The New York Times' "The Rail " article written by Bennett Liebman analyzing the the factores driving the decline in Thoroughbred racing is a good anthology of "racings' blues."
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas Wonders if Casinos are Good for Horsemen 06-02-2010 -- HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - As D. Wayne Lukas sat in a tiny office in his Oaklawn Park barn, the conversation turned to the horse track's newest attraction — a large gambling parlor featuring games from blackjack to Texas Hold 'Em.
Let’s take a breath and talk about what structure can or can’t accomplish. The real problem horse racing has, or appears to have because we don’t have meaningful data to support much of anything, is growing its customer base. The real drivers of the sport are the fans, the bettors of today and tomorrow, and anecdotal views are that we are losing market share to other sports and other forms of betting.
"That gambling game has changed. The slot-machine bonanza has forever altered the economics of racing. Slots have goosed the pocketbooks of everyone from horse and track owners to governments but they don’t create new fans and don’t promote the sport."
“Slot play appeals to a different market than horse racing,” acknowledges Martin. “When we went into it, our hope was that we could generate horse-racing fans from people who came because of the slots. I’ll admit we probably had some success but it’s been limited. It’s two different games. One is a game of skill trying to pick a winning horse — slots is certainly not that.”
The Haskell Invitational, previously known as The Monmouth Invitational Handicap, is a Grade 1 event for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on Monmouth Park’s dirt track for a purse of $1,000,000. Fro...
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