Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

re: Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

John from Baltimore — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:36:46 GMT

Hate to post another comment on something before the ink is dry on my last comment but everyone in the horse business should take note of the article in this magazine on what is going on with contract talks at Delaware Park. Looks like track management does not think that it was given slot revenue to help run a race track and wants money from the horsemen's purse account. Time for the worthless National H.B.P.A. to do something productive and come up with a strategy to promote horse racing. Just another showing that these gaming companies would just as well get rid of racing.

re: Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

BlueHen — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:15:05 GMT

I agree with John from Baltimore. Also, it seems to me that there will soon be a glut of casinos in the marketplace. In NY State, where I live, the governor is seeking to have more casinos built. Can all these be supported? Who goes to casinos? It strikes me (I live near Turning Stone) that it's mostly retirees. This demographic is going to fade away, and the younger people coming up behind them don't have their kind of money. From my generation (40s) downward, we just aren't going to have a lot of money to retire on. I think it's a bad idea for the racing industry to get too tied into casinos. A quick infusion of cash that enforces the status quo will not force racing to sit down and think over its issues and find good long-term solutions. Racing by itself is a great thing -- it can long outlive the casino fad and be self-reliant if it plays its cards right.

re: Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

John from Baltimore — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:06:09 GMT

When all is said and done it is thoroughbred racing that will have to save thoroughbred racing. In the current climate of racing all the major players are gaming companies. Churchill Downs and Deleware North don't even want to build a barn area for the new track in Dayton, and these are major players in the horse industry. It's a slippery slope to rely on these gaming companies and government officials to keep the horse industry alive. It is time for a new national organization to promote racing, set up a tour for the good horses,and make racing drug free. Time for the large breeders to step up with some ethics on stallions going to stud with six to ten starts. The average horse can no longer do his job, which is race regularly, because they are not sound enough. This leads to many break downs and unwanted horses. If nothing changes in the end racing will shrink to be more like Europe and only the major players will be left,and a large part of the industry will be gone. Who is in charge anyway? Go figure.

re: Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

judy burkhart — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:51:25 GMT

I hope the KY legislation reads this, or everyone will be shipping in to run in KY and a majority of the broodmares and studs will move to other states and KY will be the former Horse capital of the world.

re: Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

Old Old Cat — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:12:06 GMT

A racehorse starts out as a foal, becomes a racehorse (hopefully), then graduates to breeding (stallions or broodmares) or pleasure. In its 20 to 30 year life only 10% or 20% is devoted to racing. From that scenerio I would expect no more than 10% of the horses would show up as racehorses. What is paramount to Kentucky is the breeding. That is the fuel that furnishes all the other categories. The racetrack incentives help keep the breeding interests up, and help keep the racehorses in Kentucky. Hopefully the results of the study will not diminish the overall importance of the breeding aspect.

It's good to see a problem analyzed by a group of groups, in depth, rather than each conducting individual shallow studies.

re: Kentucky Horsepower - by Eric Mitchell

trackjack — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:58:18 GMT

Well done article and challenge, Eric.

From a long-time racing enthusiast from the Buckeye state: I am well versed with state politics (Columbus); where allengiances lie, whose putting money in whose pocket, whose writing laws for whose benefit and on and on. I hope the legislators in Frankfort, who can't see the forest through the trees, begin to feel the pressure from the people. "This is the way we've always done it," doesn't cut it anymore. "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

Good luck and keep their feet to the fire.