WaPo 5/4/13: “And they’re off — in Virginia Gold Cup” (photos)
NSA 5/4/13: “Grinding Speed draws away to Virginia Gold Cup victory”
Thanks, Glimmer. I’ve just been searching for the 2013 results, and they haven’t made either Bloodhorse or the Gold Cup website.
I just posted a ton of pix on my FB page.
It was a stunning success. Nearly $100k handled; could have been 3 or 4 times that with 3 or 4 times the mutuels!
Grinding Speed was superb.
I’ll have extensive coverage in the Wednesday Fauquier (Va.) Times-Democrat.
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;6971021]
It was a stunning success. Nearly $100k handled; could have been 3 or 4 times that with 3 or 4 times the mutuels! [/QUOTE]
That’s sensational. Could people at the Cup also wager on any races outside of those at Great Meadow, e.g. Pimlico races? Hopefully the next steps of letting folks off-site wager on the NSA races (further boosting the handle) will also come to fruition.
No, there was no simulcast signal. They could not risk the capital on a flyer like this – best stick with live product at first.
They plan to bring in the Derby signal next year.
And plan to sell the Gold Cup card signal, especially overseas to markets that understand and appreciate jump racing and know jump form.
I picked a winning ticket in every race. And I am no bettor and no student of form.
Winners paid wacky prices – the on-track bettors were swayed by recognizable ‘names’ from the area, which were (bless there hearts) mostly point to point mavens, which, alas, are not necc. NSA winners.
I’m still waiting for Equibase to post odds/payouts so I can do a comparison story about morning line vs. post time odds. Not a finger-pointing story, just an interesting fact to note.
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;6971895]
No, there was no simulcast signal. They could not risk the capital on a flyer like this – best stick with live product at first. They plan to bring in the Derby signal next year. And plan to sell the Gold Cup card signal, especially overseas to markets that understand and appreciate jump racing and know jump form. [/QUOTE]
Kudos on the winning tickets.
As a test year I think everyone should be pleased. They just need to work on educating attendees next year earlier and better promoting it 
I’m not entirely sure the UK signal will be a mother-load of wagering as the time difference means it will be Saturday eve for IRE/Brit punters.
For comparison purposes Keeneland’s Derby party - with simulcast wagering on Churchill races - they had just under 19,000 folks show up for a steeplechase like fun, family crowd event and wagered $1,836,973. That could be quite the target for Great Meadow in years to come with 50,000 fans.
The Virginia Racing Commission executive secretary said, regarding ‘time difference betting,’ that numbers well show that handle is solid for US east coast (every US time zone, and every European time zone, for that matter) for Australian flat and jump tracks’ signals, which air late at night here.
I believe numbers show, actually, that real bettors bet more, and real bettors are the ones up at night! The $2 punter is what drove the low-ish numbers at Gold Cup.
The United Tote guy says he’d expect good result from selling a signal to foreign markets. That, plus the fact that is costs little, apparently, and is basically free money (host gets 2%, signal track gets the lion’s share), makes it a great possibility.
[QUOTE=Hunter’s Rest;6972373]
The Virginia Racing Commission executive secretary said, regarding ‘time difference betting,’ that numbers well show that handle is solid for US east coast (every US time zone, and every European time zone, for that matter) for Australian flat and jump tracks’ signals, which air late at night here. [/QUOTE]
HR, that makes sense with the Aussies being a formidable wagering presence and the hard core punters (in Europe or wherever) always being up for action.
From the VA Thoroughbred Assoc.:
According to Equibase the Virginia Gold Cup meet at Great Meadow on Saturday handled $81,0017 in pari-mutuel wagers. It was the first time the famous Virginia timber race offered pari-mutuel betting and the first to do so since Morven Park did back in 1991 and 1992.
The betting windows and kiosk saw long lines throughout the day prompting Gold Cup consultant Mike Pearson to speculate that handle might have been “$182,000 instead of almost $82,000” if the lines had moved quicker.
The wagering platform was just the first step in the Virginia Gold Cup Association’s plan to offer pari-mutuel wagering at all of their meets. The plan for the fall race – the International Gold Cup – is for the wagering to take place on cell-phones and handle held devices such as an iPad which should resolve any issues with lines and make the product easier for patrons to access.
The Gold Cup winner, Grinding Speed, paid $12.00 to win.
I refuse to bet on my own horses (superstitious), so those that know me, know I didn’t bet in the Gold Cup. I was quite shocked when our jockey’s father told me after the race that he paid out so well!
Looking forward to seeing the article on Wednesday, HR! We are having a nice celebration up here on Wednesday night in honor of the win!
Ooooh - SteeleRdr – do me a favor, take your laptop with you Wed. night and log onto my newspapers’ website and show the crew the local paper’s breathless coverage, will you?!
Email me at home and I’ll explain how you can log on as ‘me’.
I got some nice photos of you with the horse if you didn’t get enough already!
What a handsome boy. 
PS I hope everybody else cashed a good bet. The punters made Hot Rize favorite, based on his Middleburg Hunt Cup win and based on local jockey Jeff Murphy, I’m sure.
Congrats SteeleRdr to you and the entire team on the win. Next time put down a couple bucks - it won’t jinx the effort
Looking at the overall payouts each race yielded a decent return although the 2nd race with $21 to win was a nice fat long shot.
HR, I’ll look for your column tomorrow too. What is the next race that will have the technology to allow for wagering there in Virginia? Is it not until the International Cup in the fall?
HR, that’s insane about Beecher’s condition while riding to victory. Pro basketball guys wimp out with minor injuries yet get millions to sit on the bench by comparison. It really is a testament to a mix of will, fortitude, and grit to ride 4-miles like that.
He could not un-do his own overgirth in the winner’s enclosure.
No leverage!
Was just flipping through results on the NSA page… is the NSA jockey colony being taken over by Irish imports?? I think I saw races on there where every jock in the race was an Irish jock.
Even the top amateur is a Paddy.
[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;6978685]
Was just flipping through results on the NSA page… is the NSA jockey colony being taken over by Irish imports?? I think I saw races on there where every jock in the race was an Irish jock.
Even the top amateur is a Paddy.[/QUOTE]
Ok, looked up the current NSA jockey standings, and 9 of the top 10 jocks in money won are Irish :eek::eek:
Drumb.
That’s been happening for decades - Leo O’Brien on down!
There’s just not a rural agricultural pony club foxhunting base here as much as there is in the UK. A pretty-good rider over there can come here and be the queen bee, plus get suntan and good weather and appreciative beautiful girls!
Most don’t put down roots, though some certainly do. But I’m stunned when I look at the lists and books from just a year or 2 ago – the best riders or winners or this or that race just … disappear back home.
I’m glad some – Jimmy Day (trainer), Paddy Young (rider) and others have found lovely American girls to marry that keep them here!
Danielle Hodsdon, born in PA, used to be in the mix with being in the top 20 but she’s not there now. She rode at least one winner (but no purse money) in The Inaugural Charleston Trials Steeplechase in March.
Next year some 20 - 30 Virginia residents maybe trained as mutual clerks vs. bringing folks up from Lexington. Dumb question but aren’t there experienced mutual folks available closer from Richmond, VA with Colonial Downs?
