Strategery

I saw last evening that Trakus has been discontinued at Woodbine, although it will stay on for the thoroughbreds. This is clearly due to the loss of revenue from slots which took effect on March 31st.

In racing, the strategic management moves when revenues dry up tend to be one or both of: Decrease spending on your end product or raise prices

We are seeing the first of those moves at Woodbine, we saw the second of those in places like California and other places who've raised takeout over the years.

Conversely, the strategy is different with other organizations - at least those managed at a collective level.

As most know, Dairy Farmers and their marketing arm have been in place, working the market since 1934. A portion of each litre of milk sold goes into a fund, managed by the Dairy Farmers, and it is spent on awareness, marketing and new products.

Late last year, in response to a declining market for dairy products, a fee increase to Dairy Farmers was passed to increase their presence in marketing channels. 

This year $67.3 million will be spent on marketing to end users; a $7.3 million bump.

Racing does not have such an organization of course. The Racing Development and Sustainability Plan that was rejected in the Province was probably in the $7 million range a year - a fraction of what 13,500 dairy farmers spend. As well, Woodbine has to look after Woodbine, horsemen have to try and get racedates and so on.

However, it is very emblematic, in my opinion, what happens when other organizations go through some adversity and get together to fight for a share of the market (with subsidy money or not), rather than fighting for disparate shares of a market; or even worse, fighting each other.

(h/t to @darrylkaplan for the link)

It Seems Easier To Be a Female Handicapper

Since "Black Friday" when online poker sites were shut down, where women could not longer hone their skills in anonymity online, it's being felt in the game of hold em. Only 3% of the players at the last World Series of poker were women, which is not unlike it was several years ago. Women and poker are not growing in leaps and bounds like they should, especially with many high profile women players. Playing live is not a pleasant experience for many.

• Now that online poker is outlawed in the U.S., there is a fear that the growth and acceptance of American women players will stall without a convenient, non-gender-biased place for them to nurture their games. Selbst is also concerned, explaining, "A lot of women feel that it's still an intimidating and unfriendly environment at the [live] poker table, and I can't say that I don't agree in a lot of circumstances." 
• Many women players, including me, do in fact share Selbst's concern. A couple of weeks ago, I was playing Pot Limit Omaha at a Southern California casino, and a male player at the table sneezed grossness all over me. When he didn't apologize I said, "You realize that sprayed all over me, right?" He sneered back, "That's what she said." After that, I did my best to empty his pockets. By the end of the night, he left exasperated, saying, "I quit. I can't beat this game—no, I just can't beat her." I'm a poker veteran—and this wasn't the first sexist comment directed at me at a casino—but if it had been my first experience at a live table, I don't think I would have known how to respond. And wanting to avoid more abuse, I doubt I would have ever come back to that casino.

That doesn't sound overly welcoming, especially when you consider who the protagonist in the article is.

• Selbst's success at poker may be genetic. Her mother—who died in 2005, just before Selbst became a poker superstar—was an MIT graduate who paid her way through college by playing poker, and her parents met during a bridge game. Growing up, Selbst's mom acted as her poker mentor, and the family encouraged competiveness by playing games like cribbage and Mastermind. Perhaps unfairly (see Susan Rice or Serena Williams), overt competitiveness and confidence is still perceived differently between the genders. Selbst's sometimes-abrasive public demeanor has made her a polarizing figure. A recent televised Selbst outburst ignited a harsh backlash on TwoplusTwo.com, poker's biggest online forum. But her intellect (she's a former Fulbright scholar and recent Yale Law School Graduate) and impressive results have earned her an undeniable level of respect and celebrity that is practically unequalled by any other woman in the history of poker.
  

That's clearly the type of person racing needs handicapping.

I would not know either way, other than anecdotally, but I expect it would be more welcoming for her in racing.

The NHC has plenty of women attendees who like handicapping. Go on twitter and watch a few women handicap and I don't know anyone - male or female - who treat them with disrespect like an Amarillo Slim, or the dude in the story above treated his female poker foes. And of course, you can play racing online.

Maybe that's why 20% or so of online ADW clients are women, while six times fewer are at the WSOP. Handicapping is welcoming, pari-mutuel, and a divine pursuit among all of us. We're taking each others money, but not like it's being done at an ascerbic poker table.

Today's April 1st Press Release & Other Notes

Lets get today's Big Press Release out of the way first.

Preakness Moved Back Two Weeks. Goes Head to Head With the Kentucky Derby

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pimilco - April 1, 2013: Today Pimlico is pleased to announce that the Kegasus Preakness Stakes Brought to you by Ikea, Air Power, Wal Mart, Jiffy Lube and Adena Springs Energy Drink ® has been moved from two weeks after the Kentucky Derby to a post time exactly the same as the Kentucky Derby. 

"We've been experimenting running races right on top of each other at Gulfstream and Santa Anita and the results have been good", said spokesman Dott Scaruty. "We figure, hell, everyone is already here for the Derby, let's capitalize on it. We've upped the purse by $50,000 to try and attract more colts."

Also added this year at the behest of Horse Racing Commissioner Dichard Rutrow is a clenbuterol withdrawl time of seven minutes, mandatory lasix, and no detention barn. "We're trying to keep those commie Europeans out of the race" he noted. 

For bettors, a quadruple qaudrefecta Rainbow spread nine was announced. To hit the bet you must pick the winners of the first five races, along with the first through 9th finishers, all while downing four funnel shots in the infield. A bettor can cash if he or she is the only ticket holder. If no one hits the ticket, the proceeds go to backstretch improvements.

"We hope it attracts the younger crowd" said Scaruty.

Reaction across the sport was mixed. 

"As long as they offer lower takeout and take care of the fans, I'm okay with it, " said Pike Megram, head of the California Owners Who Love the Fans and Bettors (COWLTFAB). 

"If it doesn't overlap with The Following on FOX, it's a great idea", said Ray Cowlick of the Cowlick Report.

"With those two races and only one America's Best Racing Bus we will have to be creative." noted ABR's Penelope Miller. "The Brand Ambassadors might have to rent cars, but since none of them are 25 we could be in trouble."

"The Dodgers and Giants sometimes play against one another and it works, so if we follow their lead we should be fine" added David Belgium of the California Political Horse Racing Board (CPHRB).

Churchill Downs management was unavailable to be quoted but the receptionist wanted anyone who reads the press release to sign up for betting on both events at Twinspires.com. "If you bet over $30,000 on the cards we'll give you a free Kentucky Derby baseball cap," she said.

On the other side, trainer Meff Jullins said "you have to be an idiot to bet the quadruple qaudrefecta Rainbow spread nine"

Further, Tim from Brooklyn called into the Steve Pick show and simply said "Horse racing is insane." Pick then went into a 36 minute uninterrupted monologue about why Tim was wrong; although the last 11 minutes of the soliloquy was about how much he loved NYRA.

We hope all fans can make it to this years new improved Kegasus Preakness Stakes Brought to you by Ikea, Air Power, Wal Mart, Jiffy Lube and Adena Springs Energy Drink ® and we look forward to seeing you on the first Saturday in May. 

-30-

That's my first ever April Fools post. If you want someone to blame, please blame this guy. He gave me the idea a bit ago.

In a move right out of horse racing, the Mets and Yankees both open their seasons at home at 1 p.m. today.
— David Grening (@DRFGrening) April 1, 2013

Notes:

Now that we got that out of the way - this whole Rudy Rodriguez thing seems to stink. In my opinion of course. If what is reported is true, and the banamine positive showed levels "through the roof", there is something terribly wrong. The dumbest trainer on the planet would think it's crazy. No one would knowingly do such a thing when they know they're going to be caught, and they have a Derby horse going in a month.

Nasty, nasty article on horse slaughter in the Toronto Star yesterday. 

Rosario "redeems himself" with Dubai World Cup win.

The Big M handled $3.3 million Saturday with nondescript races. Yonkers, with the Levy, the top drivers and trainers and about a half a million in purses brought in about $930,000.

Have an enjoyable day everyone.