Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Vespone — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:05:34 GMT

Sandra - good advice. I like to show people how to read the program, etc, but I don't tell them who to bet. People are much more likely to get hooked if they win with their pick rather than yours. And, if they picked it because of the name or the silks, so what.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Sandra Warren — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:26:53 GMT

In my opinion, when we bring friends to the racetrack, we should focus on Win betting only. Exotics do nothing but skim money from beginners, and they quickly get discouraged when they lose $5 four races in a row. Teach your friends how to spot a winner before you throw them into the lake of the Superfecta. Teach them money management so they leave the track a winner the first day -- and they will always remember that wonderful first time. Tracks have been disrespecting the $2 bettor for 20 years now, but that $2 bettor today may turn into an every-day visitor when he retires. It's all about making the track a fun place to go. That also means that the horses have to survive the race. The coming steroid-free era should help with that. It doesn't matter how much fun a person has if they watch a snapped-off leg flop around in front of the grandstand. Every fatal injury chips off another small amount of fans. Don't let it be your horse that causes another fan to turn away, if for no other reason than it causes a dip in the handle.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

nosedout — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:58:21 GMT

I have been at this game for over 30yrs. Going to the races and gambling on them was the mainstay of the business and most of the racing was seasonal. Then came simulcasting. Racing overload,how often do you seen 6-8 races go off at the same time? How do we expect the "customer" to focus on anyone one experience? It's time to control the number of races per day and the amount of races per hour. If we raced every 10 min we could maximize the amount of wagering dollar.

Also, it time to look at the breeders awards. We need to get more money into racing not breeding. How many horses that sell for over 100K even make back there initial investement? You want to bring new money in to the sport- stop taking the old money out of the sport.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

joe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:53:50 GMT

Soldier Course nailed it; my interest in racing drops in proportion to televised coverage. I thought claims that the Breeders' Cup-ESPN partnership would build ratings ( as the full force of ESPN was put behind the cup buildup) dubious at best. That insertion of Zenyatta during Saturday's boring football wrap-up was pathetic. In the days of Chris Lincoln, even the Maryland Million was on ESPN. These "marketers" employed by the B Cup, who come and go, have decimated the sport. As they leave to assume other corporate positions, I can almost hear their relief that they will never have to attend another race again. YET I must admit that during the few televised races this summer into fall, I look away during the stretch run, expecting disaster. Hear that trainer, owners, vets and track officials? For the first time in years I did not attend that Belmont Stakes, and all respect to the Birds, to my surprise really didn't miss it.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

clockerbob — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:36:38 GMT

THE current TAKEOUT IS 50%

www.clockerbob.com/chapter8.html

Horse racing has a return of around 50% after a patron is roughed up for parking, admission, racing program, clockers, chartman, writers, handicappers, NTRA, stewards, individual tracks' hand-picked testing labs, racing mafia shake, federal take, the state's cut and mis-information. More of the days net winnings leaves through the informationally privileged owner-trainer-jockey parking lot (e.g.Valhol's Arkansas Derby, Cielo Canosa maiden win 8/13 at Del Mar) than the general parking lots in horse racing. In comparison, 100% of the days net winnings leaves through the slot patron's free parking lots.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Dawn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:11:10 GMT

One question regarding some of the infamous trainers: why do owners keep sending horses to these people? Ignorance? Apathy? A desire to get the horse to big races and a 'damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!' mentality?

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

da3hoss — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:15:44 GMT

Quarter Horse people have it figured out...youth, "America's Family Horse", futurities, reining, racing...

Involve more people with the breed by expanding its base...bring it back as "America's Hunter Jumper"...not America's number one throwaway.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Racer — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:52:40 GMT

Lets Face Facts , this is 2009 there is some kind of gambling in almost every state , Games were You can put up $2 or $3 or $5 and instantly Win Hunderds or maybe Thousands , Look I remember when the ONLY legalized gambling was HORSE RACING or VEGAS Most people didnt have the money or inclination to go to Vegas I was 37 Before I ever went there been there over a 100 times now in the last 42 years. Years ago Id go out to The Track on any weekend and there were maybe 40K to 50K people , you'd stand in line for 15-20 minutes to bet at the $2 window . But people did it BECAUSE mainly it was the Only game in town ! Now people have dozens of options they dont even have to leave home To Gamble on the Internet . I know I do it almost every day ! On Horse Racing lol Most of my friends who were Big horse racing fans are dead or in nursing Homes. My Younger family and friends have NO interest in the game , I v taken many over the years to the track , tried to get them interested , Showed them some basic handicapping , Ive even picked them winners , Take them to the Paddock ,The reponse is pretty much the same the Horses are Pretty , then after a hour or two its "well how long does this last" :( I love the game , I love the WHOLE DARN THING , I Used to spend my spring vacations in Kentucky now Im too dam old to do that , You can talk about Commissioners and all that Crap , NTRA and such it wont help I do believe the Breeder's Cup bought racing another 20 years , when it started in 1984 , then the Shieks got Us through the late 90s and early 2000s. Racing's Time has past Im sorry to say , Look at NASCAR to me its just noise but Millions Love it why ?? Because its exciting , noisy , a Party , theres NOT even any gambling involved for the average fan its a NO Brainer kind of activity , and maybe some cars will smash up :(

Im so lucky I lived through Horse Racing Glory Days 30s through 80s

And it was GLORIOUS TOO ! So Lets not kids our selves the sport we all love will just be a quaint memory in 15 or 20 years at most Id say , and I take NO Pleasure in saying that ! So enjoy it NOW theres soo much You can do today you couldnt years ago with the internet and things CRAM a Life time of Great racing Memories in the next 15 years,, better to have those then to Never have known the Love of the Greatest Sport there ever was !

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

wista — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:03:53 GMT

It comes down CONFIDENCE and CREDIBILITY. They are both fading away from racing. Just take a look at the last two Kentucky Derbies. In 2008 we had Big Brown whose trainer has an outrageous record of drug infractions. And in 2009 the pre-race favorite was I Want Revenge trained by Jeff Mullins!

The Derby is the race millions want to watch. It is the "face" of racing. The last two races have harmed the credibility of racing. How can the average fan have any confidence in a sport that allows the "cheats" to go unpunished? Why are trainers allowed to continue despite numerous drug violations?

Clean up the mess! If something isn't done, this sport will be reduced t a very minor player in the world of sports.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Big Al — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:55:07 GMT

Hours of operation need to be considered.At most tracks post is at one in the afternoon.A near impossible task to anyone with a regular job.No matter how good your product if they cant get there it is pointless.Retired people have afternoons to themselves and are on a fixed income.Not your ideal customer.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

doc — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:37:02 GMT

Horse racing is dying; what a downward spiral from the most popular spectator sport in the country to this. Wake up people! Look at NASCAR the NBA and the NFL: marketing, marketing and more marketing. There are towns that have racetracks in them that people don't even know that they exist. Newspapers have abandoned horseracing and the sickness of medications is out of control. Horsemen from all areas need to come together; yes this means talking to and working with those that race Quarter Horses, Standardbreds,Paints and Arabs because thay are all linked together. Create within people the desire to want to come to the track. How? Make the track inviting and family friendly; don't have racetracks have horseparks with a racetrack. Focus and make stars out of the Jockeys people can root not only for the horse but also the person that risks their life to ride them. Perhaps these suggestions will be looked with derision and the mentality of "that's not the way it's done" but when the sport goes the way of the dodo and is relegated to just a few states and a handful of fans perhaps the powers that be will rethink the game, but by then it will be too late.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Eric in St Pete — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:24:44 GMT

The person that suggested 30% takeout, must be the dumbest person to ever follow horse racing. Why do you think Hialeah went under? Takeout over 15%, you better be a very good handicapper and make only 2 or 3 bets per day. Lower the takeout to 10% and close several dozen tracks. Maryland raised the takeout and they have no clue why people stopped betting their races. The tracks need to compete against each other. Let Walmart buy a few tracks and see what happens. We all have hundreds of valid suggestions. Do you think any of these racetrack execs ever went to a similcast to bet their races. These people should not have their positions. At least show me the betting pools a few times and give me a good look at the horse. How many times have you seen the 12 horse's ass for 2 seconds. I'm talking NY racing, fire the camera man. STOP betting the tracks that need to go under.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Bob Hope — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:49:28 GMT

Stacy, I think if you will check again, the day you were at the track in Japan, there was 100,000 not 40,000.

the most important guy there is the guy who opens the gates in the morning. Japan is the premier operation in the world and with NO slots and NO claiming races. it is a class act that offers pure entertainment!

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Mike — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:37:45 GMT

I was directed here through a link at a racing forum. I had not read the Bloodhorse in quite some time prior to this blog and the accompanying comments. After reading some of the comments from an owner/breeder and Stacy, I now know why I stopped reading this publication many years ago.

Sadly, you both have a severe lack of understanding of the horseplayer - the person that FUNDS the game.

It'd be great if Owners, Racetracks, Horsemen, and Bettors could all work together rather than be so fragmented. Problem is, the 1st 3 groups have a complete disregard for the last group. Without that last group, there's no game. Wake up before it's too late which is coming sooner rather than later.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Cangamble — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:49:03 GMT

Jeff, Philly Park and Woodbine have real nice purses. They also attract pretty good field size.

How is handle working out for them?

High takeout kills the player whether they know what takeout is or not.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Michael — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:32:27 GMT

Stacy

You surely pushed all the right buttons, as the range of your comments suggest. There are so many good ideas presented. However, the sad thing is how "fractured" our sport/industry is. We have to break away from a segment-by-segment win/lose thinking. We have to come together with one voice if we have any chance to solve the problem. Can you imagine if the 28 million fans (projected by some) to the 7 million core fans projected by NTRA came together, regardless of stake in the industry, what a collective thinking capacity and voice we would have. Its worth a try. Check out www.thorofan.com

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Jeff — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:01:57 GMT

face it, all of you that are damning CG are HANA boys. Your push to get take out lowered have just as good a chance as CG's increase. CG makes a good point, albeit the raising would send you boys to Bingo. The better the purses the better the horses. The better the purses the bigger the fields. I for one have been on the recieving side of the HANA raiders more than once in different blogs. They continually banter Economics 101. Well, if not mistaken in that same text they discuss risk reward ratio's and ROI. The latter will skew in favor much higher with full fields than lower take out. The answer is cut back on the fees, NTRA, TRPB. They have proven lame. A money suck. Eliminate the middle men (ADWs). Let the public bet on line direct with the host track. Simple right? Not when the tracks hoard the players to their own ADWs. HANA I applaud your efforts, unfortunately you are not a strong enough lobby. Horsemen you are. By the way where is THG these days? Made a big splash, screwed the handle for a few months and then poof, gone like a genie. Time for a new THG headed by some one that can get something done for everyone.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Stacy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:49:28 GMT

"Racing" ... you are right on the mark. I visited Penn National this summer and learned that it races 210 days. I believe that Philly Park runs 300 days or so. There are simply not enough good horses - or dedicated fans - to support this schedule. Several years ago I visited Japan, where JRA races are held on Saturdays and Sundays. I was at the track on a Saturday, along with 40,000 other fans (!).

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Racing — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:28:53 GMT

Stacy,

Race tracks are also struggling as witnessed by the closures. If tracks offer more of their takeout to purses how do they survive?

I believe less racing, three or four days a week could offer larger purses and bigger fields.

Less is more, look at Keeneland. Two 20 days meets a year and it becomes an event or happening.

Now Saratoga adds four days, go fugure.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

MichaelM. — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:03:08 GMT

Raising takeout to a 30% avg is a joke.Just look at the pick-4's and other multi race bets that guarantee a small takeout and a minimum $25k pool.Those who have small takeout outhandle the minimum pool guarantees.Pocono harness with a $25K guarantee p7 cannot get over $2k bet into it on a nightly basis.Why ? Cuz they turned off all the bettors with their over 30% takeout on exotics.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Patrick — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:43:47 GMT

Racing flourished when the flat takeout rate was 10-15% and the product was seasonal. It's no coincidence that it has declined as the price of wagering and the amount of product increased to levels the market refused to bear. The industry drove people to purchase substitute goods (e.g. casino gaming) with their pricing plan and I can't believe anyone can think that people who wager are not price sensitive over the long term. The industry's own history proves it.

The problem with the LV and Tiffany analogy is that part of the reason they can charge more for their products is because they are scarce goods. Racing isn't, last I checked. The contraction of or reduction in supply of the product is anathema to every owner or breeder who favors more subsidies (i.e. slots), or at least the ones who tend to make comments on message boards such as these.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Scott — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:09:54 GMT

The NFL, NBA, MLB, etc has no betting. So why can't horse racing get sponsorship? Sell the signals to TV and advertisers. Not just one track but three or four at a time. So every three or five minutes there is a race. Tell a story about a horse, an owner, trainer, groom, hotwalker, vet, blacksmith, dentist, etc. Ever been to a backstretch, we are colorful people. People talk about the risk horses take, look at the peoples' risk. I saw a groom get kicked in the head, sent in midair to the wall, and slide down. Knocked out. By the way, he was back to work in two weeks. Most of you would be out for three months. You wake up in the morning, you take risks. Stop thinking horseracing has no risk.

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

MikeD — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:59:37 GMT

Bob C: Raise takeout to 30%? Why stop there? Why not 50%? Maybe 60% will cure all the ills of the industry.

How about the industry asks the HORSEPLAYER for answers. After all, we are the ones fueling the entire industry, and the reason the industry is in such a clusterfk is because horseplayers are tired of getting screwed by high takeout, breakage, fake tracks, and cheating trainers and are leaving the game in droves. Those of us that remain are wagering far less than we used to. (Some of that forced by these idiotic ADW signal wars.

I don't feel sorry for anyone in the industry. You brought this one on yourselves by burying you head in the sand the past two decades.

The only solution the industry seems to have is tax the horseplayer more and give out bobbleheads. Pathetic.

And Cangamble, who the heck still goes to the library!...LOL..

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

CRob87 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:02:41 GMT

Admittedly I really don't know anything about the ownership of the Tracks and their Investors, but...

Maybe the Tracks and the Track Investors should start buying up some of the OTB's and ADW Companies ???

Sort of buying back our own business, thereby keeping the ownership of our business all Internal ???

re: Crisis, Danger, and Opportunity - By Stacy V. Bearse

Soldier Course — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:58:08 GMT

FourCats:

I like your suggestion about subscriptions. It's worth a try, at least on a limited basis at first. I take my copies of Thoroughbred Times to the doctor's office after I read them, but nobody's getting my copies of The Blood-Horse!