JC / Railbird

Can I bet against on that?
With the possibility BB gets bet down to 1-9…I don’t know too many of my local ‘wiseguys’ at my home track who would bet into that pool.
From a wagering standpoint think this is the most un-bettable TC & BC race since Barbaro’s preakness.
But that won’t stop me from watching the show pools.

Posted by o_crunk on May 12, 2008 @ 4:45 pm

I hate it when the media says “they dying fan base for horse racing.” Yes, less and less people go to the track (except of course for Saratoga) but more and more people watch the races from home (TVG, etc), the web, OTB parlors and more and more people bet via online services, OTB parlors, phone accounts etc. The interest is there, it is just spread out as we can now see the race and bet on the race without actually being there.

Posted by robert on May 12, 2008 @ 5:54 pm

As a member of the media, I can only partly agree. First — to get this out of the way — I don’t think this Preakness will have a record handle. Second, the fan base is drying up and those who watch online surely are dismayed that they can’t get Churchill Downs on the Twinspires.com site, let alone Calder, thanks to the horsemen, who want a bigger piece of the ADW pie. Purses, in reprisal, are being slashed accordingly. Side with who you will. Fans, you’ve got to believe, are throwing up their hands and tuning out. Third, to say the sport isn’t in any more trouble than it already was in simply can’t be true. It’s splitting at just about every seam and the threads holding it together are very thin. I promise you, if a horse — God forbid, please — breaks down in the Preakness all hell will be unleashed. That might, actually, prompt the change so desperately needed, but racing will hit rock bottom before it climbs back up. So, to me, the sport is one Saturday breakdown away from the general sports fan’s utter revulsion — J.S.

Posted by John S. on May 12, 2008 @ 7:12 pm

J.S., my point was that yeah, some fans are turned off, but it’s not because of what happened on Derby day.
I belong to several forums, and not one person has stopped posting because of it. I haven’t seen any bloggers throw in the towel either.
I think the Eight Belles tragedy has gotten some people to ask the right questions: Why are drugs such an issue in racehorses? Why aren’t all surfaces as safe as they can be?
The biggest question, to me, is the fragmentation of power because this affects everything: surface, drug rules, account wagering, etc.
No one can agree on anything because the money gets so divided. When the sport is seemingly successful, there’s a group who feels it got the shaft.

Posted by EJXD2 on May 12, 2008 @ 9:48 pm

Exactly — and if I’m lucky I will talk about those issues tomorrow in an article I am trying to get in the paper.

Posted by John S. on May 12, 2008 @ 10:32 pm

I have always believed that the media tends to focus more on the tragic and negative side of horseracing, because that’s where the news is and that’s what sells copies. Ironic, because that is also one of the biggest claims against the horseracing industry, that they don’t care about the horses, they’re only in it for the money.
That statement always irks me, because I have been a fan of horseracing for 40+ years, and I don’t even bet on the races. I’m not attracted to the sport because of the gambling – it’s the courage, spirit, determination, heart…whatever you want to call it…that these horses display. I was thrilled to find TVG and HRTV on my satellite network so I could watch this display every day. If anything, having those channels available has rekindled my interest to a higher level because now I can get news of the horses daily. I certainly didn’t throw my hands up and tune out because of Eight Belle’s tragedy. I also want to reiterate, just because you enjoy horseracing doesn’t mean you’re in it for the money.
PETA angered me with their ridiculous claims against those involved with Eight Belles. I am all for the ethical treatment of animals, but all PETA did was discredit their own credibility with the statements they made. They obviously have no clue about horses or horse behavior to make the claims they did – I feel they just saw it as an opportunity to gain some attention.
Why not give some credit to the horseracing industry and focus on some of the positive strides that have been made for horse safety? Tracks are changing surfaces, retirement farms have been and are being established, research funds for diseases; and not just for the horse, but great programs for disabled jockeys as well?
I don’t believe the Eight Belles tragedy has made the sport lose more fans. They weren’t a fan to begin with if they are tuning out. Anybody who knows horses knows they can breakdown just being a horse out in a pasture.

Posted by Tracey D on May 13, 2008 @ 3:06 pm

As someone who worked in mainstream media for a long, long time, I can tell you that almost every group that is the focus of a story, regardless of the topic, feels as though the media has misrepresented them. Ironically, folks who work in mainstream media always seem shocked and surprised when the general public doesn’t care to understand the “real story” when the topic is the media themselves! The “mainstream media” is doing whatever it can to get viewers/listeners/readers and will not shy away from focusing on the salacious to do so. So, for those who truly care about this sport, really…all I can say is we should thank our lucky stars for the internet and blogs like this. Are we, the readers of the TBA, upset that the public doesn’t understand all that we do? Sure. Many of those folks like NASCAR, for instance. Well, I couldn’t care less about that and I am sure there are backstories and “inside baseball” issues that their true fans are obsessing over.

Posted by Adam (aka Swifty) on May 14, 2008 @ 11:01 pm