Someone in New York Wants to Kick Some Ass

Over the past few months it's maddened you, as it has me. Industry insiders, horsemen groups, apologists for racing and press release after press release extolling the virtues of big slot purses at NYRA. If you read them, or those releases, you'd wonder if the business even has customers.

I like to call what's been happening "Ontario, circa 1998".

Someone decided, apparently, that he's heard enough. New York State Franchise Oversight Board member John Crotty said this yesterday about the situation with NYRA slot cash:

•  At the heart of the matter is the concept that raising purses makes everything sort of sustainable, I reject, I reject forever.
•   The fundamental problem with racing is the number of people interested in it is lower than it should be and lower and growing the wrong way for it to be sustainable. If you don’t grow the pie, I don’t know — good seats on the Titanic.”

Brav-freaking-oh. Horseplayers and folks who've lived through the concept of putting all the slot cash into purses and watching it fail miserably, applaud you wholeheartedly.

A shiny new paddock, a new posh bar upstairs at a venue where 89% of handle now comes from off track, purses up the wazoo that make no sense will not increase your business long term. It's nice that someone other than dumb bettors and a few bloggers are starting to say it.

Can a takeout reduction be coming? Better bets? More marketing cash? I'd bet on it.