Track needs fans to win, place and show off
NEW KENT - Wilson Yager sat on a bench Tuesday outside the grandstands near the start-finish line at Colonial Downs, thumbing through a racing program in the waning afternoon sunlight.
He's no stranger to Colonial Downs. Yager, an 89-year-old Chesterfield resident, makes it out to the track with his son three or four times during each thoroughbred meet. They usually come on weekends, when the betting window and concession stand lines are a little longer.
Yet, with a weekday program that features nine nondescript claiming and allowance races, Yager and his son have that bench all to themselves. Though paid attendance is announced at 593, Colonial Downs appears to be nothing short of a ghost town. That's not the way Yager likes it.
"The more people you have, the more people you meet," Yager said.
"I like to mingle with people. I'm still looking, you see. I haven't given up looking for a mate. I'm 90 years old, but I haven't given up yet."
Despite its resplendent appearance hard by Interstate 64, it's a pretty typical weekday scene for Colonial Downs. Now, when the $750,000 (Grade II) Virginia Derby is run next Saturday at the track, the grandstands will be filled and more than 8,000 people will walk through the gates to eagerly pony up hard-earned cash at the betting windows.
The Virginia Derby represents the high-water attendance mark on Colonial Downs' annual calendar. Days like this past Tuesday are more the norm.
Approaching the front doors of Colonial Downs on a July weekday afternoon, the sound of buzzing lights drowns out the sparse crowd. During the races, the constant murmur of happy hour revelers in the Jockey and Turf Club seating areas above the track never stops -- old Virginian accents thicker than the summer haze that shrouds portions of the backstretch.
Yager lines his pockets with a little spending cash with a win in the second race on the program -- Glorious Sunrise, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding, breaks his maiden in a claiming race with an $8,800 purse. Yager raises his arms in celebration for a moment. Then, he's right back on the lonely bench.
"I've always been a gambler," Yager said. "I've never won much out here."
"NO WAY FOR YOU TO BE BORED"
Karen Sublett understands why the track might not have entertainment value for some people -- location, gas prices, perceived seedy atmosphere -- but she also thinks many people haven't given it a chance.
Sublett, a Williamsburg resident, has worked as a betting window clerk at Colonial Downs since 2001. She took a break from the job from '04 to '07 to deal with the death of her husband and her own cancer treatment, but she came right back this year.
"It's the horses, it's the people, you have the video board right out front and you can easily see all the horses come through," Sublett said. "There's no way for you to be bored."
Though she'll be able to see most of Tuesday's races from her spot at the betting window, she doesn't always have that luxury. She remembers July 3 and 4, when she was working upstairs in the Turf Club. She said she saw horses coming to the gate for the first race on both days, and saw horses leaving the track after the last races, but she never had time to see another horse because betting lines were so long.
She prefers the hustle-and-bustle days.
"I'll tell people that are in training to appreciate a slow day," Sublett said.
Last week, she spent some time at Colonial Downs' on-site racing education center, helping a man who had never been to a track learn how to bet. He came to the track with $100 in his pocket, and left with $100 -- a successful day for a beginner.
Sublett wishes more of the beginner-type thoroughbred enthusiasts would make it out to Colonial Downs. She thinks they don't know what they're missing.
"If four people spend $50 on admission, a meal and a drink and have something left over to place a bet, I say where else are you going to go to have this kind of entertainment for that fee with four people?" Sublett said.
"IT'S A SHAME"
After Colonial Downs was built for $55 million and opened in 1997, chief executive officer Jeff Jacobs anticipated an average of 4,000 fans per race day.
Actual fan support has never backed up his optimism. In January, Jacobs put Colonial Downs up for sale. Of course, Colonial Downs isn't the only track having a hard time drawing fans. It's the same situation at most tracks, but Colonial Downs may be struggling more than most.
On Wednesday and Thursday, several tracks around the country hosted unspectacular programs filled with non-stakes allowance and claiming races, like Tuesday's program at Colonial Downs, which averaged 1,635 fans through the first 24 days of its 45-day meet.
Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., drew 5,628 fans, while Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., attracted 4,103. Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., brought in 3,316. Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., drew 3,249, and Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Mass., counted 2,240.
Those are top-of-the-list attendance figures. Places like Los Alamitos race track in Los Alamitos, Calif., drew 881 on Thursday evening. Charles Town race track in Charles Town, W.Va., had 707 fans at its Thursday evening program.
Jeff and Robin Brinegar, a couple from Baltimore, stopped by Colonial Downs on Tuesday as a side attraction during their Williamsburg vacation. Neither had ever been to the Colonial Downs.
Before she walked through the front doors, Robin took her camera out of her purse. She was taken aback by the impressive Colonial Downs main building.
"I took a picture of the outside of the place before I came in because I couldn't believe it," Robin said. "I was like 'this is Colonial Downs?' "
Jeff said he goes to Pimlico, Laurel, Charles Town and Delaware Park a few times each year, but he couldn't recall seeing a more inviting and polished track facility than Colonial Downs. He was surprised to learn Colonial Downs is for sale.
"It's a shame, because it's a beautiful place," Jeff said. "I love this track, but they only race here like two (months) a year. I don't understand why they do what they do. I guess it's a revenue thing. ... It's a lot nicer track than what they've got up (at Pimlico), and that's where they hold the Preakness Stakes."
(c) 2008, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
Go Between now favored for Hollywood Gold Cup
Inglewood, CA (Sports Network) - Now that Santa Anita Handicap winner Heatseeker has been scratched from Saturday's $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park, Go Between has been made the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/4 mile race.
Heatseeker, the original 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Hollywood Gold Cup, was scratched from Saturday's race due to swelling in his left front ankle.
The 7-2 second pick when the field was announced on Thursday, Go Between was the Santa Anita Handicap runner-up behind Heatseeker this year. The five- year-old will be ridden by Garrett Gomez and remains number seven in the program.
Go Between, trained by Bill Mott for Peter Vegso, has finished second his last two starts in both the Big 'Cap and the Ben Ali as the 1-2 favorite. He began the year by winning the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita.
The chestnut horse has earnings of just over $2 million with seven wins in 24 lifetime starts.
Tiago is now the 3-1 second choice after an initial line of 9-2. The four- year-old's lone victory this year was the Oaklawn Handicap where he defeated Heatseeker by a head.
In his last start he was second to Heatseeker in the Californian. Tiago was fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap after he opened 2008 by finishing third in the San Fernando Stakes and second in the Strub Stakes.
Trained by John Shirreffs for Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, Tiago has Mike Smith set to ride and will be number four for betting purposes. Tiago, a half- brother to 2005 Kentucky Derby victor Giacomo, has won five of 14 career starts for better than $1.7 million.
Student Council and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan slide into the third morning-line slot at 9-2. The six-year-old will wear saddle-cloth number six in the nine horse field.
Owned by Millennium Farms, Student Council won the Pimlico Special in his last start and will run at his fourth different track for the fourth straight race. Trainer Steve Asmussen, facing a possible suspension in Texas, trains Student Council who has won eight of 27 career races for $1.3 million.
Here is the revised field for the Gold Cup in post position order: Mast Track, Tyler Baze 12-1; Perfect Drift, Victor Espinoza 8-1; Tiago, Mike Smith 3-1; Racketeer, Joel Rosario 8-1; Student Council, Shaun Bridgmohan 9-2; Go Between, Garrett Gomez 5-2; McCann's Mojave, Frank Alvarado 12-1; Big Booster, Corey Nakatani 8-1 and Spice Route, Alex Solis 15-1.
Absent from the Hollywood Gold Cup will be Lava Man who has won the last three renewals. The seven-year-old is being held back from the race by trainer Doug O'Neill after a third place finish in the Charles Whittingham Handicap three weeks ago.
In a 45 race career, Lava Man has won 17 times and earned $5.2 million.
O'Neill said that he was more likely to run Lava Man in the $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap over 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar on July 20.
(c) 2008 The Sports Network
Big Brown's big blunder sees NT bookie pocket $250,000
Corporate bookmakers in the Northern Territory are still smiling after American galloper Big Brown's failed Triple Crown attempt at the weekend.
The colt was heavily backed to win the Belmont Stakes in New York and become just the 12th horse in 140 years to win the Triple Crown.
Big Brown had earlier cruised to victory in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, but failed to fire at the final hurdle finishing a distant last.
Darwin based SportingBet director of bookmaking operations Brad Smythe says the company won almost $250,000 on the race.
"We had one punter step in four or five days before the event and have $100,000 on him at $1.50. We then had a punter a day before the races have $50,000 on it at $1.40 and then a couple of minutes before the race, there was two wagers in excess of $25,000.
"So people were more than happy to take the shorts about the horse and sadly they did not get much bang for their buck."
(c) 2008 ABC
A Primer on Horse-Race Betting
If the upcoming Belmont Stakes is giving you the urge to place a bet or two, this guide can teach you a little bit about what to expect.
As one of the only sports with legal and sanctioned betting involved, horse racing has a strong following with the gambling crowd. Betting on a horse race can make the viewing experience that much more rewarding because it gives the bettor a clear horse to cheer for and adds an entirely new element to the event.
Still, it's not something that should be entered into lightly. In preparation for the 140th Belmont Stakes this weekend, here are a few of the more basic things needed to understand and get started in the world of horserace betting:
The Odds
Before placing any bets you should first know how to interpret the money line odds. Essentially, the odds that are given are what determines how much money a winning bettor will be paid. It's a ratio of the amount won for a correct bet to the amount originally wagered.
For example, in this weekend's Belmont Stakes the heavy favorite Big Brown has odds of 2-5. This means that for every five dollars bet, you would win two. So if you place a ten dollar bet for Big Brown to win and he does, then you would stand to collect 14 dollars. That would include the original $10 that was bet, plus the $4 that was won based on the odds.
Of course, these money lines are determined by professional oddsmakers based on any number of variables from the total amount being wagered on the horse to the type of track and the weather that day. It's important for the amateur bettor to fully understand the odds before wagering any money, and to know what they stand to win or lose by doing so.
Finally, payouts may change drastically based on the type of bet made. Each track is specific and the odds for the individual horses will not change, but the payouts may increase for bet types that are harder to win.
The Types of Bets
There are several different bet types and combinations that can be made for a horse race. Many of them are specific to the track, type of race and number of races being held each day, so be sure to check with the appropriate track if you are unclear.
These are a few of the more common bets you might encounter:
Win bet: This is a straight-up bet where you are essentially just picking the winner. You bet on one horse to win at whatever odds have been set, and if that particular horse finishes first then you win.
Place bet: A variation on the win bet is the place bet, which also requires you to pick just one horse. If that horse finishes first or second you win, but receive a slightly lower amount than the win bet.
Show bet: This works in the exact same way as the win and place, only this time you win if the chosen horse finishes first, second, or third. As with the place bet, this pays out even lower.
Perfecta, trifecta, superfecta: These are three different bets that require you to pick two, three, or four horses respectively. In order to win, those horses must cross the finish line in the first two places for a perfecta, first three places for a trifecta or first four places for a superfecta. They must also finish in the exact order that you specified. Each pays out progressively better than the last.
Boxed Bet: This is a form of the perfecta, trifecta or superfecta bet where you are betting on every possible combination within that original bet. For example, if you place money on a perfecta for horses X and Y, you would pick them to finish in a specific order, say X first and then Y. But with a perfecta boxed bet, you would also place another bet where those same two horses finish in the opposite order. Obviously, on a trifecta or superfecta you will have to place more bets, because there are more combinations for that number of horses to finish.
Parlay: Also referred to as "letting it ride," the parlay involves making multiple bets as one group. The catch is that any winnings from the first race will carry over and be placed as the bet on the next race, and so on, for however many races the bettor chooses. Parlays are tricky in that you must win every race to collect any money, and once the parlay has started you must let it go the duration of all the races you chose, so there's no quitting while you're ahead.
As with any sport, there are far more nuances to learn than these simple basics. But understanding the odds and the main types of bets to be made is a good start to getting into the world of horse racing.
Finally, while betting horse racing is a widely legal and sanctioned practice, each state may have their own laws. It is important to always check the laws regarding betting in your home state.
(c) 1996-2008 TheStreet
Belmont Betting Odds - If Casino Drive is the Real Deal, Take 13 to 4 Odds
The word is out on the Belmont backstretch. The one horse that has the chance of taking down Big Brown, a winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, a horse on the cusp of greatness by being the first horse to win the Triple Crown in thirty years, is the Japanese trained Casino Drive.
Bred to be a champion, ridden by Edgar Prado, who took down Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes aboard 36 to 1 horse racing betting odds long-shot Birdstone, Casino Drive is the one horse that almost everybody, including Big Brown, should fear. He's an amazing specimen who broke his maiden, like Big Brown, by 11 lengths. Then, Casino Drive beat up a group of Big Brown's American peers in the Grade II Peter Pan on the Belmont Park dirt racing strip.
Yes, if there is a horse that can possibly beat Richard Dutrow's incredibly gifted Triple Crown threat, it has to be Casino Drive. Or...not.
That's the biggest question facing BetUS online racebook bettors who could get Casino Drive at really good odds in the BetUS future's book to take down Big Brown at 13 to 4.
The question is whether or not Casino Drive will beat Big Brown. Is he qualified to beat Big Brown? Do the odds of 13 to 4 correctly reflect his chances or do those BetUS online racebook odds present either an underlay or an overlay wager?
The fact that the Belmont Stakes will only be Casino Drive's third lifetime start means that it makes sense to write-off the 13 to 4 BetUS online racebook future book odds as an underlay. After all, can any horse, no matter how well-bred, win a testing race like the Belmont Stakes after only two starts?
Maybe not. But Casino Drive doesn't appear to be like any other horse. For one, his maiden score on dirt in Japan was absolutely smashing. It was a brilliant race where Casino Drive led through-out. The similarities between Casino Drive's maiden score and Big Brown's are eerie. Both horses won by over 11 lengths and both horses won while on the lead. The difference, of course, is that Casino Drive was a 20 cent favorite in his maiden victory while Big Brown went off as a close to 15 to 1 long-shot.
Casino Drive, in fact, appears to be a horse destined for greatness. His Japanese connections bought him at the September Keeneland Sale auction for $925,000. Big Brown was purchased at the April Keeneland Sale auction for $190,000.
Casino Drive definitely has quality but quality isn't enough for me to recommend a wager on the horse at the BetUS online odds of 13 to 4.
What is, however, is the fact that Casino Drive, from a handicapping point-of-view, really only has one horse to beat. That horse is Big Brown.
There isn't another horse, with the exception of Tale of Ekati, and he will have to improve tremendously in the 2008 Belmont Stakes to challenge either Casino Drive or Big Brown, that could possibly even give Casino Drive a run for his money.
In that respect Casino Drive is a fantastic overlay to win the Belmont Stakes at odds of 13 to 4. If Casino Drive beats Big Brown, Casino Drive wins the 2008 Belmont Stakes.
Don't walk, run to your computer, log onto the BetUS wagering site and put money on this horse right now at BetUS online odds of 13 to 4 to win the 2008 Belmont Stakes.
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS
Preakness Stakes Betting Odds: Big Brown Chalk
The 2008 Preakness Stakes are upon us this Saturday at Pimlico after the triumph and tragedy at the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown was the big winner blowing away the field in the race for the roses but Big Brown will have some familiar faces around him again at Pimlico. The reliable on-line sportsbook BetUs, has already posted Preakness Stakes Betting Odds open up shop for gambling. There are some trends for horsebetting players to consider, before placing a wager on their Colt at BetUs.The average Preakness Stakes winner averages 111 on the speed Beyer on the 1 3/16 mile course.
The take on 2007
Preakness Stakes Betting Odds was over $87 million at the track last year. Most horses that win the Preakness Stakes are speed horses that have blue-chip talent. Over 50% of the winning horses at Pimlico were odds-on favorites. The winner of this year's race at Pimlico will have the ability to stalk early and close late with lightning speed. I saw a horse that could do both of those in the Kentucky Derby named Big Brown. Everybody wants to see a glamourous Triple Crown winner but the fact is that the long course at Belmont is a gravesite for Triple Crown hopefuls since 1978.
Preakness Stakes Betting Odds at BetUS posted for Triple Crown Betting and Preakness Betting:
Preakness Stakes Betting Odds To Win
Big Brown 1/3
Harlem Rocker 9/2
Behindatthebar 14/1
Denis of Cork 16/1
Samba Rooster 16/1
Colonel John 16/1
Bob Black Jack 20/1
Tale of Ekati 25/1
Recapturetheglory 33/1
Will Big Brown win the Triple Crown
Yes 1/2
No 3/2
(c) 2008 Sports Odds
Eight Belles euthanized after Kentucky Derby
Chicago Tribune
May 4, 2008
LOUISVILLE - Big Brown's resounding triumph Saturday in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs was tempered by the demise of runner-up Eight Belles.
Jockey Gabriel Saez was easing up the filly at the start of the backstretch after finishing 43/4 lengths behind Big Brown when her two front legs suddenly buckled and she went down.
"She broke both front ankles and they immediately euthanized her," said Larry Bramlage, the veterinarian on call at the Triple Crown races. "She didn't have a front leg to stand on to be splinted. Absolutely nothing could have been done.
"I have never seen a horse go that far [after crossing the finish line] and pull up with an injury, and not just one injury but two."
Unlike Barbaro's breakdown at the start of the 2006 Preakness when all eyes were on him, this horrific injury occurred when the 157,770 fans were preoccupied with undefeated Big Brown's great performance.
"When he turned for home I knew the game was over," said Big Brown's trainer, Rick Dutrow. "It was just the way we envisioned things when we drew [the 20th post]. Every inch of this race was to our liking."
Big Brown is the first horse since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929 to win from the No. 20 post position and the first since the filly Regret in 1915 to win after having run in only three races.
At Saratoga, where Big Brown began his career on the grass in September, and at Gulfstream Park, where he made his first two starts this year, his average margin of victory was more than 91/2 lengths.
"Talent-wise, he's the best horse I've ever ridden," said Kent Desormeaux, who rode Kentucky Derby winners Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.
"He was attentive to the cheers. He knew something big was happening. I had a beautiful, uneventful trip. No distractions; no alterations in course; just slide over [to within striking distance of the leaders entering the final turn]. He added power to the stride when I needed it.
"He has multiple gears. Every time I ask him it's like leaving the starting gate again."
Sent off as the 2.40-1 favorite, Big Brown was fourth a quarter of a mile into the 11/4-mile race, while Bob Black Jack, holder of the world record for the fastest 6-furlong race on dirt, set the pace.
Big Brown then dropped back and spent more than a half-mile racing in sixth place before making his move. He took the lead away from Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory with barely more than a quarter mile to run and went on to win with authority, going the distance in 2 minutes 1.82 seconds on a fast track.
Eight Belles was clearly the best of the rest. The only filly in the field and the fourth betting choice at 13-1 came from fourth place to finish 31/2 lengths in front of third-place Denis of Cork, the 27-1 long shot who had finished fifth as the even-money favorite in the Illinois Derby.
"After we passed the wire I stood up," jockey Saez said. "She started galloping funny and I tried to pull her up, but she went down."
Eight Belles' trainer, Larry Jones, who sent out second-place finisher Hard Spun in last year's Derby and won Friday's Kentucky Oaks with Proud Spell, had tears in his eyes and his voice broke with emotion at a postrace news conference.
He didn't realize what had happened until he reached the track after watching the race from the stands.
"She appeared to be galloping out fine," Jones said. "... We were ecstatic to win the Oaks and run second in the Derby. She ran the race of her life. She went out in glory.
"... It wasn't anything that happened in the race. She didn't get bumped anywhere. ... It's unexplainable, losing an animal like this. ... She's our family. We're heartbroken."
nmilbert@tribune.com
Copyright (c) 2008, Chicago Tribune
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