Too Much Racing

ESPN's Bill Finley on racings handle losses:

"Reversing the trend won't be easy, and it might just be impossible. There's too much competition for the gambling dollar out there, racing is burying its remaining customers with outrageously high takeout levels and the game doesn't seem to attract any new blood as far as fans go."

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Ron Pierce and John Campbell do not invite each other out for dinner, but I don't think they have ever done this.



The last time I saw two 104 pound dudes scrap I think it was around grade three.

The Reactor is Coming

Auckland Reactor is coming to the US from New Zealand and he landed in the barn of the very sharp Kelvin Harrison. I don't think many will have to worry about the horse being cared for in that barn, but US racing in general takes a barb from a turf writer: "In the States, with suitable mile racing and who knows what pumping through his system, it would not surprise to see him do something freakish, especially as their aged pacing ranks have little in the way of returning star power."

Ouch.

It will be interesting to see how the colt does over this way. I find it virtually impossible to judge downunder horseflesh. They seem to race a ton of distances and the bike they race in looks a bit like something Henry Ford would build in 1904. Watching him I think he was nowhere near his best in his last couple, and I was impressed with some of his earlier miles (or mile and a halfs or whatever), but I am totally on the fence.

One person who is not on a fence is a blog reader who sometimes calls himself "Northern Ontario Walleye Fisherman" in the comments section. He says, via HD.com: "A month of silence and the PR department kicks in to overdrive again. Bottom line, best mile win time 153.2. Has lost 4 of his last 9 races his best win 153.3. Finished 6th last time out in a 150.1 mile. As the PR department tells everyone this horse is capable of walking on water so they have decided not to fly to North America he will walk the Pacific landing in Long Beach California."

He must learn not to mince words. Ouch again.

Regardless, this should add some energy to harness racing in the older division in 2010. The 2009 three year crop was anemic, and there are no superstars graduating. Shadow Play is done, Mr. Big long gone to the shed. It will be super-interesting to watch this horse and see if he is good enough. If he is, a sprakling stud career should happen.

Doubling the Time and Some Good Writing

The appeals process in racing is an area that I know the business would like to change. Driver/jock gets days, driver/jock appeals days, driver/jock takes days when he is vacationing in the Bahamas - that's the way it generally works. The Kentucky commission did something today, albeit small. They doubled the days for Calvin Borel for a riding infraction from 3 to 6 days.

"We're trying to put a stop to these frivolous appeals," [Commission exec director Lisa] Underwood said.

The judges are convenient whipping boys in this. However, appeals cost money and they have to be sure there will not be one. I would submit if a panel is created who judges that an appeal is obviously frivolous (throw a couple of bettors on there, not insiders who go to Thanksgiving dinner with the participants), then the appealant will have to pay for the proceedings and have his days at least doubled, to be served immediately. Workable? I don't know.

Cangamble has an excellent summation on how bettors have changed over the years, how there is less dumb money, and how rebates (arguably the life preserver of bettors) are slowly being phased out. The premise being, that the quest to take more of a shrinking pie, shrinks the pie even more. It was a good read.