If you don't succeed in getting slots, what do you do next?
Well, in New Jersey, you attempt to get Historical Racing through the legislature. Yes, the very same machines which some say look an awful lot like slot machines. One would think it would be hard to get this approved, but an Attorney General from a previous administration ruled it would be constitutional. Of course, even if it passes the state legislature and gets signed by Governor Christie, there will be a battle in the courts; both Atlantic City and out of state casino interests will finance the challenge.
Of course, for this bill to pass it would take state legislators a lot of courage to vote for this bill being the casino referendum failed miserably this past election. So don't count on going to your local racetrack in New Jersey to wager on old races anytime soon.
Yonkers Raceway and NYRA have been conducting the New York New York Daily Double on Sunday afternoons and the pools have been shallow. The blame lies on NYRA. While Yonkers' half of the Double has had ten starters, NYRA's kick-off to the wager has consisted of short fields; the bane of serious handicappers.
The idea of a wager from the two tracks is a good idea, but it will never develop further unless NYRA gets more starters in their races. Perhaps it may work out if the wager kicks off at Yonkers and concludes at the NYRA track with a race with more wagering opportunities. It's worth exploring.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Bold Eagle Soars Once Again in Prix d' Amerique
Due to injury, I'm limited as to how much typing I can do so I will be brief. Bold Eagle was victorious for the second straight time in the Prix d' Amerique at Vincennes Racecourse. The winning mile rate for the 2,700 meter race was 1:54.3 (1:11.2 kilometer rate). Frank Nivard was the winning driver.e
When watching the race, Bold Eagle is number 17 and Frank Nivard has red silks with a yellow cap. When he finally gets into stalking position, there was no doubt who the winner was going to be; he's that good.
With his victory, Bold Eagle is automatically qualified for the Yonkers International. Being he didn't come to North America for the Breeders Crown, I wouldn't count on his showing up but racing fans can hope.
When watching the race, Bold Eagle is number 17 and Frank Nivard has red silks with a yellow cap. When he finally gets into stalking position, there was no doubt who the winner was going to be; he's that good.
With his victory, Bold Eagle is automatically qualified for the Yonkers International. Being he didn't come to North America for the Breeders Crown, I wouldn't count on his showing up but racing fans can hope.
Friday, January 20, 2017
Fair Start Rule (Again) and the Lack of Public Influence on Commissions
In the January 20 edition of Harness Racing Update, Brett Sturman discusses one of my sore points in harness racing, the fair start rule. More specifically, the lack of a fair start in American racing.
Sturman discusses how the Fair Start rule is an improvement over not having the rule but the ideal situation would be for wagering to cease prior to the field heading to the starting gate. I agree with him as this would ensure every horseplayer is given a fair chance. Alas, this will likely never happen due to
horsemen and track operators’ objections.
These two parties will object because they fear a drop in
handle because the whales like wagering at the last possible seconds to see if
they can take advantage of any late clue to a race’s running such as a horse
leaving or not, as well as the possibility of a horse going off-stride before
the gate. To be honest, it is a
legitimate complaint, assuming these gamblers will not adjust to the 'new normal'. Quite honestly, the idea of an even playing
field with the other gamblers is one the whales/syndicates do not relish as their success is based on having an advantage over John/Jane Q. Public. Hence, while the proposal to stop wagering before the field heads to the starter is in principle the right thing to do, it will sadly not see the light of day.
At least fans of Canadian racing have an advantage over
American punters where there is no such thing as a fair start and it will never
happen. A few years ago in New Jersey there
was a proposal for a fair start and while the racing commission agreed to
formulate a rule, it took them two years for it to happen (of course, if it was
something the tracks wanted, it would have been formulated much quicker), only
for the rule change to be rejected at the final hearing despite no objections being raised during the public comment period, no doubt at the urging
of horsemen and track operators worrying about the impact to their bottom
line, the fear of losing their share of the revenue due to refunding wagers.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
How Would a Pegasus World Cup Work in Harness Racing? Plus a Book Review
The field has been set for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup being contested the end of January at Gulfstream Park. The World Cup got me wondering if harness racing could pull something like this off.
Being a smaller sport, it is obvious we could not have a race where each starting gate spot would go for a $1 million entry fee; $250,000 is out of the question too. A $100,000 fee to reserve a spot where you could enter whichever horse you wanted seems like a reasonable entry point, resulting in a $1 million purse.
The problem is what horses wold you get to race in such an event? The conditions of the thoroughbred race is 4 year olds and up. Being the race is contested in January, it means last year's 3 year old stars would be eligible to compete against older horses. Since the standardbred racing industry basically shuts downs in the winter months (with all due respect to Cal Expo and Pompano Park), a race like this could not be contested in January; most likely needing to be contested in November or December, after the Breeders Crown so the conditions would be three year olds and up.
Now nominations take place a year before the race so the speculators would be able to find a horse to compete in the race, either already owned or acquired via auction or private purchase so finding people to buy slots may not be the issue, assuming you could find horses worth competing. There lies the problem.
What horses would have been worth entering in the race if contested this past November? Entering Always B Miki, Freaky Feet Pete, Wiggle It Jiggleit are no brainers with Shamballa and Mel Mara possibilities; that would make five horses. Which other horses would be worthy of entering? I checked with a fellow contributor to this blog as to which horses would make up a field of ten and he didn't think it was possible.
So to answer the question as to How would a Pegasus World Cup work in harness racing? The answer appears to be not well. That said, if you can think of any other horses which would be able to compete in this race with a reasonable chance of finishing in the top five, let me know.
I just completed the book Murray Brown: Book Full and Closed which was written by Victoria M. Howard and Bob Marks and available on Amazon. The book is an excellent read, especially if you are interested in harness racing (which reading this blog would be the case).
In this book, Murray Brown, a harness racing institution in himself, not only goes over his upbringing and how it lead him to Hanover, he provides tidbits of his experiences in the breeding industry and provides insight into some of the individuals he has dealt with in his career. If you are interested in harness racing but don't understand the breeding game, this book is a great introduction into the breeding world. Not in great detail, but it provides you with a sampling; enough to understand what is involved with breeding.
The best thing about the book is it is a light read. It doesn't get bogged down in the nitty gritty for which no doubt there are 'text' books to read. Readers will find the book entertaining and if not interrupted, will most likely finish the book in one session. I highly recommend it.
Being a smaller sport, it is obvious we could not have a race where each starting gate spot would go for a $1 million entry fee; $250,000 is out of the question too. A $100,000 fee to reserve a spot where you could enter whichever horse you wanted seems like a reasonable entry point, resulting in a $1 million purse.
The problem is what horses wold you get to race in such an event? The conditions of the thoroughbred race is 4 year olds and up. Being the race is contested in January, it means last year's 3 year old stars would be eligible to compete against older horses. Since the standardbred racing industry basically shuts downs in the winter months (with all due respect to Cal Expo and Pompano Park), a race like this could not be contested in January; most likely needing to be contested in November or December, after the Breeders Crown so the conditions would be three year olds and up.
Now nominations take place a year before the race so the speculators would be able to find a horse to compete in the race, either already owned or acquired via auction or private purchase so finding people to buy slots may not be the issue, assuming you could find horses worth competing. There lies the problem.
What horses would have been worth entering in the race if contested this past November? Entering Always B Miki, Freaky Feet Pete, Wiggle It Jiggleit are no brainers with Shamballa and Mel Mara possibilities; that would make five horses. Which other horses would be worthy of entering? I checked with a fellow contributor to this blog as to which horses would make up a field of ten and he didn't think it was possible.
So to answer the question as to How would a Pegasus World Cup work in harness racing? The answer appears to be not well. That said, if you can think of any other horses which would be able to compete in this race with a reasonable chance of finishing in the top five, let me know.
I just completed the book Murray Brown: Book Full and Closed which was written by Victoria M. Howard and Bob Marks and available on Amazon. The book is an excellent read, especially if you are interested in harness racing (which reading this blog would be the case).
In this book, Murray Brown, a harness racing institution in himself, not only goes over his upbringing and how it lead him to Hanover, he provides tidbits of his experiences in the breeding industry and provides insight into some of the individuals he has dealt with in his career. If you are interested in harness racing but don't understand the breeding game, this book is a great introduction into the breeding world. Not in great detail, but it provides you with a sampling; enough to understand what is involved with breeding.
The best thing about the book is it is a light read. It doesn't get bogged down in the nitty gritty for which no doubt there are 'text' books to read. Readers will find the book entertaining and if not interrupted, will most likely finish the book in one session. I highly recommend it.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Friday Briefs
After hearing from fans, the Meadowlands realizes they made a mistake last week when the Pick-5 began with a lot of drivers 'To Be Announced' when certain drivers were unable to make it to the track, including a last minute scratch of another driver. Fans who wagered the Pick-5 sequence had every right to be upset when in at least one case a 'A' level driver was replaced with a driver of less ability.
As a result, a new policy has been instituted in East Rutherford in that from this point forward, all driver changes in any race which is part of a multi-leg wager will be announced prior to the post parade of the first leg. In addition, the Meadowlands will attempt to apologize by seeding the Pick-5 with $10,000 this Saturday.
Some punters may still be sore about what happened this past Saturday. Will this placate them? I am sure some will still be upset, but the track is doing what it can reasonably be expected to do to make up for the mistake last time and more importantly, is instituting controls to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Congratulations to Doug McNair for winning the Miami Valley Driving Championship. The final was marred with horrible track conditions which resulted in a one hour delay between races and the defection of a driver over what they perceived an unsafe surface. I hope Miami Valley repeats this competition in the future, albeit at a different time in the year when one doesn't have to deal with a track thawing and other winter racing concerns.
I had came across an article where they talked about the 'defunct' Thunder Ridge Raceway. According to the KHRC commission website, Thunder Ridge Raceway has dates assigned for this year. Other than this article, there is no mention of the track closing. You would forgive the paper if they are incorrect because it is almost impossible to find any current news on Thunder Ridge. Yet, we learned Thunder Ridge will be racing this year starting April 12. Sadly, other than horsemen, no one probably cares one way or the other. My suspicion is the track will continue to operate at least until a decision is made by the Kentucky Supreme Court as to whetehr Keenland can apply for the final racing license in state to operate a quarter horse track in Corbin County or if their path to quarter horse and historical racing machines is through buying Thunder Ridge's license and the $2.2 million in debt. Regardless of the decision, Thunder Ridge is operating on borrowed time.
You may have heard about the flooding out in California. Some horsemen from Cal Expo were called out to save some standardbreds from the flooding waters at a farm near Sacramento. Kudos to Nathalie Tremblay, Dave Kuri, Kimberley Schneider, Quentin Schneider,and Kennedy Lindsey for their efforts. All the affected horses are now resting comfortably at Cal Expo.
Up in Maine, the harness racing industry has been getting hammered by opponents of racing. Now, a harness racing participant gets to have his say.
Congratulations to Doug McNair for winning the Miami Valley Driving Championship. The final was marred with horrible track conditions which resulted in a one hour delay between races and the defection of a driver over what they perceived an unsafe surface. I hope Miami Valley repeats this competition in the future, albeit at a different time in the year when one doesn't have to deal with a track thawing and other winter racing concerns.
I had came across an article where they talked about the 'defunct' Thunder Ridge Raceway. According to the KHRC commission website, Thunder Ridge Raceway has dates assigned for this year. Other than this article, there is no mention of the track closing. You would forgive the paper if they are incorrect because it is almost impossible to find any current news on Thunder Ridge. Yet, we learned Thunder Ridge will be racing this year starting April 12. Sadly, other than horsemen, no one probably cares one way or the other. My suspicion is the track will continue to operate at least until a decision is made by the Kentucky Supreme Court as to whetehr Keenland can apply for the final racing license in state to operate a quarter horse track in Corbin County or if their path to quarter horse and historical racing machines is through buying Thunder Ridge's license and the $2.2 million in debt. Regardless of the decision, Thunder Ridge is operating on borrowed time.
You may have heard about the flooding out in California. Some horsemen from Cal Expo were called out to save some standardbreds from the flooding waters at a farm near Sacramento. Kudos to Nathalie Tremblay, Dave Kuri, Kimberley Schneider, Quentin Schneider,and Kennedy Lindsey for their efforts. All the affected horses are now resting comfortably at Cal Expo.
Up in Maine, the harness racing industry has been getting hammered by opponents of racing. Now, a harness racing participant gets to have his say.
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