Meis van der Rohe pioneered a movement that stood in contrast with chaos – a straightforward approach which, in its uniqueness, heightened interest by its sparseness and which, in its rarity, became worthy because it was precious. When the country had less horse racing, there was great anticipation for a day at the races, more satisfaction from being at the racetrack to experience what transpired.
Racetrack owners believed bettors could get “tapped out.” They coveted “churn.” They believed that if you drain horseplayers from their paychecks with unmerciful takeout and too much action, you stood more to lose than to win. This summer’s truncated Monmouth experiment was a throwback to that old-fashioned philosophy. Keeneland Racecourse and, to a lesser extent, Del Mar, operate true to tradition, and look what happens.
When simulcasting emerged in the ‘80s, the prediction was that the business would boil down to a dozen tracks, no more, and that would be that. But with many states requiring their licensees to race 24/7/365 in order to generate tax revenues, the sport of horse racing’s been used like a dish towel. At a high cost not shown on a ledger, the game has been turned into a sorry excuse for throwing money down the drain after enjoying the status of a spectacle that rewarded its fans even when they lost at the windows.
The sport’s sloppy, impersonal size; its humdrum grind and the shortage of class that accompanies the commonness – they’re disgusting. Here’s wishing, then, that it gains back its wonder.
The "12 Days of Christmas" wish list is almost half way home. If you missed any of the first four segments, you can find them in the archives. Vic Zast invites you to keep track of what's next on his Facebook page or at Twitter.com/viczast.
18 Dec 2010 at 08:15 am | #
When simulcast racing became available, takeout should have reduced dramatically as Horseplayers were now able to bet 50 plus races a day versus only 8 or 9. It was the beginning of the end when it came to sending enough people home with enough money to keep players in the game long term.