As you probably know, California Chrome will try and complete the Triple Crown sweep with a win in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Since I know that horse racing is not covered much by the SDMB, I decided to offer a “Ask the horse racing fan” thread, so ask away!
What else happens in racing *other *than the Triple Crown? My understanding is that if you go visit one of the remaining operating tracks on a random Tuesday, you’ll see only a handful of octogenarians shuffling to the single open window to hand over their Social Security checks, a bit at a time - is that fair or accurate?
If it is, what sort of future does racing have?
What’s your opinion on Maryland horse racing? Should they keep Pimlico open, or move the Preakness somewhere else?
How do the races that comprise the Triple Crown differ? Track conditions? Length? Age of the horses?
Do horse fans watch the 3 hour show, or just the 15 min before the race (I do the later).
I can understand having mini bios on the horses/jockeys/trainers/owners, but still am amazed they can fill in all that time
Will they allow CC to wear the nose strips?
Brian
For some tracks that’s accurate, but there are several tracks where racing is actually doing OK. Keeneland in Lexington, KY, Saratoga Race Course in upstate NY, and Del Mar in San Diego all run “boutique meets” which are relatively short (3 weeks to 2 months) and get LOTS of young folks and vacationing couples. Many other tracks are at least passable, especially if they are somewhat closer to resort areas. Rust Belt tracks in midday mostly won’t get impressive crowds, although Arlington Park in Chicago seems to get a nice mix even on weekdays. Of course on Tuesdays you’re going to get mostly retirees simply because other potential customers are at work.
They should keep it open. Although Pimlico is a dump in a crappy part of Baltimore, it is also one of the very few tracks that can easily hold 100,000+ people; where else are they going to hold the Preakness - the only track that can do so comfortably is Churchill (Belmont is overcrowded with 80,000+, because the infield isn’t open to customers), and who wants to see the first two Triple Crown races at the same location?
Most of the differences are race length, as well as shape and composition of the 3 racetracks. The Kentucky Derby, held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, is 1 1/4 miles and the Preakness, held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, is 1 3/16 miles, a pretty unusual distance and the shortest of the three races.
Both Churchill and Pimlico are one mile in circumference, very typical of American racetracks, but the Belmont is a true outlier because not only is it by far the longest of the three races at 1 1/2 miles, the Belmont Park oval (which straddles the Queens/Nassau County line in New York), is the largest dirt racetrack in America at 1 1/2 miles.
All three racetracks use dirt surfaces for the Triple Crown races, but all racetracks have somewhat different surfaces due to location, weather, and the composition of the dirt. Horses are pretty particular about what tracks they do and do not perform well over; it’s not unusual for certain horses to improve their performance by many lengths over certain tracks. Churchill seems to have the most finicky surface in that a fair number of horses don’t “take to” the surface, which has contributed to some of the Derby upsets over the years. Pimlico is a very average surface, usually kind to horses that run near the front of the pack, while Belmont is nicknamed “Big Sandy” for its slightly softer composition.
Tracks are also given different ratings based on how weather has affected them - a track where it rained recently may be designated as “sloppy”, a track where the rain has gone on long enough to saturate the ground might be “muddy”, a drying track is “good”, and a drier track is “fast”. Again, certain horses may not like some of these conditions - last year the Derby was run on a “muddy track” and that undoubtedly affected some horses, for good or bad.
All Triple Crown races are open only to three-year-olds; all racehorses celebrate their “birthday” on January 1st regardless of their real birthday; this helps prevent things like a horse being ineligible for the race (or being almost a year older than the other entrants) because they happen to have been born May 10th or so and are really only 2 when the Derby is run.
I know in Winnipeg (where I used to live) they had family days and a nice restaurant so there was usually a crowd on Sundays (especially Mother’s Day - opening weekend), is that normal for most tracks?
Let’s take your average track, be it harness or thoroughbred doesn’t matter. You’ve got at most a few thousand people there and say a dozen races. You show up with $100. What’s the best strategy to go out of there with $1000? Bet a shitload of upsets and hope on pans out? Superfecta bets? Or find an insider who knows the horses and jockeys/drivers?
How the hell do you read the form?
Those things are like deciphering particle physics written in Swahili.
Assuming I watch at home, I will have the show on but not pay much attention; the networks (usually NBC these days) like to show a whole bunch of glurgey stories about the owners. The host track runs several races all day before the big race; I usually pay attention to those (on NBC Sports Network or the dedicated racing channel TVG) rather than hear the boring stories which are largely repeats from the first two races. They absolutely don’t trust that casual fans would be interested in handicapping the race; they have a couple of guys who discuss that but it’s a very superficial treatment that they mostly use to show that computer graphic of how the race will be run, which is invariably wrong.
CC will be allowed to wear the strip. There was no real reason for NY to ban them in the first place; no other state does so.
I can more easily tell you how to go in with $1000 and walk out with $100. 
I wouldn’t bother with “insiders”. Spend enough time with trainers and you’ll soon find out they are totally guessing at how their horse will perform. They are NOT all-powerful manipulators of horseflesh. Sure, some riders and drivers have fixed a few races over time, but it’s not as common as every movie and TV plot involving racing would have you believe.
It would be VERY VERY tough to strategize a way to walk into the track with $100 and out with $1000. Most pro horseplayers (which I am not) will either grind out a modest ROI over time (of like 120% of their starting bankroll over a year) or play for large scores like Pick-Sixes. Both of these require a bankroll well over $100.
I would say the best chance to pull it off would be to find an exacta paying about $20 for $2 and put all $100 on it. I wouldn’t say that’s a GOOD strategy, just the best way to make that money off a very logical result, as $20 exactas usually involve well-played horses.
I agree. Reading past performances, and interpreting them well enough to make an informed decision, might be the single biggest blockade to making new racing fans. Far easier for someone to mindlessly feed quarters into a slot machine.
Your best bet is to find a patient friend or relative who knows how to read it, and sit for a few hours learning it. Failing that, I believe there are some online sessions that explain the basics. I can look for them later when at home.
I will say that once you understand how to read past performances, there are few things more satisfying than hitting a wager based only your understanding of the past performances instead of playing colors, or lucky numbers, or whatever.
-
IF California Chrome wins the Triple Crown, will it make any real difference to attendance and interest in American horse racing?
-
Why do you think interest in horse racing has dwindled so much in the USA?
-
How many race tracks have you been to, and which one is your favorite?
-
How much difference does a good jockey make in a big race?
I’m curious as to how much “ummph” Chrome has left…the Belmont will be his 3rd race, I think, in 5 weeks and it’s the longest.
Right now, I’m favoring Ride on Curlin’.
I’ve always wondered why that is. Wouldn’t it be cool for horse racing to have a multi-Derby winner, or to have a horse like California Chrome lose the Belmont then try to come back and win it the next year?
And are there some top-level horses that go on racing for a long time after their 3rd year, or is any horse that’s established its reputation just put out to stud at the earliest opportunity?
How does a bettor actually beat horse racing to be a long-term winner? Where does his edge come from? I forget the number, but my understanding it that the house takes a fairly enormous cut of the pot, such that my impression is that it would be virtually impossible to beat the house in the long run.
Thanks!
I’ve heard it mentioned the reason so many horses win the first two Crown races but not the Belmont, is because the Belmont is so much longer. Why is it so long? And is there any interest in shortening the course to match the other Crown races?
Here in the NW, we have a few tracks. They are open every day, but only have live racing Friday- Sunday until mid July. We go a few times a season and it’s always crowded.
The local track has free classes on reading the form, betting, generally making one feel more comfortable.
I have a friend who is an owner/trainer. I’ve learned a lot from him, mostly about the rules. Most of his races are claiming races. It’s the cheapest way to get his horses out there. Unfortunately, every time he get a promising horse, it gets claimed. (For those interested, a claiming race is one where, before the race begins someone can buy the winning horse for a set amount. There are strict rules for being a claimant. You have to have an established stable and trainer.)
His advice on betting is, “Don’t!”
We’ve been able to go into the winner’s circle and have our picture taken with the horses and jockeys a few times. It’s amazing how exciting that can be.
(post shortened)
- and 2) Attendance and general interest will continue to decline. Casinos draw most of the gamblers and video games attract the younger generation.