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The Sport Archive

Needed: Young Bettors

Saying the “current customer pool had just about reached its betting limit,” New Zealand racing board chairman Warren Larsen told delegates to the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing annual meeting that racing needs young fans and it needs them now. No surprise — young people surveyed by the board expressed distaste for the seedy atmosphere of betting outlets, an irritation at the lack of information on betting, and wanted to see better food service and improved facilities (Otago Daily Times).

Comment: It’s not just the youth of New Zealand who feel this way. I think of the amenities at Suffolk, and other tracks I’ve visited recently, such as Belmont and Bay Meadows, and what comes to mind is the cavernous concrete architecture and the sad little concession stands dominated by hot dogs and cheap beer of each. Ok, the hot dogs aren’t bad … but it would be wonderful to see improvements in the form of better food and more choices and a nicer environment in which to eat and drink, and why not get a franchise or two to set up shop in the grandstand? There have been so many afternoons where I’ve longed to sip a Frappuccino while perusing that day’s Form.

Posted in International, The Sport on July 12, 2004

The Dog Days of Racing

“There’s another feeling of nothingness in the air as racing trudges its way through this summer…. Few know and few care who wins races like the Suburban Handicap, the Hollywood Gold Cup, the United Nations, the Arlington Million or any of the Grade I events that dot the summer schedule.” A few owners and breeders are working to change that, Bill Finley reports (ESPN).

Posted in The Sport on July 7, 2004

So That Was Smarty’s Problem

It was the lack of distance races that cost Smarty Jones the Triple Crown, writes Earl Ola in the Blood-Horse. What the sport needs are more races 1 1/2 to 2 miles long, not fewer. What’s all this emphasis on speed, anyway?

Posted in The Sport on July 7, 2004

Out of Sight …

“Racing’s desperate mission this summer is keeping Smarty Jones alive,” writes Stan Bergstein in today’s Daily Racing Form. Not alive, of course — Smarty’s doing just fine, but alive in the public mind. It’s racing’s perpetual challenge. Too bad for trainers and tracks and fans alike — unlike human stars, horses don’t have wardrobe malfunctions, knock down paparazzi, or check themselves into rehab. If only! Think of the headlines.

Tangentially: “The good sports behind Azeri’s return” (ESPN).

Posted in The Sport on June 30, 2004