Power Play & Old Grey Friends

A recent blog piece on business quoted a book publisher saying "We must do everything in our power to uphold the value of our content against the downward pressures exerted by the marketplace."

The author rightfully says, "You don't have the power."

He is fundamentally correct, of course. Fighting market forces is a one way ticket to the poorhouse. Over the last ten or so years racings response to competition reads like the playbook of a prohibition politico from 90 years ago: "Internet poker is illegal and it must be stopped, we need legislation .... once we ban offshore wagering people will be back betting at the track .... we can not lower prices to compete because it costs too much"

I don't think that strategy is working too well.

The future is something we move towards, not look for protection from. Let's hope we do better this decade than the last one.



There is a story today (h/t to Standardbred Canada) about the 23 year old mare Keystone Wallis. She made over $600k with 18 wins from 62 starts. I remember seeing her maiden race and followed her throughout her excellent career as a class-skipping track goer. She stood out like a sore thumb - a beautiful grey mare, almost bright white.

She was recently (now a barren mare) sent to auction where her days would be numbered. But some Christmas cheer came her way when a gal at Hogan Equine named Kate Miller saw her in the catalogue. They scraped up some cash and voila - the grey mare has a new loving home. For more on the story and to see pictures of Keystone Wallis, click here.