decline of the smaller tracks

[bb_skoots]

Went to to a race track for the first time on a Monday afternoon in a couple years. Usually only go on weekend a couple time a year. How depressing. The place is nearly empty, poor people mostly. They literally bet 10 cents on a super. Running only claimers from $2500 to $4000. Six to eight horse per race . The track cant survive like this. All the more successful jocks and trainers have moved on.

[ncat12]

any chance you are referring to laurel?

[mikemca]

Its not just the smaller tracks.They need to market the sport better and get it back in the limelight.If Women's basketball can get good enough ratings to be on ESPN2 tonight I don't see how Horse Racing can't be more appealing to the public.I don't have the answer but maybe its time to consolidate the tracks and make every day more meaningful.

[unusialsusp5]

the proliferation of racing dates caused some of the decline. they must reduce the amount of days that they run to get fuller fields and make it more viable for the bettors. however, it is too late as median age of the racetrack attendee is around 66 years and are dying off faster than replacement players are coming in..

[sq764]

Went to to a race track for the first time on a Monday afternoon in a couple years. Usually only go on weekend a couple time a year. How depressing. The place is nearly empty, poor people mostly. They literally bet 10 cents on a super. Running only claimers from $2500 to $4000. Six to eight horse per race . The track cant survive like this. All the more successful jocks and trainers have moved on.

how can you blanketly say 'poor people mostly'?

by the way they dress? you know their bankrolls? cmon man

[bb_skoots]

No, I dont know , maybe they are all rich but I doubt it.
I say poor people based on: dress, age, speech, betting 10 cent and dollar bets, dont buy program, the cars in the parking lot, older retirees. The appearance of the crowd has changed alot in the last ten years.
BTW its Thistledown.

[unusialsusp5]

if they don't get slots (thistledown that is) it will be closed down due to all the reasons you state bb. that's what it's come to..

[BuckeyeT]

No, I dont know , maybe they are all rich but I doubt it.
I say poor people based on: dress, age, speech, betting 10 cent and dollar bets, dont buy program, the cars in the parking lot, older retirees. The appearance of the crowd has changed alot in the last ten years.
BTW its Thistledown.

I live about 7 miles from thistledown and yes that place has gone in the toilet.

You should come a few miles south around here to Northfield Park, i live 2 minutes from there in Walton hills, what a differnce in the crowd and a HUGE difference in the building itself.

Northfield looks like a vegas style racebook now, its a 100% change from T-down.

[bb_skoots]

^^^^ good advice.

[cecil127]

I live about 7 miles from thistledown and yes that place has gone in the toilet. You should come a few miles south around here to Northfield Park, i live 2 minutes from there in Walton hills, what a differnce in the crowd and a HUGE difference in the building itself. Northfield looks like a vegas style racebook now, its a 100% change from T-down.

yea, and thats a harness track! (refering to the slap in the face standardbred racing got in the saratoga TB thread)....phuckin bitch.

[powerhouse]

I miss the old Jefferson Downs in New Orleans. It was night racing and provided a lot of non traveling horseman a year round spot to work.

The house

[sq764]

is river downs still around or did they end too?

[stackitt]

Boise racing is back again!

THIS IS KIND OF OFF THE SUBJECT BUT ON THE SUBJECT OF SMALL TRACKS THAT ARE DECLINING. I LIVE IN BOISE, IDAHO AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RACE HERE FOR 2 YEARS. THIS SAT. WILL BE A GREAT DAY FOR RACING IN BOISE BECAUSE LIVE RACING STARTS EVEN IF IT IS ONLY A 15 DAY MEET. AT LEAST ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LIVE MEET THIS YEAR!

[Dirty Sanchez]

I'm heading to Penn National on Friday Night....they seem to be doing pretty well...horses/trainers from Parx, Charlestown, Delaware, etc. seem to be inter-changing and the fields have been solid

[Brewers in 7]

yea, and thats a harness track! (refering to the slap in the face standardbred racing got in the saratoga TB thread)....phuckin bitch.

Harness racing attendance seems to be going up, Tbred down.... good crowd at chester last sunday, gonna be bigger this sunday

[bb_skoots]

River Downs is still racing.

Maybe Thistledown is in worse shape than the other small tracks. They were bought recently by Harrah's. ($ 43 million) The previous owner, Magna Entertainment, went bankrupt.

[rumple]

Thistle is the bottom of the barrel for sure.

[BuckeyeT]

I'm heading to Penn National on Friday Night....they seem to be doing pretty well...horses/trainers from Parx, Charlestown, Delaware, etc. seem to be inter-changing and the fields have been solid

Penn Nat'l is like night and day now that they got the Hollywood casino there, they use to be one of the bottom feeders b4 the casino got there.

Not too many tracks where you have 5K claimers running for a 12K purse.

[unusialsusp5]

the slot tracks (chester, penn natl) are surviving for now because of the casino integrated into them...but here in NE here are the tracks that have gone down since i started in 1965. Green Mountain and Rutland in VT. Hinsdale, Belmont, Rockingham, Seabrook in NH. Wonderland, Raynham, Foxboro, Marshfield, Northampton, Great Barrington in MA. Lincoln, Newport Jai Ali in RI. Plainfield, Shoreline Star, Hartford Jai Ali in CT. 17 live racing venues gone to never return..no big deal since there is simulcasting at some of these facilities...but the overall demise of small tracks is continuing elsewhere...

[bb_skoots]

Mountaineer (WV) was struggling until they got casino gambling. Now its The Mountaineer Casino that happens to have a small race track next to it. The Grandstand is now a poker room.

Even Gulfstream in Florida looks more like a casino with a race track next to it since they tore down the old grandstand and built a casino. This will be the only way the smaller tracks will survive. They have to be attached to casino gambling. I dont know about the politics in Ohio; if the race tracks will benefit from the coming casinos.

[BuckeyeT]

Once the casinos open here in Ohio it will only be a matter of time b4 the tracks get slots into them, it seems to happen that way, look at the tracks up in Michigan.

The casinos were open for a while then tracks like Hazel park and Northville Downs got a card room in them.

[ncat12]

is the fact that these tracks have casino's and are more succesfull than b4 a 10 yr band aid or do you think they will (race tracks) be as succesfull as they once were?

[JakeLc]

The sport as we know it/remember it is dying off

[bb_skoots]

is the fact that these tracks have casino's and are more succesfull than b4 a 10 yr band aid or do you think they will (race tracks) be as succesfull as they once were?

The casinos generate alot of cash for the state. Someday the schools or the general fund may want a bigger slice and take away from the money that is supplementing the tracks .It boils down to politics. Then the tracks may be back to where they were before the casino money came along.

[ncat12]

damn totaly forgot about the political part of this , thanks, so if I have this correct the tracks corp. operate under a _ yr contract

[sq764]

its not going to be long before we have 5 or 6 big tracks and the rest racinos.. period

[sq764]

canterbury shut down too.. lovely

[ncat12]

its not going to be long before we have 5 or 6 big tracks and the rest racinos.. period

damn that makes some serious sense....If tht was to happen you think that TV wouild put more specials on , could make more Saturdays 'race day', besides just the tri crown and the breeders

[exstatman]

canterbury shut down too.. lovely

Canterbury is regulated by a state agency that is closed due to the State shutdown, it will reopen when the State agencies reopen.

[TonyP]

after the corps that own the casinos/racinos figure out the tracks are not generating any money whats going to happen?

[bb_skoots]

thistledown was owned by Magna Entertainment for years. They went bankrupt and sold to Harrah's. Harrahs paid a premium price , based on the future slots to be added. So that tells you that they bought Thistledown , not for the track but for the future casino.

[ncat12]

i suppose evry track will be a mini AC ( all the action instead of sports action?)

[JakeLc]

The foal population continues to decline each year who is going to fill these races

[ncat12]

The foal population continues to decline each year who is going to fill these races

curious to know the reason tht the foal pop is declining? not enough interest ,to expensive(not w/ every other shiek tryin to buy a tri crown winner)..

[bb_skoots]

The prices the yearlings bring at sale aren't high enough to be profitable, for the most part. There are exceptions at the upper levels.