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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:20:00 PM

Title: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:20:00 PM
Why and how do people not want to bet on the highest purses in the US of A? 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Papillon on August 17, 2025, 10:21:38 PM
Why and how do people not want to bet on the highest purses in the US of A?

because handle is completely irrelevant to the quality of the horses racing

Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:23:43 PM
Maybe time to change management?  Seems like YR handle got worse in the last 5 years when that guy Frasure showed up.  Pocono has always been bad.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Papillon on August 17, 2025, 10:28:45 PM
Maybe time to change management?  Seems like YR handle got worse in the last 5 years when that guy Frasure showed up.  Pocono has always been bad.

Yonkers handle has  always sucked..where have you been?

people want to feel like they have a chance--that eliminates all half mile ovals as far as handle goes
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:30:27 PM
Yr used to handle 50k a race now they get 20-25 and that's without a Meadowlands presence this past Sat
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Dostoevsky on August 17, 2025, 10:31:28 PM
The last generation to learn how to read a program, are in their fifties now...
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:31:58 PM
They bet other tracks, why not YR? 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Papillon on August 17, 2025, 10:33:54 PM
Monticello and Northfield are the two highest handling half mile tracks

that proves quality of horses means nothing
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: JT on August 17, 2025, 10:35:27 PM
Pocono..horrible take out rates and they did better with evening post times only. Yonkers is a laundry list. Rampant drugging, corruption by everyone, fixed races,  boring racing  product and I enjoy racing on a half,wretched race callers, I could go on and on.  How anyone could bet anything there is beyond me. Engblom leading trainer there..double the next closest in wins. SICKENING!!He should have been banded months ago. Devita, Bongiorno crime family, Bako. Need I say more
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:36:43 PM
Maybe some of the people at Yonkers should do a better job promoting the game, no one is at the track. 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Papillon on August 17, 2025, 10:38:16 PM
Maybe some of the people at Yonkers should do a better job promoting the game, no one is at the track.

Yonkers is trying to close--they don't care about or want racing there
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Trigger on August 17, 2025, 10:43:41 PM
A final cash grab is how they've been staging races and dividing up the take with a bunch oh horses they turned into junkies. Who wants to watch the same 3 episodes of a dull soap opera over and over and over...Those guys look hungry up at Monti like they're trying to pay their rent or get a mortgage. 

They should of done what Calder did with Gulfstream Park, they called it Gulfstream Park West, the handle spiked, then they closed it down when allowed.

The Meadowlands and The Little M   ngc3
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Papillon on August 17, 2025, 10:50:13 PM
A final cash grab is how they've been staging races and dividing up the take with a bunch oh horses they turned into junkies. Who wants to watch the same 3 episodes of a dull soap opera over and over and over...Those guys look hungry up at Monti like they're trying to pay their rent or get a mortgage. 

They should of done what Calder did with Gulfstream Park, they called it Gulfstream Park West, the handle spiked, then they closed it down when allowed.

The Meadowlands and The Little M   ngc3

excellent point--name recognition is critical in handle for mostly a grey haired small group of bettors

that is why Tioga and Thunder Ridge will NEVER handle well--but old Monticello is a familiar name and that's why they handle so well
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 10:51:41 PM
Looking at the program now.  I don't think there's a single consistent performer there.  Trainers get hot and cold too often.  Bako cheated forever now he's got babies so he only cheats to keep the owners hooked, is that why no one bets? 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Trigger on August 17, 2025, 10:56:32 PM
Looking at the program now.  I don't think there's a single consistent performer there.  Trainers get hot and cold too often.  Bako cheated forever now he's got babies so he only cheats to keep the owners hooked, is that why no one bets?

They have a system of dividing the cash up, who the fuck cares about being 30% they'll toss ya, the racing secretary who is in on wont place ya.  It's a fixed club.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: JT on August 17, 2025, 11:00:38 PM
I know I am a degenerate.. Im the first to admit that.. but if ya see me betting at Yonkers Trigger you got my permission to slap me upside my head. You know what I look like now ngc3
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 11:02:27 PM
If they would throw a guy out for trying to feed a horse they will do anything, someone with balls needs to step up.  Secretary is definitely the guy who runs things there.  Last time I went to Yonkers was 5 years ago, I get the impression if I say something negative about a suit there I'll be escorted out, dirty place.  Maybe that's why there's no crowd.

Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Trigger on August 17, 2025, 11:05:52 PM
I know I am a degenerate.. Im the first to admit that.. but if ya see me betting at Yonkers Trigger you got my permission to slap me upside my head. You know what I look like now ngc3

Not my style, and who the fuck am I.

I say go left lately, veer right immediately and fast enough until I disappear from your rear view mirror!   ngc3

You're a marvel and you don't let the good and bad go to your head. 

I'll hit the occasional stake there, a horse I'm following lands.

I bet more Yonkers in my life than most, I grew up there, hate the place now! 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 11:07:53 PM
Tough to support under current management
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Papillon on August 17, 2025, 11:08:20 PM
I know I am a degenerate.. Im the first to admit that.. but if ya see me betting at Yonkers Trigger you got my permission to slap me upside my head. You know what I look like now ngc3

the last bet I made at Yonkers was 2008--i had a big win bet on Shadow Play--trying to beat SBSW

I lost by a nose in a driving rainstorm--SBSW"s best race of his career
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Trigger on August 17, 2025, 11:09:24 PM
Tough to support under current management

Sam ol shit for longer than current, but yeh sure that too
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 11:10:43 PM
That race was the last great moment at YR, nice race call by the former voice of tbe track, by the way why do they have 14 announcers?
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Trigger on August 17, 2025, 11:13:30 PM
I liked John Hernan's race call, only teenie tiny regret not betting there while he was
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: JT on August 17, 2025, 11:14:52 PM
I was at Scioto last night and the phrase if they will build it they will come is partly true. The new grandstand while much smaller was crowded. They redid the clubhouse. All the tables were full.. nice menu of high end eats. The clubhouse turn patio had a guy jamming tunes and was packed. Good racing product, lots of moves and no buddy system. The breeders crown will be there next year and I can mark it off my bucket list. Now was it like it was in the nineties when I was a teenager, of course not...but like Pap said alot of these tracks don't care about racing, it's a necessary evil for the casino or racino depending on what state ya live in.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Onthefront11 on August 17, 2025, 11:15:33 PM
And why isn't he there anymore?  I met John classy guy probably way too classy to deal with current management. 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Trigger on August 17, 2025, 11:19:53 PM
I was at Scioto last night and the phrase if they will build it they will come is partly true. The new grandstand while much smaller was crowded. They redid the clubhouse. All the tables were full.. nice menu of high end eats. The clubhouse turn patio had a guy jamming tunes and was packed. Good racing product, lots of moves and no buddy system. The breeders crown will be there next year and I can mark it off my bucket list. Now was it like it was in the nineties when I was a teenager, of course not...but like Pap said alot of these tracks don't care about racing, it's a necessary evil for the casino or racing depending on what state ya live in.

You have good people in Ohio.

That attracts others and who knows, maybe a hit soon.

Burke is there a bunch grabbing that casino regular race money too and he gets a huge following can you imagine how many gamblers have his individual horses alone in their virtual stable.

Ohio people.....Loyal, blue collar, not a bunch of big mouth high strung assholes like NY and Florida, you know, my people!  ngc3 
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: JT on August 17, 2025, 11:29:56 PM
I won't rag on the east coasters to much...living here in flyover country. I know from just being on here for a little more then a year that most people on here are from the east coast. You can tell by just reading the posts. We have alot of big mouths here to. Come to Columbus and tell anyone anything bad about OSU football and see what happens.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Newt Lobell on August 18, 2025, 12:26:36 PM
I refuse to wager at a track where Dennis Laterza is currently the leading claiming trainer.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: sledge hammer on August 18, 2025, 12:37:23 PM
After Hernan left Yonkers the merry-go-round of announcers is ridiculous. I feel like my anxiety spikes not knowing what voice I'm going to hear on a given night. Some are good and some are BAD. Personally I like when Rich Mattei announces...they should just make him the regular guy.

On another note, the first race there Saturday night had $2,100 in the win pool. Easily the saddest (and most alarming) thing i have seen there in my 33 years following the place.

Their handle has to be down 40% over the last few years. It's like $25K -$30K is the new normal. I can't envision a scenario where continuing to feed the purses with the welfare money can continue. Hundreds of millions a year divided up for a tiny percentage of the population to prop up an activity that literally nobody cares about anymore. The VLT money was supposed to grow the industry and the breeding in the state and it's just gotten worse. How can that continue to be justified?
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: yonkersjeff on August 18, 2025, 04:31:47 PM
 


             Alex must go. He does nothing.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: racing123 on August 18, 2025, 04:35:42 PM
I eyeballed Pocono's handle for that very nice Saturday card...Somewhere between $1,000,000 and $1,050,000 adding and rounding in my head.
Personally, I didn't play because of Pennsylvania's takeout rates. They're absolutely ridiculous.
Title: Re: No handle at YR/POC
Post by: Calhoun on August 18, 2025, 04:40:37 PM
After Hernan left Yonkers the merry-go-round of announcers is ridiculous. I feel like my anxiety spikes not knowing what voice I'm going to hear on a given night. Some are good and some are BAD. Personally I like when Rich Mattei announces...they should just make him the regular guy.

On another note, the first race there Saturday night had $2,100 in the win pool. Easily the saddest (and most alarming) thing i have seen there in my 33 years following the place.

Their handle has to be down 40% over the last few years. It's like $25K -$30K is the new normal. I can't envision a scenario where continuing to feed the purses with the welfare money can continue. Hundreds of millions a year divided up for a tiny percentage of the population to prop up an activity that literally nobody cares about anymore. The VLT money was supposed to grow the industry and the breeding in the state and it's just gotten worse.

How can that continue to be justified?

It can't and it won't.

I don't follow the horsemen/track contracts closely but I'd wager that as soon as that deal reaches its end-date, they will wind racing down.

These casino companies are huge and have long-term horizons. They're in no hurry.
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