport seems to have done ok while racing has languished. Hard to fathom any customer-oriented reason why racing hasn't similarly embraced holding its events later in the day. In my view the major tracks starting cards at 4 or 5 pm is a certified no-brainer. Sure you may have the Philly Parks, the Portland Meadows or the Presque Isles of the world sticking to the early afternoon slots, or even the shorter meets like Keeneland or Saratoga doing same, but generally speaking the major meets ought to have post times that actually allow normal people to participate in the live event.

It really is stupid to race when most people are at work. I would keep day racing for weekends & holidays only.

[ENT222]

night racing is the best, sure miss friday nights at the rock, seriously bring that back even if its the harness at night, turf racing should atleast brought back in some manner

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by andicap

I realize you're kind of kidding but..

[onefast99]

Originally Posted by Doc

I hate night racing. Gimme a day soaking up the sun at a track like Monmouth Park, a program in one hand and a brewski in the other ... besides, I usually hit the sack about 10 p.m.

Monmouth needs a Friday 3pm start or later!

[swami13]

Originally Posted by SMOO

It really is stupid to race when most people are at work. I would keep day racing for weekends & holidays only.

I've thought this for years, they bitch about not being able to compete with the casinos and then run a lot of their product in the early afternoon of a work day.
I always thought a 200 or 300 CST post time would be best to capture the late afternoon getting off of work crowd.

[NJ Stinks]

Just wanted to point out that Garden State, Atlantic City Racecourse, and the Meadowlands all ran at night. GS is gone, AC just about gone, and NJ is thinking about running only harness at Med.

[andicap]

I used to see a lot of people at the Yonkers Raceway slot machines during the day.
Besides night racing is no panacea. People do other stuff at night: Watch TV, go to dinner, movies, etc. Plus they have to work the next day, many get up very early. You've got to deal with your kids, etc Even handicappers get tired at night and don't want to do anything cerebral -- they just want to vedge out (We have to remember most people are not like us)

Let me tell you something: When I lived in the States I played the daytime races. Now I worked at home so I'm not typical I admit. BUT, when i moved to the U.K, I thought, "Great. I can play the races at night since there's a five-hour time difference."

WRONG.

I can't do anything until about 3-3:30 ET because there's
a) picking up my daughter at her afterschool
b) starting dinner
c) eating dinner
d) family time
e) helping put my daughter to bed.

So that allows only the last few East Coast races -- and since I'm not able to follow the early races I don't really know what's been going on at the tracks.
Or the West Coast races. Short fields at GG, not much better at SA and a parade of chalk at Turf Paradise.

Besides by 9 p.m. I'm dog tired and not really able to focus all that much on handicapping.

So things are not always what they seem.

[arno]

Del Mar similar to Monmouth is a summer track near the ocean.

Del Mar figures take the family to the beach in the morning and the family can still make the early double as post time is 2 O' Clock.

Monmouth keeps first race post at 1 O' Clock to cater to their 75 yr old clientele who want to bet the first at Philly at 12:25.

Maybe Monmouth should make 1st race 230 every day and cater to the non geritol type.

I guarantee their handle would rise their last few races when their competion would be just Del Mar as Saratoga's card would be finished.

[Speed Figure]

I can't see why Saratoga would not try a night racing card!