State of horseracing in California

[Mauicowgirl]

Wow, haven't been on here in a long, long time now that we live here on Maui, but we (my husband worked for John Sherriff for years) still watch the racing regularly on cable. I just recently read the news about the zoning approval for the redevelopment of Hollywood Park - just so sad to see it all come to an end for that great track. What plan is possibly in the works for a place for all of those horses in training to relocate to? Or, does anyone really care? I mean, there are like about 1500 horses in training there at HP, no? They all can't go to SA or Pomona. Is thoroughbred horseracing figuratively going to die there in California, with the only regular meets to be SA, GG, Del Mar & Pomona?

[So.cal.fan]

I don't believe Hollywood will close anytime soon. They have to find $$$$ to develop the property.
I doubt they will.
I'm more concerned with the auction of Santa Anita. I hope horsemen get it, otherwise it could go the same route as Hollywood, of course no one will be able to develop even Arcadia property in this economy.
Racing is in trouble, we need a national coalition of horsemen to save our sport.
I pray they will be able to do so.

[Mauicowgirl]

Then I hear about trainers leaving So Cal in force to go back to run on dirt, get away from the high cost of W.C. insurance, and the 10+% Calif sales tax on claiming a horse.

[Arm1001]

I don't believe Hollywood will close anytime soon. They have to find $$$$ to develop the property.
I doubt they will.
I'm more concerned with the auction of Santa Anita. I hope horsemen get it, otherwise it could go the same route as Hollywood, of course no one will be able to develop even Arcadia property in this economy.
Racing is in trouble, we need a national coalition of horsemen to save our sport.
I pray they will be able to do so.

Let's hope everyone in the racing industry wakes up, and soon! From the horsemen to the track operators (can't call them "owners" any more) to the online betting organizations, to the state legislatures.

Look at what's happened in the last couple of years - online organizations have been bickering with each other, horsemen have been bickering with track operators over simulcast revenue, etc. In Texas millions have been lost on internet betting more for egos than for principle. And the state legislatures have to wake up and realize that in many states casinos (oh how I hate them, but they DO save some marginal racetracks!) will augment purses, keeping racing in business.

I remember back in the late '60s when John Lindsey, mayor of NYC, pushed for off-track betting. Racing interests predicted within years that track attendance would plummet. Back then in New York a typical WEEKNIGHT attendance at either Roosevelt Raceway or Yonkers Raceway would be close to 20,000. Now Roosevelt is gone (for about 10+ years) and Yonkers stopped publishing attendance years ago.

Belmont and Aqueduct (even in the winter) would average 30,000+ on a Saturday. Now Saturday attendance at beautiful Belmont in the summer struggles to reach about 8,000.

Sad, truly sad.

[Mauicowgirl]

I am originally from Texas and my sister is still there, but now she even runs her horses in Louisiana as opposed to Texas....why? no purse money in Texas - all those millions of dollars flow into Lousiana from Texas by the busload each and every day b/c Louisiana got smart and got slots. Like she told me recently, go try to buy a Louisiana bred for a reasonable price. You are so correct about egos and their impact on racing.

[Winngcolrz]

I currently live in OK but lived in Arcadia and worked at SA years ago. For the last 2 years I have worked for the OK Horse Racing Commission, and with that of course am bombarded with news from the industry on a daily basis. I miss So Cal SO much, people think I'm crazy especially since I've been away so long, but seriously, it's pretty much all I can think about is going back to try and work--especially if racing is circling the drain! I feel the need to BE THERE before it is all gone, if it's going to be gone. It's a financially stupid move for me to make: I have a state job in the industry of my dreams, and will have to downsize greatly and move back to the "city" and lose money selling this house in order to make this move. But I am driven to! Isn't that crazy? It's almost like I'm a kid again and I have no control over this feeling, this urge. I MUST move back to CA!

Rationally and intellectually I know that things could drastically change with new ownership for SA in September--because of the secrecy of the bids and the people actually having applied, we only have gossip to fuel our interest and curiosity about who might become the new owners...and then it's a "will they, won't they?" scenario and PRAY it's horsemen or a corp that truly wants to keep it in business, not develop it. I keep thinking about how much parking lot could be developed if they truly wanted to do that--certainly it's never full and utilized like the old days. Valuable property! And it is said that the City of Arcadia wouldn't allow much else as far as 'development'. And tear down the barn area and make it a ship-in track??? What kind of utter nonsense is that? Pomona can't handle the overflow; they already want to cut back on the amount of stalls they will allow for use as it is! I'm not sure what their long-range plans are but of course the gossip is to expand the size of the track there, perhaps install grass and add more stalls, but who really knows? And when Hollywood Park gets demolished (and it's a matter of when, not if), will it sit in rubble like Bay Meadows waiting for funding to develop OR will the corp there [same corp by the way] learn a lesson in the BM debaucle about at least preserving the barn area for use (=stall rent?) and not putting 1000s of people out of work. Makes absolutely NO financial sense.

I seem to be all over the racetrack like a green baby and I apologize! There are just so many issues to tackle. How about the year-round employees at SA that are wondering if they should stay and see or bail out now....maybe some are thinking that perhaps an early retirement is a good idea....I cannot imagine.

But I am still driven to make possibly the worst move in my life.....but I feel I am just not fulfilled unless I do! Do I love this industry or am I just stupid?

Wait, don't answer that......

Lisa

[Vtexposfan]

Lisa, don't move a darn muscle.

It's official: California racing is now worse than Suffolk Downs. It's turned into a legitimate bingo game again.

Look at the fourth tonight at Hollywood: Two horses in the field of maidens who had even finished in the exacta in 2009, and the one that should have run circles around them somehow regressed in her second start off the layoff. There's no form here. I can't remember the last time I cashed a ticket on a California horse race.

I'll give myself 5 races at Del Mar this year before I give up. And by "give up", I mean "ignore it for a week until I try again thinking that somehow, it's magically gotten better."

[Vtexposfan]

EDIT: Finished in the trifecta.

Mary, can we get edit/quote buttons up in here? Pretty please?

[DegenerationX]

EDIT: Finished in the trifecta.

Mary, can we get edit/quote buttons up in here? Pretty please?

These features combined with Gifs would make this place Utopia again. Just not the same to call TTP by his intials and not smurf icon.

[MaryS]

EDIT: Finished in the trifecta.

Mary, can we get edit/quote buttons up in here? Pretty please?

I don't know why you don't have edit/quote buttons. I've tried on 5 different computers and they show up on all of them.

There was a a problem with them at first, but since it was fixed I've only once even had to hit the "refresh" button to get them to show up.