My backyard friend Sean D. is responsible for the following post.
Fact:
No one in Saratoga or likely North America drank more than Fairmount did Travers week.
Travers day attendance gets the Vodoo Fugazzi award of the year. The announced count of 47K and change was in fact closer to 35K than 40. It was my 45th consecutive Travers Day (one year I had to leave before the actual race) it was not crowded. Frosted\'s 2016 Whitney had a bigger crowd. American Pharoah\'s Travers had 50K actual people as did Affirmed& Alydar\'s you could not move either day.
NYRA propaganda claims 3 straight years of 1 million plus attendance. Klueless and crew need to remove their shoes when counting. Season passes (a great deal one of the few) are counted daily.
The weekday cards are more Aqueduct in March like than traditional Spa ones, particularly Monday/Thursday.
Myths:
Frank D. has not found religion and given up gambling. Jimbo may argue and has offered me a one way ticket to Tibet to find the meaning of life.
Bob Baffert, Chad Brown & Todd Pletcher are not the greatest trainers EVER....
Thoughts:
I think few here would argue that my passion for the sport and particularly The Spa are not exceeded by many. My shyness in expressing such over the past 10 years here is well documented.
I did not buy a season pass this year, I was live a mere 7 times, the least number of days since I was 16. My cumulative total of wagering for the entire meet was exceeded on any of the past 30 plus Travers days alone.
We can go on and on bitching about the same problems in the game that have been discussed here and in every other forum for years. The Nero\'s at the top of the industry fiddle away as Rome burns.
The compacting of stakes into big event mega handle days that provide media coverage, flashy headlines and draw the willing to be fleeced crowd have no doubt drawn interest to new folks. However NONE of them come back on Wednesdays?
We had this discussion yesterday at 59, I was the baby of yesterday\'s backyard crew. Horse players are a dying breed and there is nothing on the horizon to replace them. I have 40 plus years as a horse player, wagering 250-300 days per year with 30 plus years of 7 figure handle almost all of it before the rebate era.
I\'ve turned into a casual player, decreasing my handle over the past few years out of frustration and distaste as to what the game has become. I\'m now part of the tourist crowd, triple crown, Derby prep days, BC and some Spa trips to see TG friends. My wagering now consists of 50 or so days and no longer am I investing serious money as IMHO the risk vs reward equation is no longer available enough to draw my interest.
TG without a doubt is the strongest product on the market. There are many days where an advantage is attained via the numbers & data that cannot be found anywhere else. It still is the my go to product when I choose to dip my toe in.
I\'m simply choosing not to reach into my pocket as much strictly on a risk vs reward basis.The value debate has been talked about many times here. It\'s worth
and perception are definitely in the eye of the beholder.
My humble opinion which I\'m sure would draw arguement from some is that we are no longer participating in true pari-mutual wagering. There is no longer enough casual money in the pools on a day to day basis.Without insulting any individuals there are some pretty idiotic opinions expressed here, I wish there were more!
The same opinions could once be heard several times a day at the tracks and OTB
parlors, you know the ones that are all empty. The day to day battle has information loaded sharpies and bots battling over the same crumbs. No one can argue the day to day deflation of win, ex and tri prices nationwide. My perceived value just ain\'t there Day to day. Throw in drugs, pool integrity concerns, increasing take outs,no IRS modification on the current horizon and you have the perfect storm to chase not just moi away.
The million dollar question to the Nero\'s of the industry is who are you going to replace mine and others daily dollars with? Bots aren\'t going to get 10-12% rebates forever. What happens to 20% or so of the handle at the major tracks when their rebates are cut to the point their risk vs reward is no longer there and they move on to the next opportunity? It\'s not going to rain casino dollars forever! Are the big event willing to be fleeced crowds suddenly going to start betting 3 zero\'s a day? Not likely. The Spa picnic table crowd pays more for a weekend table than the whole table will send through the windows on a given day.
As much as we would love them to the Uncle Bill\'s and Miff\'s of the world ain\'t gonna live forever, the rest of us aren\'t that far behind......
Frank D. ain\'t dead or in Tibet, he\'ll be around just not so much.
Are you happy Sean, you got me to post.... ðŸŽ
Great job, Frank.
Uncle Bill all right?
\"Real good, thanks\".
I picked that bug up when I was up there a couple of weeks ago, presumably gave it to Bill. This is the first day I\'ve felt okay since then. That thing is no joke.
Best post I\'ve ever seen on here Frank.
Totally agree..... \"Look What They\'ve Done To My Song, Ma.\"
Wish you the best.
Good Luck,
Joe B.
Welcome back Frank... terrific post...you were missed
John
your speaking for a lot of people, great post
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/keeping-pace/archive/2017/09/05/kentucky-downs-believes-in-pari-mutuel-gaming.aspx
The model, IMO, is there, it\'s lower takeout, higher quality product. For example, Hong Kong, Kentucky Downs, etc.
Low takeout and quality racing will attract horseplayers, but in terms of
attracting the younger set The Frankie Lama seems to think is essential to the
survival of thoroughbred racing, Steeplechase racing may be way ahead of flat
racing.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjBxuDXnJHWAhUD8IMKHUyUDnoQFggmMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2016%2F10%2F16%2Fthe-hunt-horse-race-is-really-just-a-drunken-bro-fest%2F&usg=AFQjCNFF926c09an-anU0z7Mg893fZudnQ
I will be attending the Far Hills event for the first time this year. This will
be the first year that pari-mutuel wagering is offered at Far Hills. There is
no such thing as coincidence.
Tangentially related, shame on Keeneland for increasing takeout for its
upcoming fall meet to the maximum allowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
I think a simple way for me to express similar sentiments is something as follows:
15 years ago I thought everyone else was the fool in the game. It was almost easy to win.
Now I think I\'m the fool. And I work as hard if not harder than I ever have except to say my strongest angles at lower echelon tracks are now being crushed in the pools. My strike rate and selections are as good as ever. I firmly believe my abilities haven\'t changed whatsoever; my competition though has vastly, vastly improved at nearly all the tracks and they have improved very quickly.
I don\'t and won\'t ever play at the level that many here describe. But I take it very seriously as it relates to whether I\'m profitable or not and 2017 has been abysmal overall.
Curious others\' (current) experiences and any belief if computer teams (bots) have affected your game.
Carina Mia my year end bail out plan still.
Information Age. Period.
Game is now about big days and spot plays, or you grind it out on rebates. Frank D is right on IMO, he just could have posted that 5 or 10 years ago.
Lots of fun, and sometimes $, still to be had though in the above situations.
Love this game and always will.
#wontbejaded
Michael,
I\'ll admit to being a little slow on occasion, your 5-10 year time frame pretty much coincides with my handle decreasing and shifting to 85% horizontals. As well as yearly conversations with JB at the Spa about The Who\'s, What\'s & Whys.....
We all have our breaking point. The Bobby Baffert Belmont Day show was mine. Particularly the media bow down and pay homage to the Greatest Trainer Ever.
#fedup But will still take shots into 20 mil plus pools 😎
Frank
You just hit the nail on the head. Navarro is the joke but Baffy is a genius.
I had a discussion with someone involved with the BC about Baffy and clearly the industry\'s blind eye to his program. The response I got was that the industry is terrified of the public\'s response to any scandal involving Baffy or another super-trainer. Therefore the industry refuses to impose any penalty that would imply impropriety on his of their part. Sad but true.
Sorry I missed you on Travers day Frank. All the best. T.
Baffy seems to get bigger figures outside of CA. Have to factor that in. Could present some opportunities this year in BC since it is IN CA.
I believe Fairmont1 posted about the much stricter medication protocols for this year BC.
Hit the nail on the head. It was once great fun to match wits with my fellow horseplayers. It is not fun to play against a computer. That goes for the horses, as much as it does for chess and day trading. I got out long ago. My wagering has been nil for years now. I still enjoy watching the animals though. Majestic creatures.
I have found that playing the DRF tournaments a suitable replacement for my wagering $$, I feel sheepish in a way though because these funds probably dont make it back into the handle and thus not helping those who need it to.
I dare anyone on here to tell me where you can find better entertainment value than The Racetrack at Saratoga... $5 admission (less if you buy the pass) and they let you bring in a cooler!
Hope all made it through the storm(s) in good order...
Cheers,
Belmont park, same as Saratoga as far as admission and coolers