Posted on 02/28/2025 7:31:05 AM PST by Cronos
..Back in the day, when horse racing was the only legal form of gambling in New York State, 20,000 or more people would jam the stands at Yonkers Raceway, cheering wildly as the horses ran their mile-long course. But on this day, despite the beautiful July weather, just a few dozen spectators hang around, slumped into faded orange seats along a chain-link fence. Even with online betting, the racetrack takes in less than one-fortieth of what it would have at the sport’s peak. So the horses take their two laps, head back down the runway and exit the track to something near silence. ...
Back in 2001, when New York State agreed to hand out new licenses to operate slot machines, the racing crowd won an agreement that a chunk of the proceeds would go to them.
At the Yonkers track, the adjacent casino was doing enough business to generate around $600 million during the last fiscal year. About sixty million of it went to pay out those purses, fund the local breeders and dole out a few million for Faraldo’s group. Multiply that by every year and every racetrack, and it’s billions and billions of dollars.
.. Maryland uses as much as $91 million a year in slot machine revenue to prop up its horse racing industry. The state last year agreed to acquire the decrepit Pimlico track and invest up to an additional $400 million to upgrade it. Pennsylvania has sunk over $3.5 billion over the past two decades into its racehorse development fund. Even Kentucky, the storied home of American horse racing, relies on a similar machine. Without them, “we would have a few days of racing at Churchill Downs,”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
There is a former dog track in Phoenix, right along the metro line. They shut the racing down a while back and now it’s a crappy swap meet where all the illegal aliens go to sell the stuff they’ve stolen.
“the fashionable elite showing up to be seen at the Derby are shuttled in just prior, and run like hell to get out of the area as soon as the cameras shut off.”
Lol.
That reminds me of my younger and stupider days when I lived in Berkeley and used to attend performances by the Oakland Symphony Orchestra in downtown Oakland.
After the performance we huddled together like sheep wandering out to our vehicles hoping the wolves were not hungry that night.
The few times I went to a track, what I would see is the sport of the desperate.
>> Let’s all bet billions on 18 year free agent college pros.
LOL
Golden Gate Fields In Albany CA was located next to the freeway , as you crossed over a overpass on the freeway, you were treated to a few moments of an overhead view of the race track, sometimes you could catch them as they raced.
I thought this was going to be a Bills new stadium thread...
I always thought Carly’s mother may have been frightened by a horse while she was pregnant with her.
My junior hunter mare was a former claim winner. One of the best horses I had, but she could be pretty hot.
Well, he’s where he should be, all the time.
Well, most of the time. And when he’s not...
I agree. I used to enjoy going to the races a lot. When younger I’d go with buddies and we’d buy some cheap box seats. As I got a little older I would get a table and have a sit down lunch with friends and family. I got fairly good at handicapping - at least I know how to read the racing forum but I never had any inside info from trainers or staff. But as you said, order some drinks, eat a slow lunch - and you only get 2 maybe 3 races in that time. Last time I went was on a lark, took my wife’s friend’s longtime boyfriend and we did the cheap box seats and ordered food from the kiosk. Pastrami sandwiches were so good he ordered a second one.
They could find ways to make the experience more appealing overall. And figure out how to get races off every 15 minutes instead of 30-40 minutes. Add some other features to keep people entertained and engaged. Thinking on that pastrami sandwich, they could remodel the grandstands, open a mall style food court, some shopping, some things for the kids to do etc. Make it more of an outing. A destination.
Racing goes back a long time, back to the days when people were more accustomed to seeing animals (horses) walking around town. People cared about them. Now you don’t see horses pulling carriages and people are mostly removed from it.
You got it right. Sports organizations should become self-sufficient through private sponsorships, ticket sales, and other revenue-generating activities.
I don't watch or follow any sport. Why should I pay for something that no one benefits from - except sports audiences?
well played, sir
Dying New York Times?
Nov 4, 2024 The New York Times Company added another 260,000 digital subscribers in the third quarter, a 24% boost over the previous-year period, as the company grew its net income by nearly 20% to $64.1 million.
At the same time, the publication’s sales increased 7% year-over-year to $640.2 million.
Why not whore racing.
Who remembers Dog Racing?
But greyhound racing is nearly dead, for the same reason that horse racing is dying. It used to be the only legal gambling allowed in nearly every state, but the spread of casinos, video gambling, etc. etc. means the space for a track can make a lot more money if it’s filled with slot machines.
US cuts $40M in NYT subscriptions after Musk’s criticism of ‘government-funded media’
Yeah, they have “personality” that’s for sure! We had an exciting day with our best horse at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. It tripped coming out of the gate and was 30 lengths behind the pack. Everyone laughed at as it ran alone down the first straight. But “Vernacular” caught them in the stretch and won the race going away, and everybody went crazy. Best day at the track ever!
Horseracing is an incredibly brutal business. The glamor of the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont, and the Preakness are far from the norm in parimutuel racing.
That it is cloaked in tradition and romance is no different than the appeal of bull fighting.
I concur with your observations
I would still recommend a visit. Well... Just because
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