That was almost the feeling I had this weekend at Parx Racing when I ventured over to watch some live racing.
On Saturday, attendance was decent, with a few thousand people milling around on the track apron, standing near the paddock, congregating inside watching the simulcast screens, and sitting up in the horsemen's boxes. The size of the crowd was most likely boosted by the card, which was spiced by the $75,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes for 2-year-olds. Attendance has to be estimated because they are no longer released by the track, but they are still reported to the Pennsylvania Racing Commission.
But today, there were few people watching and wagering on the horses, with the largest group gathered at the sports bar watching the Eagles play the Miami Dolphins. An eight-race card was presented, with the highlight being two starter allowances with purses in excess of $32,000 each.
Unfortunately, the program was marred by a breakdown, several loose horses due to incidents at the break and during the running of races, and a few injured jockeys. Kristina McManigell was transported to local Aria Health hospital in northeast Philadelphia after her mount, Eleanor's Fuse, fell right after the wire in the 4th race, in which she finished third. After lying on the track for a few minutes, the 5-year-old mare got up and was led onto the horse ambulance, with the extent of her injuries unknown. The finale saw jockeys Tara Hemmings and Francisco Maysonett hit the ground when their mounts stumbled and swerved.
The day's on-track handle was anemic, as expected. Only $49,410 was bet on-track, an average of $6,176 per race. That hardly compared with last Wednesday, however, when on-track handle was $21,335 for the nine-race program, only $2,370 per race.
Would better marketing and advertising of horse racing by Parx result in higher attendance and healthier handle? Yes, but it's not likely to happen anytime soon, if at all, although advertising for the casino seems to be rampant in the Philadelphia region. Would running fewer days create more interesting cards with more horses per race? Yes, but such a move would be met with resistance by horsemen and jockeys, both of whom rely on a year-round racing schedule for their livelihoods.
Parx isn't alone, of course, and that's what should be of concern to anyone who loves this sport. All in all, it was a very depressing weekend of racing at the Bensalem oval.
This qualifies as hugely depressing, and the handle simply says it's time for a change. My suggestion is the horsemen getting fat on the purses should make overtures to management about sharing marketing ideas and costs. Sitting back and just being responsible for the product is a recipe for eventual destruction. Why would the state continue to support a gambling game NO ONE is playing? Horsemen must take the lead if management won't, even if it isn't their responsibility.
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