Sunday, June 6, 2010

“Beautiful sport of racing marred by ugly industry” plus 3 more

“Beautiful sport of racing marred by ugly industry” plus 3 more

Beautiful sport of racing marred by ugly industry

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 01:24 AM PDT

Horse racing at Rillito Downs threatened

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 04:36 PM PDT

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By Bud Foster – email

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - The Rillito Downs race track has been the home of horse racing in Pima County since 1943. But that long run may be coming to an end.

It's been no secret Pima County officials have been looking for ways to close the track and replace it with 18 soccer fields.

"The race track has been on life support for 10-20 years," says Lonny Powell, a member of the Arizona Department of Racing.

The track runs races only 12 days a year but it takes up the space for nearly three months.

For that, the non-profit pays $3,875 in rent.

But that's likely to go up considerably.

"Horse racing has been paying less than 10% a day of what Spring Fling has been paying for the same facility," says Gary Davidson, a member of the Pima County Parks and Recreation Department Commission.

The Pima County Horseman's Association has a three year lease which runs through 2011. But the county wants to rewrite the lease at a much higher figure.

"It would go up a lot but how much I don't know yet." says Davidson.

The current proposals on the table run from about $21,000 to $150,000.

The Horseman's Association says that's way too much.

About 40 supporters of horse racing attended a public hearing on the issue at the Parks and Rec offices on River Road.

"It's simply the latest plot to destroy horse racing in Pima County and Southern Arizona," association vice president Patti Shirley, told the crowd. "I say, we cannot allow that to happen."

While the horse racing crowd has struggled to keep things afloat for the past two decades, this might be the one that gets them out of Rillito Downs, fulfilling Shirley's prophesy..

"I think many people are afraid, one year down means forever down,"says Powell.

County officials say it's not against horse racing and has never voted to end it.

They're on record as saying they'd like to move it to the Pima County Fairgrounds on the Southeast side.

But that would take money.

"Somewhere between $15 and $30 million," says Powell.

The only way to raise that kind of money would be through a bond election and that does not appear to be on the horizon for several years.

Horse racing draws about 10,000 people every weekend it runs.

"In 2009-2010, the Rillito Downs Racetrack drew more attendance that either the Tucson golf tournament of the Tucson rodeo," says Ed Moore, who has been fighting for three decades to keep horse racing at Rillito.

The final decision on how much to charge is up to the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

 

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Racing requires urgent reform, says William Hill boss

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 03:45 PM PDT

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Although Mr Topping declined to disclose the figures, analysts believe the big high street bookmakers – including Ladbrokes and Coral – take £15m-£20m of bets on jump racing's Gold Cup.

Mr Topping's call came amid growing concerns in both betting and racing industry circles over the potential impact of declining turnover on the horse racing levy that funds the sport. Bookmakers currently contribute about £80m-£90m annually – equivalent to around 10pc of gross profits – to the levy.

Mr Topping stressed that was, however, only part of a total £225m contribution from the bookies, including media rights and sponsorship payments.

"While racing demands more income, it demonstrates no pragmatism whatsoever," said Mr Topping. "It must become far more innovative in the scheduling and timing of its races and position itself in order to give media an opportunity to focus on the key events and maximise public interest.

"It has to change its way of thinking big time and fast – just like Rugby League did, when concluding that it could not take on the Premier League during the winter.

"The demand for more money from bookmakers is incessant: the willingness to accept that things have to change is absent."

He said the industry's Racing for Change programme lacked the necessary innovation.

A spokesman for the British Horseracing Authority hit back, saying: "What racing needs from Ralph Topping is some consistency and not just soundbites. We are trying to work with the betting industry on all manner of promotional initiatives. But at the same time we know how heavily they are promoting gaming machines and other products in their shops."

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Horse racing's glamour division is lookin' for a leader

Posted: 06 Jun 2010 07:22 PM PDT

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NEW YORK – Three Triple Crown races. Three different winners.

No clear leader has emerged among the 3-year-olds this season, although that may be sorted out this summer in two $1 million stakes – the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 1 and the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 28.

Then again, the picture might just get murkier. It's been that kind of year in thoroughbred racing's glamour division.

The upset by Drosselmeyer in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday closes another year without a Triple Crown. It's 32 years and counting since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown champion by sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont.

At first, it appeared the brilliant 3-year-old colt Eskendereya had a chance to end the longest drought between Triple Crown winners. But the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial winner developed swelling in his left front leg and was pulled from the Derby a week before the race.

It was a tough blow for trainer Todd Pletcher, who came to the Derby with an 0 for 24 record. But on Derby day, Pletcher's Super Saver came through on a patented rail-hugging ride from Calvin Borel.

In the Preakness two weeks later, after Borel had guaranteed a Triple Crown, Super Saver gave way in the stretch and finished eighth. Lookin At Lucky, so terribly unlucky in the Derby, won the Preakness.

Neither Super Saver nor Lookin At Lucky went on to the Belmont, leaving the final leg of the Triple Crown without either classic winner for the second time in four years and just the third time since 1970.

Drosselmeyer, ridden by Mike Smith, gave Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first victory in a Triple Crown race. The Triple Crown was also a huge success for WinStar Farm of Versailles, Ky. It captured two jewels, the Derby with Super Saver and the Belmont with Drosselmeyer.

Elliott Walden, WinStar's racing manager, said both colts will be pointed toward the Travers. Each will likely get one prep, the Haskell or the $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 31.

"We are blessed to have both horses and, you know, we'll probably look to separate them in the next start, but probably come together in the Travers and see what happens," Walden said.

That should help establish a pecking order in the division.

"I think you can group all three together," Walden said. "It's hard to really differentiate between them until we get into the Haskell and the Travers and then the Breeder's Cup Classic. I think the rest of the year will decide who the best is. As we sit here today, I've got to believe that we have two of the top three in Drosselmeyer and Super Saver.

The 12 Belmont horses appeared to come out of the 11/2-mile race in good shape. The biggest disappointment was Ice Box, the 9-5 favorite who finished ninth. Trainer Nick Zito said the Haskell could be the next stop for Ice Box. Zito also sent out Fly Down, the Belmont runner-up, who looks to be Travers bound.

Zito said Ice Box, the Florida Derby winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up, was bothered by the heat and humidity Saturday and had trouble breathing.

"We scoped him after the race and he was clean," Zito said, referring to an endoscopic examination. "He had no blood and no mucus. He's an excitable horse. It was very, very hot down here. We didn't catch a break that way. The last two days he was ready to explode, he was ready to do something, and he probably left his race somewhere else other than the track."

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