Op/Ed

The present. A friend called me recently to tell me that he will soon be joining the list of industry casualties. A bank is taking control of his farm and horses. I am deeply sad for my friend and for the many others in every segment of racing and breeding who can no longer "make it" doing what they know and what they love. And I am sad for myself to realize that I became so preoccupied with my own efforts to survive that I did not recognize the seriousness...

My good friend and mentor Chick Lang passed away last week. Chick is best known as “Mr. Preakness.” During his tenure at Pimlico, he was the driving force behind taking the Preakness from a weak sister to the Kentucky Derby and Belmont S. to making it the “Middle Jewel” of the Triple Crown.

Horse racing's response to its myriad problems has too often been no response at all. There is too much racing, particularly too much bad racing, and not nearly enough betting dollars around to maintain the status quo, yet bold initiatives have been sorely lacking and the industry is led by individuals who have no true power and/or no good ideas. The situation has become so severe and so troubling that it was reasonable to fear that unless something dramatic happened, the very future of the sport was in jeopardy.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard, "Horse racing is a dying sport. Its customers are doing just that--dying off--and there is no one to replace them. Young people don't like horse racing." And those statements were made by people within the industry!

I own a restaurant, and business is not good. From what I hear, my food is too expensive and that seems to be my problem. There are 10 other restaurants within a mile of mine and all charge less for food that is every bit as good. My entrees are in the $30 range. The competition sells virtually the same entrees for $25 or less. I have to do something--my revenue goes down every month and I am going broke.

There were a lot of big races run around the country last Saturday, but the most important event in Thoroughbred racing occurred when a field of seven Quarter Horses burst out of the gate a few minutes after 1 p.m. on a memorable day at Hialeah Park. Hialeah is not yet back: running Quarter Horse races with small purses in front of crowds sure to dwindle to meager numbers after the initial excitement wears off is just a first step. But it could be a major one toward what could...

Based on recent trends, it's a pretty safe bet that the pool for this year's Breeders' Cup Pick Six will decline, maybe to as little as $2.5 million, or less than half of what it was 10 years ago. That's an alarming trend, especially when you consider that the Breeders' Cup is constantly looking for ways to grow handle. The Breeders' Cup Pick Six, which should be a wildly popular wager, is broken, but no one seems inclined to fix it, even when the obvious solution is staring them right...

Patrick Neely (Thoroughbred Daily News, July 9) took to task Arthur Hancock for a previous Op-Ed (Alternative to Slots, July 2) on behalf of KEEP, an organization for which he works. The focus should not be on Mr. Hancock, but on KEEP, its founders and leaders, and on the Democrats in Kentucky led by the governor. What is KEEP?

Many voices are saying that Kentucky racing is being compromised by slot machines in adjacent states, and that our legislature must legalize them to help our industry relieve this crisis. If this can be done, they say, it will benefit the state as well as our industry. But what is our industry and who are we?

I wish to respond to Senator Thayer's explanation on why he did not support House Bill 2, VLT's at Kentucky racetracks (Thayer Defends Position on KY Gaming Bill, Bloodhorse.com.) His defense first reaches back in time to explain his past support of our industry to create a warm feeling without tackling the issue. I, for one, have appreciated his past support, but do not accept past works as a shield for his stand on the most important piece of racing and breeding legislation in the history of Kentucky. His first...

I wish I could tell you the answer to that question. There is only one thing I can definitively tell you: it was not from a lack of effort from some very talented and hard-working people who put their heart and soul into this. Anyone who wants to criticize or finger-point is making a mistake. I can tell you this didn't die in committee because of anything anyone did wrong. People like Governor Steve Beshear; House Speak Greg Stumbo; Representative Susan Westrom; lobbyists like Gene McLean, John Cooper, Smitty Taylor,...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project will host a rally at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo will be on hand to address members of the state's signature industry. Earlier in the week, the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee voted 10-5 to not send House Bill 2, which authorized VLT's at Kentucky racetracks, to the floor of the Senate for a full vote of the members. So why have a rally after a disappointing defeat?