lazyfranch wrote:Some friends of mine just brought Gaff to Texas, he is one fast son of a gun. Holds some track records, was invited and raced in Dubai. Pretty exciting to see what his get do when they get on the track!
Where ish he standing?
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lazyfranch wrote:Some friends of mine just brought Gaff to Texas, he is one fast son of a gun. Holds some track records, was invited and raced in Dubai. Pretty exciting to see what his get do when they get on the track!
cewright wrote:tinners way wrote:Chuck the link to the article does not pull it up. Is there a chance you can post it? Thanks
Racing dates at Lone Star Park and two other tracks could be consolidated
10:50 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 9, 2010
By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
GRAND PRAIRIE – Officials of Texas' horse racing tracks and the sports' owners and trainers haven't always seen eye to eye, but they all agree on one thing.
With the sport and the industry declining, the state's three Class 1 tracks cannot continue to operate as they have in the past.
That much was clear at a meeting Wednesday of the Texas Horsemen's Partnership and Lone Star Park president and general manager Drew Shubeck.
"I think we all acknowledge that we have to do something different," said Marsha Roundtree, executive director of the partnership, which represents owners and trainers. "Most of our horsemen are taking their horses to other states just to survive. The old way just isn't working anymore."
For that reason, Roundtree and others believe that some sort of consolidation of racing dates is inevitable. How that reduction happens is the big question.
The partnership will meet with representatives of Sam Houston, Retama and Lone Star Park, the three major tracks in the state, on Tuesday in Austin to discuss potential plans.
One possibility is to keep Lone Star Park's thoroughbred dates and eliminate or greatly reduce the dates at the other two tracks. That would mean purse money would be piled into fewer dates and, therefore, attract better horses for the shorter Texas season.
Shubeck said only that the meeting included discussions on possible race dates in 2011 and that the process is ongoing.
The Texas Racing commission will have discussions about racing dates at its July meeting, and the official dates for 2011 likely will be announced in September.
Roger wrote:The next few post from me will be a conversation I had to day about dates. This is hard to read. The first comments are mine and when you see(Dave Hooper), thats his reply. This started when I ask him about SH dates and he ask for my ideas. He address the ideas
"First of all my motives are selfish, I want to be able to survive in this game. I am concerned for other Texans and the Texas racing industry. [David Hooper] So are we, but the problem is declining on-track and outbound handle, which means less money to purse accounts, which translates to a lower quality product that out-of-state simulcast bettors are rejecting and looking elsewhere to bet a quality product. (Lone Star's simulcast export signal is down $16.5 million in 10 weeks and that makes up for a significant part of the more than $20 million decline in all-sources handle---live on track, simulcast import + export.) This proposal would be great for the tracks and the few at the top of the game in Texas. [David Hooper] (I recognized this several weeks ago and have circulated some suggestions to be incorporated into race conditions that will be beneficial to owners and trainers of Texas-breds and will add at least one more ATB race per day, including some conditions that would restrict entry to ATB horses sired by ATB stallions. Phil Leckinger has a copy of the ideas that were suggested. Other ideas included 2 Tx-bred starter series, one for Tx-breds that had started for $25,000 or less and one for Tx-breds that had started for $5,000 or less. Also, it has been suggested to give entry preference to horses that have started at least once in Texas since January 1, 2010, and to restrict entry in races with a claiming value of $5,000 or less to horses that have started in Texas since January 1, 2010 for a claiming price of no more than $15,000. From what I can see, we would have 85 Tx-breds be able to break their maiden under this plan in Tx-bred races.[David Hooper] Some Texas-breds also break their maidens in open company and any Tx-bred that runs 1-2-3 in open company earns the ATB Owners' Bonus from the ATB program. Some Tx-breds would face open company and compete, but not many. If only 85 can break their maiden next year, what does that do for 2012.[David Hooper] Every year has become a new challenge. I'm guessing but under this proposal only 20 or so Tx-bred 2yr. olds will get to break their maiden.[David Hooper] I'll do some research. We have history to prove that cheap horses fill races (Manor). [David Hooper] Manor doesn't send any simulcast export signal, therefore all the wagering is on track, which has historically limited the available purse money and Howard Phillips keeps making statements to the effect he'll shut down simulcasting this fall and not apply for 2011 racing dates unless Manor is sold and I hope that happens so we can deal with an operator who wants to grow his product. We have history to prove that bettors bet full fields (Sam Houston Monday racing).[David Hooper] Not all fields were full and some not close to full at SHRP on Mondays and I have statistics from SHRP in response to a letter sent to them for an explanation why SHRP did not average 2 Tx-bred races per day. Following is the summation: A total of 115 Tx-bred races were run, 9 less than the 124 that should have been run. There were 62 ATB maiden races, but only 53 ATB non-maiden races. A grand total of 205 ATB races were offered. The 32 maiden races that failed to fill drew a total of 120 entries for an average field of 3.75 per race. The 54 winners races that failed to fill drew 179 entries or an average field of 3.31 horses. The races were offered, where were the ATB horses? Will we not face similar problems with a declining foal crop in the next couple of years? We have history to prove that the fan base will move to some other form of entertainment and not return if too much time goes by without opportunity. [David Hooper] Agree. The LS millions day is a good example of what will happen to the money if we go to that proposal. It will go out of state. [David Hooper] Lone Star Million Day generates the biggest single-day handle of any LSP racing day, which means more $$$ flow to the purse account that day from the live and simulcast export product than any other. That wouldn't happen with 10 overnight races on Memorial Day. Texans need help and the best way to help us is to put money in our hands. You do that with racing opportunity and that means three things to me. More dates and more Tx-bred races each day and favorable allowances for Tx-breds in open company. [David Hooper] Why are you so stuck on restricted races? Don't you enjoy beating Ky-breds and Fl-breds as well as Tx-breds? We already have preferences for Tx-breds in first and second level open company allowance races where the Tx-bred can break its maiden, win a restricted non-winner other than and come back in open company in the same condition without the win counting against them. If we go to this proposal, I feel that the different Tx based organizations should push for the first ten races in the book each day should be Tx-bred and that these races would go if 7 or more horses enter. [David Hooper] Four rather than 10 would seem much more realistic, otherwise you'll have races with similar conditions bumping up against each other without a proper timeframe separating the opportunities and a trainer won't be able to target a specific race, much like what happens at SHRP with all the extras that are written and they impact the races already in the book. Texas money would stay in Texas, Texas breeders would be rewarded for their investment and loyality to Tx, Tx owners and trainers would have a chance to improve our stock and the racing industry in Texas would be miles ahead when we finally get slots.[David Hooper] It's tough to improve stock if the goal is only to win ATB races. We've got to breed a better horse that will be competitive in open as well as restricted company.
--- [email protected] wrote: