Ride With Racki

Recently the TOC has announced that they are not renewing the contract of former president Drew Couto. I’m not one to go after someone who has been defeated so I will say nothing more against Mr. Couto. I am glad to see that there is change and that the TOC has put out the call for new applicants to fill the position. After some personal deliberations I sent in my resume and candidate summary. I probably would have not but considering that this year’s TOC Board of Directors was a walk over (5 candidates for 5 positions) I figured that there’s nothing to lose by throwing my hat into the ring.

I do not know if I will get a call back concerning the position but I may simply because so few others apply. In the summary I explained that while I have only been involved in the sport for five years I have learned a lot during that time. My work with the NTRA shows that I take the initiative and do not wait for someone to come along and hand me something. In fact having no history is a good thing. I do not owe any one any favors.

If I were president the owners and the bettors would equally be on the top of my list of the people to take care of. I’m sure that would drive the trainers and tracks bonkers, but they seem to have forgotten that the owners and bettors are the people who keep them in business. They are the ones who lose the most money. We need to start treating our customers the right way to bring them back from the mindless slot machines and house favoring table games. Where is the trust? Where is the customer service? We really need change. Some of the things I would seek to change include:

• Closing pools one minute to post.
• Increasing fines for improper public notification of 1st time geldings.
• Increasing fines for medication violations.
• Directing money raised from these increased fines into exotic carryovers or other betting opportunities such as handicapping competitions.
• Providing supplement money for horses shipping into California.
• Providing increased starter money for horses in stakes events.
• Creating a mentoring program to increase first time track visitation and customer retention e.g. Ambassador Program
• Attracting new owners by creating an ownership education stable(s) that is trustworthy and has a low capital requirement e.g. Certified Stables

Most importantly I would take my office door off the hinges and proudly display it on the track apron. (That would generate some buzz.) Anyone who wanted could come by the TOC office and pour out their anger and frustrations concerning the game and tell me what they think would make racing better. Right or wrong I’d hear them out. I know there are a lot of good ideas out there that the sport has not thought of.

Yes, I’m not your traditional/safe/stodgy candidate. I’m your dark horse overlay. But sometimes a longshot is your best bet.

Perseverance!