Steady Wagering Increases at Woodbine in 2009

[the_fat_man]

This can't be right.

Anyone frequenting this forum KNOWS that WO is just about the worst option there is for bettors.

[46zilzal]

Full fields, quality horses trainers and riders.

Suits me fine along with great people at the venue at the Canadian Thoroughbred Hall of Fame, Jockey Club of Canada and woodbine entertainment.

The director of the Hall of Fame just completed his update book on the Queen's Plate entitled "The Plate: 150 Years of Royal Tradition Don Juan to Eye of the Leopard." This was released on December 6th.

oops must give credit to the TWO authors, Lou Cauz and Beverly M. Smith.

I like the 1871 winner's name FLOSS as it reminds me to do the same with my teeth.

[Bochall]

Further evidence that we as bettors are POWERLESS because we wont unite. We prefer quality fields with high takeout over crap fields with a low rake. Poly too....

[46zilzal]

Originally Posted by Bochall

Further evidence that we as bettors are POWERLESS because we wont unite. We prefer quality fields with high takeout over crap fields with a low rake. Poly too....

The polytrack there is UNIQUE to racing: it is formful most days and they tell you how then groomed it daily.

[Bochall]

Originally Posted by 46zilzal

The polytrack there is UNIQUE to racing: it is formful most days and they tell you how then groomed it daily.

Maybe WO has figured out customer service and thats what keeps thier biz going well. Nice to know they keep the track grooming updated for bettors. Come to think of it, if others paid attention to the wants of their guests they might see a surge in handle as well...good job WO.

[InsideThePylons-MW]

Let's see........

Woodbine enters the entire U.S. market as a featured track on the biggest racing network giving them fresh access to a huge % of all U.S. horseplayers and they are up 7%?

That doesn't sound so good to me but then again I'm not a racetrack executive.

I wonder why none of the articles I've seen say how handle did on-track, in Ontario or in Canada.

[Horseplayersbet.com]

Exposure by being featured by TVG helped. Their domestic handle was flat despite giving higher rewards (to their larger players). The drop in takeout on triactors also put back some money back into players accounts.
Woodbine also took advantage of having their signal available to all major ADWs even when there was and still is bickering going on between tracks and horsemen organizations throughout the USA.
What would be interesting is to see how their betting through HPI on other tracks did, since they ramped up the takeout on other venues. I'd have to guess it was down.

[46zilzal]

so, that doesn't change what it offered: A quality product

[Horseplayersbet.com]

Originally Posted by 46zilzal

so, that doesn't change what it offered: A quality product

Hawthorne averages over $2.7 million a day in handle. Woodbine $2.1 million.
Explain that one?

[46zilzal]

Originally Posted by Horseplayersbet.com

Hawthorne averages over $2.7 million a day in handle. Woodbine $2.1 million.
Explain that one?

That is irrelevant to quality of racing offered

[InsideThePylons-MW]

Originally Posted by 46zilzal

so, that doesn't change what it offered: A quality product

So basically this guy is a genius?





Let's face it. Racing can't compete with casino gaming/internet gaming. We have too many costs associated with putting on the show. Our only option is to brand our product to people that love the sport and love betting on the sport.

We need to make racing like Louis Vuitton or Tiffany. Offer a quality product while charging more for it by raising takeout and giving the ADW's less for their services. We will still keep our core customers and will be much better off financially as an industry by rasing prices.

I don't see how anybody can argue if we raise prices and lose some handle but double purses by doing so.

Louis Vuitton and Tiffany can't compete with Wal-Mart pricewise, but they both do a great business and develop customer loyalty by raising prices and offering a better product. People WANT those products and are driven towards them. Very few WANT racing and are driven to it in it's present form.

Racing should never lower prices. If LV or Tiffany lowered prices and started selling their products at Wal-Mart, while they might show a spike in sales, they will make less money and will lose their lustre which will in turn make customers not WANT their products any longer.

Raise prices, improve product and they might WANT racing. Everybody might be shocked.

CG Dean 07 Oct 2009 7:05 PM


http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/final...-v-bearse.aspx

[maxwell]

There's a lot worse venues than WO. They did, however, ruin the Super 7 so I prefer to roll the dice in the SoCal Pick 6.

I'm happy to see they are doing well.

[melman]

ITP---If Woodbine really believes what it says why not raise the takeout by 10% on all there bets? After all the only thing that matters is "quality racing". I wonder what the handle figures are for Woodbine s-breds? I have not bet a dime on them since there silly new urging rules. Which BTW they would very much like to inflict on t-breds.

[castaway01]

Woodbine increasing handle because the average bettor doesn't pay attention to takeout and the track has more visibility in 2009 doesn't mean it should be where people bet. Silly thread---The Fat Man showed some good handicapping skills in the past but now he's mostly here for to troll the site.

[Track Collector]

Originally Posted by Horseplayersbet.com

Hawthorne averages over $2.7 million a day in handle. Woodbine $2.1 million.
Explain that one?

Rebate players can find Hawthorne available with many ADWs. Woodbine, however, is almost non-existent, as they are philosophically opposed to rebates other than what they could offer on-track.

I would not expect this to account for the entire 0.6 million per day difference, but for a least some sizable portion.

[DanG]

I hope this isn’t construed as being in favor of increased take outs. Common sense dictates playing into a 1% rake vs. a 99% gouging will have a predictable affect.

Having said that;

Somewhere in the metric of rating racetracks must come ones skill set and the level of competition in the pools. If track-A has a X% rake, but operates in shark infested waters…is it really a better “gamble” then track-B who skims 2% more, but fits your strengths and doesn’t attract as many heavy heads?

Woodbine had value this year that I couldn’t find anywhere in the country. Of course it doesn’t mean it presented the same opportunities for everyone, just as playing Trk-X might send me to the soup kitchen.

If anyone does take a look at it next year, the meet is three very distinct meets imo. 1st phase is massive # of lay-up’s / 2nd is the body of the meet and it finishes with variety of tired stock, inferior dirt shippers and recent animals prepping for southern shipment.

[DeanT]

Dan doesn't post enough.

[DanG]

That goes to show ya…

The whole time typing I’m thinking Dean, Jeff, Theresia etc… (Aka HANA) will lay into me promoting a higher then average take. Thanks Dean for not barbecuing me and when my brother saw 3,400 posts on the counter he thinks I post far too much, but thank you.

[Horseplayersbet.com]

I'll agree that tracks with higher takeouts probably attract a lot more mooch money which compensates a little bit for the higher takeout.
That being said, it really limits the the tracks potential growth, because it it attracts too many Dan's, the Dan's will be watching their profits turn into losses very quickly.

[WinterTriangle]

Originally Posted by 46zilzal

Full fields, quality horses trainers and riders.

Exacta payoffs on Sunday averaged $252 I think

If I'm going to bother to handicap a race, I'd like to get a decent payoff and not $12.40.

I would wager Woodbine selectively if I saw a chance to hit a decent payoff. My biggest wins over 2.5 years have been at Woodbine.

And yeah, I do like the riders, trainers and horses there.