horse racing is in danger. it is losing out on the gambling dollar and the casual player which was a big part of it's success long ago. problem is that the new look of racetracks are like casinos or las vegas sports books. a place like saratoga will never die. charlestown, delaware and soon philadelphia and aqueduct will just be slot havens that happen to run horses now and then. relegating the horse player to an upper level so the slots can run 24-7. good horse racing will never die. full fields, smaller takeout and treating the betting publics winnings the same the casinos are treated. ie lower the takeout and players will come back. eliminate a lot of tracks and shrink the amount of live racing days. less is more. saratoga, del mar, belmont, churchill, santa anita, keeneland et all are still huge handle draws. they don't race all year round like a philadelphia or mountaineer would. but there'd be more interest if these tracks didn't run 250 days a year. say 50 days instead. i love the track. it's good fun. a lot better than playing lotto or scratch offs. good people too, if they are not degenerates (which unfortunately is all that's left at some tracks these days as simulcasting and internet playing has left some of the smart players home). there's still nothing like a cold beer in the paddock looking over the form and speculating with a couple of dollars who's going to win. it's the casual horse player that's being pushed out....and if it continues, then with the exception of a very select amount of tracks then there's not going to be much good left in any of it.
good people too, if they are not degenerates For some reason, that line just made me spit soda all over the counter.
:) Yeah, I figured you knew that it was technically possible. From what I remember there is actually cloned racing somewhere, or proposals for cloned racing. Not within the "official" thoroughbred sport though. As far as the whole sport of horseracing goes, I've always been more of a fan of jumps. The horses stay around for years, so you get a sense of knowing them, although it is more dangerous, for both horse and jockey. Yesterday, for example, saw a ten year old horse try to win the Galway Plate for the 3rd year in a row,(he lost) so you have the longevity. But it also saw a horse fall and break his neck.
