Quote:
Originally Posted by classhandicapper
Andy,
Virtually the entire reason CA racing is on the fast track to oblivion is the politics of the state. Right or wrong the costs are higher than elsewhere in the country (in part for political reasons) and there is no casino money supporting the purse structure (for political reasons).
If we can’t discuss why CA is failing, we certainly can’t fix it.
Who in their right mind is going to want to own and race horses in CA when the economics of the sport for owners are even worse in CA than elsewhere?
Most owners are going to lose more money than they can tolerate and get out. Others will see the bad environment and not get in or go somewhere else where it makes more sense like OP.
To get more handle you need large competitive fields and a competitive track take. You aren’t going to get the former unless you make it attractive to own and race horses there. That’s not going to happen unless the politics of the state change. Tinkering is not going to get it done. I don’t even think lowering the take a bit will add enough to the bottom line to matter.
My personal politics have nothing to do with my opinion. I personally think CA is correct to not use casino money for racing. I don’t think any state should be. There are better economic and societal uses for that money. I think racing should stand on its own and the best managed tracks should win market share and the rest close. None of that changes the realty of why CA racing is likely doomed longer term.
|
it is hard to completely remove politics from racing's future
yes in NY state, the often derided Governor and State Comptroller DiNapoli (who is doing a great job, unlike many US states regardless of "red or blue," his pension fund has no shortfall and invests soundly and he is the sole trustee) are both supportive of racing's future
in CA, Newsom of course is a future Presidential possibility, whether you/we like him or not, so this will inform his thinking and the future of racing in the State accordingly
prices are indeed higher in California, this Editorial suggests profit seeking is the real reason, and you'd have to suspect that large companies with a vested interest are a bigger factor than one suspects (California's laws on CAFE standards for example would lessen demand for gasoline)
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...ry-for-answers
Really wish the California state government wanted racing to succeed, and it wasn't a political issue
In Kentucky, the pension fund is a complete disaster and the governor is a Democrat recently reelected probably because of that as much as anything - I doubt he would have won anything if he didn't support racing, and of course racing is thriving in KY
I wish there was a national effort to grow more interest in our sport, this would put pressure on all politicians
This is political whether we like it or not
And I've said it before, if we think about what is best for horses in this increasingly modern world, there is a place for well run horse racing with minimum standards applied and I think most people would get behind that given the facts
