Found this little gem while watching an interesting 2-year-old maiden replay from Belmont today (Tim Ice trainee, second place finisher was impressive too).
Enjoy your weekend!
Posted by dana on Jun 18 2010
Filed Under: YouTube, Internet, 2010, 2yo, NYRA, OTB, TV, Racing
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Ho Ho Hotb
Sitting around the channel 11 yule log with no racing to watch, I thought I’d take a moment to compose a little blog post as there hasn’t been much going on here at GbG. However, I have managed to choke out a few pieces here and there. Grab some nog and let’s review!
While we’re working on the more fully featured, content rich site at Hello Race Fans we have a nice series going called “Letters to a New Horseplayer“. We’ve asked a wide variety of professional racing folks and regular players to share their thoughts with potential new fans and players.
There’s some great stuff over there and we’ll be rolling out more in the coming months. I recently added mine, which I sort of wrote to myself if I had the ability to go back in time. I would have been really jazzed to stumble upon them as a super-newbie and our hopes for the entire site is to make it easy for potential new fans/players to connect and engage with racing (fingers crossed!).
You’d never know it until today but I’m also participating in the r2 collective, brain-child of Dean from Pull the Pocket. Claire Novak recently took notice of all Dean’s hard work, he’s definitely been on a roll!
His vision for the project is to have a place where industry professionals can look for inspiration, discussion and thought about how better to utilize technology to enable better products, more effective marketing and/or better customer experience. Both Jessica and I have finally starting contributing with the recent series “Top 5 Innovations of the Decade” where we polled a nice panel of independent industry media folk for their top 5 innovations of the decade. We’re up to #2, race replays, which I wrote. Monday we’ll unveil #1.
If you’re a fan of lists and/or compilations, you should keep tabs on Jessica’s list of lists. She’s compiling all of the end of the year/decade posts. There’s quite a few and no doubt there will be more by the end of next week. I won’t be doing one, or at least I’m not planning on it! However, I will have a decade related poll next week.
Thanks to all of you who made your way over to Facebook to vote the many deserving racing charities in the Chase Community Giving project. No racing charities made it to round #2 but a charity frequently supported by racing, the Susan G. Korman “For the Cure”, did make it.
If I had a holiday wish this season, it would be to see the industry support it’s own more often and particularly in the high profile circumstances where non-racing related charities tend to get the most support by our industry. Not only would it help raise awareness for the racing related charities, it would probably be some inherent “positive” marketing by showcasing an industry that’s concerned and supportive of it’s equine and human athletes.
And if Race For Education exists, why can’t something similar be set up to make it easy for owners to donate to safe retirement, injured jockey funds as well as education for family members of backstretch workers (which I think is fantastic, btw).
The way it works is that owners nominate their horse(s) to be part of the program, the owner decides how much of a percentage of their winnings get donated and the horsemen’s bookkeepers make the deductions directly from the purse distributions. Hats off to Race for Education for making it so easy for folks to donate, let’s hope for more inspired industry support in the coming decade!
Also in the inspired giving department, Kevin of Colin’s Ghost (who’s got a nice contribution to the Letter series at HRF!) has decided to use the Hello Race Fans Ad Network as his own form of giving. He’s donating all of his advertising proceeds to the DRF Preservation Fund. We’re happy that’s he’s chosen the HRF network for what can only be described as adver-giving (or is that charity-tizing?)!
And until tomorrow when racing is back in action, enjoy this odd “holiday” clip from the NYC OTB channel. Last year they just had the wreath pictured above but this year they’ve branched out and are toggling between several “wintery”(?) vignettes including ice skating and the New York Harbor. Please note the shaky camera is there’s not mine. Let’s hope this high quality programming is not shades of things to come for New York ADW users. Happy holidays y’all!
Posted by dana on Dec 25 2009
Filed Under: Becoming a Fan, 2009, Hello Race Fans, r2 collective, Industry, You Can Help, Retirement, Rescue, OTB, Research, Racing
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New York is sucking right now (ardenstreet)
At least not at the moment. Let’s review.
As Val’s comment indicated, one of Curlin’s imprisoned owners has an expired racing license and according to the newly launched Paulick Report, it’s looking like the New York State Racing and Wagering Board won’t be renewing Shirley Cunningham’s license in the “best interest of racing”. This means Curlin will not be racing in New York.
As mentioned yesterday, the new OTB bill boosts the take out on NYRA tracks by 1% starting in the fall. Here are some unsavory particulars…
For example, a New York bettor who makes a win bet on a race at Churchill Downs through NYRA’s account-wagering operation will be paid off as if the takeout is 17 percent, instead of 16 percent, the takeout charged by Churchill. NYRA would keep the difference.
So glad I never opened a NYRA account… thank you NYRA for never answering my email, which convinced me to never open a NYRA account!
Rest assured NYRA Rewards customers, “NYRA plans to increase rebates to customers of its NYRA Rewards Program”. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to watch race replays on NYRA’s site (hat tip to Power Cap). Currently displaying on NYRA’s race replay page:
For regulatory purposes, NYRA is not permitted at this time to provide a link to our race replays. NYRA understands and regrets this inconvenience for our fans who have come to rely upon these services.
Please be assured NYRA is doing everything within its power to work with the New York State Racing and Wagering Board to restore this link to our web site as soon as possible.
And there you have it. While I couldn’t wager on Churchill using Twinspires this weekend (things are strange all over), at least I can watch NYRA replays there! And will the 1% be added to my payouts via Twinspires on NYRA tracks since I’m a New York resident (and presuming I ever cash a ticket again)?
If you’re interested in learning more about the thievery known as take-out (look up breakage while you’re there too), check out Track Thieves and specifically his chart of the takeout rates at various tracks on various pools.
Have a nice day!
Posted by dana on Jun 18 2008
Filed Under: Internet, 2008, Twinspires, Industry, Greed, :(, Gambling, Curlin, OTB, NYRA, Racing
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In Summation (inside) beats Greg’s Gold in the Bing Crosby at Del Mar (Charles Pravata)
It’s late, I’m tired… I’ll be pithy.
Outrageous! (for Ed).
An elaboration. Question, what about auctions? Cali’s doin’ it.
Not so bad.
Hopefully Thursday is firm.
Should be Fabulous!
Don’t wear an ascot unless you’ve been there.
And whatever you do, don’t hold back!
Posted by dana on Jun 17 2008
Filed Under: Mainstream Media, Greed, Charles Pravata, TBA, Auction, Industry, 2008, Geldings, Drugs, Fabulous Strike, International Racing, Gambling, Breeding, OTB, TV, Turf, NYRA, NTRA, Racing
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...I had fully intended to play the Stephen Foster card at Churchill today. I assumed I would be able to do so by using Twinspires. Not the case. I then moved on to my YouBet account. Again, no luck.
Truth be told it’s probably for the best, I haven’t exactly been on fire at the windows. The good news is that I can watch the card using the pretty snazzy beta of Twinspires TV (I wish their race replays used the same interface, which would make them larger and easier to see). The other bit of good luck is that I’ll be able to watch the Stephen Foster on the aforementioned Channel 71 as the race day will be over at Belmont.
Naturally I didn’t discover this until I had gotten pretty far into my handicapping. I was uninspired by the 6th (Hysterical Lady just crushed) but here are my thoughts on the Regret and Northern Dancer.
In the Regret I’m not convinced by Pure Clan as the favorite. CJ’s Leelee, Zee Zee and Magical Theater is where I would be looking and given the current odds I might focus on Magical Theater.
As for the Northern Dancer, we all know I love Pyro and the pace looks to be right up his alley. I’m bummed that Tiz Now Tiz Then scratched as I think he might have helped to tire out Recapturetheglory. That being said, if I had access to some wagering I would probably take a shot with Pyro over Unbridled Vicar. Unbridled Vicar had a nice confidence builder last out and can close off a slow pace. I’m not convinced Visionaire and Texas Wildcatter will like the pace.
Ok, they’re loading in the gate for the Regret. Good luck to all!
Update: my inability to access wagering is already working out for the best as Pure Clan just won the Regret! CJ’s Lee Lee and Zee Zee placed and showed respectively.
Posted by dana on Jun 14 2008
Filed Under: 2008, Twinspires, Picks, Signal Wars, Churchill Downs, Technology, Handicapping, OTB, Simulcasting, Pyro, Racing
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