Front Page Message

[Chuck]

Let me add my two cents in regarding the role I see Trackwinners playing in the future of horseracing. While my opinion means next to nothing in this industry, my opinion coupled with the tens of thousands soon to be members here, will carry some significant weight. While every "decision maker" and "politico" in horseracing is busy scratching and patting each other backs, all our individual small voices will slowly uinte into one large shout. The post Steve made on the front page is accurate both for the present and prophetic for the future. All of us HERE at Trackwinners and at other sites sprinkled around the Internet soon will see that our honest passion for this sport will be the fuel that makes racing grow. This will happen in spite of absurdly limiting legislation and the presence of self promoting windbag groups (please step forward and take a bow "Friends of New York" racing 'executives'....am I allowed that editorial license, if not..delete me). My hat goes off to Steve for his aggressive stance in creating and promoting trackwinners, all of the posters (even those pain in the @*$#'s who disagree with me at times!!!) and all of the members who read what we all have to say and try to get more deeply into the sport. Racing was once known as the sport of "kings" and as such has failed....now how about all of us banding together to make it the sport of "everyman (and woman)." The Internet is our tool. Let's utilize Trackwinners and make it happen.

[jchach]

Very well said Chuck.

[deltasports]

"friends Of New York" In My Opinion Is The Kiss Of Death...if They Get Their Hands Even Some Of Their Fingers On Nyra It Will Be A Sad Day

[ken]

As long as some on the internet now have been handicapping, online and off, as far as I know there has never been the glue to hold handicappers and/or bettors together. And claiming racing has "fans" at this time is ludicrious IMHO.
I emailed Steve today with my idea of how to raise the bar as far as respect for handicapping- but more handicappers need to learn to agree to disagree without being personal.
My idea which I hope Steve will pursue is to develop an NTRA sanctioned General Public Handicapper's Test for persons who handicap for a pastime, and a more intense Professional Public Handicapper's Test for those who wish to work professionally as a journalist, for the track, or as a handicapper or seller or author. That would give a certain credibility even to family and friends, and those passing either test would be members of the Public Handicapper's Association. (No dues or rules, just in name only). (Like the PGA).
For now I think if a number of you make contact in agreement with ideas you like, like to CHRB, etc. it would show a certain strength.
________________
Either that or decide as a group to pick out a small track to bet show on our consensus horse in order to intentially cause a lot of minus pools to get attention!

[ken]

If you like you can also email this list to your favorite track, owner's group, racing board and association and tell them to distribut it to all trainers!
______________

DANGER SIGNS A RACEHORSE MAY HAVE A LEG/FOOT PROBLEM::

01) More than 3 months' layoff between races
02) 2 or more gaps in racing frequency of more than 6 weeks
03) 3 or more consecutive races with gaps of 2 weeks or less
04) 2 or more consecutive unusually slow workouts
05) Lugging, drifting, swerving more than once within 1 or 2 races,
especially on turns
06) Awkwardness while trying to switch leads
07) excessive bobbing while running, (like a merry-go-round pony).
08) Any problems leaving the gate in a race
09) 5 or older stretching out or shipping to a slower pars track (wearing down)
10) Losing normal early speed
11) Lung infection (possible parallel sign of overwork)
12) New front wraps
13) 1 month in training while showing no works.

[mister zesterhouse]

and let's start the show pooling. Revenge.

[ken]

I suggest a Utah track. $1,000.00 pools! We can figure the % of the pool needed- I figure about 50% for 1 horse $20 bets should tip it to minus staus, but maybe someone else has a threshold %. With careful planning and betting the loss should be less than $100 per weekl on a 5 day-week track, $50 for a weekend only track. No need to bet a race if it will already be a minus pool or if the bet needed is too much. 2 Weeks should be plenty before moving on to the place pools (that requires shorter fields of 6 or less).

[ken]

Right now Will Rogers track has very small pools, and the quarterhorse races are low show payoffs today.
Will Rogers is also one of those dirty little tracks, like Los Alamitos and Sam Houston, whose timers can record every quarterhorse runner's final time but are "only able" to record the finish times of the winners in the thoroughbred races. That still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Technologically thoroughbred races are the stepsister to the more civilized Qtrs.

[Chuck]

Whoa.....whoa....whoa......, Ken you had an interesting idea worth pursuing regarding the santioned body. The racing fan, i.e. horseplayer needs a "lobby" without question. I suggest we kick that idea around a little..look at the plus and minus factors and see what the result is.

As far as just running in and creating minus pools somewhere....whoa....yes, we are all frustrated and an angry after years of the racing establishment ignoring us but this isn't Boston pre-revolution and there is no reason for a harbor full of tea unless we have a platform that we present somewhere and have it shoved back up the south side of our North facing horses. If we go guerilla right now, what are we bringing attention to. That betters are a bunch of crazy renegades.

Let's sublimate our frustration and aggression to a good cause, FIRST. I am not against MAKING A STANCE down the road.....but really lets use our heads because we ultimately want cooperation with everyone not fear, dominance or even combativeness.

[mister zesterhouse]

somehow. However, I agree that prudent action makes sense until we have more Trackwinners on the same page. We need a blueprint or road map. Any volunteers?

[mister zesterhouse]

What about track announcers? They seem more in tune with reality than the brass. Luke Kruytbosch is a really cool guy. And what about an iconoclast like Mike Pegram.

[ken]

All a minus pool does is bring notariety from the local track- not winnings. But of course as of now loose group betting it is not illegal. My idea of a "Public Handicapper's Association" in name only is not to be political- that is unnecessary! It is for status and comradery. Believe it or not, political ends can better be achieve by simple, INDEPENDENT email-writing campaigns- and then only few and far between. If you think about it, what caused the CHRB to demand Polyturf was not another Boston Tea Party- it was an independent group of normaly dog-eat-dog adversaries (20 trainers) who got fed up with their horse breeking down and their owners going out of state that made them send a cannon shot across the brow- and the State of Ca folded like a warn dollar bill!
My seasonal job is political petitoining- so I know the power of the numbers game. I also know some about a surprise concentrated hit to get the message out. In Stockton I get band I represented an everyday-job performing at the San Joaquin County Fair with only 225 signatures- but the fair board had never seen entertainers petition at all to play there!
Just like you are supposed to do in handicapping- pick your best spots (issues); weapon (spokesperson or communication form); target (person or entitiy with the power to make a change); make it worth their risk/value evaluation to concede (Make complying with your aganda as easy as possible. or push a better timing or speed rating system than use in current use).
_____
I do not know if I as an indiviual did any good, but after inventing my track speed prediction method based on workouts I found out SA was posting workout average speed on their website so I emailed them, Hollywood, and Del Mar thanking SA and emphasizing that the others do that also, while pointing out the ease of doing so and adjusting harrowing depth as well as sending the stats on decreased starts per year, many records broken since speed ratings became king (1990?) and simply asking them to have their track crews monitor average workout speed daily. A few days later Hollywood "redboarded" and put out averages for their LAST meet, and Del Mar a week later begin averaging workouts.
Did I cause that all by myself? I do not know and do not care and do not care if they did acknowledge it anyway! The point is, it happended whether by coincidence or design.
Find an issue, find a simple solution to present, and get 100 people to each send the point of attack and email. See what happens.

[McSchell_Racing_Inc]

As long as some on the internet now have been handicapping, online and off, as far as I know there has never been the glue to hold handicappers and/or bettors together. And claiming racing has "fans" at this time is ludicrious IMHO.
I emailed Steve today with my idea of how to raise the bar as far as respect for handicapping- but more handicappers need to learn to agree to disagree without being personal.
My idea which I hope Steve will pursue is to develop an NTRA sanctioned General Public Handicapper's Test for persons who handicap for a pastime, and a more intense Professional Public Handicapper's Test for those who wish to work professionally as a journalist, for the track, or as a handicapper or seller or author. That would give a certain credibility even to family and friends, and those passing either test would be members of the Public Handicapper's Association. (No dues or rules, just in name only). (Like the PGA).
For now I think if a number of you make contact in agreement with ideas you like, like to CHRB, etc. it would show a certain strength.
________________
Either that or decide as a group to pick out a small track to bet show on our consensus horse in order to intentially cause a lot of minus pools to get attention!

The "Glue" to horseracing is having honest trainers!!
Who would bet IF all trainers were cheats?.

[ken]

Yes Tom, overall in putting on live racing trainers play the most pivital role of all- they have to be experts and managers of all sorts of live tracing situations. Trainers are also the connections who have the longest careers in the sport and are primarily responsible for its continuity.
However, the same problem applies quite a bit to trainers- As a blanket statement, they do not go out of their way to mingle with the public and are not put out front enugh to the general public by racing. Every track every day should set aside time before or after the racecard for jockeys and trainers to autograph photos sold at the gift shop- as a fund raiser for horse medical equipment.
From what I have seen the trainer's internet lists, CTTA, backstretch magazine are not very prominent. It was my suggestion that racing initiate a "Trainer's Fantasy League" to gain general public fan support.
A trainer is the one who can support racing greatly by agreeing to take a healthy retired racehorse and a small person dressed in jockey silks and walk in as many parades as possible. The NTRA should sponsor that. I would love to see a formner racehorse and rider in my local Alameda July 4th parade- or the Macy's or Rose Bowl Parade! They can even get fancy and have the TBred led by an outrider pony!
Would you and the wife be willing to walk in a few Miami or Tampa parades and get paid the entrance fee + $50?
And I did give due credit to the group of trainers who forced the Ca safety issue.
_____
I was speaking strictly from the bettor's viewpoint- certain lack of information given out, failing to acknowledge bettor support, failing to address percieved needs or comforts of the live racing goer. Generally racing needs to be forced to modernize all the way along. Until bettors get beyond the "lower the takeout" mentality and start realizing that without bettor sthe states will lose $500 million per year takeout that goes to them, then the best you can do is point out what is best for racing and also helps bettors.
There are many levels of in-fighting in thoroughbred horseracing that does not occur in other sports or even in other racing venues.

[deltasports]

i suggest that you get a subscription to the "bloodhorse"
and read it cover to cover every week...it could answer alot of your thoughts