The Race Book at Turfway Park
I try to visit all the local racetracks and off-track racing facilities when I travel. Today I am at The Race Book at Turfway Park in Florence, KY. All the customers are placed in the basement of the facility with very little natural light. Television monitors are no bigger than 28 inches in any part of the building that I have seen. There is Wi-Fi access but very few electrical outlets in the area that I am sitting in. As usual, the smell of smoke if prevalent in every area you sit in and non-smoking signs are routinely ignored.
Simulcasting has been around for about 25 years now. Most of the places are still just a few notches above a New York City OTB parlor - the rock bottom of betting accommodations that I have ever witnessed. When you walk into such a place for the first time, I can't imagine what a person would think of such a dive.
I actually did take a newbie into an off-track facility near the Tri-Cities area on the Tennessee-Virginia border. The place was another dump and there was the usual screaming and pounding on the tables by the few souls occupying the place. She was obviously not impressed.
With the expansion of account wagering combined with TVG and HRTV in the past 10 years, I don't expect that the racing industry will ever get the "simulcast facility" concept right. Is it too much to ask for a clean, comfortable, well-ventilated environment with some of the newest LCD monitors to show the races? Canterbury - my home track in the Twin Cities - has done a good on this as I have seen by adding some larger monitors for the live meet. Makes it very easy to follow what is going on during the live racing. I know there are others - Delaware Park's Wall of Racing is very impressive.
This maybe a global situation - I haven't visited the betting shops in the UK for awhile and my recent visit to Paris did not produce much hope there either. Maybe when so many of these places quit requiring an admission fee that they begin their decline. But I keep hoping when I travel that I will find a Clean, Well-Lighted Place to play the horses.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Handle Totals Don't Matter - Churchill
http://www.drf.com/news/article/87414.html
In another sign of how the racing industry is slowly fading into oblivion, Churchill Downs has decided to discontinue releasing betting handle numbers at the end of each meetings saying they are no longer "key metrics" for the success of its organization.
I hope the financial analysts rip Churchill to shreds for this actions. They have a point to make - handle numbers need to be analyzed for the overall impact on the track's bottom line. But to not release these numbers shows how completely untrustworthy and cynically deceptive this industry is on its current state. The industry is no longer "maintaining" as it has been through the movement of handle ontrack to off-track but is now in fact "shrinking".
You can't trust this industry to do anything right - control their drug program, collaborate to promote the sport's best events, recognize and publicize the great history of the sport, and now to publish accurate numbers on betting handle. It is truly disgraceful.
http://www.drf.com/news/article/87414.html
In another sign of how the racing industry is slowly fading into oblivion, Churchill Downs has decided to discontinue releasing betting handle numbers at the end of each meetings saying they are no longer "key metrics" for the success of its organization.
I hope the financial analysts rip Churchill to shreds for this actions. They have a point to make - handle numbers need to be analyzed for the overall impact on the track's bottom line. But to not release these numbers shows how completely untrustworthy and cynically deceptive this industry is on its current state. The industry is no longer "maintaining" as it has been through the movement of handle ontrack to off-track but is now in fact "shrinking".
You can't trust this industry to do anything right - control their drug program, collaborate to promote the sport's best events, recognize and publicize the great history of the sport, and now to publish accurate numbers on betting handle. It is truly disgraceful.
Friday, July 27, 2007
David Jacobson story - NY Post
Here is link to Ed Fountaine's story on trainer David Jacobson - son of famous trainer Buddy Jacobson.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07272007/sports/jacobson_back_at_spa_sports_ed_fountaine.htm
Here is link to Ed Fountaine's story on trainer David Jacobson - son of famous trainer Buddy Jacobson.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07272007/sports/jacobson_back_at_spa_sports_ed_fountaine.htm
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Del Mar v Saratoga
Saratoga had an average field of 10 horses per race on today's 10 race card with Del Mar averaged 7.5 on their 8 race card. Perhaps Polytrack will equal these numbers up as the summer goes along. Saratoga is filled with horses ready to run at the beginning of the meet. Four winners had their last race at Churchill Downs including Subtle Aly winning the 89th edition of the Schylerville. DRF reported that trainer Dutrow had never even seen the horse before visiting the paddock prior to the race - one of his two winners on the day. Stanley Hough - as usual on opening day per my memory - won a 2 year old race. The most interesting story is trainer David Jacobson winning the 6th race claimer - he is the son of infamous trainer Buddy Jacobson. I'm sure there will be a story in the New York papers or DRF in the next few days on this angle.
Saratoga had an average field of 10 horses per race on today's 10 race card with Del Mar averaged 7.5 on their 8 race card. Perhaps Polytrack will equal these numbers up as the summer goes along. Saratoga is filled with horses ready to run at the beginning of the meet. Four winners had their last race at Churchill Downs including Subtle Aly winning the 89th edition of the Schylerville. DRF reported that trainer Dutrow had never even seen the horse before visiting the paddock prior to the race - one of his two winners on the day. Stanley Hough - as usual on opening day per my memory - won a 2 year old race. The most interesting story is trainer David Jacobson winning the 6th race claimer - he is the son of infamous trainer Buddy Jacobson. I'm sure there will be a story in the New York papers or DRF in the next few days on this angle.
TVG on FOX Sports Net channels
Opening day at Saratoga was featured on Fox Sports New York this afternoon for an hour of programming by TVG. I have DirecTV's set of regional sports channels and TVG's programming is also frequently seen on other Fox regional sports channels across the country - especially in the Pacific Northwest - as well as their regular broadcasts on Fox sports channels in SoCal. You must commend TVG on their distribution prowess. Horse racing does not come close to the hours of programming that exciting sports like poker and ultimate fighting does but at least the Fox - TVG relationship is showing the sport much more frequently than any other time in the history of the sport. With the possible sale of Gemstar's (TVG's parent) assets, it is horse racing's best interests to contain this relationship. All the programming in the world is worth zilch without a distribution channel and I don't believe the internet as a sole platform is a viable option at the present time. Another hour of coverage is on tap on Thursday for the Sanford on Fox Sports New York.
Opening day at Saratoga was featured on Fox Sports New York this afternoon for an hour of programming by TVG. I have DirecTV's set of regional sports channels and TVG's programming is also frequently seen on other Fox regional sports channels across the country - especially in the Pacific Northwest - as well as their regular broadcasts on Fox sports channels in SoCal. You must commend TVG on their distribution prowess. Horse racing does not come close to the hours of programming that exciting sports like poker and ultimate fighting does but at least the Fox - TVG relationship is showing the sport much more frequently than any other time in the history of the sport. With the possible sale of Gemstar's (TVG's parent) assets, it is horse racing's best interests to contain this relationship. All the programming in the world is worth zilch without a distribution channel and I don't believe the internet as a sole platform is a viable option at the present time. Another hour of coverage is on tap on Thursday for the Sanford on Fox Sports New York.
Wagering Globalization Continues
The Las Vegas Dissemination Company announces they have secured to commingle pools with the Hong Kong Jockey Club for upcoming season beginning September 9 (September 8 in North America).
Will they offer both the Tierce (Trifecta) and the Trio (first three in any order)? I doubt it but this is great news for anyone wanting to bet into the gigantic Hong Kong pools.
http://www.drf.com/news/article/86997.html
The Las Vegas Dissemination Company announces they have secured to commingle pools with the Hong Kong Jockey Club for upcoming season beginning September 9 (September 8 in North America).
Will they offer both the Tierce (Trifecta) and the Trio (first three in any order)? I doubt it but this is great news for anyone wanting to bet into the gigantic Hong Kong pools.
http://www.drf.com/news/article/86997.html
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris is set to be run for 142nd time on a Holiday Saturday evening at Longchamp. It is Bastille Day in France - akin to July 4 in America. The renewal will be run at 12 furlongs and has enjoyed renewed interest in the past two years with the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) being run at a reduced 10 furlongs. Like many top races in the UK, Ireland, and especially France, five of the top stables of Europe - Coolmore, Juddmonte, Darley/Godolphin, the Aga Khan and the Niarchos family - look set to battle in out with their representatives in this race - Eagle Mountain (owned by Derrick Smith - part of the Coolmore confederation), Zambezi Sun, Airmail Special, Ashkazar, and Sagara respectively. There are also two German hopes - both withdrawn from the German Derby due to the turf condition - Axxos and Prinz. Alan Shuback had a nice story in last Sunday's DRF on the great history of the race.
http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=86486&subs=0&arc=1
http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=86486&subs=0&arc=1
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Magical weekend at Epsom sees the legendary trainer Henry Cecil return to Classic glory after a seven year drought by winning the Oaks on Friday with Light Shift and Saturday brought us jockey Frankie Dettori finally winning the Derby in his fifteenth try with an emphatic five length win on Authorized trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam who was enjoying his own redemption day. The stories about the winners contain the best characteristics of racing.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II witnessed Frankie's win today and could be seen cheering him into the winner's circle. Surely her thoughts must have drifted back to the week of her Coronation in the beginning of June, 1953. The Derby that year was moved from its usual Wednesday date to Saturday because of the Coronation. A huge crowd descended on the Downs to cheer the Queen's horse Aureole - one of the Derby favorites. But the Queen that day had to settle for the runner-up spot with victory going the legendary jockey Gordon Richards on Pinza. It was Richards first Derby victory after twenty-six losing mounts in the race and came within a week after the Queen had placed Richards on the list of people to be knighted. The Queen congratulated Richards in person after the race.
Link to BBC story with audio/video on Richards 1953 Derby win:http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/2003/06/sir_gordon_richards2.shtml
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II witnessed Frankie's win today and could be seen cheering him into the winner's circle. Surely her thoughts must have drifted back to the week of her Coronation in the beginning of June, 1953. The Derby that year was moved from its usual Wednesday date to Saturday because of the Coronation. A huge crowd descended on the Downs to cheer the Queen's horse Aureole - one of the Derby favorites. But the Queen that day had to settle for the runner-up spot with victory going the legendary jockey Gordon Richards on Pinza. It was Richards first Derby victory after twenty-six losing mounts in the race and came within a week after the Queen had placed Richards on the list of people to be knighted. The Queen congratulated Richards in person after the race.
Link to BBC story with audio/video on Richards 1953 Derby win:http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/features/2003/06/sir_gordon_richards2.shtml
Saturday, May 19, 2007
30 Years Down the Road
American Horse Racing's three week stint as a top-level sport came to an end at Pimlico on Saturday with Curlin's dramatic nose victory over Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. The sport will have gone 30 years without a Triple Crown champion when the series resumes next spring - not that this really matches that match in the wider scheme of where the sport is in the public eye.
The litany of the sports problems are well documented in the Letters to the Editor in the Sunday Daily Racing Form. The first letter describes the uncertainty with the movement from traditional dirt to synthetic surfaces, the abuse of drugs, high takeout, and the inability of account wagering operators to cooperate. The second letter complains about the high price tag in going to one of racing's best days - Breeders Cup - at Monmouth Park. The third letter details how the addition of slot machines has not significantly benefited the sport.
All true. I'd add a few more. The inability of major tracks to coordinate post times and standardize the reporting of wagering payouts. The lack of any creativity in the industry in the areas of new wagering ideas, gift shop promotion, and creating a sense of continuity and seasonality in the sport. The racing situation in the state of New York. The unwillingness to document and care about the great history of the sport in America.
Off the best time to be a racing fan in America, we now enter the summer doldrums until the start of Del Mar and Saratoga. The Belmont Stakes will be the 9th race on an excellent card on the 2nd Saturday of June in New York City.
During the next few weeks I'll explore my ideas for improving this situation - no spectacular silver bullet ideas - just common sense steps that the sport needs to take to maintain or regain its current dismal status in the consciousness of America.
American Horse Racing's three week stint as a top-level sport came to an end at Pimlico on Saturday with Curlin's dramatic nose victory over Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. The sport will have gone 30 years without a Triple Crown champion when the series resumes next spring - not that this really matches that match in the wider scheme of where the sport is in the public eye.
The litany of the sports problems are well documented in the Letters to the Editor in the Sunday Daily Racing Form. The first letter describes the uncertainty with the movement from traditional dirt to synthetic surfaces, the abuse of drugs, high takeout, and the inability of account wagering operators to cooperate. The second letter complains about the high price tag in going to one of racing's best days - Breeders Cup - at Monmouth Park. The third letter details how the addition of slot machines has not significantly benefited the sport.
All true. I'd add a few more. The inability of major tracks to coordinate post times and standardize the reporting of wagering payouts. The lack of any creativity in the industry in the areas of new wagering ideas, gift shop promotion, and creating a sense of continuity and seasonality in the sport. The racing situation in the state of New York. The unwillingness to document and care about the great history of the sport in America.
Off the best time to be a racing fan in America, we now enter the summer doldrums until the start of Del Mar and Saratoga. The Belmont Stakes will be the 9th race on an excellent card on the 2nd Saturday of June in New York City.
During the next few weeks I'll explore my ideas for improving this situation - no spectacular silver bullet ideas - just common sense steps that the sport needs to take to maintain or regain its current dismal status in the consciousness of America.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Whatever you may think about Polytrack, you have to give Keeneland credit for installing Trakus and bringing the communication of the location of each horse in the race into the 21st century. Without question, Trakus should be implemented at every significant race track in the country. The improvement over the old manual system of reporting is tremendous.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
From Bloodhorse on March 31, 2007:
Bob Evans - CEO of Churchill Downs -
"We're already at work trying to get DirecTV to pick up HRTV. Both the chairman of he board of Churchill Downs and I live in areas where there is no cable service, only satellite. And, we're both DirecTV subscribers now. If we can't get DirecTV to carry HRTV, we'll both have to switch to (the Dish Network) ourselves."
Let's hope so - your network becomes largely irrelevant as spring continues and HRTV's major tracks close until next winter.
Bob Evans - CEO of Churchill Downs -
"We're already at work trying to get DirecTV to pick up HRTV. Both the chairman of he board of Churchill Downs and I live in areas where there is no cable service, only satellite. And, we're both DirecTV subscribers now. If we can't get DirecTV to carry HRTV, we'll both have to switch to (the Dish Network) ourselves."
Let's hope so - your network becomes largely irrelevant as spring continues and HRTV's major tracks close until next winter.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
I Wonder Why?
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud has renamed Premium Tap to now be called "Allam". He won the King's Cup at King Abdul Aziz racecourse in Janadriyah, near the capital Riyadh on Friday.
http://www.racingpost.co.uk/news/master.sd?psection=racingpost.co.uk&page=News&category=Dubai%20International%20Carnival
He is expected next in the Dubai World Cup at the end of March. There is quite the rivalry between old and new money in the Middle East - the Abdullahs would certainly enjoy being presented the Dubai World Cup by the Maktoums.
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud has renamed Premium Tap to now be called "Allam". He won the King's Cup at King Abdul Aziz racecourse in Janadriyah, near the capital Riyadh on Friday.
http://www.racingpost.co.uk/news/master.sd?psection=racingpost.co.uk&page=News&category=Dubai%20International%20Carnival
He is expected next in the Dubai World Cup at the end of March. There is quite the rivalry between old and new money in the Middle East - the Abdullahs would certainly enjoy being presented the Dubai World Cup by the Maktoums.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
The 16th running of the Louisiana Champions Day at the Fair Grounds was held today. I visited the old track off Gentilly Boulevard on a cool sunny day in the Crescent City.
Everything in the facility looked pretty much the same as when I visited three years ago. They had turned the gift shop over to a smoky video poker parlor which was quite disappointing. Walking to the track from the French Quarter shows extensive remodeling and fixing of historic houses along Esplanade Avenue. Closer to the track you see the markings from the searching for bodies and survivors from the days after Katrina. The gumbo is still great at Liuzza's By the Track - as is the BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy. A long fence still keeps locals from walking directly into the facility from the southwest and must be intended to give patrons assurance that their cars are being protected.
Fair Grounds has a nice Hall of Fame display along with exhibits on the track's great history. One display showed an article from Jewell's Crescent City Illustrated - not sure when this was published - probably around 1870's-80's.
"The view from the ample and lofty cupola takes in the whole city and its suburbs, a lovely mingling of rivers, bayous, lakes, swamps, forests, gardens, streets, shipping, spires, and railroad tracks."
Looking at the current view from the 4th floor clubhouse shows bridges, nondescript office towers and hotels, and a newly re-roofed Superdome. Racing rolls on here - just like the mighty river that spawned the town. It's not a scene like "Life on the Metairie" when New Orleans was the center of racing in America but at least racing is back in town which is more than can be said for a town like Omaha where Ak-sar-ben has vanished or a historic racing venue like shuttered Hialeah in Miami .
Everything in the facility looked pretty much the same as when I visited three years ago. They had turned the gift shop over to a smoky video poker parlor which was quite disappointing. Walking to the track from the French Quarter shows extensive remodeling and fixing of historic houses along Esplanade Avenue. Closer to the track you see the markings from the searching for bodies and survivors from the days after Katrina. The gumbo is still great at Liuzza's By the Track - as is the BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy. A long fence still keeps locals from walking directly into the facility from the southwest and must be intended to give patrons assurance that their cars are being protected.
Fair Grounds has a nice Hall of Fame display along with exhibits on the track's great history. One display showed an article from Jewell's Crescent City Illustrated - not sure when this was published - probably around 1870's-80's.
"The view from the ample and lofty cupola takes in the whole city and its suburbs, a lovely mingling of rivers, bayous, lakes, swamps, forests, gardens, streets, shipping, spires, and railroad tracks."
Looking at the current view from the 4th floor clubhouse shows bridges, nondescript office towers and hotels, and a newly re-roofed Superdome. Racing rolls on here - just like the mighty river that spawned the town. It's not a scene like "Life on the Metairie" when New Orleans was the center of racing in America but at least racing is back in town which is more than can be said for a town like Omaha where Ak-sar-ben has vanished or a historic racing venue like shuttered Hialeah in Miami .
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Sheikh Mo of Dubai looking to buy Liverpool F.C.
http://www.sportinglife.com/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/06/12/05/manual_105305.html
http://www.sportinglife.com/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/06/12/05/manual_105305.html
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Have a Good Day at the Big A!
Tom Durkin's friendly exhortation greets racing fans every race day at Aqueduct in Queens. I visited the track for the first time on Saturday on a beautiful, warm Veterans Day - arriving via the 'A' subway line. The in-house tv preview show presented video of Seattle Slew winning his last race in the Stuyvesant at Aqueduct on Veterans Day 28 years ago in 1978. It was a Friday and there was an announced attendance of 28,049. A sparse gathering of 4,355 settled in for the holiday racing card yesterday.
The facility is obviously awaiting the building/beginning of the slot machine era. The pigeons have pretty much taken over a good portion of the upper levels of the grandstand - there were still a couple of diehards sitting in the filthly seats. There was plenty of room to spread out at tables in spaces that obviously used to be well-used back in the day - the Saratoga room, the Man o'War room. Equestris is located at the top floor of the building and costs a dollar extra to enter. That is where the dining room is located. It was nice to clearly see the great Durkin in his lair looking out over the track.
Pretty much what I expected based on watching races at the track on television. Must have been a grand old place when it opened on September 14, 1959 with 40,000 in the stands and all through the 1960s when it filled in when Belmont Park was being rebuilt. The 2nd Breeders Cup was held there in 1985. But now 21 years later, it is depending on the machines to save the day.
Tom Durkin's friendly exhortation greets racing fans every race day at Aqueduct in Queens. I visited the track for the first time on Saturday on a beautiful, warm Veterans Day - arriving via the 'A' subway line. The in-house tv preview show presented video of Seattle Slew winning his last race in the Stuyvesant at Aqueduct on Veterans Day 28 years ago in 1978. It was a Friday and there was an announced attendance of 28,049. A sparse gathering of 4,355 settled in for the holiday racing card yesterday.
The facility is obviously awaiting the building/beginning of the slot machine era. The pigeons have pretty much taken over a good portion of the upper levels of the grandstand - there were still a couple of diehards sitting in the filthly seats. There was plenty of room to spread out at tables in spaces that obviously used to be well-used back in the day - the Saratoga room, the Man o'War room. Equestris is located at the top floor of the building and costs a dollar extra to enter. That is where the dining room is located. It was nice to clearly see the great Durkin in his lair looking out over the track.
Pretty much what I expected based on watching races at the track on television. Must have been a grand old place when it opened on September 14, 1959 with 40,000 in the stands and all through the 1960s when it filled in when Belmont Park was being rebuilt. The 2nd Breeders Cup was held there in 1985. But now 21 years later, it is depending on the machines to save the day.
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