Officials believe they must cater to whales to protect betting handle that’s been virtually flat for decades, never mind keeping pace with inflation. What they fail to grasp is that if rank and file players continue walking away, today’s precious purses will be unsustainable.

Horse Race Insider – Pricci – AN OPEN LETTER TO HISA, HORSEMEN, RACETRACKS, OFF-TRACK BET-TAKERS, AND LEGISLATORS

Michele Fischer, vice president of the United States division of SIS Content Services, which is the largest distributor of horse racing content to global wagering operators, said fixed-odds wagering on U.S. horse racing would be an attractive addition to sports betting platforms. She said there’s still time for the industry to make the move but the clock is ticking.

“We have to look at the industry five years from now, 10 years from now,” Fischer said. “We are getting left behind—and I’d say this for other equestrian sports—we’re becoming niche—very niche—very quickly,” Fischer said. She predicted that the day is soon coming when sports without a direct presence on sports betting sites will lose traction with the mainstream audience.

“There’s always going to be people that want to come to the racetrack and they’re going to want to bet on horse racing. That’s a small group,” Fischer said. “But (fixed-odds sports betting) is a huge opportunity for this entire industry to get out with all these other sports.”

Bloodhorse – Angst – Opportunity for Racing as Sports Betting Eyes Content

Phil has a question:

How can anyone in Alberta expect the fucking jokers over at Horse Racing Alberta to be able to meet the challenges alluded to by Fischer and Pricci when all they can do is cash their paycheques and gaze out the windows while the one real performance metric they publish – handle declines year after year.

TDN – Ross – When Do CAWs Help And Hurt California Racing?

Phil has a question:

If you asked any of the minions at Horse Racing Alberta what they understand about CAWs would their response involve crows.

In all of the articles about CAWS why is there no mention of the actual dollar amounts of the rebates and how those amounts impact what the tracks receive and what ends up dwindling down to the horsemen.

… the number of people betting on sports and the volume of wagering across the United States quickly surpassed horse racing’s totals and continues to grow.

Paulick Report – The Friday Show Presented By Icon Global: Merging Sports Betting With Horse Racing

How will horse racing attract new customers when a new customer looks at sports betting and sees a fairly level wagering field with fixed odds with a small vig (takeout) and then looks at horse racing where the tracks themselves provide better information and easier ways to bet for a preferred class of customers, the CAWs, the takeout is usurious and the CAWS get a rebate that’s pretty close to the vig in sports betting.

To quote Craig Bernick – Good luck.

There is always room for losers in the football business. They are the mother’s milk of gambling, and why not? Somebody has to do it, or there won’t be any winners.

Hunter S. Thompson

Phil has a question:

When will Alberta have sports betting terminals in every lounge that has VLTs.

When will the sports betting terminals in every lounge that has VLTs have horse racing available.

What does the Undertaker do besides gaze out his window.

Phil’s not archaic. Phil understands that most people in Alberta sports bars bet on their phone, tablet or laptop on a grey area site that pays nary a nickel of taxes to the province of Alberta.

According to Cummings’s research, in the past two decades, adjusting for inflation, total betting on US horseracing from the general public decreased 63 per cent. Betting from CAWs, meanwhile, increased 150 per cent. Cummings called Gulfstream Park, the track I went to with McKeever, “ground zero” for the computer groups. “Horseracing is not in a position to reject customers. Yet we have accepted and embraced these whales, with little to no consideration of the damage that they do if left unchecked,” Cummings told me. “It’s not a good thing to be losing Joe Q Horseplayer, and we’ve lost a lot of them.”

McKeever, for his part, sees himself on Joe Q Horseplayer’s side. His team of 13 full-time employees and contractors at EquinEdge wanted to do its own CAW wagering. But McKeever refused. “I am for the small guy, that’s what I’m pushing for,” he told me. “I give them every bit of information that I have, everything we develop, all of our technology. Everything I do is for the little guy. The big guy thinks he knows it already. It’s the little guy I want to take care of.”

Financial Times – Roeder – I used AI to bet on horse-racing. Here’s what happened

Phil has a question:

Are McKeever and the rest of the CAWs willing to give their rebates to the little guys.

Paulick Report – The Friday Show Presented By Icon Global: Merging Sports Betting With Horse Racing

To quote Craig Bernick – Good luck.

There is always room for losers in the football business. They are the mother’s milk of gambling, and why not? Somebody has to do it, or there won’t be any winners.

Hunter S. Thompson

Horse Racing Insider – Pricci – GIVEN REBATES AND COMPUTER-ASSISTED ARBITRAGEURS, PARIMUTUEL WAGERING IS A BAD BET

No business can change what it does not measure. Racing’s public measurement of support, via wagering, hides serious issues.

TDN – Letter To The Editor: Craig Bernick

That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.

Aldous Huxley

Far Out – Russell – 10 very long movies that are actually worth watching

The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.

Alfred Hitchcock

50th Anniversary of Secretariat’s 1973 Triple Crown TDN – Woodford Reserve Derby Bottle Celebrates Secretariat Anniversary

Phil is advised that the Woodford Reserve Derby Bottle is now available at most Alberta locations of Wine and Beyond. The Edmonton Southgate store has it on their shelves as Phil picked up a couple of bottles already.

Bloodhorse – National Museum of Racing Presents Secretariat Exhibits

Paulick Report – ‘A Tremendous Machine’: Traveling Exhibit Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of Secretariat’s Triple Crown

America’s Best Racing – Jennifer Kelly – A Trio of Triple Crown Turning Points for Legendary Secretariat

Updated Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

Bloodhorse – Capsule Looks at Contenders for the 2023 Kentucky Derby

XBTV – Triple Crown Trail

Haskin’s Derby Rankings: April 17, 2023 – Week 13

DRF – Derby Watch

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Pletcher Holding Aces in Derby Dozen; Verifying Rises

TDN – Thornton – TTDN Derby Top 20: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

XBTV – Jeff Siegel’s Kentucky Derby Deluxe Dozen (updated 4/14/23)

Paulick Report – Champagne – The Derby Bubble Presented By Kentucky-Breds: The Waiting Game Begins

Horse Racing Nation – Kentucky Derby 2023 Contenders

Horse Racing Nation – Shifman – Kentucky Derby 2023: Early full-field odds and analysis

Kentucky Derby Leader Board as at April 12, 2023

	Horse	Points	Trainer	Probable Jockey	Odds
1	Forte	190	Todd Pletcher	Irad Ortiz Jr.
2	Practical Move	160	Tim Yakteen	Ramon Vasquez
3	Angel of Empire	154	Brad H Cox	Flavien Prat
4	Tapit Trice	150	Todd Pletcher	Luiz Saez
5	Two Phil’s	123	Larry Rivelli	Jareth Loveberry
6	Lord Miles	105	Joseph A Saffie Jr.	Paco Lopez
7	Derma Sotogake (JPN)	100	Hidetaka Otonashi	Christophe Lemaire
8	Kingsbarns	100	Todd Pletcher
9	Raise Cain	64	Ben Colebrook	Javier Castellano
10	Rocket Can	60	William Mott	Junior Alvarado
11	Hit Show	60	Brad H Cox	Manuel Franco
12	Confidence Game	57	Keith Desormeaux	James Graham
13	Verifying	54	Brad H Cox	Tyler Gaffalione
14	Sun Thunder	54	Ken McPeek	Brian Hernandez Jr.
15	Wild On Ice	50	Joel Marr	Kenneth Tohill
16	Mage	50	Gustavo Delgado
17	Blazing Sevens	46	Chad Brown
18	Disarm	46	Steve Assmussen
19	Reincarnate	45	Tim Yakteen	John R Velazquez
20	Continuar	JRD	Yoshito Yahagi	Ryusei Sakai
AE	Jace’s Road	45	Brad H Cox
AE	Skinner	45	John Shireffs	Victor Espinoza
AE	Cyclone Mischief	45	Dale Romans
AE	Major Dude	40	Todd Pletcher
AE	Mandarin Hero	40	Terunobu Fujita	Kimura Kazushi
AE	King Russell	40	Ron Moquett	Raphael Bejarano
AE	Arctic Arrogance	36	Linda Rice	Jose Lezcano
AE
AE	Instant Coffee	32	Brad H Cox
AE	Continuar (JPN)	30	Yoshito Yahagi
AE	Funtastic Again	30	Wesley Ward	Gerrado Corrales
AE	Dreamlike	30	Todd Pletcher
AE

Updated Kentucky Oaks Leaderboard

TDN – Bill Finley – The Kentucky Oaks Top 10: Lack of Points Have Big Names on Outside Looking In

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Wonder Wheel Needs One KY Oaks Defection to Gain Entry

TDN – Thornton – Anderson: Woodbine’s ‘Bully Tactics’ Could Result In ‘Mass Exodus’ Of Ontario-Breds

Bloodhorse – Capsule Looks at Contenders for the 2023 Kentucky Derby

Paulick Report – ‘He’s Growing Physically But Has A Great Mind’: Likely Favorite Forte Leads Friday’s Derby Workers

Bloodhorse – Byron King – Favorites Forte, Tapit Trice Breeze Toward KY Derby

Paulick Report – Ryan – Practical Move Breezes For Yakteen At Santa Anita, Will Work Once More Before Flying To Louisville

Bloodhorse – Hovdey – Derby Story Lines Beginning to Take Odd Shapes

Bloodhorse – Angst – The Road: New Points System Rewards Active Horses

SportsNet – AP – NFL suspends five players including Lions’ Williams for violating gambling policy

The shift from a grey market to a regulated one has brought with it a great deal of opportunity for sportsbooks to tap into and grow their customer base.

But opportunity also breeds competition, leading some observers to conclude that supply is now higher than the demand.

…

“The focus at STX is not only on bringing a new demographic of day trader into the world of sports betting, but also providing a better experience for every potential customer from recreational to professional,” Deutsch explained. “Our team takes immense pride in creating unique and engaging customer experiences with white glove customer service. Retention will be key to our success. Loyalty is scarce in this industry and we believe that is a function of lack of product innovation and swift response to customer needs, both things we will provide at the highest level.”

Canadian Gambling Business – STX is ready to revolutionize the industry with Ontario’s first sports betting exchange

Phil has a question:

When are the UCP going to get rid of AGLC’s abacus and give AGLC a new Atari.

Why is the UCP allowing so many millions of tax dollars to go offshore.

Do you believe that any of the minions over at Horse Racing Alberta can comprehend what STX is doing.

Canadian Gaming Business – Gateway casinos in Ontario to remain closed for ‘coming days’ after cyber attack

CTV News – Nick Nurse fired as Toronto Raptors head coach

ESPN – Nick Nurse out as Raptors coach, sources say

Sixteen Tonnes

Los Angeles Times – James and Sakoui – ‘Rust’ prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin after questions over gun misfire

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Daniel Ross – ‘HISA has endured enough plot twists to leave M. Night Shyamalan crippled with pangs of inferiority’ – Daniel Ross on a difficult birth

I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.

Alfred Hitchcock

TDN – Japanese Racing Journalist Toshi Onikubo Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

TDN – Keeneland Library Lecture Series Returns

The stewards cited Prat for careless riding in a ruling issued late Thursday, with the three days to be served next week (Wednesday through Friday). Prat’s agent, Brad Pegram, said the jockey will not appeal the penalty.

DRF – McGee – Prat suspended three days for careless riding

Paulick Report – The Friday Show Presented By Icon Global: Sorting Through Kentucky Derby Contenders

Make a list. Check it twice.

Santa

Paulick Report – Moquin Jr. – Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Hard Work Is Paying Off For Olver

Horse Race Insider – Pricci – DERBY SABATTICAL WEEKEND: CHECKING STAKES ACTION AT OAKLAWN, KEEENLAND, AND LAUREL

Paulick Report – Hoyt – Red Route One, Victory Formation Chase Preakness Berth In Oaklawn’s Bath House Row

Bloodhorse – J. Keeler Johnson – An Early Look at the 2023 Kentucky Derby Pace

Bloodhorse – Lukas to be Keynote Speaker at KRTC Race for Grace

TDN – Breeders’ Cup to Collab with Chef Curtis Stone

Bloodhorse – Chef Stone to Curate Menus at Santa Anita Breeders’ Cup

Phil has a question:

What does the Michelin Man know about cooking.

Bloodhorse – Kingsbarns, Raise Cain Record Kentucky Derby Workouts

America’s Best Racing – J. Keeler Johnson – 2023 Kentucky Derby Data: How Fast This Year’s Contenders Finished

America’s Best Racing – Reed – Kentucky Derby Futures: Last-Minute Value on the Vegas Line

Los Angeles Times – Massive Starship rocket explodes after launch — SpaceX calls it a ‘win’

Phil has a question:

When will Musk’s backers realize that Musk calls anything that puts money into Musk’s pockets a success.

Paulick Report – ‘Now I Can Start To Get Really Excited About Derby Day’: Japan’s Derma Sotogake Clocks First Breeze At Churchill

Bloodhorse – Shircliff to Direct CDI’s Equine Industry Relations

Brisnet – Hanson – Ben Ali, Elkhorn featured on final Saturday of Keeneland spring meet

Paulick Report – Frank Mitchell – Bloodlines Presented By Mill Ridge Farm: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Phalaris In A Pedigree?

Distractify – Barilla – Who Will Be the New Foo Fighters Drummer? Fans Have Some Theories

My Clone Sleeps Alone

Music is the silence between the notes.

Claude Debussy

Far Out – Golsen – Geddy Lee on “the most underrated” band of all time

RainO

Paulick Reports – Kentucky Downs: Mint Millions Becomes Track’s First $2 Million Race

TDN – Thornton – Florida Senate Tax Bill Includes HISA Credits, House Version Does Not

Paulick Report – HISA Tax Credits? Florida Senate, House Divided Over Breaks For State’s Racetracks

I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach.

Alfred Hitchcock

Los Angeles Times – Shaikin – Oakland A’s plan to buy land for new stadium in Las Vegas, move there in 2027

Sports Business Journal – Bacharach – A’s buying land in Las Vegas to build new ballpark

Front Office Sports – Poindexter – Former Marlins President: Miami Maybe ‘Simply Not a Baseball Market’

National Post – Not just CBC: Broadcasters around the world slapped with Twitter’s inconsistent labels

Phil has a question:

How did Musty Musk forget about the billions of government subsidies that Tesla got.

Phil has a question:

Did they move April Fool’s Day.

Why would lawyers want less lawsuits.

National Post – Brodie Fenlon: I run CBC News. Elon Musk’s Twitter changes had to be called out

ESPN – Lawyers ask NFL for protection against Snyder suing clients

FiveThirtyEight – Dowsett – Busting 4 Major Myths About Referees In The NBA Playoffs

YahooNews – Kaufman – Foo Fighters Announce ‘Brutally Honest’ 11th Album ‘But Here We Are’

Rescued

The special 15-minute training window for only Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1) contenders begins Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET. Kentucky Derby contenders will wear a yellow saddle towel while Oaks contenders will sport a pink saddle towel.

The first morning of the Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Morning Works Show is April 24.

Bloodhorse – Derma Sotogake Breezes Half-Mile Preparing for Derby

Vox – Stewart – The Bud Light boycott, explained as much as is possible

Phil has a question:

Since trans people all breath oxygen from the atmosphere why don’t the anti-transers boycott breathing.

SportsNet – AP – Top Scottish ultramarathoner apologizes for using car during race, blames jet lag

Garden and Gun – Liles – Five Fascinating Southern Species to Cheer For on Earth Day

Canada’s National Observer – Bulowski – ‘A complete joke’: Indigenous leaders take aim at Alberta energy regulator over oilsands tailings spill

TDN – Preakness 148 Offers Limited Edition Ale

Bloodhorse – Angst – Fort Erie, Woodbine at Odds Over Triple Crown Schedule

TDN – Fort Erie Files Trade Grievance Against Woodbine

Phil has a question:

Does Fort Erie not realize that the in the minds of the inhabitants of Toronto the sporting and entire world revolves around that big tower.

Front Office Sports – McCarthy – NBA Playoffs Draw Most-Watched Opening Weekend In 12 Years

TDN – Keeneland Expands Public, Corporate Hospitality

TDN – West Virginia Derby Switches to Sunday This Season

Vox – Narea – Why a record-shattering settlement still might not change Fox News

Beyond the $787.5-million payout to end the Dominion case, Fox now must contend with a second defamation suit filed by a rival voting machine company, Smartmatic USA, which has demanded $2.7 billion.

And Fox investors also are lining up with their own lawsuits, alleging that Rupert Murdoch and other board members were derelict in their duties by allowing Fox News to promote election lies, which harmed the network’s reputation as a news organization.

Los Angeles Times – James – Fox News-Dominion settlement doesn’t end crisis for Rupert Murdoch’s empire

The Ringer – Belloni – Inside Fox’s $787 Million Settlement With Dominion and the Future of Fox News

Phil has a question:

If Donald Trump was the big fat liar whose big fat lies caused all the problems how much does he have to pay.

Are any of the MAGATs intelligent enough to understand what Fox settling this case means.

A crook is a crook, and there’s something healthy about his frankness in the matter. But any guy who pretends he is enforcing the law and steals on his authority is a swell snake. The worst type of these punks is the big politician.

Al Capone

Phil has a question:

Why doesn’t that big fat fucking lying Donald Trump ever carry through with the defamation lawsuits he keeps threatening.

Axios – Primack – Fox News settlement turns Dominion into private equity gold

Sports Business Journal – Rumsey and Karp – WCOS: Women’s sports, fan connection top agenda

Southern Living – Beall – 27 Vibrant Cocktail Recipes Made For Spring

There’s no exact recipe for how much water optimizes the flavor of the whisky, says Karlsson. To each their own, just don’t drown your whisky in water.

Esquire – Rense – You Should Cut Your Whisky With Water

Bloomberg – Sapienza – McDonald’s Brings Back the Hamburglar to Promote Burger Changes

“Alex made the decision to sell a few colts to try to finance his racing stable,” Dunne said. “I think he’s decided that racing fillies is probably, in his grand scheme of things, going to be a better plan. He wants to develop a broodmare band and sort of have a long-term plan of action. By selling the colts, it helps finance some of the racing stable and the broodmare band. That’s not to say he won’t race a colt going forward, but, if he races fillies, he wants to own them 100% and he’ll partner on colts with the hope of making a stallion. We have three in the sale for him here and if the right people with the right plan came along, I am sure he would be more than willing to stay in and be a partner.”

TDN – Martini – Bregman’s No Nay Never Colt Steals the Show at OBS Monday

Phil has a question:

If an MLB player has to sell a few colts to try to finance his racing stable how is average Joe Alberta owner going to finance his racing stable.

Paulick Report – Lomon – After Freak Accident, Trainer Villeneuve Is Down But Not Out

Southern Living – The Most Famous Kentucky Derby Horses in History

TwinSpires – Kelly – Tall Tales of the Track: I Am Woman, Watch Me Win!

Southern Living – Wells – Famous Kentucky Recipes to Inspire Your Best Derby Day Spread

The Star – Tucker Carlson documentary says U.S. must ‘liberate’ Canada. Be afraid, if you can stop laughing

Phil has a question:

Are the right wing fanatics screaming at Trudeau to investigate Chinese interference in Canadian elections going to scream at Trudeau to investigate American Fox interference in Canadian elections.

Sound of Silence

Phil has a suggestion:

Why doesn’t some Canadian band, 54 40 would be perfect, or singer create a song that includes the line – Tell Tucker Carlson to remember that Northern man don’t need him around anyhow. That could also use some Grohlesque lines like tell Tucker Carlson to Fuck Off eh!

Sweet Home Alabama

National Post – Frank Stronach: A new political movement to fix our ailing country

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary – Lees – ‘Blood, sweat and tears’ – Jareth Loveberry takes on racing’s elite in Kentucky Derby with Two Phil’s

Phil M Stockmen

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