Posted by: Steve, Barrington, IL on March 13, 2011 at 12:16 PM

Your right Mike. More horses will get entered just from the mere fact that already lousy purses will be reduced if they don't enter. Sure, horsemen weren't entering their horses when they were able to race before. Now maybe they'll enter them in races they don't fit just to get the field size up, right?

Good luck with your handicapper's angle. What a joke.

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Posted by: Mike, Toronto, ON on March 12, 2011 at 11:19 AM

It really shows your level of sophistication (or lack thereof) by resorting to name calling,- very classy, you should be proud of yourself, you'd make a great diplomat. If that's all you've got then you don't have much do you? Purses should be more of a fucntion of how much is wagered on them. The current purse structure is too static and needs to more dynamic. Horse quality is also a driver of handle but it's not as strong as field size (I've done the work). A field of 5 running for $80,000 doesn't generate any wagering? It's ridiculous to offer that kind of money. With your warped logic everybody should make more money when less money is bet - utterly brilliant. If you re-read the story you'll see that handicappers are saying that field size is them most important driver of handle (and it is). You should also note that the horsemen recognized the logic in this arguement and agreed to the experiment. Look where big purses got Monmouth last year. The top down(pouring money into purses)approach hasn't has worked anywhere to improve racing's sustainability, it's time to try a different way that makes stronger business sense. Feel free to call me more names if it makes you feel better.

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Posted by: Steve, Barrington, IL on March 09, 2011 at 08:30 AM

Mike from Toronto,

You are a moron. The horse owners can't do anything about the size of the field. Horses are entered in races that they fit. If a track or racing secretary can't fill races because of a lack of imagination in the condition book or a lack of horse population (BECAUSE OWNERS CAN'T AFFORD TO RACE AT TRACKS WITH CRAP PURSE $), then it's not the owner's fault. I'm assuming you are an avid handicapper. Enjoy my friend.....soon you won't have much to handicap any more.

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Posted by: Mike, Toronto, ON on March 02, 2011 at 01:39 PM

It's exactly the right thing to do and Arlington should be applauded for taking such a bold step. It simply aligns everybody's goals. Bettors bet more money on big fields, the track and horsemen then make more money, as such the purses should increase accordingly. It's utterly logical and makes complete business sense. Purses should should be a function of wagering and nothing else. With respect to horse owners, they should get more money (in the form of bigger purses) when their horse defeats a larger field - which generates more wagering for the track - than a horse defeating a 6 horse field generating less revenue.

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Posted by: Steve, Barrington, IL on February 22, 2011 at 08:06 AM

More bull crap from Arlington Park and the ITHA. Just another reason not to race in Illinois if you are a horse owner. The ITHA does not effectively represent horse owners. It is a trainer driven orgnization and counter productive to horse racing in general. It's organizations like this that keep the sport mired in it's own muck.

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