Tuesday, July 03, 2007
He Shed His Grace On We
Cant get used to the idea that tomorrow is Independence Day. How can there be a 4th of July weekend when the big day falls on a Wednesday?
Never got a five-day holiday weekend when I was in school.
When I was a kid, July 4th was a huge racing day. Actually, still is, but because of the way the calendar falls this year, my big-race barometer is more than a little askew.
At Belmont Park tomorrow, there will be two big races to celebrate the countrys birthday; the Dwyer Stakes for three-year-olds, and the Tom Fool, a seven furlong event that almost always attracts some of the countrys top sprinters.
But the big action is not limited to New York, New York. In upstate Canandaigua, just outside Rochester, a Kentucky Derby winner will appear for the first time in Finger Lakes racetrack history. We speak of the celebrated New York-bred, Funny Cide, seeking a field he can defeat.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
But the highlight, of course, will be the return of two current Kentucky Derby three-year-olds in the Dwyer.
Perhaps Nobiz Like Shobiz and Any Given Saturday might have a better second half beneath the glaring sophomore lights than they had earlier this season. If they have developed further since May, it could be one hell of a Saratoga and fall.
Alas, we shall see. But in the meantime, lets celebrate whats truly great about this country at this time in our storied history: Scooter Libby walks among us a free man.
Written by John Pricci
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Where’s Mark Twain When You Really Need Him?
I found recent press release from AtlanticCity.com interesting on several levels. In it, the cooperative site that serves all the prominent hotels was bemoaning the fact they again might have to prop up a dying industry.
In 2004, the hotels struck a four-year deal with the New Jersey tracks; Monmouth, Freehold and The Meadowlands, paying them a combined $84 million if the racetracks agreed not to pursue VLTs.
As 2008 approaches and with VLTs still not approved, the struggling tracks want a bigger slice of that AC pie. The hotels are not interested in either subsidizing the tracks or allowing VLTs.
VLTs would hurt casino revenues, undermine Atlantic Citys growth, and jeopardize hundreds of millions in revenue that goes to the state.
Whoa!
While Im sure VLTs would impact casino revenues, I dont know what kind of growth they refer to unless it means building more hotels. When the hotels got a franchise to conduct gambling in the moribund city, they promised jobs and revitalization. Venture a couple of blocks west of the boardwalk. Where is all the building, wheres all the growth? Cant blame that on the tracks.
As far as the revenue that goes to New Jersey, are casino dollars worth more than racetrack dollars? Money is money, from whatever source. Am I missing something?
Maybe Atlantic City growth has stalled because VLTs are now in virtually every surrounding state.
And can slots players, an older demographic that doesnt skew upscale, really afford $3-a-gallon gas to get there, much less spend, on average, over $200 for weekday rooms and more than $400 on weekends? Is the food free? Are the shows free? Do slot players break the comp bank?
Maybe if Atlantic City hotels lowered their rates and offered better entertainment choices they might be able to better compete with Las Vegas. With more and cheaper choices available in Nevada, the cost of a plane ticket turns out to be a wash. And is there really a comparison between the two?
Horserace wagering is flat, yes. But racing still handles $15 billion annually. The Triple Crown tracks attracted a combined quarter of a million people to see a classic live.
The racing industry hurting? Positively. Can it do better? Absolutely. But dying? Those reports are greatly exaggerated at least. At best, theyre patented false.
Written by John Pricci
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Cheering On A Couple of Old Pros
As everyone knows the now, the defending Horse of the Year will not run in tomorrows Grade 1 Suburban Handicap.
But it warms a racing heart to know that while the recently retired Invasor and Grade 1 winning Scat Daddy, and the likely soon-to-be retired Street Sense and Hard Spun, wont be racing this weekend, there are some old-timers still doing their thing.
He might not have much of a chance to win, but nine-year-old Evening Attire, a Grade 1 winner with career earnings of $2.6-million, will complete the Suburban field at Belmont Park where Met Mile winner Corinthian, five years younger, is a deserving favorite
On the left coast, a pair of six-year-olds, Lava Man and Molengao, are the top choices in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup. And it will be rarified air for Lava Man should he be successful. He would join Hall of Famer Native Diver as the only winner of three consecutive Gold Cups.
Lava Man will be spotting his field from four to 10 pounds as the 124-pound highweight. He is seeking his 17th career win and will try to add to earnings of $4.7-million.
But its another nine-year-old, the redoubtable The Tin Man, a 13-time winner with earnings of $3.3-million, who deserves equal billing with Lava Man despite competing in only a Grade 2, the American Invitational Handicap.
The Tin Man, remarkably, a winner of three consecutive Grade 1s despite his advanced age, is seeking a defense of his American Invitational title. He spots his field from five to 10 pounds as the 123-pound highweight.
Written by John Pricci
