For those wondering about the strategy of promoting the Meadowlands, here is a report from The Star Ledger regarding the 'gimmicks' being offered by the Big M which explains it all, in particular last Friday's events.
Do they all bet? No. Those that bet, will they bet a lot? Probably not. The point is you can't just depend on getting your existing customer base, at the track or at home, to wager more, you need to develop the next generation of customers. Of course, this does not mean you ignore your existing customers, just you can't go in one direction, you need to appeal to both groups, existing gamblers and potential gamblers.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Minimum Driving Standards
This past weekend, I saw a drive at an east coast racetrack which quite simply was the most horrible drive I have seen in recent memory. To prevent embarrassment to the driver in question, I won't name him/her nor will I mention the track or what happened. Suffice it to say it was not a question of giving a horse a horrible drive with respect to the gambler or owner but it was a matter of safety to those on the track and how its impact on the race's outcome.
This particular driver drives less than 4 drives per year in recent years, yet, the individual has a full license. My question is how can someone who drives so little be allowed to drive at pari-mutuel tracks? It is not fair to gamblers who wager on a race to run the risk of a driver messing up the race for other horses by creating a hazard within a race and more importantly, it's not fair to ask the drivers in the race to compete against such a driver where they need to worry more about a driver in the race instead of the horses. This is not a knock against the driver I saw this past weekend, it could be the best driver in the world; if out due to illness or injury, they would have to be rusty if they drove so little.
Harness racing has a responsibility to put the best product possible on the track and that means when it comes to drivers, ensuring we are dealing with drivers who are able to perform to a certain level of competency. To allow a person who obtains a full or amateur license to maintain the license simply by renewing their USTA membership is unacceptable. If professionals licensed in states need to take continuing education courses to maintain their license, should we not require harness drivers to meet minimum requirements in order to maintain their license?
Harness racing needs to institute its own version of continuing education; points earned in drives. I propose, with the exception of non-wagering amateur races, drivers be required to successfully earn a minimum of 250 points over a two year period but no less than a 100 points in any one year. A successful (no driving infractions) drive in a pari-mutuel race earns 10 points; qualifying races 5 points. This means, assuming a driver only races in pari-mutuel events, a driver may have as few as 10 drives in any one year but must have at least 25 drives in a two year period (2 qualifying races would count as one drive).
If a driver does not meet these requirements by the end of a calendar year, the license would revert to a lapsed status requiring the driver to drive in a certain number of qualifying races before being allowed to drive in pari-mutuel races. At that point, the driver must compete successfully in at least 10 pari-mutuel races in a twelve month period in order to be restored to a full license. These are minimum standards, the final standard may require a higher number of drives.
If harness racing wants serious gamblers playing its races, the last thing the sport needs is a driver in a race being a hazard to fellow drivers and horses. The proposed standard is not an unreasonable number of starts to ask a driver to compete in. It is time to protect the gambler and horseman at the same time.
This particular driver drives less than 4 drives per year in recent years, yet, the individual has a full license. My question is how can someone who drives so little be allowed to drive at pari-mutuel tracks? It is not fair to gamblers who wager on a race to run the risk of a driver messing up the race for other horses by creating a hazard within a race and more importantly, it's not fair to ask the drivers in the race to compete against such a driver where they need to worry more about a driver in the race instead of the horses. This is not a knock against the driver I saw this past weekend, it could be the best driver in the world; if out due to illness or injury, they would have to be rusty if they drove so little.
Harness racing has a responsibility to put the best product possible on the track and that means when it comes to drivers, ensuring we are dealing with drivers who are able to perform to a certain level of competency. To allow a person who obtains a full or amateur license to maintain the license simply by renewing their USTA membership is unacceptable. If professionals licensed in states need to take continuing education courses to maintain their license, should we not require harness drivers to meet minimum requirements in order to maintain their license?
Harness racing needs to institute its own version of continuing education; points earned in drives. I propose, with the exception of non-wagering amateur races, drivers be required to successfully earn a minimum of 250 points over a two year period but no less than a 100 points in any one year. A successful (no driving infractions) drive in a pari-mutuel race earns 10 points; qualifying races 5 points. This means, assuming a driver only races in pari-mutuel events, a driver may have as few as 10 drives in any one year but must have at least 25 drives in a two year period (2 qualifying races would count as one drive).
If a driver does not meet these requirements by the end of a calendar year, the license would revert to a lapsed status requiring the driver to drive in a certain number of qualifying races before being allowed to drive in pari-mutuel races. At that point, the driver must compete successfully in at least 10 pari-mutuel races in a twelve month period in order to be restored to a full license. These are minimum standards, the final standard may require a higher number of drives.
If harness racing wants serious gamblers playing its races, the last thing the sport needs is a driver in a race being a hazard to fellow drivers and horses. The proposed standard is not an unreasonable number of starts to ask a driver to compete in. It is time to protect the gambler and horseman at the same time.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Coming Out Party?
Could there be another pacer joining the conversation when it comes to discussing the top three year old pacers? It may very well be the case as Heston Blue Chip made his case in a non-wagering event at Tioga Downs yesterday in a scorching 1:49.2. You may say what is so special about a 1:49.2 finish on a 5/8th mile oval? It was how he did it as the four horse race basically turned into a $27,844 official workout for the 3yo pacer, going through fractions of :26.3, :55.1, 1:22 before Tim Tetrick flipped a switch at the 3/4's and to come home in a :27.2 after showing a quick burst of speed to open up a little on the field before coming home in hand. At the wire, it was clear Heston Blue Chip had plenty left in the tank. This winner of now fourteen out of sixteen races will next race in one more NYSS race at Yonkers Raceway before stepping out against open company in the Meadowlands Pace eliminations. Don't be surprised if you see this colt in the thick of things in New Jersey.
I can't help but wonder what the North America Cup will look like in the future with the end of the Slots at Racetrack program this coming March. I am pretty sure it will continue to be contested, but I imagine the $1.5 million purse may become history in the next year or two. It will join the Meadowlands Pace as major races with the purse being reduced. This year's Meadowlands Pace will go for $800,000, a $200,000 reduction. However, if more money needs to be dedicated to overnights in order to fill racing cards at the Meadowlands, will next year's Pace go for less? Time will tell.
A while back, I talked about introducing the Skewbald colored standardbred in the United States to add some 'color' to the sport. Since then, I found out why this has not happened in North America when I talked to a friend in Australia, where the first attempts were made to reintroduce the Skewbald. Sam says:
The Skewbald, didn't really take off over here. There was a couple of stallions that stood at stud, but nothing really found there way to the race track, mate. To be honest with you, they were a flop.
I can't help but wonder what the North America Cup will look like in the future with the end of the Slots at Racetrack program this coming March. I am pretty sure it will continue to be contested, but I imagine the $1.5 million purse may become history in the next year or two. It will join the Meadowlands Pace as major races with the purse being reduced. This year's Meadowlands Pace will go for $800,000, a $200,000 reduction. However, if more money needs to be dedicated to overnights in order to fill racing cards at the Meadowlands, will next year's Pace go for less? Time will tell.
A while back, I talked about introducing the Skewbald colored standardbred in the United States to add some 'color' to the sport. Since then, I found out why this has not happened in North America when I talked to a friend in Australia, where the first attempts were made to reintroduce the Skewbald. Sam says:
The Skewbald, didn't really take off over here. There was a couple of stallions that stood at stud, but nothing really found there way to the race track, mate. To be honest with you, they were a flop.
The main reason,
was the stallion, poor performers, low earnings and no time against their
name. There were a couple racing in NSW and Queensland, one horse went ok, winning a
couple of races but no superstar.
A Skewbald stood at stud
here in Tasmania, the closet his foals got to the race track were as outriders.
They are nice horses, but
you will not find any of then at Metro tracks, maybe the odd one at a country
track.
Perhaps, the skewbald could be introduced back into the North American bloodlines, but it would take time to successfully get the right mix in order to get them up to racing speed, something the commercial breeder has no time and to be honest cash flow to work on. Maybe there would be a market for the skewbald standardbred for non-racing purposes, but that market is too small to breed for. So it appears the Skewbald Standardbred will remain a curiosity.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Coronation
Someone didn't give Randy Waples and Thinking Out Loud notice of the coronation as they won the Pepsi North America Cup last night at Mohawk Racetrack in a Canadian record-tying performance of 1:47.4.
You see, despite the notice by many that Sweet Lou was going to be coronated in the North America Cup, the scribes and experts forgot one thing, the race is not won on paper but on the track. Sweet Lou may very well be the champion 3yo colt when all is said and done this year, but horses are not computer models, but living beings who need to compete and deal with the cards they are dealt with
Actually, I thought it was a gutsy performance by Sweet Lou who finished fourth, a mere 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner, getting passed in the last sixteenth of the mile, a victim of a blistering pace. While his connections are no doubt disappointed, there is no shame in Sweet Lou's performance. Some may say Palone made his move to early, but with those fractions (:25.4, :52.1, 1:20.3), the outcome sitting third may have been the same.
You can say, shoulda, coulda, woulda, but that is what makes racing exciting. Drivers need to make decisions and sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. You can be the best handicapper in the world which will improve your odds over the novice gambler, but it all boils down to luck.
And that is why races are won on the track, not on paper. A replay of the North America Cup follows.
As a side note, it was nice to see the race come down to an exciting late come from behind finish. Too often, drivers act like the race is a coronation and they race for second money. For $1.5 million, drivers should be contesting the race from the start and not allowing a horse to win wire-to-wire unchallenged.
On the other side of the pond, Commander Crowe wins another race, the €150.000 Kymi Grand Prix at Kouvola-Finland, winning easily in a 1.12.0 kilometer rate for the 2100 meters.
Friday night the Meadowlands had camel and ostrich racing as well as a sportscaster charity race (there was another race on Saturday) resulting in a season high crowd of over 5,000. Did the handle go up as a result? No, but at least it got people in the door and if they had a positive experience, they will be back. In addition, it got the Meadowlands on the local news. You got to get noticed and people in the door to get the handle up. Damage can happen quickly, but it takes time to recover.
Harness Racing Update reported on Saturday that Walter Case Jr. will be getting a hearing in front of the Massachusetts Racing Commission regarding reinstating his driver's license. The hearing is scheduled for this Thursday. As I have stated before, if they licensed him before and he has not had any racing or personal problems, how do they justify denying him a license? Here is hoping the hearing goes well for Casey.
Cal Expo closed out their final meet as an operator as negotiations for a new operator to take over standardbred racing in the Golden State. While no agreement is in place, there is optimism and an unofficial target of harness racing resuming this November, two months later than previously anticipated. Hopefully, a new operator will have the resources to upgrade the racing program in the Golden State to make it more significant in the standardbred world.
Happy Fathers Day to All You Dads Out There
You see, despite the notice by many that Sweet Lou was going to be coronated in the North America Cup, the scribes and experts forgot one thing, the race is not won on paper but on the track. Sweet Lou may very well be the champion 3yo colt when all is said and done this year, but horses are not computer models, but living beings who need to compete and deal with the cards they are dealt with
Actually, I thought it was a gutsy performance by Sweet Lou who finished fourth, a mere 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner, getting passed in the last sixteenth of the mile, a victim of a blistering pace. While his connections are no doubt disappointed, there is no shame in Sweet Lou's performance. Some may say Palone made his move to early, but with those fractions (:25.4, :52.1, 1:20.3), the outcome sitting third may have been the same.
You can say, shoulda, coulda, woulda, but that is what makes racing exciting. Drivers need to make decisions and sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. You can be the best handicapper in the world which will improve your odds over the novice gambler, but it all boils down to luck.
And that is why races are won on the track, not on paper. A replay of the North America Cup follows.
As a side note, it was nice to see the race come down to an exciting late come from behind finish. Too often, drivers act like the race is a coronation and they race for second money. For $1.5 million, drivers should be contesting the race from the start and not allowing a horse to win wire-to-wire unchallenged.
On the other side of the pond, Commander Crowe wins another race, the €150.000 Kymi Grand Prix at Kouvola-Finland, winning easily in a 1.12.0 kilometer rate for the 2100 meters.
Friday night the Meadowlands had camel and ostrich racing as well as a sportscaster charity race (there was another race on Saturday) resulting in a season high crowd of over 5,000. Did the handle go up as a result? No, but at least it got people in the door and if they had a positive experience, they will be back. In addition, it got the Meadowlands on the local news. You got to get noticed and people in the door to get the handle up. Damage can happen quickly, but it takes time to recover.
Harness Racing Update reported on Saturday that Walter Case Jr. will be getting a hearing in front of the Massachusetts Racing Commission regarding reinstating his driver's license. The hearing is scheduled for this Thursday. As I have stated before, if they licensed him before and he has not had any racing or personal problems, how do they justify denying him a license? Here is hoping the hearing goes well for Casey.
Cal Expo closed out their final meet as an operator as negotiations for a new operator to take over standardbred racing in the Golden State. While no agreement is in place, there is optimism and an unofficial target of harness racing resuming this November, two months later than previously anticipated. Hopefully, a new operator will have the resources to upgrade the racing program in the Golden State to make it more significant in the standardbred world.
Happy Fathers Day to All You Dads Out There
Friday, June 15, 2012
Friday Miscellanery
One has to wonder with the world of racing changing in Ontario, why are they not cutting purses to take some of their purse account and bank it for next year to soften the blow the government is intent on delivering the industry? No way the purses or racing dates will be the same next year but if the projection is purses will be cut 60% after March, 2013, cutting purses 20% the balance of this year will at least soften the blow for next year, perhaps giving the industry another year to get its house in order. Tracks which have already announced they will be closing may continue to race at current purse levels, drawing their purse account to zero, but it seems irresponsible to do it for those tracks intent on continuing racing.
But there are different opinions on this and Cangamble is a blogger who feels the OLG decision is not final (I disagree). However, assuming it is, he has ideas on how racing can compete and it involes using the $50 million transition aid package to develop software to develop a Canadian answer to the V75.
Why am I so high on Jeff Gural? For the same reasons Dean Hoffman likes what Gural is doing. Yes, it is not the way things have always been done but guess what? What we have always done is not working and it seems most of the industry can't get off their arse to change. I may be wrong, but I envision what comes out of the Meadowlands in the next four years will serve the model for successful racing in the future. Those who don't like it will either be dragged along kicking and screaming or they will fall to the wayside.
Churchill Downs is changing the way fields are determined for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby starting in 2013. Points will be awarded based on how a horse finishes in 36 races leading up to the Kentucky Derby starting in the 2yo season. The idea for the change is to build up more interest for the Derby by having a road to the Kentucky Derby.
Could something like this work for harness racing? It could, but it likely won't happen anytime soon. Just the same, there is no reason our major stakes can't institute a way to determine fields as done in the Battle of the Brandywine, be it points earned in races or money earned. Elimination races are a blight on our sport.
My selections for the stakes on Mohawk's Pepsi North America Cup card are available here.
For those late nighters, here are my selections for Cal Expo's Saturday night Late Pick 4 featuring at 15% take out and a $20,000 guarantee with a must payout situation. These races (and possibly a few races earlier) will be shown on TVG. As you may know, this is the end of the Cal Expo spring meet and it may be a while until racing resumes in the Golden State, if at all. Actually, things are looking pretty good for racing to continue at Cal Expo as negotiations with European Wagering Services has been moving along . While a deal could fall through, Cal Expo management is keeping the backstretch open as they feel a deal will get done. One thing is for sure, it appears racing will not resume on August 24 as it was supposed to as the new operator needs to get licensed and apply for race dates once a deal is done. The big question is when does racing resume and how many California horsemen are going to be around when harness racing resumes?
Anyway, here are my picks (listed in order of preference):
9th Race - 7, 2, 4, 3
10th Race - 2, 6, 7, 4
11th Race - 5, 6, 9, 1
12th Race - 6, 8, 9, 1
But there are different opinions on this and Cangamble is a blogger who feels the OLG decision is not final (I disagree). However, assuming it is, he has ideas on how racing can compete and it involes using the $50 million transition aid package to develop software to develop a Canadian answer to the V75.
Why am I so high on Jeff Gural? For the same reasons Dean Hoffman likes what Gural is doing. Yes, it is not the way things have always been done but guess what? What we have always done is not working and it seems most of the industry can't get off their arse to change. I may be wrong, but I envision what comes out of the Meadowlands in the next four years will serve the model for successful racing in the future. Those who don't like it will either be dragged along kicking and screaming or they will fall to the wayside.
Churchill Downs is changing the way fields are determined for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby starting in 2013. Points will be awarded based on how a horse finishes in 36 races leading up to the Kentucky Derby starting in the 2yo season. The idea for the change is to build up more interest for the Derby by having a road to the Kentucky Derby.
Could something like this work for harness racing? It could, but it likely won't happen anytime soon. Just the same, there is no reason our major stakes can't institute a way to determine fields as done in the Battle of the Brandywine, be it points earned in races or money earned. Elimination races are a blight on our sport.
My selections for the stakes on Mohawk's Pepsi North America Cup card are available here.
For those late nighters, here are my selections for Cal Expo's Saturday night Late Pick 4 featuring at 15% take out and a $20,000 guarantee with a must payout situation. These races (and possibly a few races earlier) will be shown on TVG. As you may know, this is the end of the Cal Expo spring meet and it may be a while until racing resumes in the Golden State, if at all. Actually, things are looking pretty good for racing to continue at Cal Expo as negotiations with European Wagering Services has been moving along . While a deal could fall through, Cal Expo management is keeping the backstretch open as they feel a deal will get done. One thing is for sure, it appears racing will not resume on August 24 as it was supposed to as the new operator needs to get licensed and apply for race dates once a deal is done. The big question is when does racing resume and how many California horsemen are going to be around when harness racing resumes?
Anyway, here are my picks (listed in order of preference):
9th Race - 7, 2, 4, 3
10th Race - 2, 6, 7, 4
11th Race - 5, 6, 9, 1
12th Race - 6, 8, 9, 1
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