Friday's Pocket State of Mind

A few interesting tidbits that I saw today:

They are changing the theme song of the Belmont back to "New York, New York". I am glad to see we weren't the only ones who were dumbfounded by the move last year to change the song to something the on-track demo has never heard of. I see they are still going with the Star Spangled Banner instead of Born in the USA, too, so there are no major changes from 2009.

Yesterday's article where I chose not to pile on Alex Waldrop was not overly well received. It seems folks like to pile on ol' Alex. However, as an illustration -

* It appears the Nor Cal State Fairs will be raising takeout. This is after a takeout hike in 2006 in California which did not work, one at Los Al that did not work, and another one this year that has presided over about a $150M or so handle loss.

* Calder and their horsemen are fighting over slices of the pie. Internet wagering takeout should be a fraction of what it is, due to the cost of the deliverable, yet horsemen think they are pirates and want more dough based on where you live.

How can a guy like Waldrop deal with rationale like this? How can anyone?

Seth over at Equidaily usually has some good links, many of which can bring a smile. Scroll half way down and check the chat board thread on Mike Smith and Chantal Sutherland's inquiry.

I know one has to tread with kid gloves at the Meadowlands now, since it is having a tough time, but we need a little judging on the racing action. For years bettors have been complaining about the relatively new phenomenon of the drivers being half in and half out, screwing up races. Last night, Tim Tetrick on a 5-1 shot went 27.4, 58.1 and 127.3. What were the drivers doing during that? Yep, waiting on cover, screwing up the race for bettors. At Pull the Pocket Downs, it's a $3000 fine. Drivers will pull and move forward if you make them. One Mississippi to flush, then you have to go.

Nice piece from Darryl Kaplan about betting as a University student. I can't help but relate. I did my 4th year thesis on off Track betting and carried my programs between classes. Sitting in a cavernous lecture hall in a hot 18th century building often led one to handicap a daily double instead.

Our old friend here at the blog who runs a horse rescue, started a little blog as a newbie bettor. Good luck Claudette!

Another old friend, Dan Needham at Thorotrends released his full survey results on his blog. It was a comprehensive survey which illustrates much of which we have been chatting about for years here - racings many segments. It's an interesting read.

HANA Harness and Tioga have teamed up for a Pool Party. There are very few racetracks as customer friendly as Tioga. It's a great card on June 12th to boot.

Reminders: The Burlington Stakes go tomorrow, featuring Big Jim. Sunday is the Des at Rideau. Harness action heats up this time of year!