Does anyone care about Horse Racing???

[csm506]

Does anyone care about thoroughbred horse racing anymore? It was a big deal up into the mid 1970's and now old people are trying to convince the under 35 crowd to come to racetracks during the day to bet. I think this sport should die already as I used to be a owner and a great fan, and now I just do not care. Any thoughts?

[drew17]

I still go a few times in the summer and im 20.

[csm506]

I am 38 and I used to go several times a month with my buddies in the NYC area in the 90's and early 2000's now nobody goes anymore and the game is so rigged, the young people rather bet on cards and sports.

[playersonly69]

Not really at all

[jjgold]

Its dying out
rigged

[csm506]

Dam straight how does a race that has a purse of 5k make money for 7 or 8 owners at Monticello, Yonkers, Freehold?

[Reno Paul]

I rather place wagers at the OTB and then go home and watch it on TVG or HRTV. Not many people go to the harness track that is nearby me.

[ok now what]

It's not supposed to make money for 7 or 8 owners. Pays most of the training/food bill if you're 4th/5th. Minor profits if you avg 3rd, 1st and 2nd - you're doing fine.

Makes money when your horse fits the class and the horse gets a check 4-5x a month. Drivers come out fine, usually getting no worse than 15-20 bucks for just sitting in the racebike no matter the result. Multiply that by 8-12 races and you're making enough to live on, plus whatever incentive is made for winning a race.

It's the places with $1700-2500 average purses that are worth complaint.

I contend racing was rigged worse in the recent past than it is now. I'd say about 3 in a hundred events are still suspect. It's the cheap races you actually have to worry more about.

[csm506]

Reno where do you live?

[MadTiger]

If a spot doesn't get slots, they soon feel the crunch. Some tracks are pulling out all the stops with an aggressive marketing campaign, with promotions, contests, radio station remotes, etc.

[csm506]

OK you are on the money, as a former owner I was told by guys like Mike L in harness racing if you know who I am talking about that his horse who was the morning line fav at 8/5 was not going to trot and he broke at the start at 2/5 hmmm

[csm506]

Mad I know down in Florida at Pompano they have a casino but non oe that money is put into the harness game...

[jjgold]

Casinos destroyed racing throughout usa

Now only tracks holding on are the ones with them

All others will go bankrupt

NY and NJ racing is bankrupt already and both thinking of closing down

[Reload]

It's been declining for sure, especially at the smaller tracks.

This time of year can be really dull. But after the Super Bowl is over, racing heats up again with the Derby preps.

[unusialsusp5]

it's declining due to the proliferation of other gambling venues. also simulcasting has destroyed the comraderie that used to exist at the track.(everyone used to focus on that tracks races because that was all they had). now with 40 or more tracks to bet everyday people are huddled individually instead of collectively. younger players are overwhelmed by this and would rather play slots or cards or bet games. when the older players finally all die off racing will shrink even more. there is a market thanks to online and account wagering (tvg and hrtv are helping stave off the inevitable for now but the future is clouded). meanwhile bet unusual suspect in the feature race at Hollywood park today. he is a one run horse who excels at 1 1/2 miles.

[madmaxx]

Few do..like me...I'm actually really pumped for the Champion of Champions this year (Los Alamitos).....but I could walk up to 1500 people on the street and not find one who knew what that is...and probly 4 or 5 people on here know who 'Freaky' is.

I'm lucky enough to have Del Mar as my home track so even on a really bad day of live racing theres 10k people there....but if you go to an OTB you are lucky to find many under 40 years old, if any. The horses retire way too early now (ie. Blame) which doesn't help.

[madmaxx]

There was a harness horse that looked unbeatable today at Cal Expo and I think he's a 2 year old.....the only thing I fail to understand about that form is racing is how they can go "off stride" out of nowhere...thats why I think its completely bogus

[wtf]

racing is surviving and doing well in europe , especially the UK

and you can bet on anything there, anywhere, there is a book literally on every corner

there is no need to race EVERYDAY , race tracks in europe are open once a week, most once a month

i guess by natural attrition it will consolidate and thrive

[thezbar]

The sport is in a state of decay. My interest diminishes with each passing year. There are better wagering opportunities out there. California is raising the takeout 3 % next year. Screw that!

[terrygolf1313]

big problem is track and state take outs most tracks should run shorter meets so that they may get sounder horses running

[adlai]

next to boxing, it's my favorite sport. i prefer harness racing to thoroughbred though.

[Wrigley]

I go to the track a couple times a year the younger generation does not seem that interested in it its future does not look bright

[thezbar]

next to boxing, it's my favorite sport. i prefer harness racing to thoroughbred though.

You must be on the east coast. In California Harness is minor leagues.

[TonyP]

I have been playing for years. I played the SCal circuit but now that they push for carryovers, have short fields, takeout increase, I am playing Mountaineer. They have a super every race, big fields and I have been doing well hitting a few supers almost everyday. I have been playing Churchill downs in the afternoon everyday for the last week and have been doing alright hitting a few supers and tri. The industry is in trouble, they do not know how to market for new players and it is getting tough to keep the players they have.

[jjgold]

I played way more years ago, now I rarely bet it and have money in some usa racing accounts

It is just impossible to win

[csm506]

Thank for the tip of unusual suspect in the 8th at hollyweird.

[csm506]

I know Freaky but quarter horse racing does not appeal to me or most, it is like watching a dog race 15 seconds or less on most races, how can one get excited about that, and I love horse racing and watched 100's of quarter horse races to boring.

[csm506]

wtf, we need to learn from the Europeans, once a week maybe to little but 2-3 times a week would not be so bad, also the facilities there are far superior to our tracks.

[wtf]

wtf, we need to learn from the Europeans, once a week maybe to little but 2-3 times a week would not be so bad, also the facilities there are far superior to our tracks.

think about it, lets say CD was only open on weekends, or friday night and saturday

i contend the place will be packed with full fields, i am sure of it

[csm506]

Like anything in life you must introduce younger crowds of people, right now if you go to any track in the country during the week, you see tiny crowds of a few hundred and most of them older people in their 60's and 70's and the people who are in their 30's and 40's are people from the DR, Jamaica or of Asian decent, on the weekends you get small groups of younger people in their 20's and so on, but they do not support the sport or wager any money. The industry needs to cut back racing on the mail circuits to 3 days a week, save jobs and money, promote better racing by supplementing purses, and intertwining a reality show of some sort and many other infusions.

[The General]

I do. Love the ponies, but lose often.

[csm506]

General we all lose at the ponies LOL

[zebra58]

wagering handles on the upswing, big improvement over the last 5 years

[JerseyLove]

Usedto be, not anymore though!

[csm506]

I do not believe that to be of more fans, I think it is helping the on-line people who would normally go to the track, now they can bet at home in addition the same big gamblers betting even more. What percentages are going up 2? 5? it is not in the million that is for sure.