Crossroads

I have a feeling that 2009 will be a very important year for horse racing; important to the point that it could determine the future of our sport. There are several issues at play which are currently hurtling out of control and unless they are addressed they could very well prove to bring our sport to a crashing halt.

First off is the economy. By all estimates 2009 will be a difficult year for everyone. Horse racing and the stock market move in lock step. Already we are seeing the effects brought to the auction market by one of the worst investment years in history. It’s pretty easy to guess what direction those auction prices will continue to move. All indications are for the market to continue sideways for the next 6 to 12 months.

But it’s more than just the economy my friends. Something few have failed to take notice of is the loss of confidence that is ravaging our sport. As mentioned in an earlier post, one survey found that 25% of core fans in the months of July and August feel that the sport has gotten worse. This loss of confidence translates into less money wagered as the game's integrity is brought into question. Even if the economy improves unless confidence does as well then we're guaranteed a dismal future. How can we improve confidence? The easiest way would be to crack down on drugs and increase penalties for medication violations. What handicapper wouldn't love a level playing field?

This loss of confidence is also spreading into the owner pool. Owners are leaving the game and are not coming back because the level of owner abuse currently going on. I know after my own experiences in public partnerships you have to be a little crazy to join such poorly run or outright fraudulent operations. When your ROI is -100% three times in a row due to inability to collect monies due, your enthusiasm for the sport rapidly diminishes. The horses aren't failing us folks, the people are. Someone needs to make these stables accountable otherwise we will continue to lose our newest members.

2008 also heralded the conflicts that will continue to boil into 2009. In California the ADW fiasco that hammered Hollywood Park was only solved by a one year stay. Yes, come September next year this will be revisited all over again. In Ohio 160 days were ripped from the racing calendar only to be added back several weeks later. Nothing has been solved in either case; merely the problem has only been pushed back. Eventually these issues will come to a head as they seek permanency and the final decision on both will be critical for our sport.

2009 will also be an important year for Magna Entertainment. The racing giant is hovering near bankruptcy. Recently on local television Golden Gate Fields was featured. The track superintendent spoke about how the track is at risk of being sold. Unless the purchaser is interested in racing, GGF could close indefinitely. Loss of GGF would end Northern California racing. Should MEC go into chapter 7, there's a good chance that many of its properties will be salvaged for commercial and residential real estate development.

2009 marks attempts as well to try to improve the sport. The NTRA has put together its Safety & Integrity Alliance. There are a lot of high hopes for this program and 2009 will test whether or not it will fulfill those expectations. 2009 will also test the NTRA at large as it attempts to push itself further into a position of leadership in a sport with already too many chiefs. I for one hope it succeeds. Creating some sort of unified organization similar to the NFL, MLB, or NBA is what horse racing needs if it’s to return to anything of its former glories.

So here's to 2009. Let it be known as the Year of the Thoroughbred!

Perseverance!