tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684463172854959042.post3994941849540895057..comments2024-02-27T17:43:37.207-05:00Comments on View From the Racetrack Grandstand: Coordinating Race Dates; USTA Rule ChangesThat Blog Guyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15487597769210721585noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684463172854959042.post-23943106861113752842016-03-03T00:45:51.271-05:002016-03-03T00:45:51.271-05:00Here is the way I see it.
Right now, harness r...Here is the way I see it. <br /> Right now, harness racing has momentum. I know that The Meadowlands resurgence is part of the reason. How much I do not know. Does the Meadowlands $3,000,000 handles bring players to other tracks?<br /> I play a lot of tracks. Sunday night Cal Expo did 52,000 on their Pick 4 pool and Wednesday night the Pick 4 pool at Northfield and Pompano was over 20,000. These are sensational numbers. Is the Meadowlands part of the reason? In my opinion, yes. Their success is spilling over to other harness tracks on the nights The Meadowlands does not race.<br /> But what happens if The Meadowlands falters? Do the bigger players simply go to other harness tracks on Friday and Saturday? I think not. The more likely scenario is that they move to the thoroughbreds with their larger pools. Then what? The wagering on the sport starts caving in not only on Friday and Saturday, but eventually on the other days as well.<br /> So the question is does a healthy Meadowlands help the handle at other tracks? In my opinion there is no doubt that it does. If these other tracks are remotely interested in the health and future of the industry ,a little less racing would make these other tracks a lot more playable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684463172854959042.post-22860728526707309812016-03-01T13:17:30.439-05:002016-03-01T13:17:30.439-05:00There are reasons to support Jeff Gural's many...There are reasons to support Jeff Gural's many ideas to improve the sport and weed out the bad things, but a USTA committee to deal with short fields at tracks in NJ won't change anything in NY and PA. Owners and trainers go where the best money is for the ability of their horses. Right now, that means NY and PA. <br /><br />It's not Mr. Gural's fault, but operators in nearby states also remember when the Meadowlands was top dog under different management. The big track showed no concern for the problems elsewhere. <br /><br />The sport as a whole would be better if Monticello, Saratoga, Tioga and Vernon coordinated dates better so there is less competition for horses among those tracks. Same goes for Harrah's Philadelphia and the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono where they should not race at the same time of year. Why not expand to a 12-month schedule between them? Of course, none of that helps the Meadowlands. <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com