Can you please provide more information about the sudden announcement regarding TGPS and NYRA Bets?
Thanks!

HRTV said something is going on and was a bit cryptic--once International Star was scratched, they apparently scratched others on the card.

I watched the first episode and found it entertaining--certainly enough to want to see it again next week. There are some quirky/unique characters in the group and only half of the cast was introduced last night. John Conte is definitely a guy who you have to like and he knows the game as well as anyone out there.

I don\'t know if a program like this will generate any new fans or excitement about this Sport I have followed since I was a kid, but I hope it does some good.

The fact that it is focusing on a time frame starting in late 2012 leading into last year\'s NHC and beyond might throw people off a little bit.

The juxtaposition of Aqueduct on Cigar Mile day 2012 versus Santa Anita on Breeders Cup day was interesting in that Aqueduct--despite looking run down and sparsely attended on what was a good day of racing--still had a little presence and charm. Santa Anita, on the other hand was glitz and glam and really seemed like a different universe than the Big A.

I think the show has 10 episodes and I will certainly be watching to see more.

Just wanted to know if anyone else is watching and would like to hear what you all think.

agree--I am alive to the 7 and 8 in 12th and pretty much everyone in last race--Maker doesn\'t need any miracles with the 8--sheet number pretty strong there.

If I wasn\'t so stubborn and left Stephainie\'s Kitten out of my p5 and p4, would have been doing cartwheels at this point.

Horse whisperer and JB for sure--very happy for Shug--one of the biggest heartbreaks of my horse racing fan lifetime was Easy Goer not winning the Derby. Love it for Shug--truly class act.

What is there that\'s not to like about Jim Covello--he is a true gentleman on this board and as the Bloodhorse article states--the kind of owner that the game needs more of.

I think I can safely say that I speak for many in wishing Jim well--if he wins Saturday, I probably won\'t cash--but I will have a big smile on my face nonetheless.

Steve Haskin (who I enjoy reading and watching on Bloodhorse) wrote a column at the beginning of the week regarding wet-track possibnilities.  He rated Mylute\'s pedigree best--just ahead of Palace Malice and Orb. Haskin is heavily into pedigrees going back a number of generations on both sides--a true old-school professor of the game.

He also stated that Lines of Battle would be worth a look only on a wet track. Other horses--\"A sloppy track also should not hurt the chances of REVOLUTIONARY, OVERANALYZE, VERRAZANO, OXBOW, and BLACK ONYX\".

Haskin and Lenny Shulman (a former college roommate of mine decades ago) have a very entertaining video program online every two weeks, and I like their views on the sport--they both truly love the thoroughbred horse and the beauty of the game.

--This was a weak bunch and it didn\'t look like anyone wanted the distance. Paynter is a nice horse, but clearly was taking a huge step up into Grade 1 stakes company. Dullahan still hasn\'t won on dirt--the rest aren\'t even in the discussion of this  3 YO crop.

 Johnny V. was hugely responsible for the win--similar ride to the one he gave in Rags to Riches\' Belmont. It was kind of poetic justice that Castellano got off UR and on Pletcher\'s horse in FL, and then JV wins with him.

  I don\'t think Leparoux cost UR the Derby--IHA and BM were tons the best. I am happy that Matz is somewhat vindicated by the win today, but I don\'t think this stamps UR as a contender for future honors--a nice horse and he will win a few more, but no way is he the best of his generation.

Unless something different is being said behind closed doors--Baffert claimed that he was happy with the way Bode was ridden.
 
 Is there anybody who thinks that Bode would not have won hands down if Trinniberg was not in the race?

Smith set very fast early fractions--got a breather in the turn, opened up 5 on the field in the lane.  He only got caught in the last 70 yards--Bode is clearly the best horse of this group, and loses very little in defeat.

 If managed correctly, he can win a whole lot of races going forward--reminds me a lot of Holy Bull and his style of running. (oh, and guess who rode Holy Bull?)

Agree with your kudos to NBC--I thought the entire telecast was well done and informative. I truly enjoy the insight that Jerry Bailey brings to the table, and I also believe that Laffit III is a rising star.  I have always enjoyed him on HRTV, and am glad that NBC used him in their broadcasts this year.

 However--in the midst of all these human interest stories (Baffert\'s heart attack, Phyllis Wyeth) no one brought up Dennis O\'Neil and his brave battle with cancer. What a great win for the O\'Neil family and a ringing endorsement for California Racing--which has been on the wane recently and certainly can use a boost.

 There were so many great human interest stories this year that you almost could not go wrong with most outcomes--this one certainly is nice for Racing in so many ways--Reddam, the O\'Neil\'s, Lava Man and the young jockey are all good narratives for the game at a time when there have been so many negative stories (NYRA, Penn National, Michael Gill, pain killers, etc.)

  I have loved Horse Racing since I was a young kid in the 1960\'s--the Derby is such a great and wonderful event every year, and the prep races and buildup to it never get old. You have to hope that a day like today creates new fans for a sport that badly needs as much love as possible.

No OP in Philly--add that to no GP, no SA, no GG, no LRL and no FG. There are hardly any tracks left to bet on in these parts.

This has turned into a joke/disgrace.

On the plus side, if one wants to travel to AC, the casinos are taking all of these tracks.

I bet in person or on line through Philly Park Phone Bet. Although SA was originally listed on their schedule for this week, they have updated their calendars and there is no FG, SoCal or NoCal racing listed. Once Calder closes, there will be no Florida racing (GP). For a sport that is already hemorrhaging, this type of insanity only further ruins the game.

In Pennsylvania, I seriously doubt if they prioritize simulcasting revenue, as live racing at both Philly Park and Penn Nat have full fields and outrageously higher purses for claimers that are fueled by slots. When you see people like Doug O\'Neill running a stable of horses on the PA circuit, you realize that the game has changed right under our noses. As a person that has been a fairly large player at Philly Park over the past 10 years, I am convinced that they could care less about horse players. You can get better comps these days as a penny or nickel slot player at their casino.

 Their behaviors over the past year feel to me that as if they are driving horse players away.  Most of their locations have cut way back on hours of operation, and there are rarely enough tellers on duty as well as limited food service. This was not the case before they got into the slots/casino business. Prior to that time, supportive players were treated like gold--now I feel like we are being treated like crap--and nobody cares.

The removal of simulcasting on \"premium\" tracks like CD, SA, FAG, and GP is just another nail in the bettor\'s coffin. Horse racing is dying, and the major players in the business these days who remain solvent (Penn National Gaming, Greenwood, etc.) are all slots casino Companies. One need only look at the example set by the State of West Virginia--it is the most fiscally solvent State Government in the US--because of the steady stream of slots revenue from CT and MNR over the past 15 years.

Jerry, thanks so much for the free sheets again this year--but sadly, I doubt if I will be using them much or at all, as I prefer playing Santa Anita and Fair Grounds at this time of year--especially with the poor quality of the inner track at Aqueduct when it is open.

If you want a good contrast, take a look at Poker. Twenty years ago it was low-key, sleazy and in smoky, dimly-lit back rooms--and rarely found outside of Las Vegas and the few card rooms in California. Today, the WSOP gets top billing on ESPN (and way better ratings than horse racing) and Poker is played by tens of millions on line or at numerous and rapidly-expanding legal gaming locations. Horse racing, on the other hand is too busy with infighting (such as the current simulcasting debacle) to properly market and grow its sport, so it doesn\'t have a way of maintaining its fan base or creating enough new fans to sustain the sport. Unless something drastically changes, I believe the game will barely exist twenty years from now.

This does not bode well for the horse racing industry all over the world--Sheikh  Mohammed owns Darley and is the leading partner in Godolphin..He owns Ballysheehan Stud in Ireland. He also owns Gainsborough Farms In Versailles, KY. He recently bought the Woodlands Stud empire, the largest in Australia, for $US 420 million. He makesStronach and Magna look like a drop in the bucket.

I would be concerned about the Dubai World Cup happening in March.

Not to mention that the stock market will take a big hit on this tomorrow and the price of oil has already been impacted.

We learned that a 3 horse race could be somewhat exciting to watch, certainly not to bet on.....

We learned that a lot of people scratch their horses when Rachel or Zenyatta are entered in a race.....

We also learned that Jerry Moss is willing to ship out of California to take on Rachel at some point in the future--if it can be arranged.....

Check your local listings and set your DVR--TVG is running a 1 hour \"Best of the Belmont\" show--I believe it will be on again at 1:30AM Eastern Friday morning--as well as at 8:30AM Eastern Friday morning--it shows in the program listings as TVG Classic.

They show the actual race footage and call of approximately 15-16 Belmonts starting with Secretatriat in 1973 and ending with 2007--they obviously skip some years, but it is all good.

It is just the race, with no commentary before or after--only some factoids--and limited commercials. I think most people will appreciate having some of these Classics recorded for future viewing--I don\'t know where else you would find them.