by John Berry
The phrase “misery loves company” goes back many centuries — probably before Shakespeare and Dominick de Gravina in the 14th century — and, as we have noted in recent Mane Attractions, long-time members of the BDHC (Broken Down Horseplayers Club) have given their two cents on what they believe are the shortcomings in our great sport: drags, short fields, short prices, too many pools, etc.
In our last one, we promised that the Chicago native, Za-Za, would share his “cure-all” for harness racing, and we shall do so a bit later in this column.
Again, just as the 36-year-old Nigerian C.E.O. of Red Lobster, Damola Adamolekun, read complaints from customers — and did something about it — to pull the chain out of bankruptcy into profitability, we have hope that it’s not too late to pull our sport out of its fan erosion and pari-mutuel wagering deterioration to guarantee a healthy future.
But misery loves company and harness racing has a lot of it as competition has taken away an untold amount of betting dollars through not only competition, but, the inevitable that claims everyone.
The difference is that other sports and industries replace and restock to keep going — like items sold in a grocery store or restaurant or any supply store or any major, or minor, sports teams as players retire only to be replaced by kids that have graduated from high school and college sports programs to minor and, finally, the “majors” like the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS. I call them the Big 5.
Our grand sport is different.
It’s a dog-eat-dog environment trying to make a living — very tough living in hours and dollars and cents — maybe that should read sense, not cents.
Yes, a few of the young are brought up with horses but the vast majority are not anywhere near a horse and aren’t even allowed near a pari-mutuel track and never are introduced to it.
Yes, we have fairs throughout our land and the HHYF, which are so valuable to us, but it’s a drop-in-the-bucket number in our population of 330 million, compared to the sports that are peppered on our television just about every single day.
It takes new seeds planted every day to keep growing and the only part of our collective industry that has done so, literally, are the breeders, as we have witnessed the greatest speed explosion in history — some say that can never be witnessed again. How much faster can a standardbred horse travel in one mile?
As to one subject on which we have harped in the past — our aging fan base — well, that has been, pretty much, ignored the past 40 years as, virtually, few seeds have been planted to insure a future after we are “claimed” one-by-one.
BDHC member Marty P. probably had the best take on the subject saying, “I’m no genius, I like to bet horses proves that, but I think the value of land has helped kill the sport in the big cities, the populous cities, like Chicago, L.A. and Detroit and it certainly killed Roosevelt on Long Island. But it didn’t stop there. Take, Philly and St. Louis, many others.
“My place [Chicago] got the worst of it because we had Sportsman’s, Maywood, Washington Park, Balmoral.”
Hawthorne’s still there.
Marty P.: “C’mon, J.B., they are picking up a few scraps left on the ground. It has just about wiped-out horsemen. Just about every major large city found that their land values went so high that they didn’t want to waste the land that was worth millions more. No matter how much someone in charge loves our sport, I guarantee you that, if some serious dollars are put on the table, all of a sudden, they don’t love our sport quite as much anymore.”
So, what does that tell you?
Marty P.: “What does that tell me? What does it tell you?”
It tells me that our sport is only important to the individual participants, a handful of fans that can pick any track that are still racing on which to make a wager, and it’s not important to the vast majority of our population. I’m getting to believe that it’s not important to the legislatures that support the tracks and the only thing important to the casinos is to find a way out of the money they shell out to support racing. There are already questions popping up in some legislatures on why they spend so much on racing and get nothing in return.
Now, on to the plenty of company we have in our “misery loves company” headline.
A.J.A. has made a yearly trek to Las Vegas, Sin City, for years to celebrate her birthday, and says that the casino industry is also feeling the misery as changes overtake the industry.
The casino industry has come a long, long way since its days as a barren desert a century ago, when Bugsy Siegel opened his Flamingo Hotel in 1946. While Las Vegas became THE place as the gaming Mecca in the U.S., the scene is quite different today, as we know as there are at least 1,000 casinos and, some say, are as many as 2,200, all vying for the gambling and entertainment dollar.
So, how was your birthday trip to Las Vegas?
A.J.A.: “It’s always great to get away there but it has been different over the last couple of visits.”
In what way, or ways?
A.J.A.: “Well, when I first went there years ago, the buffets were affordable, maybe $15 or $20, depending on where you went. Now, you can’t get a brunch for under $60, and go up from there.”
Pretty steep, but I am sure they are top notch.
A.J.A.: “Yeah, I am sure some are cheaper, some places but, when I celebrate, I celebrate, and it’s only once a year for a few days on the strip, and yes, they are very good but I weigh only 105 pounds and there is only so much I can eat. A few bites and I am done; 10 bites and two drinks and I’m done. I couldn’t afford this more than once a year. I think many other tourists are thinking the same thing.”
What other changes?
A.J.A.: “Resort fees. When I first came to Vegas, I could get a room for under $30 per night, and some places were less than that. Now they have a resort fee they tack on when you check out, and that can be, like, 50 bucks a night, just tacked on. Stay a few days get a massage and use the spa and nice dining and your hotel bill is $2,500. This isn’t Dubai, it’s Vegas, so it’s that and what you lose playing the slots and seeing a show and stuff like that.”
See any good shows?
A.J.A.: “That’s another thing. For me, they have priced themselves out of the market — $300 per ticket for some — and parking is very expensive. Personally, I think they are cutting their own throats; raise prices, less people come here. I have friends here that say the same thing. There are still people here, but not as many. One more epidemic and they’ll all close down.”
Going back there for your next birthday?
A.J.A.: Probably not. I will save flight costs, hotel costs, buffet costs, resort fees, and whatever else, and just go to the Hard Rock, a few miles from home.”
Yes, misery does love company! now, on to Za-Za.
Za-Za is a Chicago native “up-in-years,” his words, who thinks harness racing needs a national audience, and here’s his idea:
Za-Za: “Just as we have a national lottery in most of the States, [45 States along with D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands], I think we should create a lottery system hosted by harness racing tracks that have 10-horse fields. It would have a similar structure as Mega Millions and Powerball with the winner or winners selecting seven winners plus the tri[fecta] — like the Mega Ball — in the eighth race finale. I think we could get noticed by new fans all over the country and breathe new life into our sport. Just as baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer get major attention, this could draw attention to our sport. There could be a prize schedule for those picking anywhere from three to seven winners with or without the eighth race trifecta — our version of the Powerball number. It could be seeded with several million dollars. That’s it!”
We have hinted at this before with the potential of revenue sharing with tracks, as well as helping organizations with aftercare of retired horses and, possibly, some kind of equine social program to insure their care and wellness.
This will take a monumental effort by influential people in our sport, but well worth it for our future, especially when the value is nationally advertised as it balloons to $500,000,000 or more.
May The Horse Be With You