49 replies to this topic

[SportsGuy]

Didn't get a chance to do a full preview, but I like #1 War of Will over #13 Win Win Win, and #9 Bodexpress..

Do you get every winner right?

[Mike in STL]

Had 8 tickets with random picks, but made sure to put Improbable in my top three in exacta and trifecta boxes.

I had the 1 on 1 ticket, and the 5 and 10 on zero tickets. Also didn’t have the 12 any. Every other horse I took a piece of and nowhere near the top.

Had the 3 WPS and finished 4th. Sums up my year so far.

[Mike in STL]

So how important are the jockeys? We see jockeys ride multiple horses. They jump from trainer to trainer, they aren’t employed by the trainers or owners. (Not even sure how they are assigned). But the horse without a jockey knew exactly what to do. And was beating horses with jockeys for a while. How about horse racing without jockeys? Greyhounds don’t have jockeys. Just food for thought.

[Mike in STL]

What if a horse with no jockey wins? Does it count?

[Mike in STL]

What if a horse with no jockey wins? Does it count?

I guess not. Gave him a DNF even though he finished ahead of another horse.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Put a late $10 on War of Will to win. I’ve been drinking

Glad I did it!

Just did a random exacta at Golden Gate and it hit. Another $70.

This is absurd.

If I ever bitch about my poor luck gambling again please point me to this thread.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Btw that 9 horse should win SI athlete of the year. Incredibly entertaining. He just wanted to do his thing and chill. Nothing wrong with that.

[SBTarheel]

No, it doesn't count as soon as the Jockey gets thrown off. It's all based on weight, riderless horses are carrying 130 pounds less than the horses with Jockeys. Glad Johnny V was ok. 

 

This also happens all the time, it's funny to see the reactions of non Horse Racing Fans these last two races between the DQ and the Bodexpress thing today. 

 

Nice score for me, I liked War of Will quite a bit, but didn't hit the Exacta. Had Bode and Win Win Win..

[Pedro Cerrano]

No, it doesn't count as soon as the Jockey gets thrown off. It's all based on weight, riderless horses are carrying 130 pounds less than the horses with Jockeys. Glad Johnny V was ok.

This also happens all the time, it's funny to see the reactions of non Horse Racing Fans these last two races between the DQ and the Bodexpress thing today.

Nice score for me, I liked War of Will quite a bit, but didn't hit the Exacta. Had Bode and Win Win Win..

I’m mad you didn’t watch at outback with me

[SBTarheel]

I’m mad you didn’t watch at outback with me

Ha. It's funny, we originally did plan on going, but I haven't seen my Mother since Thanksgiving (she's a snowbird, and lives in Florida all Winter), and she came home Thursday, came over our house today and we just bullshitted for hours and just watched at home. 

[NewMarketSean]

Lost about $50 all said and done. Bet pretty small. Pimlico is a dump, no one who works there knows what the fuck they’re doing, and prices are a rip off but I still had a lot of fun. I’ll be surprised if it lasts another year there but it definitely won’t make it to 146. Glad I finally went. I’d do it again but I think we may try for the Derby next year.

[NewMarketSean]

Also, it was a shit show getting out of there so I said F it and walked to the metro. Bought a beer from someone partying in their yard.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Lost about $50 all said and done. Bet pretty small. Pimlico is a dump, no one who works there knows what the fuck they’re doing, and prices are a rip off but I still had a lot of fun. I’ll be surprised if it lasts another year there but it definitely won’t make it to 146. Glad I finally went. I’d do it again but I think we may try for the Derby next year.

 

Yea I've wanted to go to Louisville for a while.  Derby is definitely on the bucket list. 

[NewMarketSean]

Really hope they can work something out to get a new facility and keep the race in Baltimore. It’s a really beautiful tradition and if done the right way could help the surrounding area. People who lived in the neighborhood were doing all they could to take advantage of the race so it would be nice if they could benefit year round from it.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Really hope they can work something out to get a new facility and keep the race in Baltimore. It’s a really beautiful tradition and if done the right way could help the surrounding area. People who lived in the neighborhood were doing all they could to take advantage of the race so it would be nice if they could benefit year round from it.

Renovate current Pimlico. Don’t move the race to freaking Laurel. This is an almost 150 year tradition. Keep it in Baltimore, in the same facility, but renovate it.

[SportsGuy]

Renovate current Pimlico. Don’t move the race to freaking Laurel. This is an almost 150 year tradition. Keep it in Baltimore, in the same facility, but renovate it.

You want your tax dollars to increase to do that?

The horse racing community has a shit ton of money.

They could privately fund a renovation.

But for one race a year? My taxes are already stupid high...not interested in seeing them go up more.

[DJ MC]

The problem is that there is very little keeping Stronach/MJC at Pimlico. MJC owns the trademarks for "Preakness", so it isn't as though the city could reasonably have a claim, and the eminent domain thing failed with the Colts 35 years ago. NBC isn't going to do anything, because their ratings are mostly based on the name and the idea that a horse may be going for the Triple Crown. People could decide that they don't want to support the business now as a threat to push a deal or down the line as punishment for relocation, but most of the Preakness attendance is either grandstanders there for business/social/political reasons or infielders there to party, neither of which would likely be affected negatively by moving to Laurel.

 

I think I saw the contract for the race runs for two more years. After that, it's gone. Pimlico will be a park or a Wal-Mart in five years. And the center of gravity of the state will continue its inexorable shift towards the District.

[Mike in STL]

Renovate current Pimlico. Don’t move the race to freaking Laurel. This is an almost 150 year tradition. Keep it in Baltimore, in the same facility, but renovate it.

From what I've heard that would be $400M+. Rather that go toward a new arena/convention center and maybe we can get something like college basketballs Big Ten Tournament. Minor league hockey (Could the Hershey Bears move here?). Better concerts.

 

Better conventions that are actually money making for the city. 

 

If they renovate Pimlico, it better come with a legit sports book because that is coming. A poker room, slots, live racing daily. And book a lot more events that could take place in the infield. A few festival style concerts. Motocross, monster trucks, if that stuff is still a thing? 

 

It is truly a facility that isn't worthy of a Triple Crown race anymore. It looked really shitty having half the front stretch blacked out with tarp. The aerial shots make the infield look really depleted from what attendance used to be. The infield has its elitists tents, and the EDM crowd which looked like maybe 500 people. Charge triple for infield tickets and let people bring coolers.

 

I can't think that the race helps the city economy too much. Out of towners probably stay in Hunt Valley. 

[DJ MC]

Honestly, the best thing they could probably do is figure out a way to build some triple-combination of racetrack/casino/fairgrounds out 95 in White Marsh or 795 in Owings Mills. Then you have a compromise of a Baltimore-area racetrack, in Maryland horse country, with highway (and possible Metro or MARC) access, two major events to structure the racetrack around (the Preakness weekend and State Fair), the other ancillary events that the current fairgrounds hosts, and, of course, a casino.

[Mike in STL]

FWIW, Laurel Park is roughly 13 miles from I-495, and roughly 16 miles from I-695. I don't know that it becomes a DC thing if they move it. It not like the Redskins in Landover where yeah it's in MD, but not really, being inside the 495 beltway.

 

Laurel park is 20 miles from CapOne Arena, 21 miles from Nats Park. But 19 miles from OPACY.

 

If they can dress up Laurel to look half as good as Churchill Downs, I'd be just as proud as a Marylander to have that event be a representation to the rest of the world of what Maryland is, rather than the dump that is Pimlico be a representation to the world of what Baltimore is. Bad enough the first question every tourist asks is, "how real is The Wire? Should we be scared?"