Gulfstream Screws the Bettors
 

Today's 9th race was taken off the turf after the 7th race had been run thus screwing bettors who played the late Pick-3, Pick-4 and Pick-6. It seems Gulfstream toyed with taking the 7th off but as there was only nine minutes to post for that race. at that time, they left it on. However, they did not seem to understand the urgency of the decision about the 9th at that time, as bettors who were playing the late Pick-3 at least could still be saved.

When you couple this decision with the haphazard removal of turf races on two previous race days, both of which were followed by turf racing on the very next day conducted on a course labeled FIRM, it is hard to have confidence in any decision they make. However, at least in those cases the biggest loser was themselves, in terms of lost handle, while today it is almost exclusively the bettors that get screwed. At a time when our game needs all the help it can get it is even further annoying to see one of the year's premier meets being handled this ineptly ( and unfairly ).

Never liked the payouts or late money changes at GP. Not a place that takes much of my action....Seen NY do similar, with taking races off.

Gee..I wonder if they would change the 25 cents slots to 50 cents when people are playing them ? But the horse players can get jerked around every day.. Go Figure !:confused:

Sadly, same sh!t, different day, especially when it comes to Magna.

I played the race then looked up at the starting gate which was to my amazement back in the dirt chute.

I blamed myself for not having the sound on and not paying enough attention. I hate when that happens though.

I played the late p3 and had the same sinking feeling when they announced the change to the turf after the 7th race was run. I was all prepared to write my own missive, but one of my picks scratched for a conso, and the others ran 1-2, so my ire was squashed. NYRA has gotten their act together on this sort of thing, and its time Gulfstream did likewise. At least Larry Collmus announced the p3/p4 wagers ramifications to the bettors. At Tampa last week there were gate scratches and I didn't know what their rules were as far as the p3's went, I knew the p4 was the post time fave(don't get me started on that can of worms). The track announcer should make customers aware of the rules when this happens, and should also offer an explanation, much like the stewards do on a take down, after all it does affect our money that is being invested. Tracks should also be made to list all wagering rules on their websites for their customers to have available to them. Has anyone even heard one peep out of the new President at Gulfstream ? This guy is a ghost !

Stronach has him in obedience school and there have been a few setbacks. He should be ready in time for next year...just got a get a few kinks worked out.

They're not screwing anybody.

Anyone think a bunch of Magna guys saw it start to rain (and hard for a while AFTER the 7th) went into a conference room and decided to use the weather as an excuse to screw the bettors?

So the race came off after p-4 and p-6 wagers were made.

That's the way it goes sometimes.

You makes your bets and you takes your chances.

i dont think they mad a conscience decision to screw bettors, but anyone who has been to gulfstream a few times as i have knows full well that at the very least they dont seem to be making their best efforts toward accomadating the horse player. i could play $10,000 a day through the pari-mutuels and i dont think one person there would give a crap. but if i throw a dollar in the slots---aha, or at least thats the way they make you feel, and i could give many examples of this, beside what happened today

Please give some examples of how you perceive you have been slighted as a horse player.

I see to today as a race getting taken off the grass because it rained hard. No more than that.

What else?

Some people just don't like the place I guess. But using the weather to throw stones at them? Really, now. What else?

They've got the turf course to run during heavy rains but they choose not to do so.

Really
 

I agree with BTW, they blew it today. It was raining pretty hard when they had the post parade for the 7th race. They did do one good thing in announcing that the track was sealed for the 8th race. They didnot complete their task as good managers though by deciding before the 7th race to take the 9th race off the turf, they waited until all bets were in and then announced the change after the fact. They most likely figured that they would lose alot of Pick 3 handle had they done so. This is an old topic and one which racetrack management should be prepared to make quickly to treat their customers fairly, oops, forgot this is Magna , where the core customer comes last and the clubhouse dinner crowd and sluts, er....slots crowd is catered to.

Ever been on a wet turf, when it's like the hard rock cafe. It ain't pretty. Talk about Black ice. Safty first, betters last.

BTW, you been at the Spa to many years to know we see that all the time up here. That's why I and maybe we, never play a late P4 if the weather buddy say's rain , or t storms coming.

If that was to happen in NY...the P4 would become a P3

Horseplayers don't like it, not anything about it; but stange isn't it, how they still keep the churn in motion through GP's windows daily.

Horseplayers BEING horseplayers have to have something to b@#$% about. Its what horseplayers do best. Stewards, front office management, takeout, weather, brushfire smoke from Santa Ana winds, Jan Rushton's hats, etc, etc, etc. There's no end to it. LOLOL

If the weather was suspect, I may have considered that before putting my ticket together. .....Hhhhmmm, 7ths off, more than likely, the finale too.

Let it pass, its not worth raising your blood pressure.

Yes they ARE screwing people. Anybody that bet the late Pick-3, Pick-4 or Pick-6 was " screwed " as the race that ended up being run as the 9th race was quite simply NOT the race that was run. I never said they made a conscious decision to screw the bettors, as that would be absurd, and only someone desperately trying to infer something would suggest I did, however the result of their decision was that some bettors got screwed.

I spoke to the second in charge of maintenance at Gulfstream and his decision was not based whatsoever with the bettors' interests in mind. While certainly there are other factors, at the very least we are part of the equation. Since this gentleman also told me they thought about taking the 7th off but as there were only nine minutes til post they left it on, they surely could have, and should have, made their decision in regards to the 9th at that time, as least some late Pick-3 bettors could have been protected. it is 100% clear that the best interests of the bettors were disregarded, and while that may be a risk of the game, it does not change what happened. Considering their questionable removal of turf races in the past, where races were run the next day on turf labeled FIRM, all their decisions in this matter are dubious at best.

The 7th was NOT off....it was run on the turf.

Ok, my mistake. But you say nothing else.

It was the WEATHER for heaven sake. God forbid you're screwed, when a decision is made that can possibly be in the better interest of horse and jock because of heavy rain prior. ...I don't like seeing anyone screwed, but count on it, its living.

Done on this one.

I think you're missing the point. No one is mad at the plain fact that they took the race off the turf.. The point is the decision about the 9th race could and should have been made BEFORE the 7th race even went off. It's not asking much for a little foresight by the track officials.(or maybe it is in this case)

well then why not make it a pk.3 then. or better yet run it on the turf.
to me it won't hurt. its not to sat. before the big races. handicap for turf and dirt or as you know two different things.