HBO's upcoming series Luck is being touted as the next Sopranos. Luck is all about horse racing. Chantal Sutherland is in it too. She plays an exercise rider.
Horse racing definitely has a seedy side. Always has. And this series will definitely magnify it and blow it out of proportion. But so what? Some say there is no such thing as bad publicity (I'm not sure Barbaro's demise helped horse racing), I think that statement is very true here. As long as the show has some focus on gambling (and the preview indicates it), I think this will be good exposure for the game.
The key is that no matter how shady some of the gamblers are, if they even give an inkling that the game can be beat in the long run, it just may spark viewers enough to create new Horseplayers.
The movie Secretariat didn't focus on the gambling aspect of horse racing at all, nor did the rise of Zenyatta. Luck may be the catalyst horse racing needs. Now if only horse racing execs can make a concerted effort to make the game actually winnable in the long run by reducing takeouts (not just on gimmick Pick 5's), we might just see some growth and some light at the end of the tunnel for the industry which continues on its downward spiral:
HT EQUIDAILY
Pull The Pocket has a good post up on positioning horse racing from a marketing stand point. Conclusion, way too many cooks without a clue. There are right answers out there, but those who have a say today, give the wrong answers and worst of all, act on them.
HANA ANNOUNCES POOL PARTY FOR MOLSON PACE NIGHT AT WESTERN FAIR ON FRIDAY
HANA (Horseplayers Association Of North America) has organized a late PICK for Pool Party. Track takeout for Western Fair's Pick 4 is 15%.
On that night, Canadian Horseplayers through HPI will get 10 times rewards on triactors. Most American Horseplayers can get a great deal too at ADWs like Horseplayersbet.com.
Here is a free program from Western Fair's site for Friday night.
25 May 2011
19 May 2011
Knowing Who's Gonna Win Kinda Takes The Fun Out Of It
I hope this video embeds well. You may have to click the arrow a couple of times if it doesn't work the first time (it should open within the blog post eventually so close any popups).
I love The Beverly Hillbillies and caught this episode a few weeks ago on TV. This is classic horse racing comedy. Don Rickles helps. The real good stuff starts at around the 11:45 mark.
Jed Clampett's system: "I just pick out the horse that looks like he can outrun the others."
I think there are a few Horseplayers who handicap that way these days. With the flagrant use of concoctions and treatments like hyperbaric oxygen chambers, it might be the best way to make money. The past performances become less and less of a reliable tool.
"There must be 50,000 people here." Thems were the days. Takeouts were around 15%, and there was plenty of churn because you could only wager on a handful of exotics each day. Some Horseplayers could actually leave the joint with more money than they came in with.
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I love The Beverly Hillbillies and caught this episode a few weeks ago on TV. This is classic horse racing comedy. Don Rickles helps. The real good stuff starts at around the 11:45 mark.
Jed Clampett's system: "I just pick out the horse that looks like he can outrun the others."
I think there are a few Horseplayers who handicap that way these days. With the flagrant use of concoctions and treatments like hyperbaric oxygen chambers, it might be the best way to make money. The past performances become less and less of a reliable tool.
"There must be 50,000 people here." Thems were the days. Takeouts were around 15%, and there was plenty of churn because you could only wager on a handful of exotics each day. Some Horseplayers could actually leave the joint with more money than they came in with.
Advertisement
Horse racing isn't about to lower takeout collectively anytime soon. At least many astute Horseplayers have some options.
HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM offers Horseplayers industry high Player Reward Bonuses. No minimums. Start getting bonuses immediately.
SPECIAL BONUS OFFER TO NEW MEMBERS AT HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM
BET $80 GET $40 DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT
Wager at least $80 in total, win or lose, and you will get $40 deposited into your account. You will also start receiving industry high Player Reward Bonuses daily as soon as you start wagering. To earn the $40 Bonus you must wager at least $80 in total within 7 days of making your initial deposit.
CLICK LOGO TO OPEN A FREE ACCOUNT
Why Horseplayersbet.com?:
* Industry High Player Reward Bonuses added to your account daily
* User friendly betting interface makes wagering easy
* FREE LIVE VIDEOS
* FREE RACE REPLAYS
* Wager Online or by Phone
* Great customer service
* 100% Parimutuel
* Bet cancellation capabilities
* No membership or wagering fees
* Green Dot & PINpocket fees rebated (deposits of $120 or more)
* No fees on debit/credit card deposits by phone of $100 or more
* Online credit card funding (4.25% fee rebated on deposits of $100 or more)
HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM, "WHERE HORSEPLAYERS COME FIRST." SIGN UP TODAY AND SEE WHY HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING US BASED ADWS
Player Reward Bonuses could be the difference to you as to whether you win in the long run playing horses, or lose. Sure, you still need skill and luck as well to succeed, and at HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM at least you have a fighting chance. And one thing is for sure, your money will last longer because of the PLAYER REWARD BONUSES you receive.
15 May 2011
50 Cent Pick 5's Won't Work For Everyone
Monmouth had very good success last year with the 50 Cent pick 5 (though it was introduced back in 2007). Much of the success was due to the fact that eyes were on last years meet because they raised purses a bunch and wound up with pretty good field size on top of it. The low takeout didn't hurt either. And not having a Pick 6 most probably helped as well.
Turf Paradise also has had a 50 cent Pick 5 for a while too. But on carryover days, they are lucky to hit $12,000 in total pool.
Still, after watching what happened at Monmouth, Gulfstream Park decided to follow suit, and it looks like it was a factor in helping them have a very good meet relative to the industry the past winter.
Calder and Hollywood Park have now joined the show with low takeout Pick 5's, while Arlington and Churchill Downs added 50 cent Pick 5's to their menus too.
Hollywood Park needed to do something to say that they still care about the customer after California increased takeout on exotics to 22.68% on doubles and exactors and 23.68% on all other bets (an increase of 10-15% from 20.68%). Calder wanted to give Horseplayers a reason to play that track (their takeouts are in the stratosphere), so they put out a 12% 50 cent Pick 5 this year.
To me, as I've stated before, the Pick 5 is the last reason for me to handicap a card. Once I handicap a card though, I might play it if it looks like something I can cash. Tracks like Hollywood and Calder are banking that Horseplayers will handicap the lower take Pick 5's. and then will make other wagers on these cards.
Of course, carryovers on the Pick 5 help tremendously, but at a 50 cent minimum and when fields are on the small size, they don't happen too frequently.
Hollywood was lucky enough to have one the past week, but don't expect many more in the future.
Monmouth hardly had many last year, even with larger fields.
The low takeouts attached to these Pick 5's are insulting to me actually. Pick 5 winnings are least likely to be churned as payoffs are usually on the high side. If track execs were even remotely interested in growing their business, they would lower takeout on higher churn bets like exotics like doubles, exactors and Pick 3's.
More and more smaller tracks are likely to give these Pick 5's a shot, and I think it is a mistake if they go the 50 cent route. First off, the hope for smaller tracks is a larger carryover, and that is why I think they should opt for a dollar minimum.
I would rather see dollar Pick 5's at tracks like Louisiana Downs, Mountaineer, etc. who have Pick 6's that need months to build, and they rarely, if ever have a Pick 6 carryover that catches the eyes of players from around the USA and Canada.
I believe that Pick 6's should only be available at California A tracks and possibly NYRA tracks.
As for the Fortune Pick 6 Jackpot bet that Beulah introduced and Gulfstream added this year. I like them, only because they can attract slots and lottery players possibly, and some of these players might cross over to horse racing. However, I would make mandatory payoffs happen a lot more frequently...not just the end of the meet. Mandatory payoff dates are when real money is bet on this type of wager. Once every three to four weeks should do the trick.
Again, a low takeout isn't important on Pick 5's or Pick 6's. Tracks, especially smaller ones, should look at some of their wagers that attract low pool size, for example, like Fort Erie's Pick 3's, and reduce those bets as a stepping stone towards doing more reducing down the road if successful.
And one more thing, when it comes to Superfectas, I hate the dime or twenty cent minimums that are out there right now. 50 cent minimums like Mountaineer has are just fine for most gamblers. The idea of superfectas in the first place was to give players an opportunity at a large hit. 10 or 20 cent supers at high takeout rates just wipe players out a lot faster as they usually wind up with exactor or triactor payouts anyways if they cash a super in most cases.
Also, supers should not be available in races that have less than 8 horses. Again, all this does is dilute pools and break customers faster (takeouts of 25% are usually associated with supers). It is one of the reasons why horse racing is dying right now.
Turf Paradise also has had a 50 cent Pick 5 for a while too. But on carryover days, they are lucky to hit $12,000 in total pool.
Still, after watching what happened at Monmouth, Gulfstream Park decided to follow suit, and it looks like it was a factor in helping them have a very good meet relative to the industry the past winter.
Calder and Hollywood Park have now joined the show with low takeout Pick 5's, while Arlington and Churchill Downs added 50 cent Pick 5's to their menus too.
Hollywood Park needed to do something to say that they still care about the customer after California increased takeout on exotics to 22.68% on doubles and exactors and 23.68% on all other bets (an increase of 10-15% from 20.68%). Calder wanted to give Horseplayers a reason to play that track (their takeouts are in the stratosphere), so they put out a 12% 50 cent Pick 5 this year.
To me, as I've stated before, the Pick 5 is the last reason for me to handicap a card. Once I handicap a card though, I might play it if it looks like something I can cash. Tracks like Hollywood and Calder are banking that Horseplayers will handicap the lower take Pick 5's. and then will make other wagers on these cards.
Of course, carryovers on the Pick 5 help tremendously, but at a 50 cent minimum and when fields are on the small size, they don't happen too frequently.
Hollywood was lucky enough to have one the past week, but don't expect many more in the future.
Monmouth hardly had many last year, even with larger fields.
The low takeouts attached to these Pick 5's are insulting to me actually. Pick 5 winnings are least likely to be churned as payoffs are usually on the high side. If track execs were even remotely interested in growing their business, they would lower takeout on higher churn bets like exotics like doubles, exactors and Pick 3's.
More and more smaller tracks are likely to give these Pick 5's a shot, and I think it is a mistake if they go the 50 cent route. First off, the hope for smaller tracks is a larger carryover, and that is why I think they should opt for a dollar minimum.
I would rather see dollar Pick 5's at tracks like Louisiana Downs, Mountaineer, etc. who have Pick 6's that need months to build, and they rarely, if ever have a Pick 6 carryover that catches the eyes of players from around the USA and Canada.
I believe that Pick 6's should only be available at California A tracks and possibly NYRA tracks.
As for the Fortune Pick 6 Jackpot bet that Beulah introduced and Gulfstream added this year. I like them, only because they can attract slots and lottery players possibly, and some of these players might cross over to horse racing. However, I would make mandatory payoffs happen a lot more frequently...not just the end of the meet. Mandatory payoff dates are when real money is bet on this type of wager. Once every three to four weeks should do the trick.
Again, a low takeout isn't important on Pick 5's or Pick 6's. Tracks, especially smaller ones, should look at some of their wagers that attract low pool size, for example, like Fort Erie's Pick 3's, and reduce those bets as a stepping stone towards doing more reducing down the road if successful.
And one more thing, when it comes to Superfectas, I hate the dime or twenty cent minimums that are out there right now. 50 cent minimums like Mountaineer has are just fine for most gamblers. The idea of superfectas in the first place was to give players an opportunity at a large hit. 10 or 20 cent supers at high takeout rates just wipe players out a lot faster as they usually wind up with exactor or triactor payouts anyways if they cash a super in most cases.
Also, supers should not be available in races that have less than 8 horses. Again, all this does is dilute pools and break customers faster (takeouts of 25% are usually associated with supers). It is one of the reasons why horse racing is dying right now.
5 May 2011
Pathetically Weak Derby Field Will Probably Lead To An Exciting Race
I just finished handicapping the Kentucky Derby, and other than Uncle Mo (will he or won't he run), this field has the same proven ability of a typical Non Winners Of One Other Than at Woodbine. The field is so blah that Mine That Bird would look bettable in the 2011 Derby.
Uncle Mo towers over the field based on peak speed figures. His last race though makes him questionable, as his final speed number ranks right in with the rest of the herd.
I've altered the way I handicap big races, so my second choice (who might wind up being my first choice if Mo is scratched) would have been a horse I eliminated last year. Master Of Hounds pulled off a decent speed figure (compared to the rest of the Derby field) in his last race at Dubai (according to TrackMaster ratings). The thing is that he is racing on a 40 day layoff. He has never tried a dirt track, and at the time of this writing has no published workouts since November (is he even eligible to run?).
Taking away all the negatives, there is some good theory behind playing Master Of Hounds. American based horses ran horrible at Dubai. Maybe they couldn't handle racing without the meds that are allowed on this side of the ocean. With the proposed ban on race day meds possibly looming, I find a sense of inner satisfaction (it has something to do with provocation and chaos) to see this European invader come to America and use Lasix for the first time.
The horse is definitely bred for the distance, and has a good post and good jockey.
The other horses I will likely throw in are Nehro and Santiva. But handicapping this Derby is like throwing mud against the wall. Even with Mo in the race, I'm expecting to see gigantic exotic payoffs.
Handle Falls Another 7.5% In April
There were 7.5% less race days as well. Less isn't better. Purses were up slightly. Why? Mostly because of artificial increases in California as well as the addition of slot money to purses at Gulfstream. A few tracks did buck the trend with handle increases: Keeneland, Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs to name a few.
The bottom will come out of the purse increase in California soon though. There is no way they can maintain a purse hike with consistent 20% declines in handle since they imposed that foolish takeout hike at the beginning of the year, which was met by an unprecedented Horseplayer's Boycott. Even though, little has been mentioned lately about the Boycott, handle is still getting slaughtered which leads me to believe that the natural forces of the takeout increase (players not having as much money to churn, and getting turned off quicker) coupled with higher signal fees (which turns off anyone who gets rebates) has taken its toll. The longer California doesn't rescind the takeout hike, the harder it will be to win back the players who have gone elsewhere.
Trainers Are Biting Their Fingers Off Over The Proposed New Bill To Ban Race Day Medication and Performance Enhancing Drugs
Here is a copy of the bill. It is very strict and provides very little wiggle room for anyone who is looking to do anything but feed oats and hay and water.
I'm curious if this is adopted in the US, if Canada will follow suit. I would have to say that Woodbine would comply, even if they don't have to. Would the ORC automatically make the US rules Canadian rules? It is an interesting hypothetical. Canada could become a haven for real bleeders and outfits that don't want to play by the new proposed rules.
FORT ERIE KICKS OF THE 2011 SEASON ON SATURDAY
Norm Borg interviews new announcer Mike Dimoff as well as Elissa Blowe. Listen here.
Great to see they acquired the services of Jennifer Morrison to make the morning line. I doubt we will see Nick Gonzalez trained horses at 12-1 or higher anymore in the program.
Fort Erie is trying (in every way but the right way), however with a track takeouts of 26.3 on exactors and doubles still, I don't see them doing anything but swim against the tide this year.
Fort Erie will still do well with US Horseplayers who receive rebates, and may pick up some of the ex California crowd, but other than that I think they are destined for around a 5-10% decrease in handle this year. Something they can ill afford.
Horse racing is about gambling, not about music or cheap hot dogs.
Sending their patrons home broke quickly (that is what high takeouts do) doesn't bring them back very quick, nor does it the plant seeds of future Horseplayers.
Many tracks have added new low takeout gimmicks. Fort Erie needs to do at least that. But still, 26.3% on doubles and exactors????? What are they thinking? The betting public is way more in tune with track takeouts than ever before.
I wish them all the luck in the world. But I'm afraid that luck won't cut it.
Uncle Mo towers over the field based on peak speed figures. His last race though makes him questionable, as his final speed number ranks right in with the rest of the herd.
I've altered the way I handicap big races, so my second choice (who might wind up being my first choice if Mo is scratched) would have been a horse I eliminated last year. Master Of Hounds pulled off a decent speed figure (compared to the rest of the Derby field) in his last race at Dubai (according to TrackMaster ratings). The thing is that he is racing on a 40 day layoff. He has never tried a dirt track, and at the time of this writing has no published workouts since November (is he even eligible to run?).
Taking away all the negatives, there is some good theory behind playing Master Of Hounds. American based horses ran horrible at Dubai. Maybe they couldn't handle racing without the meds that are allowed on this side of the ocean. With the proposed ban on race day meds possibly looming, I find a sense of inner satisfaction (it has something to do with provocation and chaos) to see this European invader come to America and use Lasix for the first time.
The horse is definitely bred for the distance, and has a good post and good jockey.
The other horses I will likely throw in are Nehro and Santiva. But handicapping this Derby is like throwing mud against the wall. Even with Mo in the race, I'm expecting to see gigantic exotic payoffs.
Handle Falls Another 7.5% In April
There were 7.5% less race days as well. Less isn't better. Purses were up slightly. Why? Mostly because of artificial increases in California as well as the addition of slot money to purses at Gulfstream. A few tracks did buck the trend with handle increases: Keeneland, Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs to name a few.
The bottom will come out of the purse increase in California soon though. There is no way they can maintain a purse hike with consistent 20% declines in handle since they imposed that foolish takeout hike at the beginning of the year, which was met by an unprecedented Horseplayer's Boycott. Even though, little has been mentioned lately about the Boycott, handle is still getting slaughtered which leads me to believe that the natural forces of the takeout increase (players not having as much money to churn, and getting turned off quicker) coupled with higher signal fees (which turns off anyone who gets rebates) has taken its toll. The longer California doesn't rescind the takeout hike, the harder it will be to win back the players who have gone elsewhere.
Trainers Are Biting Their Fingers Off Over The Proposed New Bill To Ban Race Day Medication and Performance Enhancing Drugs
Here is a copy of the bill. It is very strict and provides very little wiggle room for anyone who is looking to do anything but feed oats and hay and water.
I'm curious if this is adopted in the US, if Canada will follow suit. I would have to say that Woodbine would comply, even if they don't have to. Would the ORC automatically make the US rules Canadian rules? It is an interesting hypothetical. Canada could become a haven for real bleeders and outfits that don't want to play by the new proposed rules.
FORT ERIE KICKS OF THE 2011 SEASON ON SATURDAY
Norm Borg interviews new announcer Mike Dimoff as well as Elissa Blowe. Listen here.
Great to see they acquired the services of Jennifer Morrison to make the morning line. I doubt we will see Nick Gonzalez trained horses at 12-1 or higher anymore in the program.
Fort Erie is trying (in every way but the right way), however with a track takeouts of 26.3 on exactors and doubles still, I don't see them doing anything but swim against the tide this year.
Fort Erie will still do well with US Horseplayers who receive rebates, and may pick up some of the ex California crowd, but other than that I think they are destined for around a 5-10% decrease in handle this year. Something they can ill afford.
Horse racing is about gambling, not about music or cheap hot dogs.
Sending their patrons home broke quickly (that is what high takeouts do) doesn't bring them back very quick, nor does it the plant seeds of future Horseplayers.
Many tracks have added new low takeout gimmicks. Fort Erie needs to do at least that. But still, 26.3% on doubles and exactors????? What are they thinking? The betting public is way more in tune with track takeouts than ever before.
I wish them all the luck in the world. But I'm afraid that luck won't cut it.
28 April 2011
Drugs In Racing: We Need Transparency First
Recently, I did a post on the drugs and treatment that are most likely being used, and for the most part, flying below the radar.
The latest movement out there is the idea that getting rid of race day medication will clean up the game, creating a positive public perception.
As I outlined in my blog piece, race day medication (which is pretty much Lasix) is just the tip of the iceberg as far as performance enhancers go. And the jury is still out regarding whether cutting out Lasix would be more humane or less humane when looking at race horses collectively.
The most logical argument I see against Lasix is the one that looks at average starts per year in the 60's and 70's versus average starts per year today. But lets not forget that they were testing for a lot less back then, and you could be sure that something was being used to prevent or curtail bleeding back then on known bleeders.
Also one could argue that because of high Stake purses for 2 year olds and three year olds, and a need for quick returns by breeders, coupled with the fact that would be bleeders could now become Grade One Stake winners and then become highly sought in the breeding shed, that today's race horse is bred to be less durable than yesteryear's race horse.
So what is banning Lasix going to accomplish? Well, if Bill Finley is correct on his assertions that Lasix masks a bunch of banned concoctions, then some "Super Trainers" will see a decrease in their win percentage.
Horses will still break down, so forget about getting the PETA types to go away.
As for gamblers, I maintain that drugs in horse racing is just another smokescreen excuse used by Horseplayers for why they are thinking about quitting. It really boils down to having their bankrolls last, and drug cheaters only add fuel to already high takeouts, for if someone is using the inside drug information when betting, they are causing even lower payoffs than what normal takeout rates create.
In other words, getting rid of drugs might take away some of the backstretch edge, allowing for Horseplayers to last longer collectively, but it is highly unlikely that it will draw more players into the game. We need much lower track takeouts to accomplish that. We need visible long term winners in the game, so that newbies have a reason to buy a bunch of handicapping books or software.
But what would getting rid of drugs do to horsemen and horses today? Chances are that the breed is weaker, and getting rid of drugs will cause less starts. We are already seeing a shortage of owners and horses today, and this shortfall is going to get worse as less horses are bred over the next few years because of the cost of owning a horse is too high, and much of that is because in order to compete to make money, owners have to spend quite a lot on vet bills. It is an ugly Catch 22 situation right now.
As for the horsemen, I wonder if today's generation of trainer knows how to efficiently train a horse drug free in North America. There is no way they will be for a banning of drugs.
Decisions need to be made on the basis of not only tomorrow but today. Banning of drugs now will most likely kill the game. I hate to say that, but it is reality.
Banning of drugs and certain procedures have to be done methodically, and nothing is better than full transparency.
The first thing to do is to get every jurisdiction on the same page. The game is broken right now, and it needs to go in a different direction. But all participants have to go in the same new direction.
Second, make a list of legal substances and procedures. Lasix, go with it for now (maybe slowly cut the dosage). Tapping, allow it too. But document it. Maybe consider race day usage of Bute and Banomine to try to get everyone on an equal playing field for now while cutting down vet bills substantially, making the game more affordable for new owners. Oxygen treatments, again document it.
Make it clear that any drugs or treatment not on the list are not permitted and that if used, the trainers will get the book thrown at them (preferably criminal charges too). There definitely needs to be a list of legal drugs and procedures and a huge deterrent not to use something else or the idea of banning anything becomes the same joke it is today.
Now the tricky part. When I state that when a horse is tapped it should be documented, the same with oxygen chamber treatments, this information should appear in the past performances.
We are now in the 21st Century. Things have changed. There is no longer 40,000 people filling a race track on a Saturday. There is no good reason for lack of transparency. From a bettor's standpoint, we have every right to know when a horse was tapped, gelded, had a throat operation, etc. Why should the owner, the trainer and some of the trainer's staff be the only ones to know this, and possibly profit on it at the windows? If this happened in the real world (ie the stock market), it is called insider trading and if caught, a jail sentence might happen. Yet bettors are complacent when it comes to this and some actually wager on the basis of seeing stable money on a horse. Why is this acceptable today?
Put this stuff in the form. Again, by eliminating advantages the stable has, the regular Horseplayers will all last a little longer. This can only help the game. Horse racing cannot afford to lose even one more player.
Horseplayers will love this stuff to begin with at least, as it will lead to additional statistics and angles. Most Horseplayers love angles, especially ones that are based on objective data.
As for the claiming game. Well, it takes away a lot of the "poker" action some trainers like to play when dropping a horse. But so what? Inevitably, full disclosure will lead to more claiming and more owners as the new potential owner will have a lot more information on the potential purchase.
At first, owners may shy away from horses that have too many procedures, but as time goes by, patterns will emerge, and trainers will still be able to play a little poker. Meanwhile, claiming owners will go into the game with a lot more confidence.
Take a look at major league sports. Trades are now void most of the time if the new acquisition fails a physical. Why should horse racing be the complete opposite of this? Especially when the two biggest growth components are bettors and owners.
I can't stress it enough, but deterrents are the key. There might be an inclination for some trainers to continue with shenanigans unless certain rules are in place. I think what makes sense is that vets have to report each procedure to the racing office (who reports it to Equibase), but the trainer too, has to report all procedures at the time of entry to the race office as well. Both the vet and the trainer will be subject to a huge fine and lengthy suspension if they don't comply 100%.
The same thing would be true of anything that goes on outside of a racetrack, like hyperbaric oxygen treatments. The owner of the center has to report any horse that is treated, as well, the trainer has to report at the time of entry. If reporting doesn't occur by the center, they are subject to a fine and lose their ability to treat licensed race horses.
This is how it should be, and this is how it has to be. Full transparency will eventually rule out the bad drugs and procedures and it will also pinpoint the permissible drugs and treatments over time. And it might not even take that much time at that. Regulators will soon see what combinations leads to more races, and more importantly, which might lead to a higher percentage of racetrack deaths and changes can be made very quickly and effectively to truly clean up the game.
Don't get me wrong. I think it would be great if horses only raced on hay, water, and oats. But we are a good decade plus away from even considering that.
Banning of drugs in the long term could be fantastic for the game, as many horses will not be able to compete at the higher levels. OK wait, this is where I'm going with this. The horses that can compete at higher levels are more likely to become household names, because there will be fewer of them. We might see more Triple Crown winners, for example. Besides winning Horseplayers, horse racing needs super stars to get the newbies and tire kickers to get involved.
The latest movement out there is the idea that getting rid of race day medication will clean up the game, creating a positive public perception.
As I outlined in my blog piece, race day medication (which is pretty much Lasix) is just the tip of the iceberg as far as performance enhancers go. And the jury is still out regarding whether cutting out Lasix would be more humane or less humane when looking at race horses collectively.
The most logical argument I see against Lasix is the one that looks at average starts per year in the 60's and 70's versus average starts per year today. But lets not forget that they were testing for a lot less back then, and you could be sure that something was being used to prevent or curtail bleeding back then on known bleeders.
Also one could argue that because of high Stake purses for 2 year olds and three year olds, and a need for quick returns by breeders, coupled with the fact that would be bleeders could now become Grade One Stake winners and then become highly sought in the breeding shed, that today's race horse is bred to be less durable than yesteryear's race horse.
So what is banning Lasix going to accomplish? Well, if Bill Finley is correct on his assertions that Lasix masks a bunch of banned concoctions, then some "Super Trainers" will see a decrease in their win percentage.
Horses will still break down, so forget about getting the PETA types to go away.
As for gamblers, I maintain that drugs in horse racing is just another smokescreen excuse used by Horseplayers for why they are thinking about quitting. It really boils down to having their bankrolls last, and drug cheaters only add fuel to already high takeouts, for if someone is using the inside drug information when betting, they are causing even lower payoffs than what normal takeout rates create.
In other words, getting rid of drugs might take away some of the backstretch edge, allowing for Horseplayers to last longer collectively, but it is highly unlikely that it will draw more players into the game. We need much lower track takeouts to accomplish that. We need visible long term winners in the game, so that newbies have a reason to buy a bunch of handicapping books or software.
But what would getting rid of drugs do to horsemen and horses today? Chances are that the breed is weaker, and getting rid of drugs will cause less starts. We are already seeing a shortage of owners and horses today, and this shortfall is going to get worse as less horses are bred over the next few years because of the cost of owning a horse is too high, and much of that is because in order to compete to make money, owners have to spend quite a lot on vet bills. It is an ugly Catch 22 situation right now.
As for the horsemen, I wonder if today's generation of trainer knows how to efficiently train a horse drug free in North America. There is no way they will be for a banning of drugs.
Decisions need to be made on the basis of not only tomorrow but today. Banning of drugs now will most likely kill the game. I hate to say that, but it is reality.
Banning of drugs and certain procedures have to be done methodically, and nothing is better than full transparency.
The first thing to do is to get every jurisdiction on the same page. The game is broken right now, and it needs to go in a different direction. But all participants have to go in the same new direction.
Second, make a list of legal substances and procedures. Lasix, go with it for now (maybe slowly cut the dosage). Tapping, allow it too. But document it. Maybe consider race day usage of Bute and Banomine to try to get everyone on an equal playing field for now while cutting down vet bills substantially, making the game more affordable for new owners. Oxygen treatments, again document it.
Make it clear that any drugs or treatment not on the list are not permitted and that if used, the trainers will get the book thrown at them (preferably criminal charges too). There definitely needs to be a list of legal drugs and procedures and a huge deterrent not to use something else or the idea of banning anything becomes the same joke it is today.
Now the tricky part. When I state that when a horse is tapped it should be documented, the same with oxygen chamber treatments, this information should appear in the past performances.
We are now in the 21st Century. Things have changed. There is no longer 40,000 people filling a race track on a Saturday. There is no good reason for lack of transparency. From a bettor's standpoint, we have every right to know when a horse was tapped, gelded, had a throat operation, etc. Why should the owner, the trainer and some of the trainer's staff be the only ones to know this, and possibly profit on it at the windows? If this happened in the real world (ie the stock market), it is called insider trading and if caught, a jail sentence might happen. Yet bettors are complacent when it comes to this and some actually wager on the basis of seeing stable money on a horse. Why is this acceptable today?
Put this stuff in the form. Again, by eliminating advantages the stable has, the regular Horseplayers will all last a little longer. This can only help the game. Horse racing cannot afford to lose even one more player.
Horseplayers will love this stuff to begin with at least, as it will lead to additional statistics and angles. Most Horseplayers love angles, especially ones that are based on objective data.
As for the claiming game. Well, it takes away a lot of the "poker" action some trainers like to play when dropping a horse. But so what? Inevitably, full disclosure will lead to more claiming and more owners as the new potential owner will have a lot more information on the potential purchase.
At first, owners may shy away from horses that have too many procedures, but as time goes by, patterns will emerge, and trainers will still be able to play a little poker. Meanwhile, claiming owners will go into the game with a lot more confidence.
Take a look at major league sports. Trades are now void most of the time if the new acquisition fails a physical. Why should horse racing be the complete opposite of this? Especially when the two biggest growth components are bettors and owners.
I can't stress it enough, but deterrents are the key. There might be an inclination for some trainers to continue with shenanigans unless certain rules are in place. I think what makes sense is that vets have to report each procedure to the racing office (who reports it to Equibase), but the trainer too, has to report all procedures at the time of entry to the race office as well. Both the vet and the trainer will be subject to a huge fine and lengthy suspension if they don't comply 100%.
The same thing would be true of anything that goes on outside of a racetrack, like hyperbaric oxygen treatments. The owner of the center has to report any horse that is treated, as well, the trainer has to report at the time of entry. If reporting doesn't occur by the center, they are subject to a fine and lose their ability to treat licensed race horses.
This is how it should be, and this is how it has to be. Full transparency will eventually rule out the bad drugs and procedures and it will also pinpoint the permissible drugs and treatments over time. And it might not even take that much time at that. Regulators will soon see what combinations leads to more races, and more importantly, which might lead to a higher percentage of racetrack deaths and changes can be made very quickly and effectively to truly clean up the game.
Don't get me wrong. I think it would be great if horses only raced on hay, water, and oats. But we are a good decade plus away from even considering that.
Banning of drugs in the long term could be fantastic for the game, as many horses will not be able to compete at the higher levels. OK wait, this is where I'm going with this. The horses that can compete at higher levels are more likely to become household names, because there will be fewer of them. We might see more Triple Crown winners, for example. Besides winning Horseplayers, horse racing needs super stars to get the newbies and tire kickers to get involved.
21 April 2011
Low Takeout Pick 5 Gimmicks Not Enough To Con Me In
I agree that any lower takeout bet is a step in the right direction. However, I'm not impressed when it comes to the Barnum and Bailey moves made recently by Calder and Hollywood Park ("lets get the Horseplayers suckers to handicap 5 races so we can ream them on our high takeout exotics once they have made selections")
I don't pretend to speak for all price sensitive Horseplayers, but I might be (most are extremely intelligent like me), when I say that a 12% or 14% 50 Cent Pick 5 isn't enough to lure me to play tracks with exactor and double takeouts of 22.68% (Hello Hollywood) or triactor Pick 3, Pick 4 and superfecta takeouts of 27% (Hello Calder).
I play Pick 5's sometimes, don't get me wrong, but they are probably the last thing on a betting menu I need when it comes to attracting me to a card or track. In other words, I could easily live without the Pick 5. I can't live without exactors, doubles, triactors, and Pick 3's.
Until California rescinds their takeout hike in January,I don't think many of the boycotters will even think about Hollywood Park.
As for Calder, personally, the only thing I know about that track is that it is in Florida and that it is a mile track, I think. I don't remember the last time I played Calder, and I have zero intention of doing any handicapping there until they drop takeout significantly on many of their wagers.
Moves made by tracks like Hastings are applauded be Horseplayers like me. They dropped WPS takeout as well as Pick 4 takeout to 15%, while adding a Pick 5 with a 15% takeout.
If all tracks went the same direction of Hastings, we would see handles increase everywhere eventually. It may take Hastings some time to gain momentum, but they took a large step in the right direction. Hollywood and Calder took baby steps, Hollywood after taking a gigantic step backwards.
Bottom line, if tracks are serious about growing the game, and growing their customer base, they should be lowering the betting types with the lower churns, like WPS, exactors and doubles, not bets that Horseplayers cash once a month if they are extremely lucky.
Telling It Like It Is
After the DRF did a sugar coated article on Santa Anita's recently concluded meet (I have too much decency to link it), Bloodhorse.com did an exceptional job on stating what exactly happened at Santa Anita. I expect the California Handle Massacre to continue until the takeout hike from January 1st is rescinded.
USTA Strategic Wagering
Great marketing move by the Jugheads Inc. They have recently started an initiative of featuring a Pick 4 each night that has a guaranteed pool. They have also partnered up with TrackMaster for free past performances on these events.
Almost enough to get my feet wet. I just need a couple more dollars that I consider burnable:) I never was any good when it came to handicapping chariot races.
I don't pretend to speak for all price sensitive Horseplayers, but I might be (most are extremely intelligent like me), when I say that a 12% or 14% 50 Cent Pick 5 isn't enough to lure me to play tracks with exactor and double takeouts of 22.68% (Hello Hollywood) or triactor Pick 3, Pick 4 and superfecta takeouts of 27% (Hello Calder).
I play Pick 5's sometimes, don't get me wrong, but they are probably the last thing on a betting menu I need when it comes to attracting me to a card or track. In other words, I could easily live without the Pick 5. I can't live without exactors, doubles, triactors, and Pick 3's.
Until California rescinds their takeout hike in January,I don't think many of the boycotters will even think about Hollywood Park.
As for Calder, personally, the only thing I know about that track is that it is in Florida and that it is a mile track, I think. I don't remember the last time I played Calder, and I have zero intention of doing any handicapping there until they drop takeout significantly on many of their wagers.
Moves made by tracks like Hastings are applauded be Horseplayers like me. They dropped WPS takeout as well as Pick 4 takeout to 15%, while adding a Pick 5 with a 15% takeout.
If all tracks went the same direction of Hastings, we would see handles increase everywhere eventually. It may take Hastings some time to gain momentum, but they took a large step in the right direction. Hollywood and Calder took baby steps, Hollywood after taking a gigantic step backwards.
Bottom line, if tracks are serious about growing the game, and growing their customer base, they should be lowering the betting types with the lower churns, like WPS, exactors and doubles, not bets that Horseplayers cash once a month if they are extremely lucky.
Telling It Like It Is
After the DRF did a sugar coated article on Santa Anita's recently concluded meet (I have too much decency to link it), Bloodhorse.com did an exceptional job on stating what exactly happened at Santa Anita. I expect the California Handle Massacre to continue until the takeout hike from January 1st is rescinded.
USTA Strategic Wagering
Great marketing move by the Jugheads Inc. They have recently started an initiative of featuring a Pick 4 each night that has a guaranteed pool. They have also partnered up with TrackMaster for free past performances on these events.
Almost enough to get my feet wet. I just need a couple more dollars that I consider burnable:) I never was any good when it came to handicapping chariot races.
12 April 2011
Alternative Ways To "Train" A Race Horse
Some trainers may not really be into the hay, oats and water regimen when it comes to getting the best production out of a race horse. It is highly doubtful that high percentage trainers aren't at least toying with at least something.
Back in the good old days (the 50's and 60's), when a thoroughbred race horse could run 20-35 times a year, performance enhancing drugs weren't discussed much. Were they out there? Yes. But were they used by many? Most likely not.
Testing for drugs using saliva didn't begin until the 1934, and drugs like cocaine were allegedly used prior to that. Sir Barton allegedly raced on it (nicknamed "hop").
Mostly though, horse racing was tainted by rumors of trainers drugging heavy favorites not to run so fast, so that the insiders could cash a ticket on the second choice.
But it seems trainers have always looked for an edge (check out the ads in Horse Trainer Magazine, there is a smorgasbord of legal products that claim to heal horses or make it possible for them to have peak performances).
Using the Google timeline resource, you can see there are quite a few stories from the 60's about drug violations in horse racing. Coramine (a stimulant) seemed popular back then.
In 1968, Bute (phenylbutazone) made headlines when Kentucky Derby winner Dancer's Image was DQed after he tested positive.
Science has changed a lot since then, on the good side, making testing for illegal drugs more precise, but on the bad side, allowing for junior chemists to come up with non testable performance enhancing concoctions and methods, including concoctions that will mask illegal drugs.
The RCI has come up with over 800 illegal substances. Masking some of these, or using some of these that may not be tested for in certain jurisdictions might just be the in thing to do these days, if you are a trainer who may want a higher win percentage.
There are four categories of Performance Enhancing Drugs (from Wikipedia):
Stimulants
Among the equine stimulants are amphetamines, as well as the amphetamine-like drugs such as methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Tranquilizers
Horses can also be medicated to win by relaxing them, and allowing the horse to run its best possible race. The widely used tranquilizer acepromazine, and any number of related or equivalent agents, have been used in this way. Of course, higher doses of tranquilizers can also decrease a horse's performance.
Bronchodilators
Improving a horse's "wind" by opening its airways through the use of bronchodilators may also improve performance, especially in an animal that is sub-clinically broncho-constricted. Some bronchodilators can also have a stimulant effect.
Behavioral modifiers
Veterinarians certify horses as being sound in "wind and limb." Obviously, medications that can affect these parameters and also the "attitude" or "behavior" of a horse have the potential to affect both the presentation of a horse and also, presumably, the outcome of a race.
I did a post a couple of years ago which listed the most likely common drugs being used today illegally:
ANABOLIC STEROIDS
Many states have no laws regarding anabolic steroid use on horses, but there has been an aggressive change in attitude lately with New York and Kentucky leading the way to their banning.
Why ban anabolic steroids? Because they artificially build up a horse's strength and because they have been known to have adverse long term affects, at least on humans.
BICARBS
Using bicarbonates (milk shaking) on horse cleans up the lactic acids that are produced naturally in horses. Less lactic acids help the horses chances to run faster and longer.
As an aside, I was talking to a harness trainer who told me that he complained about the turnaround a horse had to another trainer. He said that the trainer of that improved horse must be milk shaking, to which the other trainer replied "he bought my old bicarb machine, do you need one?"
Many jurisdictions try to test for excess bicarbonates in the blood stream. There are probably still many ways around getting positives.
BLUE MAGIC
Propantheline bromide relaxes muscles and increases blood flow.
COCAINE
Benzoylecgonine is a bi-product of cocaine and results in a horse being less fatigued during a race.
DPO
Darbepoetin-alfa which is a major ingredient in the prescription drug Aranesp® is becoming as notorious in Ontario as EPO (see below). The drug increases blood flow and reduces anemia. Long term side effects are thought to be similar to that of EPO as well.
EPO
Erythropoietin is probably the most talked about illegal drug that is thought to be used in many jurisdictions including Ontario. EPO has a bad rap associated with it besides being an illegal enhancer, it allegedly can cause horrible long term side effects like an immune mediated anaemia and even death.
What EPO does in a nutshell is increase the red blood supply which increases oxygen capacity within the horse's circulation.
For more about the devastation EPO does to the horse read this.
ETORPHINE And MORPHINE
Etorphine (aka elephant juice) has analgesic tendencies that are 1000 times more powerful than morphine. This drug is used to immobilize elephants. For some reason analgesics even in small doses act as stimulants in animals like horses and cats. FYI from Wikipedia: "Veterinary-strength etorphine is fatal to humans; one drop on the skin can cause death within a few minutes."
PROCAINE
This drug is common in dentistry on humans for local anesthesia. In horse racing it used nefariously as a pain killer that also can constrict blood vessels which reduces bleeding.
SILDENAFIL CITRATE
AKA Viagra, yes, Viagra. Viagra opens blood vessels which enriches muscles which is thought to enhance racing performance.
SNAIL AND SNAKE VENOM
In an article over 3 years ago, Andy Beyer mentioned the strong rumour that trainers were using cone snail venom in synthetic form as a pain killer on horses.
It is used to deaden nerves and has been around at least since 1978 when Alydar allegedly was treated with it.
VODKA
Back in 2005 a vet admitted to injecting vodka 75 times at $15 a pop. The vet called this a "pre-race adjustment" on the bill. Using vodka might be more prevalent at tracks with low purses.
NITROTRAIN
I have to add Pig Juice (Nitrotrain) to the list. Ray Paulick wrote a piece about it recently.
It is described as a potent, short acting oral anabolic steroid.
SHOCK WAVE THERAPY
Like many other treatments, shock wave therapy can promote faster healing, but it can numb a sore horse's pain. Many jurisdictions do not allow a horse to be shocked more than 5-7 days prior to a race, but this can be very difficult to enforce. And it can't be tested for.
ITPP
The 2011 Super Trainer's drug of choice (at least according to many rumors) allegedly is Myo-inositol-trispyrophosphate (NormOxys) aka ITPP.
ITPP "makes the hemoglobin in blood release more of its oxygen, enhancing physical performance in a swift and powerful way."
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT
I've saved the best for last. I'm hearing more and more about Hyperbaric Chambers. Yes, these chambers do promote healing in horses, but there seems to be a lot of evidence that trainers are using these chambers to enhance performances of horses. It is legal, by the way, but should it be?
Treatments cost between $200-$400. So don't expect trainers at Fonner Park to be using this method.
It seems to have at least the same effects as milk shaking. Here is a claim on how it helps human athletes:
The jury is out on how many days a treatment is good for, or if the treatment masks other drugs as well.
One human study indicates that maximum power intake as well as maximum oxygen intake improved by 7%, 9 days after using oxygen therapy.
I'm not sure how many lengths that is worth, but maybe just enough to re-break in the stretch and win at 7-5.
NYRA recently put a ban on using hyperbaric chambers less than 7 days prior to a race. There is definite concern.
Lets say this kind of treatment does enhance performance. Wouldn't that give someone working at the backstretch gates of a racetrack a pretty good edge. I'd like the info on which horse gets signed out for a while and comes back to race, or horses racing "off the farm." You know, "swimmers," etc.
When horses are away from the track, it is a lot easier to inject cobra venom too.
Hyperbaric chambers and cobra venom. That might account for some high trainer averages we see.
Are racetracks doing their job and monitoring the sign outs and those horses who come in off the farm? Or are the insiders keeping it hush in order to try to cash a few more bets?
The big question is should hyperbaric oxygen treatment be allowed period?
Here is a video of a horse in a chamber:
A good discussion with a horse racing perspective can be found here. I'm with the guy who wrote that this treatment as well as "tapping" should be public knowledge. Put it in the racing form at least.
The same day drug ban the RCI is looking to achieve within 5 years is only a small step in the right direction. Not even a baby step. More needs to done, and sooner not later.
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Back in the good old days (the 50's and 60's), when a thoroughbred race horse could run 20-35 times a year, performance enhancing drugs weren't discussed much. Were they out there? Yes. But were they used by many? Most likely not.
Testing for drugs using saliva didn't begin until the 1934, and drugs like cocaine were allegedly used prior to that. Sir Barton allegedly raced on it (nicknamed "hop").
Mostly though, horse racing was tainted by rumors of trainers drugging heavy favorites not to run so fast, so that the insiders could cash a ticket on the second choice.
But it seems trainers have always looked for an edge (check out the ads in Horse Trainer Magazine, there is a smorgasbord of legal products that claim to heal horses or make it possible for them to have peak performances).
Using the Google timeline resource, you can see there are quite a few stories from the 60's about drug violations in horse racing. Coramine (a stimulant) seemed popular back then.
In 1968, Bute (phenylbutazone) made headlines when Kentucky Derby winner Dancer's Image was DQed after he tested positive.
Science has changed a lot since then, on the good side, making testing for illegal drugs more precise, but on the bad side, allowing for junior chemists to come up with non testable performance enhancing concoctions and methods, including concoctions that will mask illegal drugs.
The RCI has come up with over 800 illegal substances. Masking some of these, or using some of these that may not be tested for in certain jurisdictions might just be the in thing to do these days, if you are a trainer who may want a higher win percentage.
There are four categories of Performance Enhancing Drugs (from Wikipedia):
Stimulants
Among the equine stimulants are amphetamines, as well as the amphetamine-like drugs such as methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Tranquilizers
Horses can also be medicated to win by relaxing them, and allowing the horse to run its best possible race. The widely used tranquilizer acepromazine, and any number of related or equivalent agents, have been used in this way. Of course, higher doses of tranquilizers can also decrease a horse's performance.
Bronchodilators
Improving a horse's "wind" by opening its airways through the use of bronchodilators may also improve performance, especially in an animal that is sub-clinically broncho-constricted. Some bronchodilators can also have a stimulant effect.
Behavioral modifiers
Veterinarians certify horses as being sound in "wind and limb." Obviously, medications that can affect these parameters and also the "attitude" or "behavior" of a horse have the potential to affect both the presentation of a horse and also, presumably, the outcome of a race.
I did a post a couple of years ago which listed the most likely common drugs being used today illegally:
ANABOLIC STEROIDS
Many states have no laws regarding anabolic steroid use on horses, but there has been an aggressive change in attitude lately with New York and Kentucky leading the way to their banning.
Why ban anabolic steroids? Because they artificially build up a horse's strength and because they have been known to have adverse long term affects, at least on humans.
BICARBS
Using bicarbonates (milk shaking) on horse cleans up the lactic acids that are produced naturally in horses. Less lactic acids help the horses chances to run faster and longer.
As an aside, I was talking to a harness trainer who told me that he complained about the turnaround a horse had to another trainer. He said that the trainer of that improved horse must be milk shaking, to which the other trainer replied "he bought my old bicarb machine, do you need one?"
Many jurisdictions try to test for excess bicarbonates in the blood stream. There are probably still many ways around getting positives.
BLUE MAGIC
Propantheline bromide relaxes muscles and increases blood flow.
COCAINE
Benzoylecgonine is a bi-product of cocaine and results in a horse being less fatigued during a race.
DPO
Darbepoetin-alfa which is a major ingredient in the prescription drug Aranesp® is becoming as notorious in Ontario as EPO (see below). The drug increases blood flow and reduces anemia. Long term side effects are thought to be similar to that of EPO as well.
EPO
Erythropoietin is probably the most talked about illegal drug that is thought to be used in many jurisdictions including Ontario. EPO has a bad rap associated with it besides being an illegal enhancer, it allegedly can cause horrible long term side effects like an immune mediated anaemia and even death.
What EPO does in a nutshell is increase the red blood supply which increases oxygen capacity within the horse's circulation.
For more about the devastation EPO does to the horse read this.
ETORPHINE And MORPHINE
Etorphine (aka elephant juice) has analgesic tendencies that are 1000 times more powerful than morphine. This drug is used to immobilize elephants. For some reason analgesics even in small doses act as stimulants in animals like horses and cats. FYI from Wikipedia: "Veterinary-strength etorphine is fatal to humans; one drop on the skin can cause death within a few minutes."
PROCAINE
This drug is common in dentistry on humans for local anesthesia. In horse racing it used nefariously as a pain killer that also can constrict blood vessels which reduces bleeding.
SILDENAFIL CITRATE
AKA Viagra, yes, Viagra. Viagra opens blood vessels which enriches muscles which is thought to enhance racing performance.
SNAIL AND SNAKE VENOM
In an article over 3 years ago, Andy Beyer mentioned the strong rumour that trainers were using cone snail venom in synthetic form as a pain killer on horses.
It is used to deaden nerves and has been around at least since 1978 when Alydar allegedly was treated with it.
VODKA
Back in 2005 a vet admitted to injecting vodka 75 times at $15 a pop. The vet called this a "pre-race adjustment" on the bill. Using vodka might be more prevalent at tracks with low purses.
NITROTRAIN
I have to add Pig Juice (Nitrotrain) to the list. Ray Paulick wrote a piece about it recently.
It is described as a potent, short acting oral anabolic steroid.
SHOCK WAVE THERAPY
Like many other treatments, shock wave therapy can promote faster healing, but it can numb a sore horse's pain. Many jurisdictions do not allow a horse to be shocked more than 5-7 days prior to a race, but this can be very difficult to enforce. And it can't be tested for.
ITPP
The 2011 Super Trainer's drug of choice (at least according to many rumors) allegedly is Myo-inositol-trispyrophosphate (NormOxys) aka ITPP.
ITPP "makes the hemoglobin in blood release more of its oxygen, enhancing physical performance in a swift and powerful way."
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT
I've saved the best for last. I'm hearing more and more about Hyperbaric Chambers. Yes, these chambers do promote healing in horses, but there seems to be a lot of evidence that trainers are using these chambers to enhance performances of horses. It is legal, by the way, but should it be?
Treatments cost between $200-$400. So don't expect trainers at Fonner Park to be using this method.
It seems to have at least the same effects as milk shaking. Here is a claim on how it helps human athletes:
How Oxygen Therapy Increases Endurance and Relieves FatigueHere is a claim made by Equineox Technologies:
Oxygen is essential to athletic endeavors of any sort because it facilitates the production of glycogen, one of the main sources of muscle energy. In a process called glycolysis, a glucose (sugar) molecule is broken into two pyruvic acid molecules. A pyruvic acid molecule enters the muscle cell, where it combines with oxygen to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the source of muscle energy. When insufficient oxygen is present to create ATP, the pyruvic acid becomes lactic acid. This lactic acid naturally diffuses to the bloodstream, where it is carried away. However, during intense exercise, the lactic acid cannot be removed quickly enough, and it collects in the muscle cells, causing fatigue.
Mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides greatly increased oxygen saturation throughout the body, allowing the body to get the oxygen it needs to create ATP for energy and flush out the lactic acid that causes muscle fatigue. The elevated oxygen levels help athletes increase performance and recover more quickly after a workout. In addition, increased oxygen delivery to the brain facilitates brain function and enhances an athlete's ability to make the split-second decisions that can make a difference in the outcome of the game.
Racing Taken to a New Level
New clients in Canada are affording us the opportunity to prove the benefits and value of our hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers to Thoroughbred and Standardbred owners and trainers. The treatments will be used on current in-training thoroughbred and standardbred horses to enhance post race recovery time. By speeding the healing of injury due to the wear and tear of racing (i.e. lung and microcirculation damage), the well being of the horses with allow them to race more frequently, at higher levels.
The jury is out on how many days a treatment is good for, or if the treatment masks other drugs as well.
One human study indicates that maximum power intake as well as maximum oxygen intake improved by 7%, 9 days after using oxygen therapy.
I'm not sure how many lengths that is worth, but maybe just enough to re-break in the stretch and win at 7-5.
NYRA recently put a ban on using hyperbaric chambers less than 7 days prior to a race. There is definite concern.
Lets say this kind of treatment does enhance performance. Wouldn't that give someone working at the backstretch gates of a racetrack a pretty good edge. I'd like the info on which horse gets signed out for a while and comes back to race, or horses racing "off the farm." You know, "swimmers," etc.
When horses are away from the track, it is a lot easier to inject cobra venom too.
Hyperbaric chambers and cobra venom. That might account for some high trainer averages we see.
Are racetracks doing their job and monitoring the sign outs and those horses who come in off the farm? Or are the insiders keeping it hush in order to try to cash a few more bets?
The big question is should hyperbaric oxygen treatment be allowed period?
Here is a video of a horse in a chamber:
A good discussion with a horse racing perspective can be found here. I'm with the guy who wrote that this treatment as well as "tapping" should be public knowledge. Put it in the racing form at least.
The same day drug ban the RCI is looking to achieve within 5 years is only a small step in the right direction. Not even a baby step. More needs to done, and sooner not later.
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8 April 2011
Cost Of Owning A Throroughbred Race Horse In Ontario
As handle continues to drop and as racing days are being reduced in many jurisdictions, the industry seems to be seeing less and less horse owners. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make money as an owner of a thoroughbred in North America.
Much of the difficulty stems from a reliance on drugs which causes vet bills to be on the high side. Hay, oats and water trainers have a hard time to compete with trainers who give the horse the full medicine cabinet treatment.
More owners, like Horseplayers, are leaving or cutting back, and very few new owners are starting up.
The answer isn't to raise takeout, as California has found out. In fact, the answer is to reduce takeout so that more Horseplayers will be created, and to limit the amount of drugs and treatments a horse can have to compete.
Back in the pre-Lasix days, some horses ran 30 times a year.
But getting the industry on the same page to do what is right is worse than herding cats. I'm not optimistic.
Anyway, here is my post from 2008 on the cost of owning a thoroughbred in Ontario (with a few tweaks):
Prices haven't changed much, though some new "training" techniques like hyperbaric oxygen therapy have pushed up prices on some owners. And again, those willing to pay the high prices are playing at a huge advantage, but the end result is that this is helping to kill the industry as well.
COST OF OWNING A RACE HORSE IN ONTARIO
I'm going to make some assumptions here to give everyone an idea about costs: Your horse trains for 8 months in the year and races 12 times. For 4 months, your horse is resting at a farm. Also, your horse is Woodbine caliber and runs 11 times at Woodbine and once at Fort Erie.
Training a race horse at Fort Erie could be a lot cheaper for an owner than training the horse at Woodbine. I'm going to go through the pluses and minuses.
Cost of training:
At Woodbine, trainers charge between $70 - $110 per day. The majority of trainers charge $75-85 a day.
At Fort Erie, trainers charge between $40 - $60 per day. The majority of trainers charge $50 a day. At Fort Erie, some trainers will offer "the deal." The typical deal is where the owner buys the horse, and the trainer is responsible for all or most of the bills in return for half the purses, and half the equity in the horse once the owner gets his or her purchase price back. For a trainer, this deal is a killer for them unless the horse makes at least $30,000 for the year. Trainers who take deals on cheap horses are usually desperate, and you have to wonder about their foresight. The only way a deal makes sense for a trainer today is if the horse is competitive at a claiming price of $12,500 or greater.
The actual cost to a hands off trainer who does nothing in the way of grooming or walking a horse can be broken down like this:
Woodbine
Groom $23 Hot Walker $8 Food and Bedding $15 Exercise Boy (4-5 times a week@$15 per day) $10 Total Cost=$56 per day
For Erie
Groom $18 Hot Walker $5 Food and Bedding $14 Exercise Boy (4-5 times a week@$12 per day) $8 Total Cost=$45 per day
Remember, these are estimates. Trainers also bring capital investments to the table, some bring a lot more than others. That being said, they could save money by using a hot walker machine, for example, but it cost the trainer to buy the machine. Some have pulsating blankets too. The trainer can also save on feed by buying it off the track in bulk, but they could also add supplements, which may or may not appear on your bill as well as over the counter meds.
Trainers also incur Workers Comp charges.
I have always contended that the 10% is what the trainer is entitled to. If he or she wants to make money in the morning, then they should rub or walk a horse or two. Many trainers do not agree with me:)
Shoeing Charges
8 months of training and 12 races will mean about 8 pairs of shoes. At Fort Erie, the usual cost is $100-$125 a change. At Woodbine it is around $120-$150.
Shipping Charges
If stabled at Woodbine, shipping once to Fort Erie from Woodbine would cost $200 for the year.
If stabled at Fort Erie, shipping eleven times to Woodbine from Fort Erie would cost $2200 for the year.
Shipping to and from your layoff farm total around $200 a year no matter if you have a Woodbine or Fort Erie trainer.
Layoff Period
Most farms charge between $15-$30 per day. So lets say the typical owner pays around $600 X 4 months per year.
Stake Monies
Many trainers will charge an additional 1% for a wins (and sometimes places and shows) on a training bill so that at least the groom will get a stake. Sometimes, trainers pay $50-$150 for a second as well to the groom (the owner is usually charged). So a typical owner of a Woodbine horse with a 12 starts a year (lets say 2 wins and a second), will pay an additional $700 in stakes.
Stake money differs dramatically from barn to barn.
Vet Bills
Expect to pay around $200-$300 per start per horse on average regardless of the track.
Miscellaneous Bills
Some trainers will add on tack charges or over-the-counter meds onto your bill. Many don't charge for this.
Environment
Some trainers will say that Fort Erie is a much more calming track, especially for a high strung horse. Lots of grass to graze on, and no airplanes coming and going every 2 minutes. But if you are at Woodbine, you have the option to train on the Poly, sort of a home field advantage.
The other advantage to Fort Erie is that there is plenty of extra stall space. The management of Fort understands that in order for their training base to make a decent living, Woodbine horses are pretty much needed.
Lets add it all up:
Woodbine:
Training (@$75 per day): $75 X 240 = $18000
Shoes : $150 X 8 = $ 1200
Layoff Charges : $20 X 125 = $ 2500
Shipping = $ 400
Stake Money = $ 700
Vet Bills = $ 3000
Total = $25800
This means your horse needs to make around $32,250 a year just to break even, because the trainer and jockey get close to 10% of total purses made.
Fort Erie:
Training (@50 per day): $50 X 240 = $12000
Shoes : $125 X 8 = $ 1000
Layoff Charges : $20 X 125 = $ 2500
Shipping = $ 2400
Stake Money = $ 700
Vet Bills = $ 3000
Total = $21600
This means your horse needs to make $27000 a year to break even.
If you own a horse that only runs at Fort Erie, the horse may have a few more layoff days because the season is a little shorter, and of course, less shipping charges, so the total that needs to be earned to break even may be $3,000-$4,000 lower than the amount of $26,700.
Many Fort Erie trainers are just as talented as Woodbine trainers, but they may just like the small track/small town feel. Either way, the owner needs to have a trainer they can trust, and one who doesn't intimidate them. If the owner wants to have a big say, they should have it. It is their horse, and they are the one who is most at risk.
Remember, if you are the owner, you are doing the trainer a favour by choosing to do business with him or her. Don't forget it.
Much of the difficulty stems from a reliance on drugs which causes vet bills to be on the high side. Hay, oats and water trainers have a hard time to compete with trainers who give the horse the full medicine cabinet treatment.
More owners, like Horseplayers, are leaving or cutting back, and very few new owners are starting up.
The answer isn't to raise takeout, as California has found out. In fact, the answer is to reduce takeout so that more Horseplayers will be created, and to limit the amount of drugs and treatments a horse can have to compete.
Back in the pre-Lasix days, some horses ran 30 times a year.
But getting the industry on the same page to do what is right is worse than herding cats. I'm not optimistic.
Anyway, here is my post from 2008 on the cost of owning a thoroughbred in Ontario (with a few tweaks):
Prices haven't changed much, though some new "training" techniques like hyperbaric oxygen therapy have pushed up prices on some owners. And again, those willing to pay the high prices are playing at a huge advantage, but the end result is that this is helping to kill the industry as well.
COST OF OWNING A RACE HORSE IN ONTARIO
I'm going to make some assumptions here to give everyone an idea about costs: Your horse trains for 8 months in the year and races 12 times. For 4 months, your horse is resting at a farm. Also, your horse is Woodbine caliber and runs 11 times at Woodbine and once at Fort Erie.
Training a race horse at Fort Erie could be a lot cheaper for an owner than training the horse at Woodbine. I'm going to go through the pluses and minuses.
Cost of training:
At Woodbine, trainers charge between $70 - $110 per day. The majority of trainers charge $75-85 a day.
At Fort Erie, trainers charge between $40 - $60 per day. The majority of trainers charge $50 a day. At Fort Erie, some trainers will offer "the deal." The typical deal is where the owner buys the horse, and the trainer is responsible for all or most of the bills in return for half the purses, and half the equity in the horse once the owner gets his or her purchase price back. For a trainer, this deal is a killer for them unless the horse makes at least $30,000 for the year. Trainers who take deals on cheap horses are usually desperate, and you have to wonder about their foresight. The only way a deal makes sense for a trainer today is if the horse is competitive at a claiming price of $12,500 or greater.
The actual cost to a hands off trainer who does nothing in the way of grooming or walking a horse can be broken down like this:
Woodbine
Groom $23 Hot Walker $8 Food and Bedding $15 Exercise Boy (4-5 times a week@$15 per day) $10 Total Cost=$56 per day
For Erie
Groom $18 Hot Walker $5 Food and Bedding $14 Exercise Boy (4-5 times a week@$12 per day) $8 Total Cost=$45 per day
Remember, these are estimates. Trainers also bring capital investments to the table, some bring a lot more than others. That being said, they could save money by using a hot walker machine, for example, but it cost the trainer to buy the machine. Some have pulsating blankets too. The trainer can also save on feed by buying it off the track in bulk, but they could also add supplements, which may or may not appear on your bill as well as over the counter meds.
Trainers also incur Workers Comp charges.
I have always contended that the 10% is what the trainer is entitled to. If he or she wants to make money in the morning, then they should rub or walk a horse or two. Many trainers do not agree with me:)
Shoeing Charges
8 months of training and 12 races will mean about 8 pairs of shoes. At Fort Erie, the usual cost is $100-$125 a change. At Woodbine it is around $120-$150.
Shipping Charges
If stabled at Woodbine, shipping once to Fort Erie from Woodbine would cost $200 for the year.
If stabled at Fort Erie, shipping eleven times to Woodbine from Fort Erie would cost $2200 for the year.
Shipping to and from your layoff farm total around $200 a year no matter if you have a Woodbine or Fort Erie trainer.
Layoff Period
Most farms charge between $15-$30 per day. So lets say the typical owner pays around $600 X 4 months per year.
Stake Monies
Many trainers will charge an additional 1% for a wins (and sometimes places and shows) on a training bill so that at least the groom will get a stake. Sometimes, trainers pay $50-$150 for a second as well to the groom (the owner is usually charged). So a typical owner of a Woodbine horse with a 12 starts a year (lets say 2 wins and a second), will pay an additional $700 in stakes.
Stake money differs dramatically from barn to barn.
Vet Bills
Expect to pay around $200-$300 per start per horse on average regardless of the track.
Miscellaneous Bills
Some trainers will add on tack charges or over-the-counter meds onto your bill. Many don't charge for this.
Environment
Some trainers will say that Fort Erie is a much more calming track, especially for a high strung horse. Lots of grass to graze on, and no airplanes coming and going every 2 minutes. But if you are at Woodbine, you have the option to train on the Poly, sort of a home field advantage.
The other advantage to Fort Erie is that there is plenty of extra stall space. The management of Fort understands that in order for their training base to make a decent living, Woodbine horses are pretty much needed.
Lets add it all up:
Woodbine:
Training (@$75 per day): $75 X 240 = $18000
Shoes : $150 X 8 = $ 1200
Layoff Charges : $20 X 125 = $ 2500
Shipping = $ 400
Stake Money = $ 700
Vet Bills = $ 3000
Total = $25800
This means your horse needs to make around $32,250 a year just to break even, because the trainer and jockey get close to 10% of total purses made.
Fort Erie:
Training (@50 per day): $50 X 240 = $12000
Shoes : $125 X 8 = $ 1000
Layoff Charges : $20 X 125 = $ 2500
Shipping = $ 2400
Stake Money = $ 700
Vet Bills = $ 3000
Total = $21600
This means your horse needs to make $27000 a year to break even.
If you own a horse that only runs at Fort Erie, the horse may have a few more layoff days because the season is a little shorter, and of course, less shipping charges, so the total that needs to be earned to break even may be $3,000-$4,000 lower than the amount of $26,700.
Many Fort Erie trainers are just as talented as Woodbine trainers, but they may just like the small track/small town feel. Either way, the owner needs to have a trainer they can trust, and one who doesn't intimidate them. If the owner wants to have a big say, they should have it. It is their horse, and they are the one who is most at risk.
Remember, if you are the owner, you are doing the trainer a favour by choosing to do business with him or her. Don't forget it.
27 March 2011
Woodbine Is Heading In The Right Direction
Woodbine just announced that they are lowering the takeout on thoroughbred triactors to 25% from 27%. This is definitely a step forward and an attempt to keep the positive momentum Woodbine has been achieving, relative to the rest of the industry, mostly since the departure of David Willmot early last year when Nick Eaves took over.
This isn't champagne cork popping news though. Even with the drop to 25%, Woodbine is now only tied for 27th when it comes to lowest triactor takeout rates out of 69 tracks.
Woodbine still has a way to go to be number one. Keeneland and Churchill Downs have the lowest blended takeout rates in thoroughbred racing with a 16% takeout on WPS and 19% takeout on all other bets.
Amazing that back when Secretariat ran, Woodbine has a takeout of 17% on everything. Horse racing was very popular, and was pretty much a gambling monopoly back then. I still don't get how when an industry loses monopoly status, that they would even think about increasing prices to the consumer (track takeout). That goes against every economics book ever written, but it explains why horse racing is in the state it is in right now.
Lowering takeout increases churn and allows Horseplayers to last longer. The longer they last, the less likely they are to play other forms of gambling as much, and the more likely they are to eat and breathe horse racing more, and therefore get family and friends exposed to the game, which could lead to more growth.
I would say that racetracks benefit the most by giving their live patrons (and in Woodbine's case, their own ADW customer) the biggest breaks, whether that be lowered takeout or increased rebate. That is how to grow your customer base. I'm not sure that Woodbine has begun to successfully build their business that way, yet.
This lower triactor takeout, like I said previously, appears to be looking towards building on the momentum Woodbine has right now when it comes to US bettors.
Constructive Criticism
Woodbine needs to stop bean counting when it comes to specific wagers. Pay track odds no matter if the takeout at the host track is 12% or 30%.
I have had quite a few private conversations with Horseplayers who admittedly bet less or have gone offshore (with Betfair etc.) at least partly because Woodbine pays less on certain type of wagers than host tracks pay out (eg. Keeneland and Churchill Downs triactors and superfectors).
The amount of money Woodbine grabs off the customer when doing this isn't worth losing the customer over. Let alone the fact that most Horseplayers will bet back the extra money, and even if they don't because the hit was "too big," the positive vibes of coming home with money is worth more than spending money on advertising.
Good vibes go a long way. Gulfstream Park is experiencing this.
Canada is full of gamblers and Woodbine would love to grow at the same pace gambling is growing in Canada, but bad vibes go a long way too, especially in the information age. If you don't believe me, check out the California Handle Massacre. Updated handle numbers out of California are atrocious.
I think the TOC and CHRB deserve this for increasing takeout (not me in the video):
The track owners are scrambling to figure out how to stop the bleeding, but I don't think band aids like introducing a low takeout bet will work at all. The takeout hike needs to be rescinded, and even with that, California tracks are going to have to really work at trying to get back the customers who have simply stopped following their tracks. The longer the takeout isn't rescinded, the harder it will be.
Fort Erie still hasn't announced any takeout reductions. Do they see what is happening around them? More and more tracks are announcing lower takeout bets or are reducing takeout on a few wagers. I am expecting Fort Erie to have an especially brutal year if they don't grab the bull by the horns. Fort Erie is ranked 67 out of 69 when it comes to blended takeout rates.
There are three types of people in this world, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say what happened? When it comes to takeout rates and competing with other tracks, Fort Erie's management right now are in category 2, but sooner or later Fort Erie management and horsemen will be in category 3.
This is pretty funny. Even slot operators are talking in terms of takeout and competition. A casino is being reopened in Omaha:
HANA adviser and bettor extraordinaire has written a piece with solid solutions that the industry would be foolish to ignore.
The last thing we need is to waste time with another study. The problems are evident. High takeout, drug integrity, signal availability, and tote integrity. The first two problems are racing's biggest, but high takeout is number one, as Daryl Wells used to say, by a good margin.
I do disagree with Fotias about having too much racing. We need grass root tracks as owners and trainers bring in new potential players and tracks are needed within major town limits to expose newbies to the game. Nothing makes a Horseplayer a Horseplayer than the live experience does, but once they are a Horseplayer, the live experience isn't so much needed....but we desperately need new Horseplayers right now.
At this minute though, there is too much racing and too many wagering types because there are not enough bettors or betting dollars to go around. Lowering the blended takeout in North America will solve that problem.
One more thing. The centralized ADW idea is a bad one. Look at what has happened in Canada with HPI. They chased big Horseplayers offshore and to Betfair because they thought they were a monopoly (not to mention the fact that they don't even pay track odds sometimes as cited earlier in this post). If there was healthy competition in Canada (like rebate shops), horse racing handle and profits for purses would be seeing much stronger growth. A centralized ADW in North America would lead to negative growth as rebate players (the only thing in horse racing that is growing right now) would fall off the map, and new players would never be created. The problem is that Horsemen and tracks to a certain extent have a "right now" approach. A long term approach as been sorely lacking in our industry.
Until takeout is 10-12% everywhere, the idea of a centralized ADW with no competition will only help destroy the game over time. If takeout were reduced to 10-12% everywhere, rebates would not be needed to compete, the game would be beatable by enough players to create a buzz, and a centralized ADW would work just fine.
This isn't champagne cork popping news though. Even with the drop to 25%, Woodbine is now only tied for 27th when it comes to lowest triactor takeout rates out of 69 tracks.
Woodbine still has a way to go to be number one. Keeneland and Churchill Downs have the lowest blended takeout rates in thoroughbred racing with a 16% takeout on WPS and 19% takeout on all other bets.
Amazing that back when Secretariat ran, Woodbine has a takeout of 17% on everything. Horse racing was very popular, and was pretty much a gambling monopoly back then. I still don't get how when an industry loses monopoly status, that they would even think about increasing prices to the consumer (track takeout). That goes against every economics book ever written, but it explains why horse racing is in the state it is in right now.
Lowering takeout increases churn and allows Horseplayers to last longer. The longer they last, the less likely they are to play other forms of gambling as much, and the more likely they are to eat and breathe horse racing more, and therefore get family and friends exposed to the game, which could lead to more growth.
I would say that racetracks benefit the most by giving their live patrons (and in Woodbine's case, their own ADW customer) the biggest breaks, whether that be lowered takeout or increased rebate. That is how to grow your customer base. I'm not sure that Woodbine has begun to successfully build their business that way, yet.
This lower triactor takeout, like I said previously, appears to be looking towards building on the momentum Woodbine has right now when it comes to US bettors.
Constructive Criticism
Woodbine needs to stop bean counting when it comes to specific wagers. Pay track odds no matter if the takeout at the host track is 12% or 30%.
I have had quite a few private conversations with Horseplayers who admittedly bet less or have gone offshore (with Betfair etc.) at least partly because Woodbine pays less on certain type of wagers than host tracks pay out (eg. Keeneland and Churchill Downs triactors and superfectors).
The amount of money Woodbine grabs off the customer when doing this isn't worth losing the customer over. Let alone the fact that most Horseplayers will bet back the extra money, and even if they don't because the hit was "too big," the positive vibes of coming home with money is worth more than spending money on advertising.
Good vibes go a long way. Gulfstream Park is experiencing this.
Canada is full of gamblers and Woodbine would love to grow at the same pace gambling is growing in Canada, but bad vibes go a long way too, especially in the information age. If you don't believe me, check out the California Handle Massacre. Updated handle numbers out of California are atrocious.
I think the TOC and CHRB deserve this for increasing takeout (not me in the video):
The track owners are scrambling to figure out how to stop the bleeding, but I don't think band aids like introducing a low takeout bet will work at all. The takeout hike needs to be rescinded, and even with that, California tracks are going to have to really work at trying to get back the customers who have simply stopped following their tracks. The longer the takeout isn't rescinded, the harder it will be.
Fort Erie still hasn't announced any takeout reductions. Do they see what is happening around them? More and more tracks are announcing lower takeout bets or are reducing takeout on a few wagers. I am expecting Fort Erie to have an especially brutal year if they don't grab the bull by the horns. Fort Erie is ranked 67 out of 69 when it comes to blended takeout rates.
There are three types of people in this world, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who say what happened? When it comes to takeout rates and competing with other tracks, Fort Erie's management right now are in category 2, but sooner or later Fort Erie management and horsemen will be in category 3.
This is pretty funny. Even slot operators are talking in terms of takeout and competition. A casino is being reopened in Omaha:
In addition to adding new machines, (CEO Bill) Walsh said officials checked out the competition and set the takeout on the CasinOmaha machines one percent lower than other casinos.
“We feel that by setting the machines lower, people can leave here with a little money,” Walsh said.
HANA adviser and bettor extraordinaire has written a piece with solid solutions that the industry would be foolish to ignore.
The last thing we need is to waste time with another study. The problems are evident. High takeout, drug integrity, signal availability, and tote integrity. The first two problems are racing's biggest, but high takeout is number one, as Daryl Wells used to say, by a good margin.
I do disagree with Fotias about having too much racing. We need grass root tracks as owners and trainers bring in new potential players and tracks are needed within major town limits to expose newbies to the game. Nothing makes a Horseplayer a Horseplayer than the live experience does, but once they are a Horseplayer, the live experience isn't so much needed....but we desperately need new Horseplayers right now.
At this minute though, there is too much racing and too many wagering types because there are not enough bettors or betting dollars to go around. Lowering the blended takeout in North America will solve that problem.
One more thing. The centralized ADW idea is a bad one. Look at what has happened in Canada with HPI. They chased big Horseplayers offshore and to Betfair because they thought they were a monopoly (not to mention the fact that they don't even pay track odds sometimes as cited earlier in this post). If there was healthy competition in Canada (like rebate shops), horse racing handle and profits for purses would be seeing much stronger growth. A centralized ADW in North America would lead to negative growth as rebate players (the only thing in horse racing that is growing right now) would fall off the map, and new players would never be created. The problem is that Horsemen and tracks to a certain extent have a "right now" approach. A long term approach as been sorely lacking in our industry.
Until takeout is 10-12% everywhere, the idea of a centralized ADW with no competition will only help destroy the game over time. If takeout were reduced to 10-12% everywhere, rebates would not be needed to compete, the game would be beatable by enough players to create a buzz, and a centralized ADW would work just fine.
19 March 2011
Tracks Starting To Compete Against Each Other, Good For Horse Racing
A great realization is starting to occur in horse racing today. Tracks are starting to compete with each other for a larger piece of the pie.
More and more tracks are starting to reduce takeouts on at least one type of wager, some are reducing takeout on more than one. This is an attempt to get the existing Horseplayer to divert funds to that track, that would have been wagered at another track.
The tactic seems to be working. Tracks bucking the industry trend of lower handle have been experimenting with takeout gimmicks. Meanwhile, tracks that have had stagnant takeout rates continue to see handle declines for the most part.
Unlike what happens when Horsemen compete for a larger piece of the pie (which usually comes at the expense of the Horseplayer ie California), when tracks attempt to compete for a larger piece of the pie, there is a chance for actual industry growth to result.
Today's Horseplayer is more sophisticated than ever before. Partly because the dummy money has left the building, but mostly because those who are left playing have been exposed to mounds and mounds of statistics. Statistics lead to the most important stat of all: The ROI. And of course, ROI is very much tied into track takeout. Tracks are starting to understand that a good percentage of their existing customer are cognizant of track takeout.
Just in the last few weeks, harness track Northfield Park has announced a takeout reduction on Pick 3's, Pick 4's, and Pick 5's to 14% beginning April 1, Hastings Racecourse has dropped WPS and Pick 4 takeout to 15%, and introduced a Pick 5 with the same 15% rate, Lone Star Park has joined in too as they have introduced a Fortune 6 with a 12% takeout (this one is strictly a gimmick, and a lower takeout isn't important as it won't appeal to most hardcore players, Lone Star would have been better off introducing this as a 22% takeout bet, while reducing other wager types instead, but that is another story).
Part of the realization tracks are dealing with is that the easiest player to cater to, is the existing player, one who might be hundreds or thousands of miles away from them.
The end result is that Horseplayers will last longer as the overall blended takeout rate starts to drop. The longer they last, the more likely they are to expose others to the game.
Hastings, of all the tracks that have reduced rates recently (add Tioga Downs to the list), actually is tackling the track patron growth problem by reducing WPS bets. They are appealing to both the simulcast/online player and the live player with the recent reductions they made.
"We are trying to reengage the horseplayer that we might have lost, not only locally but throughout the marketplace," says 29-year-old Hastings Regional General Manager Raj Mutti.
They are hoping for a 10% increase in handle. I think their handle numbers will go up more than that. Personally, I'm going to begin doing my own track variants for that track this year, instead of relying solely on TrackMaster numbers (they are good, but in order to make money betting, you pretty much need to have something the rest of the public doesn't have).
If bucking the trend continues to work for those tracks lowering takeout, it is expected that A tracks join in and start reducing takeout rates. We could be witnessing the beginning of a paradigm shift that could eventually cause tremendous growth, as significant drops in takeout will lead to horse racing competing with other forms of gambling (something the industry has all but given up on).
Don't think the industry isn't watching the California Handle Massacre that is happening right now (down another $2 million in handle yesterday alone). Racetrack execs are beginning to think about this approach very seriously:
More and more tracks are starting to reduce takeouts on at least one type of wager, some are reducing takeout on more than one. This is an attempt to get the existing Horseplayer to divert funds to that track, that would have been wagered at another track.
The tactic seems to be working. Tracks bucking the industry trend of lower handle have been experimenting with takeout gimmicks. Meanwhile, tracks that have had stagnant takeout rates continue to see handle declines for the most part.
Unlike what happens when Horsemen compete for a larger piece of the pie (which usually comes at the expense of the Horseplayer ie California), when tracks attempt to compete for a larger piece of the pie, there is a chance for actual industry growth to result.
Today's Horseplayer is more sophisticated than ever before. Partly because the dummy money has left the building, but mostly because those who are left playing have been exposed to mounds and mounds of statistics. Statistics lead to the most important stat of all: The ROI. And of course, ROI is very much tied into track takeout. Tracks are starting to understand that a good percentage of their existing customer are cognizant of track takeout.
Just in the last few weeks, harness track Northfield Park has announced a takeout reduction on Pick 3's, Pick 4's, and Pick 5's to 14% beginning April 1, Hastings Racecourse has dropped WPS and Pick 4 takeout to 15%, and introduced a Pick 5 with the same 15% rate, Lone Star Park has joined in too as they have introduced a Fortune 6 with a 12% takeout (this one is strictly a gimmick, and a lower takeout isn't important as it won't appeal to most hardcore players, Lone Star would have been better off introducing this as a 22% takeout bet, while reducing other wager types instead, but that is another story).
Part of the realization tracks are dealing with is that the easiest player to cater to, is the existing player, one who might be hundreds or thousands of miles away from them.
The end result is that Horseplayers will last longer as the overall blended takeout rate starts to drop. The longer they last, the more likely they are to expose others to the game.
Hastings, of all the tracks that have reduced rates recently (add Tioga Downs to the list), actually is tackling the track patron growth problem by reducing WPS bets. They are appealing to both the simulcast/online player and the live player with the recent reductions they made.
"We are trying to reengage the horseplayer that we might have lost, not only locally but throughout the marketplace," says 29-year-old Hastings Regional General Manager Raj Mutti.
They are hoping for a 10% increase in handle. I think their handle numbers will go up more than that. Personally, I'm going to begin doing my own track variants for that track this year, instead of relying solely on TrackMaster numbers (they are good, but in order to make money betting, you pretty much need to have something the rest of the public doesn't have).
If bucking the trend continues to work for those tracks lowering takeout, it is expected that A tracks join in and start reducing takeout rates. We could be witnessing the beginning of a paradigm shift that could eventually cause tremendous growth, as significant drops in takeout will lead to horse racing competing with other forms of gambling (something the industry has all but given up on).
Don't think the industry isn't watching the California Handle Massacre that is happening right now (down another $2 million in handle yesterday alone). Racetrack execs are beginning to think about this approach very seriously:
8 March 2011
Chantal Sutherland Not Only Not Guilty, She Was Innocent Too
There is a similarity between the OJ Simpson trial and the Inquiry result of the 2011 Santa Anita Handicap, both OJ and Chantal Sutherland were proclaimed not guilty. However, unlike OJ, Chantal Sutherland was innocent as well.
It took Chantal Sutherland winning the biggest race of her career for me to watch an entire race from California this year (ahem the takeout hike), though I didn't watch it live, I was still interested enough to view it on Youtube after the fact.
My first reaction was to side with DQing Game On Dude because Sutherland whipped the horse with the left hand at the time of the alleged foul. But thanks to Youtube, and the ability to stop the video frame by frame, you can clearly see, that although Game On Dude carried the competition a little wide around the turn, during the stretch run, Game On Dude did not even move out an inch. Don't believe me? Check the distance between the horse and the rail, or check the tractor tracks on the race course. It was Twirling Candy who came in ever so slightly, knocking Game on Dude off balanced. This made the second bump, which was more noticeable during the race, a non factor.
Here is the race with the full inquiry film:
Admittedly, I've always been a Chantal Sutherland fan. But I am not being biased here at all. The Stewards got it right.
I'm also a strong believer that if the Stewards can't make a conclusive call within around 3 minutes, the results should stand. I also now think that their results should never be overturned, even if new evidence is presented.
I read a comment, by a knowledgeable horse racing enthusiast (it might have been on The Paulick Report), that stated calls like this should be deemed no different than calls made by the referee under the hood in an NFL game. If there is not enough evidence to overturn the play or the race, the result on the field or track should stand. Even though referees have been known to blow the call under the hood, the results of the play still stand forever, as does the score of the game, etc. And there is probably a lot more money on the line during some of these calls than any horse race, even if it has a million dollar purse.
Back to Chantal. She is back on Twitter (JockeyChantal). Her Tweet the night before the big race:
So excited to ride for Baffert tomorrow in the Big Cap! Watched the re-plays and I'll be tuff.....put your running shoes on :*) 8:17 PM Mar 4th via Twitter for iPad
Her last Tweet, she compared herself to Charlie Sheen:
Felt a little like Charlie Sheen when the crowd was booing me during the post race interview...but "I'm a winner" 11:23 AM Mar 6th via Twitter for iPad
Up to the big race, Chantal has been a little off this year. I checked her stats last week, and she was only hitting around 5%. She is definitely more of a Poly or Turf jock.
Oh, and if you still haven't had enough of Ms. Sutherland. She does have her own website: Chantal Sutherland Jockey/Actress/Model.
Too bad Two And A Half Men (Chantal's favorite show) looks like it is toast. Imagine Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) picking up "actress" Chantal Sutherland (playing herself as a jockey) at the track and then taking her home. The jokes would write themselves. It might not be realistic though, because at 35, Chantal is too old for Charlie.
Her age doesn't seem to hinder her true fans though. I still get a lot of blog hits on my Chantal Sutherland Nude...Not Yet post from a couple of years back.
Pull The Pocket has a very good post up "Will We Ever Have Customer-Focused Policy In Racing?"
The Thoroughbred Times has a free preview of their new Canadian horse racing edition. There is an article on Fort Erie by Perry Lefko. The Editor (at the start of the issue) states Fort Erie is located in Eastern Ontario. Could be worse. He could have said it was located in Eastern Canada. For those who don't know where Fort Erie is located, Sarah Palin could say she could see Fort Erie from her backyard (if she lived in Buffalo NY), and she wouldn't have got any flak for it.
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It took Chantal Sutherland winning the biggest race of her career for me to watch an entire race from California this year (ahem the takeout hike), though I didn't watch it live, I was still interested enough to view it on Youtube after the fact.
My first reaction was to side with DQing Game On Dude because Sutherland whipped the horse with the left hand at the time of the alleged foul. But thanks to Youtube, and the ability to stop the video frame by frame, you can clearly see, that although Game On Dude carried the competition a little wide around the turn, during the stretch run, Game On Dude did not even move out an inch. Don't believe me? Check the distance between the horse and the rail, or check the tractor tracks on the race course. It was Twirling Candy who came in ever so slightly, knocking Game on Dude off balanced. This made the second bump, which was more noticeable during the race, a non factor.
Here is the race with the full inquiry film:
Admittedly, I've always been a Chantal Sutherland fan. But I am not being biased here at all. The Stewards got it right.
I'm also a strong believer that if the Stewards can't make a conclusive call within around 3 minutes, the results should stand. I also now think that their results should never be overturned, even if new evidence is presented.
I read a comment, by a knowledgeable horse racing enthusiast (it might have been on The Paulick Report), that stated calls like this should be deemed no different than calls made by the referee under the hood in an NFL game. If there is not enough evidence to overturn the play or the race, the result on the field or track should stand. Even though referees have been known to blow the call under the hood, the results of the play still stand forever, as does the score of the game, etc. And there is probably a lot more money on the line during some of these calls than any horse race, even if it has a million dollar purse.
Back to Chantal. She is back on Twitter (JockeyChantal). Her Tweet the night before the big race:
So excited to ride for Baffert tomorrow in the Big Cap! Watched the re-plays and I'll be tuff.....put your running shoes on :*) 8:17 PM Mar 4th via Twitter for iPad
Her last Tweet, she compared herself to Charlie Sheen:
Felt a little like Charlie Sheen when the crowd was booing me during the post race interview...but "I'm a winner" 11:23 AM Mar 6th via Twitter for iPad
Up to the big race, Chantal has been a little off this year. I checked her stats last week, and she was only hitting around 5%. She is definitely more of a Poly or Turf jock.
Oh, and if you still haven't had enough of Ms. Sutherland. She does have her own website: Chantal Sutherland Jockey/Actress/Model.
Too bad Two And A Half Men (Chantal's favorite show) looks like it is toast. Imagine Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) picking up "actress" Chantal Sutherland (playing herself as a jockey) at the track and then taking her home. The jokes would write themselves. It might not be realistic though, because at 35, Chantal is too old for Charlie.
Her age doesn't seem to hinder her true fans though. I still get a lot of blog hits on my Chantal Sutherland Nude...Not Yet post from a couple of years back.
Pull The Pocket has a very good post up "Will We Ever Have Customer-Focused Policy In Racing?"
The Thoroughbred Times has a free preview of their new Canadian horse racing edition. There is an article on Fort Erie by Perry Lefko. The Editor (at the start of the issue) states Fort Erie is located in Eastern Ontario. Could be worse. He could have said it was located in Eastern Canada. For those who don't know where Fort Erie is located, Sarah Palin could say she could see Fort Erie from her backyard (if she lived in Buffalo NY), and she wouldn't have got any flak for it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Horse racing isn't about to lower takeout collectively anytime soon. At least many astute Horseplayers have some options.
HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM offers everyday Horseplayers industry high Player Reward Bonuses.
INTRODUCTORY OFFER FROM HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM
BET $80 GET $40 DEPOSITED INTO YOUR ACCOUNT
Wager at least $80 in total, win or lose, and you will get $40 deposited into your account. You will also start receiving the industry high Player Reward Bonuses daily as soon as you start wagering. To earn the $40 Bonus you must wager at least $80 in total within 7 days of making your initial deposit.
CLICK LOGO TO OPEN A FREE ACCOUNT
Why Horseplayersbet.com?:
* Industry High Player Reward Bonuses added to your account daily
* User friendly betting interface making wagering easy
* FREE LIVE VIDEOS
* FREE RACE REPLAYS
* Wager Online or by Phone
* Great customer service
* 100% Parimutuel
* No membership or wagering fees
* Green Dot & PINpocket fees rebated (deposits of $120 or more)
* No fees on debit or credit card deposits of $100 or more.
* Bet cancellation capabilities
HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM, "WHERE HORSEPLAYERS COME FIRST." SIGN UP TODAY AND SEE WHY HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING US BASED ADWS
Player Reward Bonuses could be the difference to you as to whether you win in the long run playing horses or lose. The better the rewards, the more of a chance you have to beat the game. Sure, you still need skill and luck as well to succeed, and at HORSEPLAYERSBET.COM at least you have a fighting chance. And one thing is for sure, your money will last longer because of the PLAYER REWARD BONUSES you receive.
1 March 2011
Hastings Gets Serious About Growth
Hastings Racecourse has announced that they are reducing their takeout rates on Win, Place, and Show to 15%, which is now the lowest in North America for thoroughbred racing.
They are also reducing takeout on the Pick 4 to 15%, which now ties them with Monmouth in having the lowest takeout rate for that specific bet.
Also, they are introducing a Jackpot Pick 5 (where did I read about that before?), which will most likely be like Gulfstream's Rainbow 6 and Beulah's Fortune 6. Though exact details aren't out yet, I would think they went with the Pick 5 instead of 6 for reasons I've cited before: In order to allow US bettors to play the bet they would need to have a one dollar minimum because US Horseplayers cannot make fractional wagers on Canadian tracks unless they are in Canada playing at either a track or simulcast center.
They are experimenting with new post times as well.
Hastings realize two important things. They are in competition with other tracks for existing customers, and that in order for horse racing to be viable in the future, new Horseplayers need to be created. Lower takeouts and this new jackpot bet are definitely the best way to grow.
I almost forgot to mention that they also increased purses by close to 20% on average. Hopefully, these initiatives will work and Hastings will reduce takeouts on other bets as well, while purses continue to climb.
Here is a comparison of Woodbine, Fort Erie, and Hastings:
BET WOODB. FORT E HAST.
WPS 16.95% 16.95% 15.00%
DD. 20.50% 26.20% 21.80%
Ex. 20.50% 26.20% 21.80%
Tri 27.00% 28.20% 27.80%
Sup 26.30% 26.20% 26.30%
P3. 26.30% 26.20% 22.80%
P4. 25.00% 26.20% 15.00%
P5. Not Ap Not Ap 15.00%
P6. 25.00% Not Ap Not Ap
Here is an up to date map of thoroughbred tracks in the US and Canada complete with takeout rates:
View Thoroughbred Racetracks in a larger map
Hollywood Mardis Gras Greyhound Racetrack in Florida has reportedly cut takeout on WPS to an industry low 9%. Wow. To be honest though, I've never bet on a dog race in my life, but if you are so inclined, this is fantastic news.
They are also reducing takeout on the Pick 4 to 15%, which now ties them with Monmouth in having the lowest takeout rate for that specific bet.
Also, they are introducing a Jackpot Pick 5 (where did I read about that before?), which will most likely be like Gulfstream's Rainbow 6 and Beulah's Fortune 6. Though exact details aren't out yet, I would think they went with the Pick 5 instead of 6 for reasons I've cited before: In order to allow US bettors to play the bet they would need to have a one dollar minimum because US Horseplayers cannot make fractional wagers on Canadian tracks unless they are in Canada playing at either a track or simulcast center.
They are experimenting with new post times as well.
Hastings realize two important things. They are in competition with other tracks for existing customers, and that in order for horse racing to be viable in the future, new Horseplayers need to be created. Lower takeouts and this new jackpot bet are definitely the best way to grow.
I almost forgot to mention that they also increased purses by close to 20% on average. Hopefully, these initiatives will work and Hastings will reduce takeouts on other bets as well, while purses continue to climb.
Here is a comparison of Woodbine, Fort Erie, and Hastings:
BET WOODB. FORT E HAST.
WPS 16.95% 16.95% 15.00%
DD. 20.50% 26.20% 21.80%
Ex. 20.50% 26.20% 21.80%
Tri 27.00% 28.20% 27.80%
Sup 26.30% 26.20% 26.30%
P3. 26.30% 26.20% 22.80%
P4. 25.00% 26.20% 15.00%
P5. Not Ap Not Ap 15.00%
P6. 25.00% Not Ap Not Ap
Here is an up to date map of thoroughbred tracks in the US and Canada complete with takeout rates:
View Thoroughbred Racetracks in a larger map
Hollywood Mardis Gras Greyhound Racetrack in Florida has reportedly cut takeout on WPS to an industry low 9%. Wow. To be honest though, I've never bet on a dog race in my life, but if you are so inclined, this is fantastic news.
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