The Track Philosopher Awards 2012

——————————————————————————————-

TOP USA JOCKEY Award ……. Ramon Dominguez (again)

24% for over 1,300 races …. earnings over $25Million

——————————————————————————————–

TOP APPRENTICE JOCKEY ……. 23 yr. old Eliska Kubinova

71 Wins at Emerald Downs from Jesenik in the Czech Republic

 

 

 

 

.

———————————————————————————————
TOP JOCK TWEETER on Twitter ….. Freddie Lenclud (again)

Now almost 3,000 tweets ….. tweet him back at @FreddieLenclud

———————————————————————————————
TOP FEMALE JOCKEY Award …… Rosie Napravnik

Ranked 8th in Total Money Won
Just 2nd Female to Win Breeders’ Cup Race
Has Mount for Next Year KY Derby Favorite

 

 

 

..

———————————————————————————————
WINNINGEST TRAINER Award …… Jamie Ness

After almost 1,200 Starts – His Win Record is 32% – In Money 63%!

 

 

 

 

———————————————————————————————-
THE MONEY TRAINER  Award ….. Todd Pletcher

Approaching the $20,000,000 Mark in Winnings

 

 

 

 

———————————————————————————————-
BEST SILKS Award …. J. Paul Reddam Stable/Jockey Mario Gutierrez

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

———————————————————————————————-
TOP WINNINGEST OWNER …… Maggi Moss Again!

For All Owners With Over 200 Starts She Wins 33%
And In The Money In Almost 70%!
Take Her To The Bank!

———————————————————————————————-
BEST NEW LOGO …….. The Belmont Stakes Logo Again!

 

 

 

 

 

———————————————————————————————
BEST NETWORK FOR HORSE RACING ……. NOT NBC Sports Network

Biggest Complaint -
Breeders’ Cup Mainly on NBC Sports Network (very limited availability)
Richest Day in Sports Deserves Prime Airways!

 

 

 

 

.
———————————————————————————————-
BEST NEW TV RACE COMMENTATOR ……… Laffit Pincay, III
Still #1 in My Book – He’s Got the Voice and the Name!

———————————————————————————————
BEST TRACK ANNOUNCER …….. Trevor Denman

Great Job on The Breeders’ Cup Races!

 

 

 

 

 

 

——————————————————————————————–
BEST RACETRACK WEBSITE ……. Del Mar

Track Webcams – Race Videos – Best FREE Meet Contest in Country

http://www.dmtc.com/

——————————————————————————————–
Most Improved Race Track ……  Aqueduct!

 

 

 

 

 

 

.
(Can You Believe It?)

——————————————————————————————–
HORSE OF THE YEAR …… Fort Larned

Fort Larned….. Earned Over $3.5 Million and Beat the Best in the Classic

 

 

 

 

 

.

———————————————————————————————-
BEST YOUNG RISING STAR ….. Shanghai Bobby

Undefeated in 5 Races Winning Over $1.6 Million
Not Bad For a 2 Year Old!

.

 

 

.

——————————————————————————————–
WORST HORSE OF THE YEAR ……. 20 Starts 0 Wins!

Chalk Player (NY)  Flying Zee Stables
When This 4 yo Finally Wins – It Won’t Be CHALK!

 

 

 

 

———————————————————————————————
BEST SIMULCASTING LOCATION ……. MGM Race & Sportsbook

For the Serious Bettor …. Check out the SkyBoxes too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

———————————————————————————————
BEST HORSE MOVIE OF THE YEAR ……. NONE FOR 2012

A Great One to Revisit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.
Good Luck If You Can Get a Copy!

———————————————————————————————

BEST FANS OF HORSE RACING …………

YOU, AGAIN!

View The Track Philosopher’s Awards 2011 

Betting at the track or simulcast location has become very convenient over the last 50 years.  Back then you could only bet at special windows – win place show, exacta trifecta quinella (some tracks) and the grand window of all “The $100 Window”. Later the self serve machine came about and the bettors could make decisions, place bets all at their own pace without the ire of the clerk or the impatient horse player behind them becoming irate.

Over the last several years the availability of betting anywhere in the complex came to be with the roving bet takers.  People that would walk around and if you wanted to bet with them they would take your bet, make change and even print out your ticket.

Stop the presses, the best thing to happen to horse racing since the starting gate has arrived:  FastBet Mobile!  Like the name implies, FastBet is a smartphone application to place bets anywhere in the sport complex, whether you are at a table with friends or in the paddock or even at some simulcasting sports bars. It’s easy to set up at the help booth to get your card, an app on your phone or tablet, and the wifi connection. Then all you have to do is deposit some funds and you are ready to bet any race and any current track in the country from anywhere within the wifi signal of the track.  Unbelievable!

Let’s look at the Pro’s and Con’s:

Pros:
No more fumbling with paper money
….. I usually separate my betting money with my “getting back home money”

No more leaving your table to place a bet
….. Women won’t need to leave their purse and men won’t need to leave their women
….. Not having to leave the table every race is a very big convenience

Get that last minute bet idea in before you get shut out
…..Ever get a great last minute bet idea or just let time get away while you’re calculating and the MTP is on “0″ and lines are slow and long?

No more tickets to fumble for or keep track of
….. Men, especially, are limited to only a few pockets since shirt companies have stopped putting the cigarette pocket on most shirts. And if you are like me, blue jean pockets are very tight to work out of for some of us

Cancel a ticket with just a touch of a button
….. If for some reason you bet the wrong horse or track all you need to do is hit cancel and it’s done – but remember not to complain if the wrong bet comes in a winner!

Automatic running balance and history of each bet
….. No more manual figuring to get your bottom line, it’s always available

Easy to get started
….. Each track or location has a Tech Spot to help set it up and get your card

Easy to deposit or withdraw
….. New betting machines handle these functions or go to a live teller

Cons:
Not getting a signal
….. Sitting out of range on the outskirts of the track can be a problem but it’s easy to fix by simply moving

Retyping your ID name over and over
….. Remedy that by highlighting it the first time and hitting “copy” then “paste” everytime it asks for it

This system is growing and is available at more and more US tracks. Here is a Churchill Downs site that further explains this new technology FastBet Mobile and to further explain a  You Tube Video .  Use it once and you’ll be hooked!

With track attendance for the 2 day event down about 6.5% from the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in 2009, the track’s handle down 9.5% from last year at Churchill and total wagering across the country down almost 10% from last year.  I’m just saying…. that here are my reasons for the disappointing numbers for this year’s Breeders’ Cup event.

1. The tragedy in New York, New Jersey and other parts of New England kept a lot of avid horse players away from the TV’s, tracks and OTB’s.  This was unfortunate to many true horse racing enthusiasts from that region.

2. Poor promotion of the event by The Breeders’ Cup organization. I saw few television spots promoting this richest day in all sports.  No national or international news stories or mentions on major networks for this major sporting event.

3. Not a big deal even in Los Angeles.  On the front page of the Saturday LA Times there was not one mention of horse racing or the Breeders’ Cup. And if you tuned into the first half of the day’s card, even the crowd at the track looked sparse.

4. Dismal coverage by NBC Sports.  Last years coverage by ESPN and ESPN2 was fantastic for several reasons – top commentators, great camera work and a much greater availability. The NBC Sports Channel has a very limited access to the public and many sports fans don’t have it in their cable or satellite package nor do they access to HRTV. However, it was available on The Breeders’ Cup website but that’s not the same as watching the ’46 to ’52 version on a flat screen.

5.  And finally, watching The Classic under the lights at Churchill Downs somehow gave the $5,000,000 race a very special look…. almost mystical.

Now, I absolutely love Southern California racing so don’t get me wrong. But how about a later start so the Classic is under the lights, a huge promotion campaign, some local and national news coverage and ABC Sports or ESPN handling the broadcast.

I’m just saying…..