Please will someone explain to me what is the purpose of running horses at really cheap tracks??? I mean the purses are only a $1000. It would cost more to feed the horse then they can make running for that ammount! The reason for this topic was I have been following a horse who is by Dynaformer, (that ironicly looks like a Barbaro double) he is a Golden Eagle Farm bred and we almost purchased him as a 2yo, however he seemed to be very immature and very very little so we passed. (He sold for $12k btw). I noticed him running in cheap tracks in NM for $1000 and finishing at the back! Yet, they still run him! Whats the point!
It must be profitable at some level. I looked at entries for Sunday at Sunland and the lowest claiming tag is $5k, the purse is $8700. That’s far above $1k. Where is this horse running?
[QUOTE=EquineRacers;3960462]
Please will someone explain to me what is the purpose of running horses at really cheap tracks??? I mean the purses are only a $1000. It would cost more to feed the horse then they can make running for that ammount! The reason for this topic was I have been following a horse who is by Dynaformer, (that ironicly looks like a Barbaro double) he is a Golden Eagle Farm bred and we almost purchased him as a 2yo, however he seemed to be very immature and very very little so we passed. (He sold for $12k btw). I noticed him running in cheap tracks in NM for $1000 and finishing at the back! Yet, they still run him! Whats the point![/QUOTE]
Some people live in the tack room and at the cheap tracks you don’t spend $120 tapping with Hylartin, you just use cortizone. Everything gets cut in order to attempt to make a profit.
There isn’t any profit in running for 1K purses, but there is something that no one has mentioned - love of the game. There is also experience for young horses, a proving ground for beginning trainers, drivers and riders, and a retirement race environment for the same. You big track people would be amazed at the number of seniors with a couple of horses, a nice travel trailer and horse trailer or a fancy trailer with rather lush living quarters. They haul 2-3 head, all the equipment and live in the accomodations they brought with them. They are having fun and are more interested in the track lifestyle rather than the money, even though a few wins are nice. You would all be surprised at the number of small tracks with lean purses that are in the north south corridor from the Rockies east to a line stretching north of the border from the Mississippi River. Over 3/4 of the participants are pensioners, the rest are the very young trying out and the whole experience is rather like a huge family reunion that lasts for several months. Please do not knock it until you have tried it.
That said, yes, there are pitiful bush tracks, used up horses, used up people with bad attitudes, but most of the places i have been on fair circuits are wonderful environments, kinda short on ‘proper’ facilities but you can manage with the atmosphere that pervades
Exactly -it’s THEIR horse, they can do whatever they want with it. Why are so many folks so eager to question what others’ do with their horses? And why assume the worst?? If they have fun running it at a cheap track, good for them.
You mean racing horses is supposed to be about making money??? Good lord have I been doing it wrong all these years.
Fun is the operative word out here. People tend to forget that the corridor I mentioned in my previousl post is sparsely populated and while each state and province has a big city or two, they are big by OUR standards, not by the standards of east of the lakehead and the west coast. Our big centres MAY reach a million people but most are under 500K. Unfortunately, MOST of these places do not have a race track or for some reason only known to the idiots in charge, have demolished tracks so we have small bullring tracks, small purses, low attendance (to us 500 people is a good crowd as some centres are less than 200 in pop), and loads of fun. The worst assailants are horseflies and skeeters and the odd drunk horseman. The only one that scares me is skeeters, I don’t NEED WNV again. The worst crimes are beer theft and brush borrowing, rarely is equipement stolen, just borrowed and returned. You CAN leave your ‘house’ unlocked because everyone watches for eveyrone else, you leave your truck open with the keys IN it, and if someone hops in and moves it or makes a fast run to the race office, no biggie, you KNOW it is coming back. Enough said, it is fun, loads of it - what is better than an afternoon of racing followed by a barbecue/weiner roast/pot luck with good friends?
[QUOTE=Laurierace;3961230]
You mean racing horses is supposed to be about making money??? Good lord have I been doing it wrong all these years.[/QUOTE]
:lol: :yes: :lol:
On many occasions I’ve been tempted to pack it up, head west, and breed and train one or two of my own at some cheap gyp track… for nothing more than the fun of it. I just think the other horsemen there would end up driving me crazy… or get me killed.
I have spent a lot of money racing horses, and maybe made a little back (always supplemented what my horses did or didn’t make by galloping or ponying to pay the bills)…I have also spent lots of money showing and gotten a few pretty ribbons…either way I can say I did it mostly for the fun of it 
[QUOTE=DickHertz;3960989]
Some people live in the tack room and at the cheap tracks you don’t spend $120 tapping with Hylartin, you just use cortizone. Everything gets cut in order to attempt to make a profit.[/QUOTE]
I want your vet that only charges $120 for Hylartin
I think the OP poses a valid question and it’s one I’ve pondered a lot myself. I think the key is that horses running at very cheap tracks get a slightly different type of care than, say, a Santa Anita stakes horse. I’m not saying it’s a worse type of care, just different - not unlike a weekend fun show horse is probably getting less expensive care than a A show hunter in a fancy barn. Plus, - especially at the western tracks - a lot of the costs are just lower - like hay, for example. And, contrary to what they believe in Internetland, most of those horses are pretty sound - they can’t afford to do a lot of vetwork.
A lot of the trainers are doing it as a hobby and have a dayjob. Some of the trainers start horses just to get the HBPA insurance and have some fun. Up until last fall, races in La paid $250 through 9th and a lot of guys would run horses just hoping for that $250 to pay their expenses. They mostly trained off the farm, fed cheaper feed, didn’t hire riders often and didn’t fool with horses that needed a lot of vetwork. The horses were happy and healthy and the owner/trainers had fun, got good HBPA insurance, were satisfied with running on the bottom and were pleased to make a few hundred a month and were thrilled if they earned a bigger check. I would guess the connections of the Dynaformer have a similar mindset.
[QUOTE=SleepyFox;3970632]
I think the OP poses a valid question and it’s one I’ve pondered a lot myself. I think the key is that horses running at very cheap tracks get a slightly different type of care than, say, a Santa Anita stakes horse. .[/QUOTE]
I would disagree with this statement it’s a popular misconception about racing. The majority of people I know at Penn National take impeccable care of their horses and they are treated well. There are bad horseman at every track, even Santa Anita. Just because a track is labeled a cheap track doesn’t mean the horses don’t get great care. Your statement is based on unfounded thoughts that simply are not true.
In regards to medications and joint injections, I know people who run stakes horses and run in optional claimers at Churchill and Keeneland, those horses get tapped just as much as a $4,000 claimer at Penn National or Charles Town. Don’t be fooled by where a horse is stabled.
Everything is relative so what it takes to survive with wages, racing purses, and the like at a high cost area like Santa Anita (Arcadia, Ca) is quite different compared to say lower cost Phoenix, AZ and Turfway Park.
In terms of why people do things you have to ask - why are there still shoe shine folks when you know it barely is a living wage, or why are there people own/run “mom & pop” general stores in 2009 when its doubtful precious few make even $1 of profit when its all said and done, why do people still engage in door to door vacuum sales, etc … I think most people would be surprised as to what jobs people do for very little money and seemingly little reward relative to the required effort.
In terms of gambling the “cheap tracks” can easily yield payoffs that bring back bettors daily. Maybe not in droves but certainly enough to keep the little engine going. The assorted Mass Fairs likely would’ve continued each summer with horses running their own Kentucky Derby for peanuts if it wasn’t for the increased regulatory issues with tracks and too many gambling options available.
While I truly do believe that a horse walking onto a track like Saratoga - after walking past thousands of enthusiastic people along the walk-way - does feel the energy and will perhaps perform with a greater purpose or urgency … still horses don’t know they are racing for $1k or just $100 if they take 3rd. They still run like its a big race or not.
It’s not like a horse examines the Form before leaving the saddling area and say to the field “let’s keep it friendly and just get some exercise today”
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3971111]
It’s not like a horse examines the Form before leaving the saddling area and say to the field “let’s keep it friendly and just get some exercise today” ;)[/QUOTE]
Mine do. But the other horses never listen.
[QUOTE=DickHertz;3970846]
I would disagree with this statement it’s a popular misconception about racing. The majority of people I know at Penn National take impeccable care of their horses and they are treated well. There are bad horseman at every track, even Santa Anita. Just because a track is labeled a cheap track doesn’t mean the horses don’t get great care. Your statement is based on unfounded thoughts that simply are not true.
In regards to medications and joint injections, I know people who run stakes horses and run in optional claimers at Churchill and Keeneland, those horses get tapped just as much as a $4,000 claimer at Penn National or Charles Town. Don’t be fooled by where a horse is stabled.[/QUOTE]
Unfounded thoughts? What? And, who said anything about Penn? Have you been sniffing the Koppertox, Dick? I said a different type of care - not worse care. Most cheap horses running for $1k pots are not receiving the “no expenses spared” type of care. I’m not saying it’s not good care - just different.
And, to defend my vetwork statement… What does a $4k claimer run for at Penn? I’m betting it’s a lot more than $1k. It’s just a fact of the business - if you are going to spend more money working on a horse pre-race than you can hope to earn in the race, you’ve got to stop and question what you’re doing. I doubt there are a lot of people routinely spending $500 to work on joints on a horse running for $1k total purse money. Maybe there are some people who just love to watch their horse run that will do that, but there aren’t many.
[QUOTE=SleepyFox;3971366]
Unfounded thoughts? What? And, who said anything about Penn? .[/QUOTE]
Well, Penn gets bashed pretty frequently on this board and this may be a news flash to you, but Penn has long been known as a cheap track which was the premise for your statement (and that’s where I’m at so I figured I’d speak to the cheap track I know). I don’t believe there are any tracks running for $1,000 purses. Beulah may be the lowest running for about 3x that unless BRD is still operating, but I don’t know if it’s still around.
What a great way to live…
[QUOTE=sk_pacer;3961070]
There isn’t any profit in running for 1K purses, but there is something that no one has mentioned - love of the game. There is also experience for young horses, a proving ground for beginning trainers, drivers and riders, and a retirement race environment for the same. You big track people would be amazed at the number of seniors with a couple of horses, a nice travel trailer and horse trailer or a fancy trailer with rather lush living quarters. They haul 2-3 head, all the equipment and live in the accomodations they brought with them. They are having fun and are more interested in the track lifestyle rather than the money, even though a few wins are nice. You would all be surprised at the number of small tracks with lean purses that are in the north south corridor from the Rockies east to a line stretching north of the border from the Mississippi River. Over 3/4 of the participants are pensioners, the rest are the very young trying out and the whole experience is rather like a huge family reunion that lasts for several months. Please do not knock it until you have tried it.
That said, yes, there are pitiful bush tracks, used up horses, used up people with bad attitudes, but most of the places i have been on fair circuits are wonderful environments, kinda short on ‘proper’ facilities but you can manage with the atmosphere that pervades[/QUOTE]
What a wonderful living it is for these folks…having fun and living the track lifestyle…in fact, i would PAY to live this way…
[QUOTE=DickHertz;3971934]
Well, Penn gets bashed pretty frequently on this board and this may be a news flash to you, but Penn has long been known as a cheap track which was the premise for your statement (and that’s where I’m at so I figured I’d speak to the cheap track I know). I don’t believe there are any tracks running for $1,000 purses. Beulah may be the lowest running for about 3x that unless BRD is still operating, but I don’t know if it’s still around.[/QUOTE]
Believe it or not, the world (internetland or other) does not revolve around Penn National. Penn National is no Saratoga, but it’s not what anyone was referring to in this thread.
If you don’t believe horses run for close to $1000 purses in this country, go look at the condition book for somewhere like Les Bois Park.
[QUOTE=DickHertz;3970846]
I would disagree with this statement it’s a popular misconception about racing. The majority of people I know at Penn National take impeccable care of their horses and they are treated well. There are bad horseman at every track, even Santa Anita. Just because a track is labeled a cheap track doesn’t mean the horses don’t get great care. Your statement is based on unfounded thoughts that simply are not true.
In regards to medications and joint injections, I know people who run stakes horses and run in optional claimers at Churchill and Keeneland, those horses get tapped just as much as a $4,000 claimer at Penn National or Charles Town. Don’t be fooled by where a horse is stabled.[/QUOTE]
“Just because a track is labeled a cheap track doesn’t mean the horses don’t get great care.” - There isn’t a truer statement than this. I’ve seen racehorses treated horribly at Saratoga and Keeneland, firsthand.
