Question for TGJB

[Flighted Iron]

Comparing all the Cali tracks,did you say Hollywood was most similar to dirt?

Thanks,
mjs

[TGJB]

Southern California, yes. Don\'t know about GG.

[Flighted Iron]

Thanks. You seem to be on the fence with CC? IYO at what price does he become
a value play vs. a tricky call?

mjs

[TGJB]

Since my play is against rather than on a horse, I have to use him underneath regardless, assuming he\'s at least 8-1, which he has to be. On top I will use him very lightly, if at all.

The advantage in throwing out a short priced horse in exotics is that they are on a very high percentage of tri and super tickets, so almost every other combination has to be an overlay. In making that kind of play I don\'t worry too much about prices on individual horses, just about who figures to be around.

[Flighted Iron]

I see. Someone on the board once mentioned Gomezs agent was a sheets(TG) guy.With
Gomez and a slightly more assertive racing style what\'s your best possible #
for CC? I hope I haven\'t been too intrusive.

mjs

[TGJB]

I don\'t think there\'s any way to predict how much a synth/dirt jump will be, if any at all.

Anderson uses Ragozin. Now, I\'ve been mostly staying clear of those guys here. But since you bring it up, and in honor of their blatantly dishonest representation in the paper of record of their (non)relationship with a great filly whose purchase I was actually responsible for, let\'s get into this a little bit.

Ron Anderson wouldn\'t tell me exactly what he pays Ragozin, but they give him a sweetheart deal, have for years. In fact, they give everyone a sweetheart deal, just to be able to say those guys are \"clients\". This became clear when I started asking around before we started selling individual sheets on the site-- since we were going that way, I was considering trying to match the deals Friedman was giving horsemen.

Asmussen, whom they mention as a client in the Times article? The man has 200 horses, which earn 10 million in purses, so what do you figure he pays them, 100k annually? 200k? Steve gets 3 sets of sheets sent to him daily, and gets any information he wants on any horse, whether he trains it, is considering buying it, or has to decide whether to run against it. He pays them-- drum roll-- $1,500 a month. In other words, he pays the cost of just the 3 sets of sheets, like a bettor.

Another major Kentucky breeding and racing outfit, with 50 top class horses that frequently run in GI\'s, gets a similar deal. One track a day sent to them, any other data they want, $700 a month. (Note-- these rates are 2 years old, could be slightly higher now).

The reason for the low prices-- and the attempt at reflected glory in the Times-- is obvious. The Ragozin outfit has no record of success in the purchase of top horses, as we do, and they have been losing a lot of market share to us for years. So they have to do what they can to establish credibility-- and that means basically giving the data away to be able to claim \"clients\", and attaching themselves to a horse whose purchase last year they know their competition actually was responsible for.

[Flighted Iron]

When I hear \"sheets\" I automatically think your product.Certainly didn\'t mean to
stir all the hard feelings up.My apologies.

[richiebee]

I found the article rather mundane, and in the online version the comments
which followed the article got closer to the true issues than either of the
Lens did.

Faded and reflected glory indeed. There is however a very good lengthy article
about Len R when he was probably at the top of his game.

For a good read on Len Ragozin-- man, man about Manhattan, fellow traveler, myth
and legend, see the December 21, 1987 issue of The New Yorker Magazine;
there is short mention of a certain ex Ragozin employee who at the time
was Ragozin\'s only real competition.

The article is available on line at no charge

[TGJB]

Richie-- just talked with Charlie Hayward about that New Yorker article last night. Before he was the head of NYRA, before he ran the DRF, he ran Little-Brown, which published Ragozin\'s book. He said they did it specifically because of the article.

So Richie, all you gotta do is get the New Yorker to write an article about you. Tell them I said you write 10 times as well as Ragozin.

Meanwhile, FDR was wrong. The real \"Day Of Infamy\" wasn\'t December 7th, it was the day that article came out in 87. On the same day, New Yorker wrote a 10 page article about my competition, and my then-girlfriend broke up with me on my answering machine. Looking back it worked out more than okay, but I hit a few bars that night.

[NoCarolinaTony]

Yeah you and Ray Barone and George Costanza lost your GF over the answering macines....

nct

[docicu3]

This thread is far more informative and entertaining than any episode of Jockey\'s could ever be.  Perhaps a reality series sequel that exceeds the drama of the great summer Delmar/Saratoga contest of years past would be great summer TV.  I would call it \"Rags vs Riches\" for the pilot and see where it goes.......If Jockey\'s does any ratings at all this idea would dwarf the competition by a Secretariat Belmont.

Hopefully your laughing....

[smalltimer]

You could even call it, \"Who Gives A Sheet?\"

[richiebee]

JB:

Thanks as always for the compliments on my writing. As one of my biggest fans,
you will be happy to know that I continue not to work on the great unwritten,
unpublished, un- American novel of the 21st Century, a good deal of which takes
place on the backsides of American racetracks in the 1970s and 1980s.

Regarding your conversation with Mr Hayward, you inadvertantly answered one of
the questions I\'ve had since I first read the article a few months ago: why The
New Yorker would devote 10 pages or so to an obscure though eccentric
figure in a sport the magazine rarely paid any attention to.

Speaking of Mr Hayward, believe me, if I had an audience with him we would
not be discussing 20 year old magazine articles. The economy hit bottom and
has started to reinvent itself. There are opportunities for a major racetrack
operator to make the necessary innovations to the sport
(unification/centralization/contraction) and to make some bargain basement
purchases of live racing facilities (would take a lot of political wrangling to
get to where NYRA could purchase/operate out of state facilities).(Imagine for
example if NYRA could purchase (or enter into an agreement to operate) Hialeah
during the winter months and close its recently embarassing winter inner dirt
meeting).

I realize I must sound insane talking about NYRA expanding its influence at a
time when it is barely able to operate its current holdings, but, again, this
bad economy yields some opportunities, especially with Magna in Bankruptcy
Court and Churchill Downs Incorporated (according to an excellent Washington
Post article by Beyer) not wanting to expand its live racing presence.

NYRA has a long term commitment from the State of NY which assures complacency;
what NYRA needs is someone not afraid of the NY state breeders, and not afraid
to tell them that their program, while lucrative for its members, has turned a
once revered institution (NY racing) into a national laughingstock. NYRA needs
someone who is not afraid to go to the state and call for a reduction in yearly
racing days. NYRA needs someone to cut through the red tape which has had the
Aqueduct \"Racino\" stuck on the launching pad for nine years. (While I do not
believe that slots will save Racing in this state, slots is probably the only
source of funds for the much needed renovation of NYRAs 3 racetracks).

Offer for Charles Hayward: Hire me as a consultant. Give me a small office,
preferably one not facing a tote board. I will work for one month without
compensation; at the end of the month, we will determine my worth. I guarantee
between 3-5 ideas each week to improve NY Racing. I assure you that I am not
afraid of any of the 800 pound gorillas, such as the horsemen\'s groups, the
NYSRWB or the New York State Greeders, just so long as my wife agrees to go out
and start my car each morning.

I seem to have gotten off on a tangent.

Once again JB, I think you and the Lens are missing many great marketing
opportunities by not taking advantage of the friction between the two
organizations and the followers thereof. It seems like such a natural that you
guys would collaborate and cross- sell your products a couple of times a year,
such as at the 2 obvious times, Triple Crown season and Breeders Cup. I know
you have stated that Len has not been open to this in the past, but it seems
like such a natural...and would be hugely profitable for both concerns.

As to The New Yorker profiling me, I must say that it would be difficult
for me to collaborate with a journalist. As I have frequently stated, to quote
the great literary figure Ignatius Reilly: \"I mingle with my peers or no one,
and since I have no peers, I mingle with no one.\" Any profile would have to be
autobiographical, so when someone gets offended I can say I misquoted myself,
as Charles Barkely famously did after the release of his autobio.

[TGJB]

Richie-- first of all, you should take a shot, at least start the novel and see how it goes. Writing is a labor of love-- my girlfriend\'s books have won several awards,but she still has a day job-- but you got something better to do?

I waas very impressed by Hayward. First of all, he lives in Manhattan. Second, he\'s only the second person I have met in this undustry who curses more than I do (the other was a woman, the former marketing director of the DRF, and she did it with a British accent, which was cool). Third and most important, he is more interested in doing something about the drug issue than anyone I have met yet who is in a position to. There will be more to follow there-- they want me involved, and I want to be involved.