“Horse racing fans keep telling themselves, 'It's still the Season of Joy'” plus 2 more |
- Horse racing fans keep telling themselves, 'It's still the Season of Joy'
- Horse racing notebook: Zenyatta the lone bright spot
- Md. officials say racing deal saves Preakness
| Horse racing fans keep telling themselves, 'It's still the Season of Joy' Posted: 23 Dec 2010 08:45 PM PST Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Horse racing notebook: Zenyatta the lone bright spot Posted: 22 Dec 2010 10:45 PM PST What do the Houston Texans have in common with horse racing? They'll do what they can to forget 2010. Thoroughbreds gave us only one rich fuel source for long-lived nostalgia. Zenyatta ended her career with a 19-1 record. Horse of the year? Heck, no. She's horse of the decade. Any horse-of-the-year ballots marked for New York hero Blame should be trashed due to NDD — Northeastern delusion disorder. Zenyatta was racing's gleaming star. Everything else? Forget it. Pick your state. New York — New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. lies in bankruptcy, apparently headed for dissolution. The organization has 54 betting sites, which might soon be converted to other use. About $14 million has been set aside to pay creditors. Creditors hope that's enough. California — Racing centerpieces Santa Anita and Hollywood Park now close on Wednesdays, the traditional first day of their race weeks. Even revered Del Mar, where the six-day race week was standard, now stays dark on Mondays and Tuesdays. New Jersey — Bring a hot cup of coffee to a horsetrack or casino in this small, gambling-saturated state, and the cup might still be warm when you get there. One Jersey track might soon be gone. Meadowlands, across the Hudson River from New York City, faces closure if a new owner does not step forward by April 1. Maryland — The operators of Pimlico and Laurel asked for so few 2011 race dates that the state commission tossed that request back in their faces. On Wednesday, the operators reluctantly submitted an expanded schedule. Kentucky — The boss at Churchill Downs believes the sport's survival depends on dramatic downsizing. Chief executive Robert Evans considers a 5 percent investment return essential for thoroughbred tracks by 2020. Evans asserted it's achievable only if there are half as many major tracks and purses double from their present level. Those conditions, he maintained, would attract new investment. Evans has more than local credibility. The company he leads also operates New Orleans' Fair Grounds and Miami's Calder. Finally, Texas — Consolidation is in style. After running thoroughbreds for more than four months last season, Sam Houston Race Park will trim to a six-week season (Jan. 21-March 7) with a fatter daily purse total ($160,000). Lone Star and Retama Parks have similar plans. The Dallas-area track will run thoroughbreds for only 52 days, the San Antonio-area track only 21. We are witnessing one of two certain futures. 1. Continuing decline — Four decades ago, U.S. racing had no legal gaming competition outside Nevada. Today, the sport is a relatively minor player in national gambling. It will diminish even more because people don't have time for all those calculations required to pick winners. 2. A slow recovery — We've had two years of official unemployment pushing 10 percent. Unofficial unemployment is said to be much higher. Once the nation returns to full employment, the horse-playing population will grow. Racing's downturn has whacked all participants. Fewer people go to tracks. After arriving, they bet fewer dollars. Reduced disposable income also means fewer people can risk horse ownership. The shortage has resulted in smaller fields and shrinking race dates. By the end of 2011, we can firmly classify this downturn as temporary or permanent. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Md. officials say racing deal saves Preakness Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:17 PM PST , On Wednesday December 22, 2010, 3:17 pm EST ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Horse racing representatives on Wednesday agreed to a plan that would allow a full season of 146 days of racing in Maryland and keep the Preakness Stakes in the state. Joseph Bryce, Gov. Martin O'Malley's chief legislative officer, met for nearly an hour with industry representatives, track owners, horseman and breeders to work out details in the governor's office. The meeting was held a day after the state's racing commission voted to reject a proposal to conduct live racing next year by the owners of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore -- home of the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown. The vote threw the future of horse racing in Maryland into doubt. The agreement still needs approval by the Maryland Racing Commission. "I think that the governor's intent and the intent of the parties is to resolve this as soon as possible, imminently, in order to provide assurances to the people that work in this industry that they don't have to worry about this as they enter the holiday season," Bryce said. A key component of the plan calls for redirecting $3.5 million to $4 million of the state's slot machine proceeds to pay for operating costs instead of capital improvements, Bryce said. Money would be secured through a loan, and the money would be repaid through the racetrack renewal account. Under the state's slot machine law, 2.5 percent of state proceeds are directed to racetrack renewal, capped at $40 million a year. Horsemen also would contribute $1.7 million. "Over the next several hours, the parties will put in writing a proposal for consideration by the racing commission," O'Malley said in a statement after the meeting. "Today's agreement not only keeps Maryland's treasured Preakness Stakes where it belongs, but it helps protect the thousands of jobs that depend on our rich history of horse racing." Alan Foreman, a lawyer for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said the agreement solves short-term problems to save jobs while creating breathing room to work on long-term solutions for the troubled industry. "It's an agreement that works for everyone in 2011 and addresses everyone's needs and gives us the opportunity to work long-term," Foreman said after the meeting. Steven Snyder, senior vice president of corporate development for Penn National Gaming Inc., which co-owns Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course with MI Developments, said he hoped the commission would approve the agreement in the next 24 hours. "I'm hoping that we can get it by the end of the day, but the hope would be certainly before Christmas," Snyder said after the meeting. Follow Yahoo! Finance on ; become a fan on Facebook. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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