Chowderman, As you may have noticed many share your frustration with NYRA. Clueless Clowns seems a well deserved moniker.
I began my NY racing boycott on Dec 1, 2013 with an email to their contact us: Customer Service. Including an angry critical e-mail. Any response, even eat ... and die would have got me back. I think they ignored me because I told them I was out-of-state and a customer who thought raising prices demonstrated management didn\'t know their business.
So many of us are frustrated and I\'ve deduced the following:
1. NYRA does not consider the players to be customers. Because our frustration is their doing and it\'s by their design as hard as that it is to comprehend. My frustration wanes as I accept NYRA doesn\'t think players are important.
2. I say NYRA thinks their patrons are the horse owners (Bobby Flay included). Since the management positions are political appointments, management caters to the monied horse owners/breeders. NYRA management cares only about their salaries and those depend on favors granted to special interests.
3. The first thing a business turnaround artist does is fire the dead wood and cut costs, cut costs and cut costs. Businesses fail because they overspend. I.E., Spend as a % of revenue for those who are not economically oriented. Politicians are fiscally irresponsible as a group. They can not and will not fix NY racing. Enjoy it while it lasts.
4. Aqueduct purses seem high to me. $75K for slow rats (a term I picked up here) MSW races is a good use of funds because
It attracts one or two competitive entries. Oh boy another 4/5 winner. Cut purses by 50%. Cut Aqu card size to 5 races per day. Eliminate off track betting. Eliminate turns. Give jockeys numchuks instead of whips. Rant & Rave. Why are so many NY Jockeys from South America?
5. The players are being scammed because gambling is thought to be an addiction so NYRA assumes gamblers will be around till they bust out. No need to cater to degenerates, exploit them. Remembering NYRA doesn\'t care about your/my wants/needs reduces frustration. Thank goodness they don\'t want my money I\'ll enjoy spending it elsewhere.
6. Of course Saratoga isn\'t about players either because you can\'t get there on the subway. It\'s about swells (a Virginia redneck term) wearing fancy hats on a summer holiday. The Saratoga phenomena is a tribute to Saratoga Springs and a Grand Sport. Since it works they\'ll probably cancel it. Till then I\'ll dig it.
7. Belmont is about Triple Crown hype and the power of advertising. Its also about the Todd Pletcher gang and the big sandy robbery. Can\'t play him can\'t play against him. I wish he\'d just go away like Todd frickin Hoffman. Boycott races with TAP.
8. Young men today have turned to poker (in large numbers) as an opportunity to win money via intellectual effort. I believe a key reason they play poker is that they perceive horse racing to be rife with cheats. As old guys we horse players know collusion is as old as poker. But the key here is perception, that is why the integrity of Horse Racing is paramount. Accept that no new players are coming.
9. However, NY players are the best. Just last Sat or Sun the Aqueduct bettors picked seven winners out of nine, none of which was as pricey as 2/1. They are to good for me to compete against. Just another statistical anomaly? Go Rudy, Go Jacobson, boycott, voila no frustration.
I share your appreciation CHOWDERMAN, Thorograph is a welcome oasis in a sea of bureaucrats working themselves out of business.
Side note - Anybody have any ideas about Turfway are speed figures even relevant there?
