I made my bones on NY half-mile track racing. YR and RR. By the time the Meadowlands opened, I was hammering win bets and exactas and very much picking my spots, and occasionally betting into some picks but it was getting harder and harder over time. I also concentrated on major stakes races. For me, I wanted full and competitive fields and large pools to bet into, and a competitive take-out. Yes, rebates became very important, I am not saying no, but this was way back, and I was live, on-track back then.
Today is a very, very different game. YR has very strong purses, but the facility sucks, and that's because people don't have to go there. Owners like racing there, but they hate going there. It's a shame. Rooney turned their back on racing when they got the casino. Today I don't bet there at all. Rarely. Very rarely.
