The Final Nail?

Barring any last minute surprises, the Ontario provincial budget should be approved today, which basically memorializes the end of the Slots at Racetracks program.  Horsemen no doubt feel betrayed and hurt.  It may be no one wants to get tarred and feathered, but I can't help with all the anger towards the Liberals and NDP in Ontario, you don't see anyone within the industry venting how did the racing allow this to happen to themselves; relying on slot revenue and doing virtually nothing to revamp the game to make themselves more desirable to the general public.

Not that I don't hold the government partially responsible for racing being in the shape it is in.  After all, it allowed alternative gaming to come into the states and provinces while they themselves treated racing as if it had a monopoly, failing to give racing the opportunity to innovate and improve the game.  I must confess, I am not sure racing would have responded as it should have, but they should have been given the opportunity to do so.  At this point, states should reduce the red tape it puts racing through.  Tracks should be allowed to offer promotional events, set their own takeout rates, minimum wager amounts, etc. without regulatory approval.  Yes, the state should ensure tracks are offering what they claim, but if tracks have to compete against other gaming options, untie their hands.

Lou Pena's attorneys are seeking a stay of the NYSRWB suspension in the courts.  A decision is hoped for by the end of this week.

I have known people that would bet on anything. If they saw two cockroaches, they would have been looking for action on the roaches. Well, apparently, there is nothing that horse trainers won't try to get an edge. The New York Times had a story about dermophin, a drug which apparently comes naturally from the back of the Waxy Monkey Tree Frog, though apparently some resourceful chemists have been able to synthesize the drug which is forty times more powerful than morphine. A test has been created and so far only quarter horses and thoroughbreds have come up positive for it, basically in Central and the Western United States though one would need to be naive to think it couldn't have crossed over to the standardbreds.

Pete Rose cut the ribbon formally opening the slot parlor at Scioto Downs yesterday. When you think of it, who else would you want to cut the ribbon on your racino? It seems to be a natural....

Am I missing something?  If memory serves me well, I recall Back to the Track has gotten a lot more noise by this time in the past.  It seems things are a lot more quiet this time around. 

Scioto Downs is dealing with the dreaded sevenitis, eightitis, and nineitis diseases by telling horsemen if theiir horses get these illnesses and they want to race the next week, they will automatically be assigned the post position they were assigned the week before.