Tuesday Miscellanery

Over in the thoroughbred world, the New York Times has printed another article on the use of drugs in horse racing, in particular on Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another who was treated for his ailments in the run up to the Belmont Stakes (which he was scratched out of). Many in racing find the article to be another one of those hatchet jobs against racing; after all don't human athletes get treated for their ailments in order for them to compete? While this is true, to the average person there is a big difference between a person who has the option to take medications or not and a horse who has no choice. Racing needs to understand when it comes to animal rights, Americans are for them as long as it doesn't impact what is on their dinner plate. While the use of valid therapeutic medications has its place, racing needs to address things the general public finds offensive which can be controlled such as the use of medications which don't have a legitimate therapeutic purpose as well as whipping (all breeds).

It's no secret since stakes season has begun drivers are heading elsewhere for the big money events and as a result, wagering on the Meadowlands races has declined somewhat. It is also no secret Meadowlands operator Jeff Gural has been asking all along for drivers and others to support the Meadowlands, but it is clear everyone is out for number one. To be perfectly honest, it would be unrealistic to ask drivers to miss out on big money events, but I don't think it is beyond reason to ask drivers to forgo events like sires stakes raced elsewhere.

Harness Driver Leo Burns has broken his own record by winning a race at the age of 97 years old, winning with his trainee Winsome Wyoming at the Wayne County Fairgrounds on Monday night in 2:07.1. The fact he won another race isn't even the real story; it is that Burns is still able to compete at all in a sport where you need to be able to think quickly and have the reflexes to drive a horse.



Wouldn't it be great to see Mr. Burns on a late night talk show? Not only would it be getting harness racing some publicity, but for a society which emphasizes youth, it would be great to show how our senior citizens are still able to compete and do things. Age is just a number.

Appeal in Case License Decision Reportedly Denied

According to sources, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has voted to uphold the decision to deny granting Walter Case Jr. a license to participate in racing in the Bay State.  At this time, the specific reasons for the denial of Case's appeal are not known.

I do believe the decision of the MGC is incorrect, but respect their decision.  If Case was not granted a license in 2008, I would better understand the decision to deny Case a license at this time, but how do you license someone one year and then deny the person a subsequent license when the person has not had any negative actions since previously being given a license; one would think if anything, it would have improved his chances of getting licensed. 

Of course, the 1,000 lb guerrilla in the room is a slots parlor license.  Whereas in 2008, Plainridge Racecourse President Gary Piontkowski championed Case's return to the sulky, no such public statements of support were forthcoming this time around, perhaps since PRC is seeking the slot parlor license?  In addition, the Massachusetts Racing Commission which was in existence in 2008 was the group which granted Case a license but was replaced by the MGC as part of the legislation legalizing casino gambling in the state, so it appears the MGC has applied a higher standard in deciding to deny Case a license.  The reported hearing officer Gayle Cameron, being an appointee of the Attorney General and a former New Jersey State Police Lieutenant Colonel likely didn't help Case's appeal. 

While not necessarily a fatal blow to Case's attempt to resume his driving career, being denied a license in the one state which had licensed him since his past legal troubles has to be a major setback as racing in Massachusetts would have provided Case the opportunity to prove his previous run ins with racing officials are a thing of the past.  Hopefully, another state (or province) will provide Case with a conditional license to provide him the opportunity to show he has changed his ways and is worthy of a full license elsewhere, or where failing to conduct himself appropriately could lead to revocation of the license.

Meadowlands Pace Post Position Draw - Product Review

Here is the post position draw for the Meadowlands Pace this Saturday: Race 11 Probable Post: 10:15 p.m.

PP	Horse	Driver	Trainer	Odds
1	A Rocknroll Dance	Yannick Gingras	Jim Mulinix	4-1
2	Pet Rock	Brian Sears	Virgil Morgan Jr.	12-1
3	Heston Blue Chip	Tim Tetrick	Linda Toscano	7-2
4	Sweet Lou	Dave Palone	Ron Burke	5-2
5	Bolt The Duer	Mark MacDonald	Peter Foley	6-1
6	Simply Business	Ron Pierce	Jimmy Takter	15-1
7	Thinking Out Loud	Randy Waples	Robert McIntosh	5-1
8	State Treasurer	David Miller	Ian Moore	20-1
9	Time To Roll	Andy Miller	Jimmy Takter	12-1
10	Allstar Legend	Jim Morrill Jr.	George Teague Jr.	20-1

 This is a wide-open race with several horses worthy of a chance in the race.  Later in the week, I will make my selections.

Horse Racing News App Introduced
A new app has been introduced both for Apple and Android devices.  The app called Horse Racing News aggregates news stories regarding horse racing, including harness racing, from various sources.  Based on your selection criteria, you can filter topics for selection by the Latest, Daily, and Week.  In addition, you can identify the topics you wish to see from a list of 'learned' topics and then use My News to pull only those stories you wish to see.  Since the product has just been introduced, it may take time for some topics to be available for selection, such as harness racing.

Not only can you see stories from multiple sites, in one location, you may share stories you find intersting with your friends and associates and you may watch videos of races.  Best of all, when you install the app on your smartphone, unlike many applications, the only permission it needs is Network Communication for full internet access, your data on the smartphone is protected,  The app is worth taking a look at to see if it meets your needs. Horse Racing News is available for iOS phones or Android-based devices.  For more information about Riversip products, you may check their website.

I have downloaded the product and it seems worth using now, with the realization that as time goes on the product will become more robust.

Disclosure: View From the Racetrack Grandstand has not been compensated for this review.  VFTRG does not warrant the application and is not responsible for its use by users.

Scrap the Pace Consolation?

Among the races being drawn today for Saturday night's Meadowlands Pace card is the Meadowlands Pace Consolation.  Assuming the event fills, entrants will race for a purse of $100,000.  One must ask why a consolation event is being offered; certainly the money could be used for better purposes.  After all, why offer a $100,000 purse for a race which at best will draw six starters this year as it would not be a good betting race and thus draw a relatively anemic response from gamblers.  Some will argue without a consolation event being offered, nominations to the Meadowlands Pace will be reduced, but with only sixteen horses making the starting gate for the eliminations (two others would have made it to the dance if healthy), how much lower can it go? 

So what could be done with the $100,000 if the consolation was not offered?

1. The $100,000 could have been added to the final purse.  After all, the $800,000 estimated purse is turning out to be a race for $600,000.
2. Offer a new race for 4yos (more below).
3. Offer a new race for 3yos (more below).
4. Offer two $50,000 Invitationals.
5. Fund ten races for non-winners of $4,000 last 5 starts (in effect, almost an additional day of racing).

As you see, the $100,000 from the purse account could be put to better purpose.  If you want to spend the entire $100,000 on another race, there are far better ways to spend it.  

In the future, instead of a consolation race, the $100,000 can be spent on a race for three year olds who make the May 15 sustaining payment for the Meadowlands Pace but don't start in the eliminations which may increase the number of horses who make the May 15 payment. Or, if you want to reward the three year olds who don't advance to the final, a $100,000 3yo Open could be offered on Meadowlands Pace night with preference given to those who raced in the Meadowlands Pace eliminations but don’t advance to the final and if there are enough horses entered, the race could be divided into divisions; at least ensuring the $100,000 is being used on races which would generate interest from gamblers.

Another option, since there is an initiative to keep top three year olds racing past their three year old season is the $100,000 could be used as added money for a late closing event for four year olds that made their May 15 Meadowlands Pace sustaining payment, providing another incentive to pay into the Pace, or if you don't want to create a late closing event, use the $100,000 each year for a race restricted to older horses that made their May 15 sustaining payment for the Meadowlands Pace in their three year old season, giving horses a multi-year option at a large purse race. The bottom line is if you are going to spend the money, make it count.

A bill banning the slaughter of horses in the Garden State awaits Governor Christie's signature. In addition to banning slaughter or selling horsemeat, the bill also makes it a criminal offense to knowingly transport a horse intended for slaughter. The legislation provides for civil penalties in addition to criminal penalties. Being the bill has passed overwhelmingly in both houses of the legislature, I expect the Governor to either sign the legislation or allow it to become law without his signature.  After all, one usually doesn't veto a bill which is almost certain to be overridden.  When enacted, this bill will make New Jersey the fifth state to explicitly ban the slaughter of horses in their state.

Congratulations to Mark McDonald on his 5,000th driving victory at Yonkers Raceway last night.

Another Problem With Too Much Racing

Many people, including myself, claim one of the problems with too much racing is the amount of money wagered is split up between racetracks, making pools too small for the whales to wager without killing the odds.  This is certainly true, but with slot money in many states being able to support purses at artificial highs, the problem of diluted pools is of little concern for horsemen in racino states.  Why should they, especially when horsemen can pick and chose where they race and perhaps more importantly, avoid weeks off as there is a horse shortage?  It is a great time to be a horseman.

As is usual in racing, what is good for the horsemen is not necessarily good for the gambler and vice versa.  The very ability horsemen have to pick and chose where they race their charges is adversely impacting the horseplayer which further hurts handle.  Obviously with horsemen having a choice where to race, there is a greater likelihood of short fields which hurts handle as horrible wagering races gives gamblers another reason not to wager on the races.  But there is another angle which is generally not discussed; the lack of predictability.

One of the perceived advantages harness racing has over thoroughbred racing is consistency.  A race is a mile, not six furlongs one week, nine furlongs the following week; not on dirt one week and turf the following week.  It is almost like Henry Ford with the Model T; you can have whatever color you want as long as it is black.  Another factor has been horses racing at the same track week in, week out; once the first two weeks of a meet was over, basically every horse raced at whichever track they were racing at making it easier to compare horses.  Now, at many tracks it is the second week of racing every week; horses coming in from various tracks making it much harder to assess each horse's ability in comparison to each other.  Whether this is an issue for your or not, many handicappers love the consistency which is now lacking.  While the rewards from being successful in this assembling of race fields may be rewarding, there are those for whom this puzzle is to difficult to crack and they either throttle back their wagering or decide to pass completely.

How bad is this problem?  Using the last racing card at each track, 43% of all starters had their last charted line (race or qualifier) at a track other than the Meadowlands; Pocono Downs 30%; Tioga Downs 41%.  Only Yonkers Raceway, likely due to the fact it is a half mile oval, doesn't seem to have this problem as only 14% of the starters made their last start elsewhere besides Yonkers Raceway.

Do you agree having too many horses shipping in to a track causes you to bet less?  What is the magical threshold where you lay off or reduce your wagers?  Take this survey and have your say.

Not being one who typically wagers on the Pick x wagers, I must confess I really don't pay attention to the guarantees racetracks tend to offer when I decide where I wager.  What I look for are takeout rates for straight wagers and Daily Doubles, as they often are the difference between winning and losing..  However, even I couldn't help but notice the Meadowlands has increased their guarantees on most of their wagers this month; not just on special occasions. 

HANA Harness has a blog entry showing the takeout rates for what some may consider the 'Big Six'. Since I don't follow these exotics, I really haven't noticed it but according to the chart provided in the entry, the Meadowlands either equals or offers the lowest takeout rates of major harness tracks,  Clearly management is doing their best to give people a reason to wager on their races with larger guarantees and lower takeout rates, but unless someone is specifically looking for those figures, it is hard to get the word out.  After all, do you think a racetrack in Ohio or Indiana wants their gamblers to know the Meadowlands is offering a better deal?

Something the standardbred industry laments, is the lack of press coverage of horse racing.  I wonder if the industry has noticed The Record, the primary newspaper in the Meadowlands market, seems to be taking more interest in horse racing these days.  Perhaps it is the change in management in the Meadowlands, but when was the last time you saw someone from a non-racing media outlet putting their two cents in on the subject of whether or not a horse like Googoo Gaagaa should be allowed to race in events like the Hambletonian?