Purses hit 10 percent; fires, strike blamed

Picksix · 10-30-2003, 12:36 AM

By STEVE ANDERSEN
ARCADIA, Calif. - Overnight purses for the remainder of the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting have been cut 10 percent because of lower than projected handle figures, executives said Wednesday.
The development is a setback to the Oak Tree Racing Association, which hosted the Breeders' Cup last Saturday.

In addition, the $200,000 Las Palmas Handicap on Nov. 9, a Grade 2 race for fillies and mares over 1 1/8 miles on turf, has been replaced by an overnight handicap.

The decrease goes into effect Friday and covers seven of the eight remaining days of the meeting, which ends Nov. 9. The purses for the 10-race California Cup program on Nov. 8 are not affected because of a previous agreement.

Sherwood Chillingworth, the executive vice-president of the Oak Tree Racing Association, said a combination of factors caused the reduction. He said unseasonably warm weather through October, an ongoing mass transit strike, and the recent wildfires in Southern California have hampered business.

"We had great expectations at this meeting, with Del Mar having a boom year and Pomona up 10 percent," said Chillingworth. "I thought we were on the same trajectory. We made some aggressive assumptions on handle, which didn't occur. We had the heat the whole season, the fires, and the bus strike."

Attendance and handle comparisons with the 2002 meeting are difficult because of Saturday's Breeders' Cup, which drew an ontrack crowd of 51,648 that contributed to an overall handle $120.8 million.

Chillingworth said Breeders' Cup success does not directly benefit California horsemen.

"We get a fee from that but it doesn't work into the purse structure," he said.

Chillingworth declined to reveal the amount of the purse overpayment that has caused the purse reduction.

"We're trying to figure out precisely," he said. "We lost ground, basically last week, with the bus strikes and the fires."

Mechanics that service buses and subways in Los Angeles have been on strike since Oct. 14. Chillingworth said the track relies on the bus system and the recently introduced Gold Line rail to draw people to Santa Anita.

The Southern California fires have led to the temporary closure of three offtrack betting locations in San Diego county - Barona, Sycuan, and Viejas. All three are operated in facilities that also house Native American casinos.

"People aren't in the mood for betting," Chillingworth said.

What a load of crap.

Warm weather keeps people away from the track? I haven't been there in a couple years, but don't they still have a nice infield and plenty of space inside?

It is dumb to blame the fires. I guess he should blame 9/11 too. I'm sure the fire hasn't helped, but there is no way 3 racing days of fire can hurt that much. Especially when one of those days was BC Day.

The funniest one is the handle lost from the bettors that take the bus. Yeah, most of the people I know that ride the bus are huge players.

If they need to cut purses then so be it, but just say they screwed up, don't make up excuses.

Inside The Pylons · 10-30-2003, 01:14 AM

These people are morons.

How about short fields, undesirable product, and (the most important thing) raising their signal fees to where combined with the other problems, the rebate players are wagering elsewhere and discovering how much better other tracks are. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

The Actuary · 10-30-2003, 03:08 PM

Yes the combo of short fields and high host fees have effectively priced them out of a significant portion of the market,

and they gotta know it.

The Ghost · 10-30-2003, 11:35 PM

Does someone with the name “Sherwood Chillingworth” sound like he knows what is going on???? Yea, bus strike, that’s why the handle is down. LMAO

The Ghost

The Ghost · 10-30-2003, 11:38 PM

"People aren't in the mood for betting," Chillingworth said. Yea that’s it, people aren’t in the mood.

The Ghost

Holy Bull · 10-31-2003, 02:11 AM

I hear there is a big betting syndicate called the "Bus Riders" that all ride the bus to the track, assuming of course it isn't too hot out and there isn't a fire within a 40 mile radius of them.

The Ghost · 10-31-2003, 02:58 AM

HB, Funny shit!!!

There is another large group that plays HUGE. They are known as “The Penguins.” This hot, late October weather has kept them from betting. I personally know one of the Penguins and asked him why they were not betting and I was told firsthand that they are “just not in the mood.”

The Ghost