JC / Railbird

I usually stop reading when people say “the industry is tanking” and did in this case.

Business is down, yes, but it’s down everywhere. Harrah’s and MGM Mirage–once titans of the gaming industry–are in desperate straits. True, Magna Entertainment isn’t doing great, but CDI and Oaklawn and Tampa Bay Downs and Keeneland and Del Mar are doing a lot better than Harrah’s or MGM Mirage!

Other trades are down as well. Jess Jackson laid off 100+ employees at his wine empire, and Wine Spectator further reported that auction prices are way down and the middle market in wine buying is collapsing (people either want cheap or will pay for the best stuff).

Is growing grapes/making wine dying? Of course not.

Racing breeds too many animals and stages too many races at too many tracks, but the sport generates $1-bilion in revenue a month!

It’s not going anywhere.

Posted by EJXD2 on March 20, 2009 @ 11:33 am

Agree on all points. Racing isn’t going anywhere, and the economy is bad all around. But what I found interesting about Fugly’s post wasn’t so much her view on the state of the industry, but the discussion that followed about finding a way to make Thoroughbreds more valuable as show horses. It’s a different angle on a topic that’s been hashed out every which way.

Posted by Jessica on March 22, 2009 @ 12:48 pm