Crist Blog | November 25, 2007
Squandering Our Lives
The worst part of the disgraceful editorial in Saturday's New York Times about New York City OTB wasn't its gullibility in believing (and endorsing) Mayor Bloomberg's false claims of unprofitability and his empty threat to shutter the company. The lowest of many low points came in these two sentences:
"Shutting down the city's more than 60 OTB offices appeals to Mr. Bloomberg on both financial and moral grounds. Put simply, he believes that the city should not be asked to sustain a system that encourages people to squander the rent money or, worse, their lives."
It's no surprise that the priggish Times turns up its nose at gambling, but it is still astounding to see the so-called national newspaper of record dismiss hundreds of thousands of racing fans and OTB customers as deadbeats and judge their lives as worthless. Someday someone will explain to me why playing the horses is any different from speculating in financial and real-estate markets, pursuits that the Times routinely encourages its readers to sustain.
--Saturday's three consecutive nine-furlong stakes races at Aqueduct provided a study in pace contrasts and their effect on final time. Here were the fractional and final times:
Discovery
25.08 49.11 1:12.88 1:37.21 1:50.15
Demoiselle
23.35 47.81 1:13.23 1:38.85 1:51.61
Remsen
24.33 49.15 1:14.49 1:39.85 1:52.48
The Discovery earned a Beyer of 96, in line with Now a Victor's previous efforts, and the slow opening half-mile certainly aided the early leaders. The Demoiselle got an 84, consistent with Mushka's two previous 82's on different surfaces, and the quick early fractions set the stage for her looping victory from far back.
The roughly-run Remsen gets only a 76, which might at first seem highly counterintuitive, given that the 1-2 finishers, Court Vision and Atoned, ran Beyers of 90 and 82 in their previous starts. Both, however, had rough trips in the slow-paced, bunched-up race, with Atoned stumbling on the backstretch and Court Vision having to bull his way through traffic.
Despite the glacial figure, I thought Court Vision was impressive in victory. He had absolutely no running room when he needed it and seemed to have an impossible task to run down Atoned in the final furlong. He not only got up but also did it with the fastest final furlong of any of the three winners. All three of these lightly-raced winners appear to have very bright futures.
So, obviously, does Daaher, who earned a stellar 114 for his 2 1/2-length victory over Midnight Lute in the Cigar Mile. As David Grening pointed out, Daaher concluded his campaign with the identical three-race pattern that Discreet Cat did last year -- a Saratoga allowance victory, the Jerome and the Cigar Mile. Here's hoping Daaher fares better than Discreet Cat did from here on in. He's being pointed for the Donn Handicap Feb. 2 and then either the Godolphin Mile or Dubai World Cup March 29.
As for Midnight Lute, there's no disgrace in running second to Daaher but the performance cast some doubt on his stretching out in top-level company next year. He has now failed in all three of his starts beyond seven furlongs, and he looked to me like he was slightly rank and fighting Garrett Gomez most of the way yesterday. That left him without his locomotive late punch, though it would have been tough for anyone to catch Daaher after a moderate opening half in 46.32 en route to a spakling final time of 1:33.79 for the mile.
--Today's only graded stakes races are the two Grade 1's concluding Hollywood's holiday-weekend Turf Festival:
5:38 pm EST: Hollywood race 5, G1 $500k Matriarch S., 3+F, 1m-T
This small but accomplished field of six might be a little trickier than its billing as a showdown between 8-5 Wait a While and 9-5 Precious Kitten. Wait a While's best race would drown them, and two of her best races have come in claifornia, where she was smashing winning the american Oaks and Yellow Ribbon last year. This year, though, you can't ever be sure which Wait a While is going to show up. She's been erratic. At least she'll get some pace today and maybe it's coincidence, but in her last 10 starts, she's 0-for-4 when the opening half in 49 or slower, 6-for-6 when it's faster. Precious Kitten always fires, and you can draw a line through her BC F&M Turf fiasco, but she really had no escuse getting run down late by Vacare in the First Lady the time before that. At 7-2, Lady of Venice might be the play. She wqas hampered by the slow pace as the favorite in the First Lady, but her other one-mile races have been her best efforts.
7:08 pm EST: Hollywood race 8, G1 Hollywood Derby, 3yo, 1 1/4m-T
Nobiz Like Shobiz couldn't handle 10 furlongs in that other Derby earlier this year, but gets a second chance at the distance now that he's found a new home on the grass. He's clearly the fastest horse in the race up to a mile and an eighth, and the question is whether he can now handle a 10th furlong or if a confirmed stayer such as Bold Hawk can close the gap. The only other plausible win candidates are Daytona(Ire), also questionable at the distance but coming off a huge 9f win in the Oak Tree Derby, and Twilight Meteor, who lost photos to both Nobiz and Bold Hawk earlier this year.
--Wave a fond farewell until March or April to seven-furlong and one-turn mile races in New York after today: The Aqueduct main track closes for the season and racing moves to the inner track starting Wednesday.
Posted by Steven Crist Nov 25, 2007 1:18:54 PM | Permalink
Keywords:
Comments
jim says:
its not what we think..what do the owners/breeders think of bloombergs comments. thats what i want to know!
Posted by jim Nov 29, 2007 6:44:33 PM
christine says:
In answer to a post above...the "takeout" for a trade in the market really depends on how big a fish you are and where you do your business. You can make or break your own business depending on where you call home. I am always amazed to find the immense predjudice however when folks always want to give me 50-100K or MORE to trade in the market without question but are scared to death over $500.00 for a pony account. The market is a much darker place...believe me...
Posted by Christine Nov 29, 2007 12:57:59 AM
ejxd2 says:
Rich_HF said, "FINALLY: To the comment who wanted real track prices, thus that's why the OTB's don't work - you have to pay a price for convience (sic). If you don't want to travel all the way to the track and play there, you should have to pay a small percentage for the convience (sic) of a company bringing the races closer to you."
Um, no.
Posted by EJXD2 Nov 28, 2007 2:29:21 PM
mike says:
To the point that the stock market doesn't have a take out I don't think that's entirely correct. Unless I'm mistaken, I have to pay a brokerage fee if I want to buy a stock. Depending on how much money I have to invest, that fee could be fairly significant. In fact, these fees can pretty much encourage small investors not to get involved in the market. Someone who wants to invest $100 or $200 a month into stocks would not be wise to do that given that the fees would probably eat away at their gains. Mutual funds all have administrative fees attached to them which makes it important to research those investments so that you know how much of your money is going to pay fund managers. While these "takeouts" might not reach the 15-20% level that we see at the track they can still be high considering that the probable "payout" is generally not as significant as at the track although it probably has less risk.
Posted by Mike Nov 28, 2007 1:24:00 PM
dennis says:
Steve,
I would be interested in your thoughts about the Plonk article (espn.com) on the pick six
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist=plonk_jeremy&id=3122184
In summary, he recommends a weekly guaranteed pool with a carryover to the following week if no one hits. He also makes some good points about racing secretaries manipulating the race order to not have heavy favorites in the pick 6. I know you have mentioned this practice before, but what is wrong with leaving a 1-5 shot in the sequence and making it a pick five once in a while. I think more people would play on those days.
Thanks.
Dennis
Posted by Dennis Nov 28, 2007 11:33:30 AM
mike_ says:
Steve -- I believe Wednesday's the 25th anniversary of Landaluce's passing. I know that you had filed a number of stories on her in your time at the Times. Any thoughts on her career, however brief yet brilliant it was, and any favorite stories about her? Thanks.
Posted by Mike Nov 27, 2007 6:53:59 PM
florida_larry says:
Steve
"All of these comments!' You have created a therapy outlet!
" It's great though ... your personal thoughts, opinions and tips but also the chance to socialize, share and commune with fellow players.
Waiting for Gulfstream ...
Florida Larry
Posted by Florida Larry Nov 27, 2007 6:02:00 PM
flip_dawson says:
Clean up the OTB shops, and bar all drunks, touts, etc. anyone undesirable. These people do not raise the daily handle at all. They are just keeping warm in the winter at an OTB outlet.
There is a good base of horse-players who do not golf on the weekends. (loved the comparison--$100.00 spent on golf is the same as $100.00 spent at Woodbine.)
However, with golf, you have no mutuels to fiddle with. You are going to be out $100.00 at the golf course, no matter what you do.
With racing, there is the chance that you can take out a withdrawal.
I dislike golf--too many claims of foul to my liking.
Now, where did I put that book, EXOTIC BETTING?
Posted by Flip Dawson Nov 27, 2007 10:24:39 AM
wayne says:
PS - If the times or blomberg ever bothered to actually speak to the OTB folks, they will find that most are more intelligent than the average population.
Not as eductated at as the erudite Times readership, but intelligent and especially analytical. You have to be to understand the game.
Posted by Wayne Nov 27, 2007 9:46:27 AM
wayne says:
I would prefer to hang with the folks outside my local OTB (most of whom are out there due to Blomberg's smoking law, btw, ironic heh?) than with the folks hanging around outside my local supermarket offering to carry bags, load cars or clean windshields.
Posted by wayne Nov 27, 2007 9:43:22 AM
chisox says:
Someday someone will explain to me why people still read the NY Times. That being said, I agree with Marty, Steve you should write an op ed in that rag.
Posted by chisox Nov 27, 2007 3:03:59 AM
tony says:
I have no sympathy for the point of view expressed by the NY Times article, but defense of the handicapping game as being akin to stock market investing doesn't hold water. The most obvious fundamental difference is that the stock market has no takeout.
The average horseplayer loses money at the rate of the takeout, 15-20%. The exceptional horseplayer makes money by overcoming the takeout handicap. In contrast, the average investor gains capital at roughly the rate of appreciation of the market as a whole. While only exceptionally bad stock market players have lost money over the past 10 years, only exceptionally good handicappers have made money.
For the serious player, the pleasure of playing the horses is in realizing that although it DOES take extraordinary skill to beat the odds, it can be done, and to strive for the knowledge and discipline that it takes to achieve that lofty goal.
And, at the same time, to marvel at the human and equine athletes that make every race, in some way, such a wonderful spectacle.
Posted by Tony Nov 27, 2007 12:44:11 AM
yuwipi says:
"C's" so accurate comments regarding the coughing/sneezing/spitting in the OTB parlors had me laughing a long time.
If Little Lord Fauntleroy had to punch tickets for one shift at an OTB parlor and deal with some of the characters that inhabit them he'd be gone before the first break. He takes a cavalier attitude that's difficult not to interpret as arrogance.
The whole racing mess in New York state is overwhelmingly the responsibility of the politicians who essentially gerrymandered an industry into fiefdoms to grab cash and secure political patronage.
You have to hope that imbecility will skip a generation of politicians or conclude we're stuck in an unfixable situation.
Posted by yuwipi Nov 26, 2007 7:59:42 PM
kevin_m says:
Hi Steve -- I wanted to share the text of a letter I sent to the Times:
Your editorial (11/24) on New York OTB and gambling was horrible. On your silly statement that NY OTB "encourages people to squander the rent money or, worse, their lives" perpetuates a silly stereotype that needs to be put to rest. Sure gambling problems exist but the simple fact is most people that gamble on horses are everyday working people (the elitist Times has heard of the "working class", right?).
Additionally, many people that play the horses aren't blowing their mortgage but enjoy the challenge and entertainment of handicapping and watching the races (Why aren't people that spend $100 to play golf every weekend ostracized as degenerates?).
Another appalling aspect of your editorial was the fact that you took Bloomberg's assertion of NY OTB losing money at face value -- since when does the NY Times look to politicians as their primary source of info. I encourage you to educate your self a bit and take a look at Steve Crist's piece in the Daily Racing Form http://cristblog.drf.com/crist/2007/11/squandering-our.html .
Hopefully, the next time you comment on the subject it will be grounded in some facts.
Posted by Kevin M Nov 26, 2007 6:41:17 PM
pat says:
This OTB nonsense is crazy and the Times piece was a total waste of space.
I say give the City 1% of the off track gross handle as a tax/surcharge or whatever they want to call it and let the Track operator run City "OTB". Sure NYRA would love the opportunity and the City is "losing money" afterall right...
Posted by Pat Nov 26, 2007 5:06:31 PM
rich_hf says:
I think the NY Times is forgetting the socialites that do show up on the biggest of days of racing.
Someone needs to take that writer up to Saratoga Springs on a summer day and show them that horse racing players are not just the drunks and welfare check squanderers that the Times is implying play this game.
It seems like some of the worst fans, the ones who are seen screaming at monitors and then go ballistic [serious threatening of violence] because they've just dropped a bundle on a unperforming horse, who is painting a bad picture.
Unfortunately, it seems as if that is what the people who don't play the races associate with racing these days.
While I do not agree with the Times article, maybe it's time for racing to find ways to clean up their image. Don't chase away the people who are spending lots of money, adding to your handle, but ... make it so it's an enviroment that you could take their kids and not worry about what they're going to hear or see. Or make it an enviroment -- where it appears to the common person not such a negative thing when you announce that you are a horse player.
FINALLY: To the comment who wanted real track prices, thus that's why the OTB's don't work - you have to pay a price for convience. If you don't want to travel all the way to the track and play there, you should have to pay a small percentage for the convience of a company bringing the races closer to you.
Posted by Rich_HF Nov 26, 2007 3:49:54 PM
michael says:
Never ceases to amaze me how little respect politicians in NY have for a business that pumps so much money into the New York economy.
Posted by Michael Nov 26, 2007 3:12:31 PM
rcarce says:
Once again, the people who see this great game from the outside latch on to the stereotypes about the negatives of this game. While I do agree that the OTB's are a little outdated, the Times accusations that we are 'degenerates' are laughable if it wasn't so untrue. If the Times accusation is correct, then maybe there should be no gambling in the country because there are many people out in Atlantic City or Las Vegas or any of the other Indian casinos that spend their rent money on gambling. To shut down an enterprise that generates a billion dollars in revenue is typical lack of journalism and for it to be from the Times smacks of elitism.
Posted by rcarce Nov 26, 2007 1:13:05 PM
merwin_koeppel says:
41 years in the mutuels as clerk and supervisor and have been all over the world at tracks and OTB parlors, I found the NY OTB's not to be a pleasant place. They should take notes of how nice some are in SYDNEY. NSW
Posted by Merwin Koeppel Nov 26, 2007 1:03:43 PM
hud says:
jml - why do you need 2 dishes when you can get both TVG and HRTV on one dish via the dish network?
Posted by hud Nov 26, 2007 1:01:08 PM
todd_saunders says:
as usual, the moral police are out in force, led by the all-time greatest of the "neer do wellers", the NY times. again, being the hypocrites that they, and their brethren are, they claim to be civil libertarians, and defenders of people's rights to choose, yet if one chooses "unwisely", they are there to correct these alleged wrongs or moral deviations. funny thing: i was on the subway the other day, and mayor moron saw fit to allow the subway car i was in to be plastered with ads for stolichnaya vodka. kids ride these things, yet he has no moral issue with encouraging the drinking/purchasing of alcohol. i am sick and tired of people telling me and others what to do! if you do not like it, tough. since when is handicapping and wagering on the horses so despicable that it gets such animous from the mayor and his cohorts? free choice is not selective, and it is about time that people voice this concern. it is ok if citigroup, bear stearns and merrill lynch gamble all day long, doubling up idiotic "bets" that only a select few can undrerstand, but we cannot wager 10 or 20 or 100 dollars on a passion that we have cultivated and come to enjoy? what a joke, and i for 1 am sick of the moral highgrounders. get off our backs, and focus on things that really matter: child abuse, drug abuse and the wasteful wars we are now committed to
Posted by todd saunders Nov 26, 2007 12:36:07 PM
bombsaway_bob says:
As a Massachusetts Resident, I have heard the pros & cons of "The Evils of Gambling" as Suffolk Downs attempts to survive vs. casinos in Ct. & RI, along with "the most successful Lottery in the Country".
State House President Sal DeMasi tosses out the tired "Moral costs of gambling" in the State, while the MASS.Lottery churns out TWENTY DOLLAR Scratch Tickets!
When all reasonable arguments fail, the "MORAL" tag is trotted out; because YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH MORALITY! (at least that's the Anti-Gambling credo)-Bob
Posted by BombsAway Bob Nov 26, 2007 12:22:44 PM
flip_dawson says:
Re closing the OTB shops in New York, it bothers me to say it, but the Mayor is right. As a former "turf accountant" in a previous life, I saw all kinds of males betting their last dollar. These people were spending grocery money and playing nags that could not win.
A hotel set up a private room for players only, due to the alcohol sales rising in my crowd. I must say it was an exciting time in my life, but I would not copy it now. It was wrong, the players were usually wrong, and I was wrong to build my first house on the proceeds, taken off the backs of these hooked gamblers.
Posted by Flip Dawson Nov 26, 2007 12:12:10 PM
jml says:
Great comments Steven. The NYT editorial writers also need to learn a lesson in the economics of racing.
Saratoga_Ray, I agree about watching and wagering from home but would remind you that if you are in NYC or the Capital Region watching on cable then that channel is provided at the expense of the regional OTB. The cost is not borne by the tracks at all, and has gone up annually for years. Outside of a few areas of the county, in order to watch racing on TV you need a dish. If you want AQU, Gulfstream and and Santa Anita you need 2 dishes!
Posted by JML Nov 26, 2007 11:39:12 AM
sal says:
The NY Times, Michael Bloomberg, etc should stop trying to play "Big Brother". If they don't like to play horses, that's fine. But stay out of other peoples business.
Posted by Sal Nov 26, 2007 10:29:28 AM
marty_farnsworth says:
Steve, the NYTimes readers need your voice on the racing issue. I've been assuming that reporters are calling you for your perspective, but whether they are or aren't, we need you to get an op ed in the paper. The Times usually only publishes one that contradicts their stance, and you're the one who has the stature (and writing ability) to get it published.
Posted by Marty Farnsworth Nov 26, 2007 9:02:00 AM
leo says:
when politicans ride the bandwagon about the downsides of gambling, i would hope they further take there arguments and say because of their beliefs, they would not take a penny of the revenues that gambling generates for the state..and tell their constituents that they will raise their taxes instead then take this "evil" money...now thats taking a rightful stand..ohh and by the way do you think they would get elected or reelected.!!!
Posted by leo Nov 26, 2007 5:11:57 AM
john_grady says:
Loved EJS' comparisons between the stock market and the pari-mutuel system. He is absolutely correct,of course-for anyone to win at horseracing,someone has to lose. The losers would be the people who keep trying to "figure out the winner".The winners would be the handicappers who do their own morning line and exploit the former.
My lone bet today(joined by my wife,before she went off to play those mindless slot machines at Newport, RI}was the Hollywood Derby.
A bettor's delight,if you knew what tolook for. The heavy favorite,a life-and death-winner at Delaware at even money just two months ago,had just run the race of his life against a Breeders Cup field on a quagmire course. Now, he was being shipped cross-country a month later(and,I'll bet against Barclay Tagg's advice)(Remember Seattle Slew and J.O.Tobin?)to run against horses that were pointed to this race!
Out he went. The rest was easy.Daytona was the exotics key due to his pace advantage.Medici Code was a win bet at 16-1(check his turf record.)Bold Hawk had to be used on distance(overrated for win, but useful in perfectas and trifectas)
My wife hit Daytona to win. I tought her the value of early speed(yes,even on the turf)years ago.She took her money and went to the slots in Newport. I'm watching the Patriots struggle against Philly as the half comes to a close.
I had to stop again to remember my point. It's not my point. It's EJS'(?)I forgot his handle!But you are right! If I'm going to win,you have to lose! So keep on arguing about Kent Desormeaux'rides,Micheal Bloomberg's politics,the racing stewards' decisions and each other's syntax...those of us who understand "zero sum" and how it works at the racetrack will continue to make it work in our favor simply by being selective.
Bottom line... I had the exacta($180+)several times without cashing a "winner",even though the winner was my key horse.
So...zero sum theory is 100% accurate. Which side of the equation do you want to play on?
Posted by John Grady Nov 25, 2007 10:57:56 PM
steve_c says:
Steve,
I am so fed up with the people who so easily classify me as a deadbeat because I play the horses.
I have raised three kids two who went to university on my ticket, I volunteer on two or three committees every year.
I have saved for retirement and I have never beaten my wife. Though God knows she may have deserved it from time to time.
ejs says investing in the market is different, he must be a broker, telling gullible fish, "the market is ready to turn or I know better than you where to put your hard earned money (Enron?)" I like a drink, though I abhor drunk driving, I smoke, though I don't do it in non-smoking areas, I like a thought out wager but think slots are for fools. Judging by the numbers, there are so few of us left (horesplayers) why don't the big shots focus on health care, schooling and safety in the streets and leave the rest of us degenerates alone!!!
Posted by steve_c Nov 25, 2007 10:40:01 PM
bc says:
Steve,
Looks like''Squandering Our Lives'' has generated some interesting comments. Here's a question for you. Would it be in everyone's best interest to privatize horse racing in NY?
Sell everything, including the tracks,betting franchises, etc., to the highest bidder.Set up a commission,similar to a casino commission,to ensure that rules and regulations are followed.
Posted by BC Nov 25, 2007 10:24:19 PM
andy says:
I have to take exception with the person claiming that Wall Street is not a zero sum game. Even at the most basic level, stock trading, someone makes money and someone loses money with the movement of stocks. Even if the seller of a security wasn't a " short seller ", i.e. selling a stock without actually having possession, he or she is effectively losing opportunity cost should the security go up.
But, it's really more than that. The markets are very much driven by derivatives these days and such instruments have a buyer and a seller, with one profiting, and one losing, as those products move.
Call it an oversimplification, but Wall Street is very much a big casino.....not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by Andy Nov 25, 2007 10:21:53 PM
teresa says:
I've been to several OTB's in New York City, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and while not the most pleasant places in the world, they are no worse than my local supermarkets, which are also dirty, cramped, and overcrowded. I'm generally there by myself, and only long enough to place a bet, but I have found that the majority of the folks there are friendly, interested in talking horses, and perfectly pleasant. I don't want to spend a lot of time there...but as NYC public places go, they're no worse than a lot of others.
My favorite OTB story is being there the day Michael Jackson's acquittal came down a couple of years ago. I could barely get anyone to take my bet, as everyone was watching TV and offering appalled opinions at the verdict. I expect a lot of things when I go to OTB...but until that day, social/legal commentary was NOT one of them.
Posted by Teresa Nov 25, 2007 9:09:18 PM
tony_ says:
there are no bigger crooks then the ceo's of all these big companies that the news constantly promotes . But really that's not the point . The point is with TVG and all of these local track' s having their own web sites like NYRA and NJ with track odds . Who needs OTB and their takeout on your winnings ? OTB never made any sense to me I want track odds period . Its hard enough to make a profit . OTB is doomed in the future because the computer generation will be betting online and watching the races in there own homes . OTB is and will be soon a dinosaur .
Posted by Tony Nov 25, 2007 9:04:05 PM
saratoga_ray says:
Steve,
The current OTB format has outlived its usefulness. I suspect that most avid racing fans around the country have their on-line accounts and watch the races on cable.
NYRA and the NY state and city politicians need to recognize that they should turn the reins over to professionals to properly manage the racing business.
Please put your influence towards helping the "powers to be" understand the wonderful assets that they have in their care.
I have been a fan of NY racing for 35 years. I hope that the next 35 years are less of a "troubled trip" and more of "in experienced hands"!
Regards,
Saratoga Ray
Posted by Saratoga Ray Nov 25, 2007 9:03:33 PM
hud says:
Why not close all the bars and package stores? I have seen many more people ruin their lives(and health)BECAUSE OF ALCOHOL than playing the horses.
I agree with the poster about taking up space for the harness tracks while omitting another thoroughbred track.
Posted by Hud Nov 25, 2007 7:58:13 PM
c says:
I have no problem with closing the OTBs in NY. Maybe people would instead go to the track for change. What a concept!
The Mayor should just be honest about his reasoning though. He's not interested in preventing people from gambling away their rent... OTB is failing, despite taking 5% of all winning bets, and most of the parlors are totally disgusting, as BC very accurately points out.
I have one about 3 blocks from my house... I have to hold my nose and watch where I'm stepping just to check a race result. That's all I ever go in there for-- I couldn't survive more than 30 seconds in that place without the fear of catching some disease from the patrons coughing, spitting, and sneezing all over the place. And I'm not exaggerating the spitting or the sneezing. If you're not familiar with the term "snot rocket", then you haven't been to NYCOTB. The parlor by me is actually not the worst one I've been in.
If you've never been to NYCOTB, your opinion on this matter simply carries less weight... sorry, but you really have no idea how repugnant 90% of our parlors are unless you've been there. Good riddance to OTB... take Aqueduct's inner dirt meet with you-- it won't be missed.
They should keep a handful of the full-track odds restaurants and close the others.
Posted by C Nov 25, 2007 7:12:37 PM
ejs says:
Only because you asked: the difference between betting on horses and other financial speculations is that Racing is inherently a a zero sum game. Someone has to lose for someone to win. (And actually with takeout it's a zero sum minus twenty percent game.)
At least, in theory, nobody has to lose money on Wall Street for someone else to make money. Now I'm not going to delineate all the economic and social ramifications of these different models, but they are pronounced enough to make the "betting on horses is the same as buying stocks" analogy a little bit too glib for my reasoning.
Sure they both involve risk, but so do hunting and going to war. One of those two activities, however, is predetermined to end up not so well for many of the human participants.
Posted by EJS Nov 25, 2007 6:34:12 PM
brian_mclean says:
While we’re on the subject of pratfalls in print, may I introduce Saturday’s eastern edition of The Daily Racing Form. The addition of Meadowlands Harness over the exclusion of Fair Grounds was ludicrous. I don’t care how much money was given away at the sulky track [it appears there was some $500,000 races]. I spent $5.50 for thoroughbreds, not WhateverLobelHanover….
I can’t imagine a majority of DRF print purchasers were pleased to see Meadowlands Harness and no Fair Grounds.
PS
I was able to ferret out a $61.80 winner and a $651.00 exacta from ‘The Program’ in the Pago Hop[LiveOak/A.P.Indy/Kentucky Oaks 1st time turfer Autobahn Girl].
Posted by Brian McLean Nov 25, 2007 6:20:09 PM
joe_monaco says:
bc and hud.......the gentleman that ran greenwood racing, hal handel, now works for nyra and hud as the great jailed fiancier,robert brennan, maintained the lottery is a tax on the poor.......all the best joe
Posted by joe monaco Nov 25, 2007 6:17:50 PM
terry_flanagan says:
I concur with Poster BC in that an anti-OTB stance is an easy way for Hizzoner to score points with constituents. Unfortunately, the few Manhattan OTBs I have visited in the past couple years are truly godforsaken places, not unlike the 2nd level of Dante's Inferno, so a strong majority of voters doubtless would be glad to be rid of them.
I'm a racing fan of course, but I think if I lived on the same block as an OTB, I may well want it razed too.
Posted by Terry Flanagan Nov 25, 2007 5:41:22 PM
horserun says:
Hey Steve,
Didnt you once work with those elitist pigs at the NY Times...I think you may want to pass over that time spent there on your resume !!
Posted by Horserun Nov 25, 2007 4:49:57 PM
hud says:
"encourages people to squander the rent money or, worse, their lives"...if ever there was something that did that it would be the lottery where each day thousands of people squander their money...and I don't hear the politicians complaining, or the Times writing editorials about that!!!
Posted by hud Nov 25, 2007 3:54:33 PM
teresa says:
Just fired off a letter to the editor of the Times about its pathetic stereotyping. I have no problem with NYC getting out of the racing business; that makes complete sense. But the smug sanctimony that the Times adopts in its editorial is absurd.
As for Greenwood--yikes! No, thank you; after seeing what they've done to horseracing at Philly Park, they can stay far, far away from New York.
The only sensible solution is to fold OTB into the racing franchise. It's ridiculous that a separate entity makes money off the racing product.
Posted by Teresa Nov 25, 2007 3:51:13 PM
never_bend says:
Sadly,New York is saddled with a mayor whose arrogance is exceeded only by his ignorance.Maybe he and the Times can dust of the Vollstedt Act and bring that back for another trial.
Posted by never_bend Nov 25, 2007 3:39:22 PM
bc says:
Steve,
It is very easy for the Times or the Mayor to gain points with readers and constituents by piling on the OTB.The OTB makes it too easy for them. Have you been in a Manhattan OTB lately? The mayors view of the OTB is not surprising. He has surrounded himself with excellence his entire professional life.He understands how much political capital is required to fix the OTB and he doesn't see the ROI.
Horse players and the people of New York deserve more. Here's a suggestion. Sell the OTB to Greenwood racing. For those who don't know Greenwood,they run Philly Park and the Turf Clubs in the Philly area. Greenwood, a first-class organization that knows its target consumers and what they desire, will bring professionalism to,and eliminate cronyism from,NY racing.
Posted by BC Nov 25, 2007 3:09:59 PM
dale_tillotson says:
Inner track better than no track. Are you listening Joe Bruno? Evidently not, as after E-mailing the Senator I received an automatic response thanking me as a constituent, but I live in Vt.
Start listening Joe.
Posted by dale tillotson Nov 25, 2007 2:38:24 PM
vegan says:
Steve,
So right about the horsehaters. What about the over-the-counter stuff the methheads buy? Ban it! What about alcohol? Ban it! Day trading? Ban it!
As to the Hollywood Derby, I would love Patch of Blue if not for the added distance. Never mind --- he's scratched.
Steve, as a New Yorker you should know that Bold Hawk has ... NNNNNNNNNO SHOT with the Great J-L Samyn. With Hugo Dittfach, Ariel Smith or Joe Holmes, Sr., well, MMMMMMMMMAYBE, but JLS? Nah.
Posted by Vegan Nov 25, 2007 1:49:05 PM
About
Steven Crist has been the Publisher and a columnist for Daily Racing Form since 1998. Previously, he covered racing for The New York Times from 1981-1990; was founding editor-in-chief of The Racing Times in 1991-92; and a vice-president of the New York Racing Association from 1994-97. He is the
author of several books including "Betting on Myself" and "Exotic Betting."
