David Heckerman

I enjoyed David Heckerman's recent series of articles. They caused me to feel some nostalgia about the "good ole days." I remember vividly when I heard TJC had fought expanded TV coverage, and thought "how shortsighted." When it (and NYRA) later threw up roadblocks to off-track betting and allowed New York OTBs to be run by folks not interested in racing, it seemed to me they were underestimating the appeal of more convenient wagering. By the time horsemen attempted to prevent the development of a card club at Hollywood Park,...

To David Heckerman's thought-provoking list of Defining Developments might be added another profound change which has occurred in the years since your first visit to Ellis Park. Six decades ago, most Americans had some familiarity with equines of many breeds, not only in the countryside but in towns and cities. This was becoming increasingly rare, of course, but, as a youngster in the 1950s, I remember horse-drawn ice wagons on the streets of New York, and carriage horses and riding stables on the West Side. (Interestingly, television Westerns were at...

David Heckerman's series was a sobering, but accurate depiction of why things are as they are.  Although the vast acreage of the race track properties were likely on a path for at least partial development regardless of the health of racing, the chickens have come home to roost. I remember the days when individuals (Donn family, Cella family, etc.) and groups of individuals (E.P.Taylor and cronies, Strub et all, etc.) were committed to their tracks perpetuating.   Reality has set in with their successors not being motivated similarly.  This happens...

The following represents the conclusion of this look at how long-term  trends in Thoroughbred racing have evolved to the point where a turnaround may be near in the sport's economic fortunes. To read part I, click here. For part II, click here.   Defining Development #6--Blessed are the Survivors As a matter of basic free-market economics, it is possible to view the past 30-plus years of contraction in U.S. races, racing dates, and racetracks as an unfortunate, but necessary adjustment to a changing competitive environment. The Thoroughbred sport, presented to...