- No response when asked is the comment line on Declan's Moon's latest last-place debacle, and trainer Ron Ellis says that the now five-year old gelding seems to have lost his competitive spirit.
"That's the way he's been running....He hits the quarter pole and is not interested in fighting at all. It just appears he doesn't want to put out. As soon as Jose went to ask him, he resisted." [Bloodhorse]- Dream Rush was supposed to be a lock for West Point and trainer Richard Violette at Gulfstream on Saturday. Light on the catalog page, the three-year old daughter of Wild Rush drew $285,000 at Ocala last February, had won her first two races convincingly, and was firing bullets in the A.M. at Palm Meadows; all leading to her being sent off as the 3-10 favorite in the 4th race. Unfortunately for her backers, Rafael Bejarano needed a harness track passing lane in the stretch after getting himself totally boxed in. By the time he extracted himself, he couldn't catch Secretsoftheheart, now three-for-three in sprints for trainer Shawn Musgrave.
Trainer Frank Alexander picked up his third winner out of ten starters at the meet with first-time turfer Sinkwich in the 6th.
- Dave Litfin complains in the Form about NYRA's entries being drawn only 48 hours in advance, as opposed to the 72 hours that most tracks now utilize.
Beyond making life more difficult than it has to be for some public handicappers, the 48-hour entry schedule doesn't make sense from a business standpoint. The Thoroughbred simulcast market is highly competitive, so it is illogical that any tracks would grant rival operations a 24-hour head start to get their product to the customer. [Daily Racing Form, sub. only]That's the least of it in my opinion. NYRA is amongst the many track operators whose live video is not readily available for free on the internet. I was trolling for tracks to bet the other night, a slow one on TVG, and came up with Delta Downs and Woodbine Harness. Delta has their simulcast feed available for free online. But when I clicked on live video for Woodbine, I see that I have to sign up for an account...and that I have to be a Canadian citizen in order to do so.So which of those two tracks am I going to give my business to?
It just seems like a no-brainer that tracks would try to attract business instead of effectively turning it away! And going one step further, wouldn't it be to a racetrack's advantage to make their past performances available for free online? It's been called to my attention that Canada's Windsor Raceway, a harness track in Ontario, has their pp's and their live video available for free online, giving them what seems to me to be a competitive advantage over nearly every other track in North America.
2 Comments:
I posted about my man Gerry Olguin at Santa Anita earlier this weekend. Please go look at the 6th race today at SA. It is quiet spectacular. And despite getting taken down Gerry left me with a profit for the weekend with the place, show and the exactor. Like I said he can get them home!! That horse ran an extra furlong and still managed to get up. You will not see a race like that again this year.
Fraser Downs, a harness track in Surrey, British Columbia has their PP's and live video free on line as well. This is the track I grew up near and began betting on some 30 years ago, although with about 45% winning favorites, I seldom bet it any more.
I know how you feel about access though Alan...as a Canadian I can't get a BrisBet account (I have been a Bris customer for 11 years for the PP's) and that means I can't participate in things like their Breeder's Cup Pick 6 player's pool or get any video. I had a You Bet account eons ago, but when they restructured at one point, I was told I couldn't have an account any longer.
Ah well...at least we are now co-pooled with NY and CA (but not Florida).
Keep up the great blog.
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