No Good Deed Shall Go Unpunished
08-26-2010 -- By Michael Amo for ThoroFan
Fans are regularly bewildered when immediately after a race the word “Inquiry” mysteriously appears on the tote board and/or television screen. In baritone decibels the announcer proclaims, “There is a Stewards’ Inquiry. Hold all tickets until the race is made official.” What?
National Racetrack Accreditation Is Good For Our Sport
08-24-2010 --
The conditions of the event have been set. Owners and trainers were called to the post by NTRA’s President, CEO Alex Waldrop at the 58th Annual Round Table Conference on Sunday morning at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs. How well they perform may determine the outcome of Thoroughbred racing in this country.
Reasons for the Decline of Horse Racing
06-07-2010 --
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."
Read the entire story
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.
Analysis: Is Structure Really the Problem?
05-12-2010 --
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.
Read the full article
ThoroFan Rallies for Racing: Video
04-26-2010 --
ThoroFan Rallies for Racing: Video
Woodbine Executive Speaks Out About Slot
04-06-2010 -- Michael Amo
"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.”
Read more...
Trojan Horse
03-28-2010 -- Michael Amo
Are VLTs a Form of an Attack on Racing not Unlike the Trojan Horse asks Barry Irwin of Team Valor
