Open Letter to NYRA's Dr. David Skorton

 

Dear Dr. Skorton,

You and I don’t know each other, but we have at least one thing in common. We are both willing to state in public that we “do not know much about horseracing.” Since I go to the races all the time, and you are nominally in charge of reforming horse racing in New York, I don’t know which of us should be more embarrassed, but I will leave that to others to figure out.

Last Saturday I attended the races at Aqueduct Racetrack on the occasion of the Wood Memorial. I have been coming down from Boston for the Wood for the past several years. I enjoyed the sunshine and I actually made money at the mutuel windows, so this is not a letter from a sore headed loser.

You had a big crowd (I actually enjoyed mingling with one of the broadest cross-sections of humanity available to the unincarcerated), and the races were almost all well run. The owners of Freedom’s Child in the Wood have no doubt already been in touch. 

But given that The New York Daily News reported that “Resorts World Casino brought in a record $71.2 million in revenue during March,” I have to ask:

Would it kill you to:

Get the City of New York to put in a left turn arrow for patrons coming off the Van Wyck and down Rockaway Boulevard?

Clean the restrooms? The ones in the casino are immaculate. Yours are embarrassing.

Provide more than one place for a patron to get a hot dog and a beer? The food court in the casino is a long way from the mutuel clerks.

Wipe the guano off the few remaining grandstand seats?

Let people leaving the track know that they don’t have to pay the $5.00 in the machine at the garage when they leave? There are enough ways to feel like a chump at the races. Paying unenforced parking fees should not be a patron’s last memory of the day.

See you at Belmont!

Cheltenham Gold Cup Day 2012

 

Notes from Viewing The Cheltenham Festival on Friday March 16 2012

Tuned in early to TVG in advance of the 9:30 a.m. (EDT) start. Good thing I did. After watching endless TVG commercials about how much fun it would be to win the Pick 4 in the quarterhorse races at Los Alamitos, the signal went abruptly to England where the first race was just in progress. Since they had to restart there were a couple of minutes for the analyst to set the stage, but barring that, viewers would have had no idea what to expect.

These jumps races had in some cases dozens of starters and were run over 2 to 3 mile or more courses. Cheltenham is very hilly with both the hills and the jumps leading to strategic decisions by jockeys. The start was supposed to be a “walking” start, but it was preceded by several minutes of milling around. The whole field walks in tight circles over and over again before straightening out and proceeding to the starting line. It struck me that this requires extraordinary ability by the jockeys, but might respond to some herd instinct in the horses. At the finish, the jocks acted very collegially in congratulating the winner while still astride.

The opener, The JCB Triumph Hurdle was won by Countrywide Flame at 33 to 1. Far from the longest shot on the board. See what big fields can do? Then back to TVG stateside for some replays of old races, ads for services needed by people who refuse to pay their taxes, and races from two other English tracks.

The County Hurdles also featured a false start requiring all the horses to stand still at an imaginary line before being sent off. Winner was Alderwood (IRE) at 12 to 1. Show horse paid $47!

The third race was the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle where Boston Bob (IRE), the odds-on favorite made a great run from back in the pack to finish second to Brindisi Breeze (IRE). As I was browsing the web for more Cheltenham information, I saw on the official site that you could shop for odds among the bookmakers. What gives? Why would you take 8 to 1 when 10 to 1 is the same mouse click away?

The fourth race was the feature, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. At this point TVG did have some analysis by Jimmy Duggan, very helpful to those who lack a background in English jumps racing. The race featured one bad fall and the abandonment by the highly touted past winner Kauto Star. Winner was Synchronized (IRE) at 8 to 1.

The fifth race was the Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup, which I gather featured only amateur jockeys. Another messy affair with several loose horses running toward the front of the main field. The late race leader had several bad jumps toward the end allowing Salsify (IRE) to win from well back at odds of 7 to 1.

In the sixth race some more bad jumping at the end resulted in a very tightly fought finish. Attaglance came up on Toner D’Oudairies (FR) to win at 20 to 1.

The seventh race, the Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup, was marred by several ugly spills and my long-suffering and ever more beautiful wife asked that we turn it off. As I looked at the results on line I saw that eight of the twenty one starters did not finish. That seems like a very large number. The on-line results showed two horses as PU, which must mean pulled up. Three horses were listed as F, which can only mean fell. I have no idea what UR or BD means, but those are the fates of the remaining three non-finishers.

Bellvano (GER) was the winner at 20 to 1.

For me it was a pleasant way to spend a cool and damp Spring morning, but I have to say TVG did about as little as they could have to educate an American audience about this aspect of the sport. Surprising, since they are owned by Betfair, an on-line sports betting “community” based in England. Betfair/TVG is angling to legalize this kind of computerized amateur bookmaking here in the US, especially California. Guess that accounts for all the Los Alamitos commercials.

Not Your Father's Aqueduct?

I went to Aqueduct Racetrack yesterday to see some promising three-year olds in The Withers Stakes. I was also mildly curious about the new casino attached to the track. While casinos themselves hold no interest for me, their potential support for horse racing does. In particular, I like the idea that the new gaming legislation in Massachusetts might save the racing operations at Suffolk Downs. Readers can see photos of and read about my experiences at Suffolk in earlier blog posts here.

The continued recession and the efforts of some sharks to further take advantage of the poor were both evident in all the “We Buy Houses” signs along Linden Boulevard. No surprise there. What did surprise me was the very large sign at the entrance to Aqueduct. No mention at all of the racetrack. The only signage on Rockaway Boulevard is for the casino. Even as you drive down the entry road, there is no mention of the track. This is when I knew things would be different.

The parking lots were full, the flea market was gone, Resorts World (owned by Genting New York) have built a multi-level parking garage next to the casino building and are renovating the elevated walkway to the subway station. If you had never been there you might be very surprised there even is a racetrack. It is not at all obvious that you could enter the track without first going through the casino. There must be a way to do this since minors are not allowed in the casino and are found all over the track side, often seemingly unattended.

It is the end of the Lunar New Year and both this event and the Malaysian corporate parent of the casino are obvious. The thought of Malaysia reminds me how much I liked Anthony Burgess’ 1950’s trilogy The Long Day Wanes. As good a book about a foreign culture as the Cairo Trilogy of Naguib Mahfouz. Red is the dominant color, costumed staff are walking about handing out give-aways, and it is very hard to find an English language menu at the Oriental restaurant outlet in the casino food court.

The casino itself is big. So big that the players in the jazz combo atop the round central bar on the main floor look like dolls. The vast room has the usual flashing lights and ringing bells associated with what folks used to call slot machines but are now properly termed video lottery terminals or VLTs. This operation takes up two levels. The third level (today) is devoted to a third-tier trade show, with performers, racks of coats, and show tables urging interested persons to call and “Ask for Uncle Lim.”

Now there is a set of patios on the back side of each casino level that allows patrons to go out and actually watch the horses come down the home stretch. The patios also allow patrons to go outside and smoke.

Since I know from experience that there is a racetrack here somewhere, I work my way through the sounds and lights to the track proper. Some things remain constant, mostly the demographics. The casino patrons and the track patrons do not seem very different. All of them on both sides are in the 99%. Languages (other than English) are mostly Spanglish, Jamaican patois, and what I guess is Cantonese. The track side has some Dads minding or not minding their kids. The casino food court has several sets of disabled adults from group homes with their caregivers. These caregivers are paying much closer attention to their charges. Surprisingly little Giants gear on either side.

Whatever racetrack improvements may be in the works as a result of NYRA’s cut of the take are not yet in evidence. The physical plant looks a little worse and the amenities have been reduced. Several small coffee/snack bars are shut, the bar on the upper level grandstand is not in operation, and to make matters worse, some very good elevated grandstand seating has disappeared entirely – eaten up by the third level of the casino. I thought this was going to be the perfect place to try out my new binoculars. No such luck. In fact the current layout drastically reduces the number of seats outside available to patrons, especially those who want to watch the stretch run.

People tell me that the bigger, casino-fueled purses have helped NYRA by attracting more and better horses. This is a good thing, but four months after the opening the average Aqueduct patron has little to like. I must give NYRA high marks for not letting the casino overwhelm their website. NYRA’s Aqueduct website is all racing all the time. A far cry from the second class citizenship of racing on sites like Gulfstream or Philly Park.

How about The Withers you ask? Derby hopeful Alpha went off as the odds-on favorite and did not disappoint. Me, I had the wrong longshot underneath and went home $1.20 lighter than when I started.

Santa Anita Trip Notes

March 17-20 2011

Thursday

Saw one of my Starbucks regulars in the departure lounge for Virgin America Thursday morning. Virgin America is no great shakes of an airline, especially in Coach. Can’t see what all the fuss is about. I followed the website directions from LAX to the park. Someone made a nice choice to have folks get off on Orange Grove in Pasadena. This is the kind of street where you can find yourself stuck behind a van with the sign “Architectural Tours of Los Angeles by an Architectural Historian.”  Sets a very posh tone.

I had made prior arrangements with Mike Willman and Debbie Olsen of the Publicity Department for a media credential. The helpful guy at the gate directed me to park by an orange tree. None of those where I come from. Bird of paradise flowers in the parking lot. Not a lot of those blooming in March back home either. The big fountain by the statue of Seabiscuit was flowing green for St. Patrick’s Day. Not exactly like dyeing the Chicago River for the day, but a kind of cheesy reminder I was at the racetrack, not the Norton-Simon Museum.

Now this is a real racetrack. When I got inside I found the elevator to the press box. This was manned by a charming guy who did not want to admit he drew the short straw  and got stuck working in a little box all day with the beauty of California right outside. Are the last elevator operators in the world working the press box elevators at racetracks? Maybe the White House.

Mike Willman was busy and distracted, but Debbie Olsen was charming in providing the credential and inviting me to make myself at home. In my limited experience, this is a first-class operation. They had hot food in the press box!! Sat in Jay Hovdey’s seat. There were actual working press guys there - talking about the NCAA Men’s. Best ever.

My impression throughout was that the crowd was surprisingly bland. Not as “cowboy” as I would have thought. Not very Mexican either Maybe it is because it was a Thursday. My companion suggests that those folks have to work for a living. Later it seems all of this area is like that. Hollywood and San Diego, too. Maybe I just can’t get off by myself enough, but the whole region seems bleached out, corporate, branded. I haven’t been back for almost 25 years and my existence when I lived here more than thirty years ago was pretty marginal. Maybe more marginal than I ever realized.

One nice touch is the South African (Thanks Ron Z.) track announcer, Trevor Denman, with his very plummy accent. An off note is the use of the word “hornblower” to describe the guy who plays the call to the post. It just sounds weird. The only references I can find for this usage are at here at Santa Anita and in cites for the Marx Brothers movie, “A Day at the Races” (1937). Saratoga, Woodbine, even the races at the Northern California fairs call him the “bugler.”

What began as a cool and foggy day brightens. It seems like I can see the race along the backstretch extraordinarily well. My companion says it may be the cool green of the mountain backdrop.  Make a note to check with my long-suffering and ever more beautiful artist wife when I get home.

Lost $5, despite cashing 4 tickets.

Friday

The Workouts

Mike Willman had said that if I wanted to see the morning workouts I should get out by 7 a.m. Drove by a bar in Arcadia called “The Drinker’s Hall of Fame.” Serious question about what I would have done if I had seen that sign last night on St. Patrick’s Day. The only thing I remember about my last St.Patrick’s day in LA was running out of gas on the way home.

Arrived at 6:45 in darkness to find the workouts in full swing. Sun just about to come up. It smelled like horse shit. I took this as a very good sign. The workouts are advertised and  are open to the public for free. I actually saw a clocker with a stopwatch as I walked over. Again, this is the real deal.

The workouts are big. They have a coffee shop with hot meals, waiters in bow ties, guys drying the dew off the seats, freestanding gas heaters (ubiquitous now in Southern California apparently). Could have had breakfast there instead of wasting my time eating at Denny’s. Got a cup of coffee and sat down to watch the action. They have two tracks working simultaneously – the main dirt track and an inner training loop inside the turf course. This appears to have a different surface – grey in color as opposed to the sandy brown of the main track.

The sun JUMPS up over the San Gabriel mountains over by the first turn. Some minor excitement over a loose horse. A small crowd of professionals and gawkers. A family on vacation from Boston, some older folks. I am NOT the only guy there wearing a suit and tie. The ubiquitous Bob Baffert. The sun begins to warm the air and a waiter offers to warm up my coffee. I wonder, “Is this the best breakfast I ever had?” Ranks right up there anyway.

Hazy blue sky, folded hills with some steep declivities. A small residential community appears perched on the lower slopes. Wonder if they can see in? My old firm once rented an apartment in Chicago with an obstructed view of Soldiers Field, but I never stayed the weekend to see the Bears play. Maybe it is like the folks in Chicago who rent their rooftops to folks to watch the Cubs.

Still way less cowboy and less Mexican than I could have imagined, even with a high percentage of professionals. Several people with dogs. Do dogs act cool around horses?

Things stop for reconditioning the track surfaces. When workouts resume, there are far fewer horses out. Earlier there was a pleasant blur of activity. There is no way for a novice like me to know what is really happening, not even which horse is which.

The Races

I meet a guy at the paddock who declares it to be his lucky day. It is his name day – Sandor from Hungary. Seems pleased to meet someone who knows not only that yesterday was St. Patrick’s, but that tomorrow is St. Joseph’s.

I wander around this BIG plant and discover the basement. On a sunny day in March in California, the basement of a race track is for true degenerates, but like the rest of the place it is clean and neat and the crowd looks respectable. Pitiable, but respectable. Part of the interior of the grandstand is cordoned off for a blood drive and in another part (I told you it was big.) there are signs announcing that a TV show (The HBO drama "Luck.") is being filmed and that we have all consented to the use of our likenesses. I scram before they find out I am 32 years in arrears on my AFTRA dues.

Just out of the gate for Race 1

 Gilligan, with Joe Talamo up wins Race 1

Chantal Sutherland up on PowerofVoodoo before Race 2

The break in Race 2

Living Our Dream with Rafael Bejarano up wins Race 2

There are a couple of fancy horse and carriage rigs ferrying folks around the main track between races. Again that Old Pasadena/Tournament of Roses feel. I thoroughly enjoy the day, especially the sunshine.

 Star Billing in the walking ring. The winner of Race 3. 

Lord Avalon with jockey Martin Garcia wins Race 4

Even with no distractions, I manage to lose $10.

Sunday

Back after a short trip to San Diego to air out the Old School Tie. Got a very late start and felt a little bad because I had a loose agreement to meet an “internaute” (as the French would say) friend at the track. A little cool and cloudy down south, more moisture as I hit Pomona, teeming when I get to Arcadia. 

I found my contact and we watched some horses in the saddling paddock and one race from the clubhouse walkway. We both had some things to do and different ways to do them so I watched the last two races on my own from the doorway of the grandstand. There were, surprisingly, some folks actually in the infield in the pouring rain. All in all a very sparse crowd and very quiet.

On a recommendation from a website I am starting to follow, I bet a longshot for $2 across the board and the $22.20 Show payout got me even for the weekend. Pretty good time to zip up the wallet and go to dinner.

Saratoga Jumpstart 2010

Each year, on the weekend before the meet opens at Saratoga, NYRA and the local community put on an open house. While it is mostly a chance for local non-profits to do some fundraising, and for families from the area to enjoy a day out in the sun with pony rides, face painting, clown shows and the like, it does feature some racing. The clowns here also have the good graces to actually wear red rubber noses and size 36EEEE shoes, unlike the clowns I see at other tracks.

The National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctions a series of steeplechase races, giving a further layer of meaning to the event's official name - Saratoga Jumpstart. These races are what attracted me back for the second year in a row.

The track looks great, as always. This place is like the Fresh Air Fund camp for Thoroughbreds. Some new construction of what I gather to be food service concessions over by the paddock, but otherwise not much changed.

After the races I drove around the town a little. Many, many For Sale signs. Hard to tell whether this happens every year before and during the season, whether it reflects the general economy, or whether folks in Saratoga know something about NYRA's future the rest of us don't. Looks like a healthy Pick Six could get you a nice Victorian of your choice.

 

Final Straw, a 4yo gelding, in the paddock.


Leaving the paddock on the way to the track.


View of the Winner's Circle.


The field approaches the second fence in Race 1.


The field taking fence #2 in the second race.

Quiet Approval winning the fourth race, a $25,000 Allowance.


Danielle Hodsdon up on Parker's Project in the Winner's Circle after Race 3.


Winning jockey Danielle Hodsdon and a young fan,


Jockey Roderick Mackenzie looking a little grim - before the race.




What the real journalists were wearing. Noted author Bill Heller. See the Weekend Getaway post (February 10, 2010) for what he looks like in Florida.

Action from Suffolk Downs. Race 6 on June 7, 2010

Dyn Panell (foreground) is up on #11 Prince Kisses, a 5 yo Gelding.

Prince Kisses coming home a winner by more than 10 lengths.
Oorah, a 6yo Gelding finishes second, but looks good doing so. Paid $7.80 to place.

Media Criticism #3

I read James Surowiecki’s article “The Age of Political Risk” on The Financial Page in the May 24th edition of The New Yorker. As usual I found the piece timely, informative, and accessible. I was taken aback, however, by a statement made in the fourth paragraph. Surowiecki says, “Markets work best when there’s lots of information available and a historical track record to go on; they excel at predicting things like horse races….”

If only this were true. After spending some years of my professional life teasing stories out of data, I took an interest in horse racing under just that assumption. I thought that with the proper analytical framework, the rich mine of data available in The Daily Racing Form and other sources would yield at least a modest return on investment (ROI).

As I learned more about horse racing, I came to find that even the best handicappers (those who study past performances, pedigree, track biases, etc.) correctly predict the outcome only about forty percent of the time. If by “markets” Surowiecki means the run of horseplayers generally, the answer is even more dismal. The preference of the “market” of parimutuel bettors is displayed by the final odds on the various horses in a race, with the lowest odds attached to the “favorite.” Historically “favorites” have won only about one-third of the time. More disheartening, flat bets on all favorites will inevitably produce a negative ROI over time.

In his blog entry of February 25, 2010, Steven Crist, Publisher of The Daily Racing Form wrote “…it turns out that the ancient rule of thumb that favorites win one-third of all races may need a longer thumb: In 2009, favorites in fact won 36.66 percent of the 55,984 thoroughbred races run in the United States and Canada.” Crist looked at 71 racetracks where the percentage of winning favorites ranged from a high of 42.73% to a low of 25.91%. While he did not report on ROI, I strongly suspect that it was negative in all cases of flat bets on favorites.

I would love to be found wrong, as would many who share my enthusiasm and frustration with handicapping. I invite Mr.Surowiecki to join me (my treat) to an afternoon at the racetrack of his choice. Saratoga is nice, and I have heard many good things about Del Mar, as well.

The Wood Memorial

At Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial – April 3, 2010

Track listed as “Fast”. Visible sheen on the outside edge. So much steam rising from the harrowed portion that you could not see the first turn from the grandstand at 1:30.

Steady head wind for stretch runners all day.

By the time of The Wood Memorial you could see your breath.

The best seats in the house, Section 3-J were available all day. For Free. Free Parking! Aqueduct/NYRA could only attract about 8,500 people to this. The second tier of the sport. In the largest metro area in the country.

Eskendereya – looked slow in the paddock. Had two handlers, but no seeming need. Not snappy.

As I watched the post parade, a guy came up to me and wanted to talk. Said he had NEVER seen anyone in a G1 with front wraps. WHAT was going on with Eskendereya? He could only remember one time, in the Belmont,….

I tried to ignore him and he left me kind of rudely. Eskendereya wins by a ton. (9+ lengths) Tried to find the guy but no luck.

Reminds me that the track exceeds even the prison yard for the intensity of the baloney being served. Everyone is a liar. Everyone is deceiving or self-deceiving, or both.


“I would’a had that,but….”

“I had that one, I just didn’t bet him.”

“I had that one last time, remember, I crushed it.”

“Johnny on the rail!! Johnny on the rail!!”

The difference here is, New Yorkers don’t just have opinions, they have OPINIONS. Add 100% baloney to in-your-face arrogance and you get a long afternoon.

Media Criticism

Stan Grossfeld wrote two pieces about thoroughbred owner Michael Gill in The Boston Globe on March 2.

http://www.boston.com/sports/other_sports/horse_racing/articles/2010/03/02/a_run_for_his_money/

I read the story and sidebar and thought that others, who don’t see The Globe, might be interested. I shared the on-line version with a group of racing fans and handicappers at a blog I contribute to. The reaction was an almost deafening silence.

This got me thinking. Was the information so “old hat” to these people they did not bother to read or react? Were the charges and countercharges so commonplace in racing that no-one cared any more? It caused me to go back and re-read the piece. I think I know why some at least did not seem to care. It is just not very good journalism.

The article and the sidebar take up a very large chunk of real estate in The Globe, roughly 1 ½ pages out of a total of 7 in the Sports section that day or about 20 % of the entire news hole for the section. I calculated about 176 column inches devoted to the text and accompanying photos. And yet the article really came to no useful conclusion, nor did it allow the reader to draw a conclusion. What was the reader to take away? I think the evidence is clear that the majority of The Globe’s sports readers care very little about thoroughbred racing. If more cared, and they cared more passionately, The Globe would provide better coverage. This makes the sheer size of this particular piece more striking and leads to higher expectations.

What the reader gets is a very long list of accusations and counter accusations, with very little in the way of facts, and almost no sense of real pursuit of the story by The Globe. The story seems to be limited to a series of statements about “controversies.” Does The Globe routinely devote so much space to people’s interest in controversy? Would the science editors devote so much attention to “teaching the controversy” about Darwinism? Is it newsworthy in itself that not everyone at the racetrack is a choirboy? Dog bites man.

This problem begins to be illustrated by the two photo captions on the first page – an assertion by an owner at Penn National and a counter-assertion by Gill. Gill says he has been accused of a “crime” but The Globe does very little to clarify.

The lead paragraph attempts to set a context of threat and mystery, but does not follow up. Did Gill show the Globe the “multiple death threats?” Did Gill share these with law enforcement? The reader is in the dark.

The events surrounding the death of Casual Comfort and the jockeys’ action at Penn National are described, but again, the story is more concerned with “controversy” than fact-finding. And so we begin with the back and forth.

Penn National says 10 horses down.
Gill says six. Well, which is it?

Gill says Penn National has a bad surface.
Penn National says they routinely maintain it. Well, which is it?

Gill says he will sell out.
The Globe says he has said this before. Conclusion?

Jockey Sosa says Gill doesn’t care.
Gill “scoffs .” Conclusion?

Gill says his breakdown percentage is low.
Penn National says it is high. Well, which is it?

Ex-trainer Ferris asserts bad “horsemanship.”
Gill says he doesn’t remember her. What should the reader think? This is literally she said/he said.

Maggi Moss challenges Gill to document his actions with retired racehorses.
Gill “slaps a thick pile of 2009 receipts… .”
Did The Globe even look at the “receipts,” let alone follow up? The reader has no idea.

Mike Catalano “believes” Gill is honest.
Does The Globe know or tell the reader that Mike Catalano (Jr.) once worked for Gill?
Readers might want to know that Catalano (Jr.) was called to account by the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (October 21, 2008) for having two of his horses break down on the same day.

Gill says he sued Delaware for antitrust, and that Delaware settled.
Did this happen? Did The Globe follow up? Guess we will never know.

PA humane police say Gill’s farm operation is “perfect.”
The Globe introduces his pending divorce.
Is this balance for balance’s sake?

Massachusetts has “findings of fact” against his mortgage business.
Gill says “not….fraud.”
Is this the same thing?

The Globe reports a 2001 drug violation at Suffolk Downs.
Gill claims trainer’s responsibility.
How was this resolved? Globe readers are still looking to find out.

In the sidebar on Casual Comfort, we read,
“Gill …. declared persona non grata at six racetracks”
Which ones? When? On what grounds? We are still in the dark.

“He claims…. , critics claim.” No attempt to resolve competing claims.

While I am sure that The Globe considers its readers to be sophisticated and analytical enough to draw conclusions from facts, there are precious few facts in the 176 column inches devoted to horse racing and Michael Gill. Many more are to be found at the website below.
http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/gills-gang-of-misfits/

Ultimately, I think The Globe fails its readers by failing to provide a point of view. Is this an article about a businessman who is afraid for his family because of multiple death threats, or merely a story about “horseplay” at the racetrack?

Looking Forward

A version of this post has also appeared in the Comments section of Dan Illman's blog at the Daily Racing Form.

Get Ready Sports Fans

Now that the Winter Olympics are over and we can start to think about the upcoming spring and summer sports season, a little comparison of two venerable Boston institutions may be in order. Both the Red Sox of Fenway Park and the ponies/jockeys from Suffolk Downs are in their winter quarters in Florida. The Sox are in Fort Myers (in Lee County, foreclosure capital of the USA) and some of the Suffolk crowd is at Tampa Bay Downs (Home of the Manatee Stakes).

Let’s see how the facilities stack up:

Opening Day

Fenway Park– April 4 (Easter Sunday)

Suffolk Downs- May 1 (May Day)

Advantage - If you really need an excuse not to help with the dishes – Fenway.

History

Fenway Park - Opened in 1912, and is the oldest active venue in professional sports.

Suffolk Downs - Opened in July of 1935 with the first concrete grandstand in America.

Advantage – Fenway

Capacity

Fenway Park - Listed at 37,400, though this may underestimate the true numbers. Every game since May 15, 2003 has sold out.

Suffolk Downs - High single-day attendance listed at 52,726 (August 10, 1935). Last sell-out hard to determine since they don’t even use the turnstiles most days.

Advantage – Suffolk, if you actually want to just go to a sporting event.

Weird Coincidence

Fenway Park - Red Sox once owned by former Sox trainer, Buddy Leroux

Suffolk Downs - Suffolk Downs once owned by former Sox trainer, Buddy Leroux

Advantage – Toss-up

What the Get-A-Lifers do in the off-season

Fenway Park - The Hot Stove League and WEEI.

Suffolk Downs - Simulcasting from Aqueduct and Tampa.

Advantage – Toss-up

Retirement Options for Athletes

Fenway Park - Appearing at Scott Brown’s victory party and opening sports bars.

Suffolk Downs - Retiring to stud.

Advantage – Suffolk

What you will hear from the drunks in the cheap seats

Fenway Park - “Wakefield you s***”

Suffolk Downs - “Bocachica you s***”

Advantage – Toss-up. Neither has any connection with reality.

Announcer

Fenway Park -Carl Beane

Suffolk Downs - T. D. Thornton

Advantage – Suffolk. Thornton has one of the toughest jobs in sports, and Beane is no Sherm Feller.

The Crowd

Fenway Park - Well-heeled suburbanites from all over New England, sprinkled with very attractive college girls.

Suffolk Downs - Guys dodging work, guys who never worked, excitable Rastas, elderly Chinese couples, college guys learning to smoke cigars

Advantage – Fenway by a nose

Convenience

Fenway Park - Has a T stop named after it. Average parking cost (2009) $27.00.

Suffolk Downs - Has a T stop named after it. General Parking is free.

Advantage – Fenway by T, Suffolk by car – Toss-up.

Chance of some competitors using banned performance-enhancing drugs

Fenway Park - Greater than zero.

Suffolk Downs - Greater than zero.

Advantage – Toss-up

Music

Fenway Park - Sir Paul McCartney played to record-setting crowds August 5 and 6, 2009.

Cheapest ticket was $69.

Suffolk Downs - Paul McCartney and three guys who needed haircuts played to 25,000 on August 18, 1966. Cheapest ticket was $4.75

Advantage – Suffolk

Cost

Fenway Park -The well-respected 2009 TMR Fan Cost Index estimated the cost of a family trip for four (2 adult tickets, 2 child tickets, 2 small draft beers, 4 small sodas, 4 hot dogs, parking for one car, 2 programs and two ball caps).

Total - $326.45.

Suffolk Downs - 4 tickets – Maximum of $8. No charge on most days. Sit anywhere you want. OK to smoke outside. 2 (16 oz.) draft beers - $ 9.50, 4 sodas - $9, 4 hot dogs - $11, Parking – free, 2 programs - $4, 2 souvenir caps - $30 (est.)

Total - $71.50

Advantage – Suffolk by $254.95

Chance of your fellow patrons pitching in to reward your knowledge of the game with the price of a nice dinner and a limo ride home.

Fenway Park - Zero

Suffolk Downs - Not zero. This could actually happen. Pari-mutuel wagering really does work this way - for the winners.

Advantage – Suffolk

Final Score

Fenway Park– 3

Suffolk Downs – 6

Toss-ups – 5

Have fun whatever you decide!

GVH Steepelchase Photos

Steeplechase Racing at Geneseo

I will be the first one to admit that I know very little about horses, less about Thoroughbred racing, and even less about steeplechasing. I am interested in all three and have spent some time this year trying to teach myself about them and trying to absorb the lessons others have generously given me.

I was going to be in western New York last weekend anyway, so I thought I would go to see the races at the Genesee Valley Hunt in Geneseo. This was facilitated by Joe Clancy of The Steeplechase Times and by the folks at the National Steeplechase Association. I was of two minds about wearing my freelance journalist hat. I had the concerns expressed above, and the consideration that this was partly a social event for me and I would not be entirely free to do as I wished.

Thus arose the problem of how to dress. I know what I wear to the track, but this did not seem right. I know what journalists wear, but I hardly had anything shabby enough. I had no idea what this kind of hunter/horseman might wear. As it turns out I needn't have worried. No-one cared, almost everyone was dressed for comfort, and besides, I have no idea where to buy those wide-wale corduroys in that particular shade of deep gold.

We arrived ahead of the NSA sponsored (and non-wagering) events and watched the young Cara Peters win the Stockhorse Sprint aboard Ace, a 13 year old gelding. That the trophy was presented by her grandparents typified the low-key and friendly atmosphere of the day.

The next race was the $10, 000 Martha S. Wadsworth Memorial run over two loops of the course and over 15 or 16 timber fences. These are emphatically not the kind of thing you see watching racing from England or Ireland where the horses scrape through some brush. It is also very much not the kind of thing you see at the Olympics where even a slight touch will knock down a lightly poised rail. These are sturdy constructions of horizontal poles on a frame about four feet high. They are SOLID.

The listed field of six had some pre-race scratches and only four starters went to the line. Steeplechases are run at a very different pace than racing on the flat. Longer distances, jumps, bigger jocks, all slow things down. The course seemed even longer than the 1 1/2 miles it was supposed to be. All of the spectators were clustered at the finish line, on both sides of the course. A small stand for officials and others was on the outside of the course at the line. Spectators stood or sat in lawn chairs. Some sat/stood on the beds of trucks both in the infield and the "outfield".

The normal racing dangers to riders and mounts are intensified by the jumps. A jockey was unseated in the Wadsworth, though he appeared to manage it alright. Since this was partly a family occasion, I did not handicap the entries or pay all that much attention to finish times. The first picture below shows Justin Batoff aboard the winner, Prospectors Strike as they clear the fence at the judges stand.

The other NSA event was the $25,000 Genesee Valley Hunt Cup. Even more scratches in this one, leading to a three horse field. Again, some (to me) slow going along more than two circuits of this very long, undulating turf course. I would guess that only from the judges stand could anyone see the whole course. Another rider unseated on a jump. A terrific crack as a horse hit the fence in front of me, breaking the top rail. The second snapshot below has the winner, Irish Prince with Jody Petty up, preparing to take a fence.

Steeplechasing in a hunt club setting will never be confused with thousands of fans at Saratoga rooting their choices home, or with the bleak emptiness of Suffolk Downs on a rainy Monday. These each have a charm of their own to me. I guess I will have to try jump racing a few more times and see if there is a fit. It certainly qualifies as a fun day out with nice people.