Things Santa (Or Racing Gods) Need to Have Under My Tree This Christmas

) As I approach my fourth decade playing the ponies, I find myself getting testier and my attitude toward the horse racing industry continues to go in the wrong direction.

There have certainly been some highs, like on March 1, 1995 when I went to the track as an owner for the first time and saw our filly Dance With Luck go from a $6,500 claiming race to win a first level allowance race with Mark Johnston aboard.

There have been some big scores, both for myself and my former betting syndicate, and bright spots for the sport like Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, and Zenyatta, but for every bright spot there seems to be a dozen things to complain about.

The industry has no viable leadership, nobody with a vision or a plan to get the sport back up on two feet (or four hooves).

Handle continue to plummet, the sport survives in many states solely because of slot machines, and some high handle horseplayers are looking elsewhere for their betting value, playing poker and betting more on sports.

Horseplayers I talk to that were five day a week players are now playing just two or three days, and many horseplayers I know that played on weekends are now finding other rewarding things to do, like mowing the grass or going to the mall with the wife.

So what is the response of industry leaders? Let’s beg for more slots or raise the takeout.

Our industry leaders could run Wal-Mart and Apple into the ground given the opportunity.

Come to think of it, can you imagine what this sport would look like is Steve Jobs was at the helm for the past two decades with power to make change?

With that in mind, here are a few things I would like to see under my Christmas tree this year. There is nothing earth shattering on the list, just basic things this industry needs to get done before I start spending more time in the poker room.

Staggered Post times: Yeah I know we have heard this one ever since the dawn of the simulcast age. Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct are now working together to make sure their races do not run up on each other. Millions of betting dollars are lost each year by having tracks run races at the same time. This is such a no brainer I get infuriated each time I see three tracks on TVG and all are going off within a minute of each other.

NYRA Needs to Give Back: With the Aqueduct casino in full operation, purses in the Big Apple are going to increase by $100,000 on Jan. 1, and by the time we get to Saratoga, they may be offering close to $1 million per day in purses. Meanwhile horseplayers are still paying a 26% tax to bet into exotics? The New York Racing Association could start a good trend by lowering takeout and building handle. Officials of the NYRA are quick to point out the purse increase and the expected increase in field size, but not a bone to its customers. It’s sickening.

The Information Age is Here Guys: New players coming into the game can’t quite understand why they have to pay for information. Sports bettors are barraged by just about every type of statistic, free of charge. Here at Turf ‘n’ Sport sports bettors can get previews, match up information, injury reports and news on every sports contest by going to http://stats.turfnsport.com/.

The racing industry needs to have a similar free database for new players where they can learn how to read past performances and easily access the information. There are a few places like Equibase and the Daily Racing Form website where horseplayers can access some free content, but there needs to be more, or we will never have the ability to bring new players into the game.

Tote System Needs Major Overhaul: This is another huge gripe with horseplayers, and one that leads some players to think there are plenty of shenanigans going on in the sport. We have all seen the odds fluctuations during a race, with a front runner breaking from the gate at 5/2, drop to 2/1 down the backside, and end up at 6/5 when the horse crosses the finish line.

There have been issues of past posting, but the main problem is the odds are not updated in real time, and the current software being used seems to be one upgrade away from Pong or three gerbils on a wheel. Horseplayers just want to know the price we are getting when the gates open.

It’s the Takeout Stupid: Let’s face it, most of us cannot survive betting on anything that is offering up a juice as high as 31%. Horseplayers are going broke and quitting the game, lured in by big payoffs in exotic wagers like Pick 4’s and Pick 6’s. It is an economic fact that the only way handle will stop from completely falling off the cliff is to lower the takeout and give more back to horseplayers who then in turn can bet more. Rebates are great, but the real solution is to lower takeout across the board.

Love is a Drug: The only way horseplayers can have confidence in the industry is to have a national policy on drugs, and stiff bans on trainers that abuse the system. Giving Rick Dutrow a ten year suspension, then watching him get an injunction and then win 15 races from 30 starters at Belmont Park is not exactly doing anyone except Tricky Rick and his owners any good.

Reality TV: Let’s face it, TVG and HRTV both suck for the most part. While TVG does have some outstanding programming like The Works and The Quarters, much of the content is unwatchable. Listening to talking heads spout off about the virtue of playing a caveman Pick 4 ticket over and over again can be mind numbing.

We need a new paradigm with a new way to present the sport on television, and it starts with High Definition. The sport really missed an opportunity by being the last sport to embrace HD.

The networks also need to stop sounding like an infomercial channel and more like a sports channel.

The sad part of everything I have written here is that next Christmas, I could probably just cut and paste this article again.

Michael Dempsey provides his full card report for Aqueduct each racing day. Mike’s full card report includes his selections, analysis, fair odds line, and wagering recommendations. Mike’s Best Plays Report is available each weekend, with his strongest plays and selections including the top stakes races.