Patrick Cummings

After a pandemic-stricken year in which ADW revenues hammered California industry coffers, the first month of 2021 brought with it a flurry of budgetary and purse account developments in response. First came the announcement from the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) that they had reached an agreement with TVG, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, The Stronach Group's 1/ST Racing, and NYRA to inject some $15 million into the purse fund over the course of two years. In response, a subsidiary of the gaming corporation Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) filed a...

by Thoroughbred Idea Foundation While Aunt Pearl's performance in the [GII] J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. Oct. 7, 2020 was an impressive gate-to-wire score in a sizzling time, smashing the stakes record by more than two seconds, the pesky un-timed portion of nearly every American race played a role in the eye-popping clocking. "Run-up" is the distance from where the gate is placed and the timing of the race begins--that is, the point at which the horses reach the published distance of the race. The Jessamine, and nearly every other...

We cannot say this any simpler: American racing does not have a fair and equitable split of the takeout dollar, it has overly and foolishly relied on alternate sources of gaming to supplement purses. So, we remind you--whether you are for or against a 'federal bill,' a Jockey Club member, a commercial breeder, a small syndicate member or anything in between--the status quo is untenable. Something must change. The economics for the sustainability of racing are all askew. ADWs aren't bad--our business REALLY needs them, particularly now. Their percentage of...

This text is an abridged version of today's Free Data Friday release from the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation. Read the full version here. As the famous proverb goes--the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now. Despite few tracks going forward in recent weeks and little to no competition for wagering, Oaklawn and Gulfstream have reduced purses, blaming the loss of subsidies from now shuttered casinos and the lack of on-track handle. Oaklawn set a new record for single day handle last Saturday, with...

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation was formed to cultivate and put forth independent ideas for the benefit of Thoroughbred racing. In this edition of the TDN Writers' Room podcast, TIF Executive Director Pat Cummings talks to Joe Bianca, Bill Finley, Jon Green and Alan Carasso about their new white paper on the sustainability of racing.

Considering three systemic issues and offering three recommendations, the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation released its newest white paper, "American Racing's Sustainable Future." "No matter where an American racing stakeholder stands on the issues that seemingly have consumed the majority of the dialogue in the sport in recent months - the 'federal bill' or use of the crop amongst them - it is beyond time to start tackling the larger, fundamental concerns which threaten our industry and work towards a more sustainable future," said TIF Executive Director Patrick Cummings. "This paper is...