Like Him or Not, Portnoy has Something Others Do Not

 A lot of you have seen this Portnoy post about his beat in the Pick 6 at Del Mar yesterday:

I made it to last leg of pick 6 at Del Mar. I had

5 paid 130k
7 paid 400k
8 paid 800k (entire pool)
9 paid 400k
10 paid 400k
11 paid 200k https://t.co/fpH85rRhpC pic.twitter.com/cFWH9axq8x

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) August 31, 2026

Everyone has an opinion on this guy and I get it, but after 1.7M views and 223 comments, the twittersphere is simply saying, "Damn, we understand".

I've been critical of racetrack marketing here on the blog.  But seeing time after time, some "influencer" being paid to do something at a track in a fancy hat or expensive suit with an end-goal to get "impressions" so some sort of mass-market might see it for a nanosecond, always rubbed me the wrong way. 

As Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz once said, "Mass advertising can build brands, but authenticity makes them last".

This is, to me, the lesson that's been lost on this sport. 

How many people who follow a celebrity online would sign up to a Pick 6 bet share with him or her at Xpressbet? Take your pick, Tom Cruise, Mr. Beast, the Griffin fellow; your favorite Youtuber, if you even have one?

How many followers would sign up and join-in on a ticket with Alix Earle (who 1stbet supposedly paid an appearance fee to) as she walks through a grandstand at Gulfstream while commenting on the colorful jockeys?

In contrast, how many would, after watching that video with the 'ever-polarizing' Portnoy, get in on some action?

Watching a guy with skin in the game almost lose his prized filly in a terrible spill at the Spa awhile back was something real. Now, we see what you, me, literally everyone who has played this game have gone through. 

It's us. It's this game. It's completely real. 

I don't know much about Portnoy, and honestly I don't care in the least what he does in his spare time. What I do know about him is that when it comes to firing at the windows, the guy is authentic. 

And authenticity matters. 

Have a nice Monday everyone.