Tracks closing

[SPARKS SPECIAL]

It is an entertainment/sports product which should be supported by customers/patrons/fans not government handouts. If the customers/patrons/fans do not support the product sufficiently then the product should be changed or cease to exist. Tax dollars should not support something the public does not want.

IT MIGHT BE WORTH LOOKING INTO. SINCE ITS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE. THE RESULTS MIGHT CHANGE  HOW YOU VIEW THINGS.   
   

[Kenny]

IT MIGHT BE WORTH LOOKING INTO. SINCE ITS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE. THE RESULTS MIGHT CHANGE  HOW YOU VIEW THINGS.   
 

I have been a fan/customer for more than four decades. I have watch the sport die.  The industry turned its back on the customers and now the customers are gone. Harness racing only exists they way it does not because it is dependent of government handouts. The industry brought that on itself.  It is only a matter of time until states have budget short falls. Voters hate tax increases so it is only a matter of time until the handouts are diverted for other uses.

[Jctoronto]

On the Canadian scene..

Georgian south of Barrie enters whats possibly its last, or next to last kick at the can with another casino down the way...same time in Ottawa, unless someone steps in,  Rideaus backstretch is being taken away.

These two tracks compliment each other and Kawartha in Lindsay, Ontario nicely as well as Trois Rivieres, Quebecs only track, too. And all four of them have occasional forays to Mohawk in Campbellville, eest of Toronto to try to make some 'special' eve profit too.

So concerns there.


Out west Fraser in Surrey, BC gets the Alberta boys and girls coming in to take lots of their cash twice a week. Not sure whats left of a once fine 5/8 operation for local horsemen there and dwindling bettors everywhere alike.


Stateside, with Cal Expo shutting, whats the Running Aces Minnesota story? Its a solid operation BUT Cal Expo is where many went to fill out their 12 month work and live schedule.

Obviously, variety of spots with some 'concerns'. Heres hoping answers found

[Riding the rail]

Harness racing in certain places is very secure other place sell for Financial reasons, sorry to see certain tracks close, like freehold and pompano, which was a corrupt place if anybody smart enough to know that now cal expo is on the ropes. Very sad for people that have been in the horse business and spent their whole lives working with their horses over the years to only have their track clothes. However, this is the way the world is today most people don’t give a damn about what racing. I still love it. I still watch it, the reality is It’s always been a Richmond’s game and now you gotta have even more money expenses for horses are up through the roof. The whole game is a gamble. Everybody knows it but it’s fun to watch.

[Late to the Paddock]

I just got back from Vegas and the tellers at my hotel/casino's sportsbook did not even know what harness racing is. Seriously!  I spoke to a supervisor who said "no one bets on that, so my guys don't know anything about it." No programs available for handicapping either.  I was able to find one lone self-serve betting kiosk that let me bet on Meadowlands, Pocono, Yonkers, Cal Expo, and Woodbine. Forget circling the drain, we are already in the drain pipe.

[Chips N Salsa]

Yonkers is now screwed after May 15.  MGM is laying people off and they are losing millions daily.  Go to Vegas and see what they are closing down.  My guess is Yonkers will be on a no contract after May 15th and horseman will be screwed.

[Riding the rail]

Maybe but if you race at Yonkers and you have horses that are good to compete you make money they even compensate horses they finish 6/7 and eighth At least get your shipping money in your pocket. It’s a win-win when you race there except it’s a half mile track, which makes it tough on the horses very competitive racing.🐴🙆🏻‍♂️

[Grandstand Handicapper]

Certain tracks would close, regardless of how they are doing, if casino companies had the right to close them. Other tracks will close because they are simply no longer viable and/or highest and best use for real estate. Plain and simple. The sport and the industry need a purge, cleanse, and consolidation. It has to get worse before it gets better. Those that survive will only do so if they make drastic changes. I always thought Gulfstream was the "model" track for the future, but even now racing there beyond the next two to five years may be in trouble. YR has long been a track owners want to race at because of the purses, but nobody wants to go. For years Rooney put money into the casino side of the plant, and let the racing side simply atrophy. Then they sold out to a casino company. Of course they did. LOL.

Aside from all this, the industry and sport still needs to deal with all it's ills. Baseball had its own to do, cycling, and so has other sports. Horse racing is unique, yes, but trials and tribulations still have to be resolved. If not, they consume you.

[Pacer 2]

Its not a one way street as some would have you believe. There have been track openings also....

[Scooteroo]

New tracks wouldn't open if there wasn't something in it for them, because they couldn't make it on racing alone.

[Kenny]

Its not a one way street as some would have you believe. There have been track openings also....

Mainly Kentucky. There are big dollars going into racing there but will that continue long-term? The Red Mile is not that busy even on Futurity Day. What happens when the politicians need government money for other things?

[Kenny]

Its not a one way street as some would have you believe. There have been track openings also....

If decoupling was allowed everywhere, how many racinos would remain open as a race track and casino?

[Grandstand Handicapper]

If decoupling was allowed everywhere, how many racinos would remain open as a race track and casino?

Somewhere between none and a very select few.

[seriously]

The "new" tracks are typically just replacements.  Kentucky had Thunder Ridge and Bluegrass Downs.  Ohio had Lebanon and Raceway.  Virginia had Colonial. 

Sure, purses at the "new" tracks are better, but that is just because of the supplement they receive.  Handle and interest has only gone down.  (OK, Bluegrass, maybe it is up from there!   )

Hell, Illinois once had close to 600 cards of racing a year, between Quad City Downs, Fairmount, Balmoral, Maywood, Sportsmens, etc.   California had Los and Cal and 4 times the racing opportunities.  It is on one way street. 

This is about my 40th year being a huge fan.  Harness racing has provided so much for me, truly!  I once thought I could not live without it.  I lived for the next card.  I loved it and made life moves based on track location.  As crazy as that sounds, it is true. 

Now, however, when I hear of a track closing, my first response is a great deal of sadness, but that quickly fades, as the sport I once loved is just not the same.  I'm still here, basically every day, and will be until it or I end.  But, with each passing year, it takes up a little less time in my life.  Hell, I was with TRN back in the 90's and of course switched to Dish when RTN went there (up to 6 decoders, split, and so many recording devices).  Tomorrow, I will only have the signal online, and, that is about all I need now.  It just isn't the same. 

[Grandstand Handicapper]

While many professional "handicappers" have made the leap from harness to t-breds-----if the Meadowlands and Woodbine closed, which they won't-----I would simply "retire" as a handicapper. I might continue as an "owner," but the business model would have to work. I might also continue as a "breeder" but I suspect that aspect of the industry would greatly suffer as well without those two tracks.

I see less tracks, less racing short-term, and racetracks that offer other/alternative forms of entertainment, wagering/gambling, etc., as the business model of the future.