Ed Fountaine had an article in todays New York Post titled \"NYRA Looks To Explain
Breakdowns\"
So incredibly sad: 13 catastrophic breakdowns since January 8. Likely there were
some catastrophic breakdowns during training hours, for which no statistics are made
public.
So incredibly obvious: \"The one common thread to the breakdowns is the injured
horses were among the cheapest on the grounds. Four were bottom level $7500
claimers, and four were maiden claimers in the 12.5K - 16.5K range.\"
So incredibly stupid: NYRA VP and Director of Racing PJ Campo\'s response: \"Little by
little, were raising the bottom, but you are at the mercy of the horse population
you have\"
OK let me get this straight. You raise \"the bottom\" from 7.5K claimers to 10K
claimers. You will have mostly the same horses competing, and the same amount of
breakdowns.
I have addressed the \"at the mercy of the horse population\" before. It is the
responsibility of the \"VP and Director of Racing\" to make sure the horse population
supports a certain level of racing. It is the responsibility of the Director of
Racing to make sure all stalls are productive, even if this means kicking out some
of the \"old boys\" and recruiting trainers from other circuits.
Inept and clueless. Catastrophic breakdowns. Short fields of the worst quality
horseflesh ever to compete on the once prestigious NYRA circuit. A snapped bone, the
all too familiar and horrifying curtain,eventually a humane end to life after a few
terrifying and unimaginable moments.
NYRA is dying a slower death, but is dying nonetheless. And the silence of the
publisher of the Daily Racing Form, an old crony of Charles Hayward,is deafening.
Well said.
Well. said.
So incredibly true.
(what you wrote)
You are so right. The silence is unbelieveable. DRF hasn\'t written one article about this. The whole thing is sad
Au contraire.
http://www.drf.com/news/aqueduct-nyra-officials-baffled-rise-breakdowns-inner-track
I confess that I don\'t play much of anything this time of year, and I don\'t play cheap claimers any time of year, but I also wonder whether the problem is really the quality of the stock. This is about a year-over-year difference in breakdowns. Is the stock at the Big A really that much worse than last year or the year before? What\'s different is the increased purse money being offered this year, which increases the incentive of horsemen to run animals of questionable soundness.
I\'ve been reading \"Thinking, Fast and Slow.\" It\'s really a fascinating book. Two of the common analytical errors identified in the book that seem relevant to this thread are attributing to much significance to small data sets and assigning too much credit or blame to the people in charge of an enterprise.
BitPlayer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I\'ve been reading \"Thinking, Fast and Slow.\" It\'s
> really a fascinating book. Two of the common
> analytical errors identified in the book that seem
> relevant to this thread are attributing to much
> significance to small data sets and assigning too
> much credit or blame to the people in charge of an
> enterprise.
New York racing is in the midst of a decade long decline in terms of
quality of racing and national significance. We are not just talking
about winter racing; the quality of racing at Saratoga and Belmont
is not what it was ten years ago. This is a \"small data set\"?
With regards to accountability of leadership, if Hayward and Campo were
the GM and Head Coach of a pro sports franchise which lost consistently,
or the President and VP of a publicly held corporation with a record like
NYRA\'s, these guys would have been history long ago.
\"With regards to accountability of leadership, if Hayward and Campo were
the GM and Head Coach of a pro sports franchise which lost consistently,
or the President and VP of a publicly held corporation with a record like
NYRA\'s, these guys would have been history long ago\"
Bee,
Agree on Hayward,a no brainer, best effort notwithstanding.You forgot this current Board Of Directors, a combination of politically appointed stooges and out of touch old racing names.
Would cut PJ Campo a bit of slack in that he is under a mandate to run the number of winter race days by the NYSRW Board Albany crowd.Their lust for money from racing is insatiable.
Horsemen throughout the Northeast and the country planning to come for the money when possible.Many calling PJ looking for races to be written for certain of their horses,a good thing. Be prepared to be buried under an avalanche of turf racing which is one thing PJ has gone overboard with.
NYRA giving away big money but the cards still horrible in winter, almost unplayable despite NYRA TV shills insulting our intelligence about \"interesting\" 5-6 horse maiden claiming NY Bred races.
Spring Belmont and Saratoga racing should be off the charts due to purse explosion. NYRA will take credit in spite of having contributed nothing to the probable impending boom in NY racing.
Mike
Richie -
My point about the small data set was specific to the breakdown issue.
I can\'t really speak to how competent Hayward and Campo are, but I do know that they\'ve been facing strong headwinds: a dysfunctional NY political system more intent on generating campaign contributions (the slots and franchise renewal fiascos) and patronage jobs (OTB, NYSRWB) than on allowing racing to thrive; slots-fueled purses at competing tracks; the rise of the multistate trainer; reduced racing frequency for top-class animals; increased competition for the gambling dollar; and you can probably think of more. I would argue that the decline of NY racing is more a function of all these factors than of who happened to be at the helm.
BitPlayer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Richie -
>
> My point about the small data set was specific to
> the breakdown issue.
>
> I can\'t really speak to how competent Hayward and
> Campo are, but I do know that they\'ve been facing
> strong headwinds: a dysfunctional NY political
> system more intent on generating campaign
> contributions (the slots and franchise renewal
> fiascos) and patronage jobs (OTB, NYSRWB) than on
> allowing racing to thrive; slots-fueled purses at
> competing tracks; the rise of the multistate
> trainer; reduced racing frequency for top-class
> animals; increased competition for the gambling
> dollar; and you can probably think of more. I
> would argue that the decline of NY racing is more
> a function of all these factors than of who
> happened to be at the helm.
increased competition for the gambling $ is at least 50% of the problem. new forms of gaming competition popping up in every direction made it impossible for NY racing to thrive without slots. I\'d put reduced racing frequency of top-class runners as problem #2. the middle east has a large % of the best horses in the world, and the top US based trainers run their good ones far less than they used to. folks, low level claimers/maidens running every 1/2 hour don\'t stand a chance in hell of winning the battle for the gaming buck. it\'s crap action, and few are going to make that their choice in this new gaming era.
the industry needs further consolidation.
miff Wrote:
> Bee,
>
> Agree on Hayward,a no brainer, best effort
> notwithstanding.You forgot this current Board Of
> Directors, a combination of politically appointed
> stooges and out of touch old racing names.
>
> Would cut PJ Campo a bit of slack in that he is
> under a mandate to run the number of winter race
> days by the NYSRW Board Albany crowd.Their lust
> for money from racing is insatiable.
Miff:
To paraphrase Campo from the DRF and NY Post articles, he is at the mercy of
the horse population, but my contention is that he is responsible for
maintaining that horse population. Should have no problem finding
owners/trainers from other circuits willing to race their quality horses
during the winter months.
Of course, he would have to cut back on NYB races (and again, the only races
restricted to NYBs should be stake races) and get rid of some of the dead
weight stabled at Belmont and Aqueduct.
BitPlayer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Richie -
>
> My point about the small data set was specific to
> the breakdown issue.
>
> I can\'t really speak to how competent Hayward and
> Campo are, but I do know that they\'ve been facing
> strong headwinds: a dysfunctional NY political
> system more intent on generating campaign
> contributions (the slots and franchise renewal
> fiascos) and patronage jobs (OTB, NYSRWB) than on
> allowing racing to thrive; slots-fueled purses at
> competing tracks; the rise of the multistate
> trainer; reduced racing frequency for top-class
> animals; increased competition for the gambling
> dollar; and you can probably think of more. I
> would argue that the decline of NY racing is more
> a function of all these factors than of who
> happened to be at the helm.
Bit:
Other players in the industry have been facing the same headwinds and have
not seen the precipitous drop in quality and credibility that has been
seen at NYRA.
Change at the top levels of corporate management is a component of a
successful business model. Top level management is routinely replaced for
merely maintaining the status quo. Hayward and Campo have been at the
helm of a sinking ship and are in need of replacement.
Richie -
Who are these other players in the industry? California? Maryland? And even there, the entities running the tracks are not quasi-governmental (or whatever NYRA is). Can you imagine TGJB trying to run Thoro-Graph while having to answer to the NYsRWB, the Controller, and the rest of the Albany establishment?
BitPlayer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Richie -
>
> Who are these other players in the industry?
> California? Maryland? And even there, the
> entities running the tracks are not
> quasi-governmental (or whatever NYRA is). Can you
> imagine TGJB trying to run Thoro-Graph while
> having to answer to the NYsRWB, the Controller,
> and the rest of the Albany establishment?
Bit:
Whatever you think of the quality of racing at California and Maryland,
it has not declined to the extent that it has in NY.
I\'m looking at a broader business/politics question now: The current leadership
has proven to be rather ineffective (being diplomatic here). Current
leadership has not shown me at least that they have the concern or creativity
to maintain the quality and credibility of racing in New York, whether we are
talking long term or short term.
To me whether we are talking business or politics, the above scenario is one
which calls for change. While Racing is a unique business, it is still a
business when all is said and done.
I\'ll keep JB out of this other than to say that (a) I\'m pretty sure he would
have done a better job at NYRA than current management and (b) he\'s endured a
problem employee like TGAB for all these years, so I\'m sure he would hold his
own with the politicos.
Okay, I\'ll bite. Exactly what steps do you guys think should be taken by NYRA?
I suppose NYRA was supposed to wave a magic wand and make horses that didn\'t exist run at in fields that didn\'t exist.
Anyone who thinks racing in Maryland hasn\'t declined more than NY needs to pull back the blinds. I know that doesn\'t lead to glib, cheesy comedy lines like richie usually delivers but c\'mon, don\'t be ridiculous comparing NY and Maryland. California can\'t even decide what surface it wants to run on.
JMA:
California\'s rush to judgment on synthetic is still the most perplexing
decision ever made in this game,
Maryland\'s political environment is not conducive to the long term survival of
racing, and recent developments outside of the state (slots at Parx and
Delaware) have not helped.
No matter how good racing in California and Maryland once was in their golden
eras, they were never the \"gold standard\". NYRA was. Now NYRA is a punch line.
JMA, I do not know if you\'ve read any of my recent posts (and I couldn\'t blame
you for skipping or deleting them, they are becoming rather redundant)(I guess
this comes from my days protesting against the Vietnam War, where I learned
that necessary change is attainable through persistence), but I will repeat
again:
1)Under the current regime, the quality of year round NY racing has tanked,
especially on the Inner Dirt, which is now unbettable.
2)Under the current regime, a certain repeat offending trainer (more than 70
violations), was finally given an extensive and probably appropriate
suspension, which was stayed by the courts. During this stay, said trainer is
scoring at a 40% rate.
3) Under the current regime, a perennial leading owner/breeder was convicted
of animal abuse, currently incarcerated.
4) Under the current regime, a number of administrative blunders, most
recently the year long miscalculation of takeout.
5) One I haven\'t mentioned too much. It has been more than a year since OTB
closed. NYRA should have already opened upscale teletheatres in both Staten
Island and Manhattan. They could be highly profitable if properly managed and
would contribute to the continued health and well being of the sport, at least
in NYC.
6) Catastrophic breakdowns. The only place where I have seen more horses break
down is on HBO\'s \"Luck\". (Sorry, had to give JMA his dose of \"glib and cheesy\")
JB:
My point is that the first thing that NYRA\'s Board of Trustees should consider
is replacing current leadership. As to what current leadership or their
replacements could do to improve NY Racing year round, I will report back
within 24 hours with some ideas, most of which have been discussed or at least
mentioned on this board during the eight or so years which I have
participated.
Then I will cease and desist and we can all get on the Derby Trail. Speaking
of the Derby, is Howe Great, a Kentucky bred by a Japanese stallion out of a
South African mare, headed in that direcstion?
They are pointing him there. I thought the Beyer in the Palm Beach came up a bit soft, and Dullahan looked to be much the best, considering ground loss. Since this was the latter\'s first race this year, I\'d expect greater improvement going forward. The one to watch, who will probably be a price on Derby day.
\'Okay, I\'ll bite. Exactly what steps do you guys think should be taken by NYRA?\"
JB,
If nothing else,what portion of the enormous slot windfall money will be directly aimed at \"helping\" the players in some way. It has not even been mentioned or thought of imo.How about petitioning the NYSRWB for a serious permanent reduction in takeout?
Also,on behalf of a group that collectively gambles in the millions, p.a. at NYRA tracks,I wrote to Charlie Hayward(2009) with a list of player concerns/suggestions.I exchanged some of the info with you at the time in a private e-mail,you may recall.
The suggestions were \"purely\" from the viewpoint of professional/frequent horse players(whales and smaller bettors) It covered the then and now lack of transparency at NYRA towards players in areas from pool integrity,testing,form reversals,vets,NYRA clockers, track maintenance info, stuck/hustled horses, vet list horses, winter racing,takeout etc.The associated cost of implementing most of these changes was negligible,it was more about transparency.Incidentally, a reason for \"hiding\" stuff is thought to be that if players knew more, they would NOT play as much, hence the old cover it up attitude, nice!
No suggestion was implemented and the courtesy of a reply was never received.I suspect the letter was just tossed in the garbage. Who the f--k dared to suggest anything to NYRA\'s elitists management/board team which treats players/gamblers as nothing more than a necessary evil.That is also the attitude of a certain number of trainers,disclose as little as possible, keep it all with the insiders, f--k the players.Too stupid to realize, no players, no racing.
After about a year, an approach was made to a State Senator involved in racing committees, asking that a review of current NYRA top management/board be undertaken,with a view of replacing it with a more player friendly team.
We know it was looked at, but in the end, political inertia won out.Seeds were at least sown and Comptroller Di Napoli took a swing at smug NYRA. A second review of NYRA management is still being looked at a higher level of Albany racing heavyweights.Unfortunately,it looks like improved financial forecast, mostly from slots,will create more inertia on any management change.
Thats the bare bones of a NYRA story which I could write a book about.Learned two things for sure:
1.NYRA does not have a clue or care what a meaningful portion of it\'s regular players want.They know players are basically voiceless and not organized enough to have to pay attention to.
2.NYRA really does not have any vision on how to tackle todays very difficult climate in the gaming industry.They are \"over the top\" with the windfall slot handout and will most certainly get a business bump up by default.
Lastly,just a few weeks ago it was revealed that a new type \"vets list\" was implemented by NYRA.I asked where the players could see that list of horses for evaluation in their future handicapping of such horses. No acknowledgement/reply, per usual.
Mike
Mike-- specifics aside, you know that I\'m one of the advocates for the players in this game, no argument there. But Richie\'s posts (and others) have concerned the racing side, and unless I\'ve missed it I haven\'t heard any conrete suggestions for fixing the problems there. Like someone said, you can\'t draw on a horse colony that doesn\'t exist, and if they\'re not showing up for these purses, where the hell are they?
JB,
It is my belief, along with many others, that meaningful reduced takeout and total transparency will do much for the game.
Do you really want to stand with a horse on a big play who, unbeknown to you, who was on the vets list last week with physical trouble? Why should you not be informed about that?
Specifics on how to attract more young people will not be identified by consultants with MBA\'s who never sat in the grandstand or clubhouse and met with the everday player.Know those guys from my days on Wall Street, brilliant analytical skills but thats it. The psyche of the gambler/horseplayer in this niche business must be understood to have any shot at a turnaround. NYRA doesn\'t have a clue and if they read this thread they would say \"WTF is this idiot talkin about???\"
Not saying there\'s one magic bullet to fix the NY racing game but it is painfully apparent that those in charge are in way too deep and new blood along with bold innovation is necessary to have a shot.
Mike
JB:
Thanks for the preface.
PART I
Campo has continuously said he is \"at the mercy of the horse population he has to
work with\". Who is responsible for this horse population?
With the current purse structure, Campo should have no problem, in the dead of
winter, recruiting stables which have previously hibernated in the winter months.
I am talking about stables from Canada (no racing there in winter), New England
(no racing there either, but probably not too many quality horses), and
especially New Jersey (where there seems to be fewer and fewer racing days each
year). It is not inconceivable that outfits racing in Maryland, at Turfway, and
even in Illinois would send horses to race for the winter months over the inner
tube at the current Genting boosted purse structure.
To facilitate this, Campo and crew would have to take a look at the outfits
currently stabled at NYRA facilities. Are Gary Sciacca and Joe Aquilino and Paul
Toscano and others contributing to quality racing each year, or are they getting
20 stalls in 2012 because they got 20 each year in the past? And what about the
Guyana Gang (Shivmangal, Persaud, Chatterpaul)? Are we helping NY racing by
putting a roof over the manes and tails of their cheap stock?
I\'m just starting with winter racing now. To bring in these outside outfits, NYRA
would have to move some trainers out who are not supporting quality racing. They
might have to bend over backwards to get some of these trainers to relocate (in
the same way that Fair Grounds rented a house for Bud Delp\'s exercise riders to
live in for two winters in the early 80s).
To make the hard decisions involved in displacing some long time regulars on the
circuit, and to make the effort to recruit the out of state outfits which would
enhance winter racing in NY and make it viable once again, well that would take
some hard work and I am not certain that Hayward and Campo would be willing to
undertake it. These two men would seem to be coated with an insanely thick
covering of Teflon, having lasted on their jobs for so long after so much
mismanagement, and I do not know what their incentive is. And if they are ever
replaced by NYRA, I would urge NYRA that their replacements\' pay plan is at least
partially pegged to handle, field size and attendance.
New York state bred racing is also part of the problem, and would stand in the
way of bringing outside outfits. Why would a trainer or owner ship to stable from
out of state knowing that 30 - 40% of the races will be written for NYBs?
Anybody see the Herecomesthebride from GP yesterday, which was won by the
favorite, who was bred in NY. If NY Breeders had any sense they would realize that
the value of their runners would be enhanced with continued success against open
horses. The continuation of NYB racing serves a small group of politically
connected farm owners and breeders to the detriment of the entire racing program
in the state.
I will make the following suggestion for at least the tenth (twentieth?) time:
The only races for NYBs run at NYRA tracks should be stakes races. In all other
races,give NYBs a purse enhancement or a 3 pound weight allowance when they run
against open horses. I believe this would have the long term effect of \"culling\"
some of the never- should - have - been - bred, super slow and unsound state bred
runners NY horseplayers have seen this winter.
PART II -- Year Round Scheduling, More Off The Wall Ideas. (to come)
Mike-- look, I agree about takeout and transparancy, and am fighting hard for the latter (and may be winning, we\'ll see). But those things don\'t address the issues of small fields, cheap horses, and breakdowns.
It\'s pretty clear there should be less racing. 85% of handle now comes off-track, which means you could probably get the same amount of handle spread among less races (and possibly more handle, if you staggered the tracks, days and races right, and had the bigger fields that would probably result). But if someone has other ideas, whether NYRA specific or not, put them out there.
JB,
Less winter racing a no brainer.NYRA justified winter racing as necessary to fund purses for the Belmont/Saratoga meets, fair!. Since that is no longer the case with the slot money pouring in,lets see if NYRA asks permission from Albany to race less winter dates.
Breakdowns incidentally may be attributed to the horrible track maintenance on the inner surface.The surface painfully slow/debilitating on many days causing the premature onset of exhaustion and breakdowns imo and more importantly TWO VETS at Aqueduct.You can hear race caller Johnny Imbriale startled at seeing the three quarters in like 1:18 in some route races.I know the winter slugs are slow but that surface is criminal.
Not able to resist,I called one day last week and spoke to the track supers office about the ridiculously slow surface(don\'t know who I spoke to) The guy said \"yeah it\'s a slow day\" I said, are you watering? Back raking? He said \"Why do you want to know?\" I just hung up.
Mike
Miff -
I thought it was the opposite: pre-slots NYRA was cash-flow-positive at the Spa, but cash-flow-negative during the winter. I always assumed there was some regulatory or political reason to run during the winter. I know I\'ve read that the winter is when the small outfits make the money necessary to keep them going.
Bit,
Not referring to cash flow.Nyra stated that winter racing was necessary for forward purses.
How does a business that takes in millions per day have a cash flow problem anyway if properly managed? Can understand p&l, but cash flow?
Mike
An article on Foxwoods.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/magazine/mike-sokolove-foxwood-casinos.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
You could probably apply some of this stuff to horse racing, at least when to comes to the increase in competition for the gambling buck. Not an easy environment.
\"It would be easy to look at what has occurred at Foxwoods and think, Here are people who fell into money and didn't know how to handle it. Which happens to be true. But how the casino reached this point, and the challenges its owners and operators now confront, is part of a much larger story — one involving the gradual relaxation of moral prohibitions against gambling, a desperate search for new revenue by state governments and the proliferation of new casinos across America. Casino gambling has become a commodity, available within a day's drive to the vast majority of U.S. residents. Some in the industry talk of there being an oversupply, as if their product were lumber or soybeans.\"
"You can't fight the tide," Butera said as we sat in his office. He brought up the example of Atlantic City. The State of New Jersey is likely to reap less money from its tables and slots — just as Connecticut and other states that have come to rely on gambling will see their share decrease as others get into the market. But he believes individual casinos with a good plan can survive. "It's the exact same thing here," Butera said. "We can still have a great business. We just can't have the same business we used to have."
Clueless Clowns at NYRA under scrutiny AGAIN by Bennett Liebman,Deputy Secretary of Gaming NY State. Seems the rash of breakdowns is further evidence of current NYRA\'s overall incompetency.Rather terse letter on Gov.Cuomo\'s letterhead addressed to NYRA by Ben Liebman whom NYRA does NOT want to tangle with. Unlike the manner in which smug NYRA ignores players letters, this one will be addressed for sure.
Inner track conditions remain horrific. As late as yesterday,the unforgiving, debilitating surface was yielding raw time 20+ lengths slow in routes, 5-10 slow in sprints.Notwithstanding that the surface issue was brought to smug NYRA\'s attention on several occasions since Glen Kozak was appointed NYRA track super, nothing changed.There is a strong case that the debilitating surface and the cheap winter stock have combined to exponentially increase breakdowns.It must also be noted that spacing in winter in very short amongst the cheap stock.
Also highlights the need for much more transparency by NYRA.The players have a right to see a daily updated list of horses on the vets list and the reasons why the animal was unfit to race.Wonder how much players money was thrown in the garbage gambling on cripples that were on that vet list.
Mike
I thought the sad creature Zito ran the other day, bar shoe and eased, was particularly egregious.
Vet must be afraid to tell him, keep the horse in the barn until he can walk.
In fairness, a communication was just received from NYRA in response to a question regarding the lack of transparency regarding horses placed on NYRA\'s vets list.It was stated the vets list is for eyes only by certain NYRA personnel.The reason for asking for the list to be published was fully explained to NYRA.
Tracking the vets list at a prime race venue revealed that horses coming off such list won 2 races out of 97 starts, first race back off list. At another lesser venue, horses won app 3 of 39, first time back.
Mike
But, if you keep the horse in the barn, the owner accumulates more bills for a horse who can\'t run (well). If the horse goes on the track and dies, the bills stop.