What Do We All Have In Common?

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

did you take off your shirt again???

Hey Lori it's in the 40's today here in Chicago and with 2 weeks of sub zero weather it feels like 60. Still would rather be celebating Fat Tuesday on your balcony than here. My God Fort Lauderdale is a nice place.

haha no... this time i didnt have an undershirt on!

I am glad you finally can go outside again.. its been chilly here lately.. right now prolly high 60's low 70's.

Come back down for the florida derby!!!

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

OMG LOL... i got crapped on again since u guys left.... damn flying rats

Holy shiat! (No pun intended. )

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

Holy shiat! (No pun intended. )

i wish all flying rats were extinct!

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The one thing I have learned is if you see a person get crapped on from the sky introduce yourself as it probably is a fellow DTer.

Truthfully I've met probably 20 of you and never been disappointed though the fillys seem to have better conformation than the colts.

Hilarious. Thank you for my first out-loud laugh of the morning (as opposed to the ones that are only in my head).

[Buffymommy]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The one thing I have learned is if you see a person get crapped on from the sky introduce yourself as it probably is a fellow DTer.

Truthfully I've met probably 20 of you and never been disappointed though the fillys seem to have better conformation than the colts.

LOL! Very good one Dell!

[brianwspencer]

1. White.

2. College Degree

3. First went to the races at about age four at Arlington Park with my mom. Been going ever since.

4. From Chicago, though spent my share of time on the coasts. Best of both worlds!

5. 23, slightly outside your demographic prediction.

6. Came from ESPN, after about an 18 month horse-message-board hiatus

7. Usually bet between $125-$200 a day. Usually focusing on win bets and pick-3 wagers.

8. Most of the under 40 crowd are not married. Especially the men on here. Not married.

Why is the bigger question? Has nothing to do with horse racing......

[Storm Cadet]

1. White
2. Seton Hall Univesity
3. 16 Years old my first time at Yonkers,then Freehold, Roosevelt, Belmont quickly after that.
4. Long Island-NY
5. 53...feel like 33
6. Came to the board after meeting Steve B at his Saratoga Carolina BBQ morning handicapping seminars. Many years on PaceAdvantage and PaceFigures boards.
7. Average bettor, but I bet more on the ones I own with partners when they race. A little inside info doesn't hurt!
8. Married, but live almost separate life because of our professions. And when I'm home, it's off to Saratoga or Belmont with my youngest son who loves to visit my horses at the backstretch and spend a day at the races with his dad. Get to meet a lot of great single gals at the races, especially Saratoga Travers week. Have been with the same group of single college grads who love horse racing & travel from Boston each Travers day. Bring them to paddock, backstretch for AM workouts and clubhouse for lunch. We always plan to meet the following Travers day at the same spot.

Originally Posted by Storm Cadet

1. White
2. Seton Hall Univesity
3. 16 Years old my first time at Yonkers,then Freehold, Roosevelt, Belmont quickly after that.
4. Long Island-NY
5. 53...feel like 33
6. Came to the board after meeting Steve B at his Saratoga Carolina BBQ morning handicapping seminars. Many years on PaceAdvantage and PaceFigures boards.
7. Average bettor, but I bet more on the ones I own with partners when they race. A little inside info doesn't hurt!
8. Married, but live almost separate life because of our professions. And when I'm home, it's off to Saratoga or Belmont with my youngest son who loves to visit my horses at the backstretch and spend a day at the races with his dad. Get to meet a lot of great single gals at the races, especially Saratoga Travers week. Have been with the same group of single college grads who love horse racing & travel from Boston each Travers day. Bring them to paddock, backstretch for AM workouts and clubhouse for lunch. We always plan to meet the following Travers day at the same spot.

Seton Hall... memory lane....

[westcoastinvader]

8. Most of the under 40 crowd are not married. Especially the men on here. Why is the bigger question? Maybe b/c our hobby is not conducive to meeting women, which is undoubtedly true. More likely, b/c serious gamblers do not often make good mates. I think they are less likely to want commitment and are independent types in general. Plus, handicapping, if you are serious about, is a time consuming process.



I told my first wife I would, and never did, get in trouble by meeting a girl at the track. It was largely true, and I believed it.

The only exception had come on a day when I was not married and I was at the Easy Goer-Sunday Silence Belmont. Near the paddock I met a girl I spent the rest of the day with.

THAT was a nice day.

After my divorce, I was at an OTB in Indianapolis late one Saturday afternoon.

A girl showed unusual interest in my wagering and well being, and struck up a conversation with me.

After I placed my bet for the next race, I asked her in a kind, good natured way, "You're a hooker, aren't you?"

She wasn't. She was just a horsey girl out of her home town on a business trip.

Turned out "You're a hooker, aren't you? was a heckuva good pickup line.

Whodathunkit!

[repent]

interesting thread by what may be a sociology teacher.

Im not from the coasts, but Id have to think most racing fans are b/c the best racing takes place in NY/NJ, FL, KY(I know its not on the coast, but its in the east), and SoCal.

you shouldnt expect that most posters here are patrons of Great Lakes Downs or whatever.
that may be another interesting topic of conversation that should be discussed.
the decline of midwest racing.
or has it not declined?
what happened to racing in Nebraska?
why did Sportsmans fail in Chicago?

[disappearingdan_akaplaya]

Originally Posted by repent

interesting thread by what may be a sociology teacher.

Im not from the coasts, but Id have to think most racing fans are b/c the best racing takes place in NY/NJ, FL, KY(I know its not on the coast, but its in the east), and SoCal.

you shouldnt expect that most posters here are patrons of Great Lakes Downs or whatever.
that may be another interesting topic of conversation that should be discussed.
the decline of midwest racing.
or has it not declined?
what happened to racing in Nebraska?
why did Sportsmans fail in Chicago?

sportsmans failed becuz the onwership got way too greedy. it was thriving and they decided to go and rebuild it into a dual purpose facility with the auto track which was not bright considering the other autotrack in suburban joliet which is bout 45 min from chicago. still a sad sight to see sportsmans every single day. graffiti on the inside where the track used to be, busted windows everywhere etc etc etc=( its demise not only hurt the tbred side but also the harness tremendously. i believe chicago was once near the tops in harness but no longer. sportsmans was packed every spring for the tbreds and every summer night for the harness.


the decline of midwest racing? i heard the rundown today on the speaker on the backside after entries were taken today for opening day........absolutely pitiful

[bugsoup]

tell you what one benefit of being older is you have a change to have grand children which i do but he is only 3 months old. so i have to wait a few years before i can take him to the track with me.. can't wait.

[pmayjr]

Playa,
If you can make a lil backside bbq happen I'd most appreciative (the way I phrased this sounds really bad lol).

Hailrazor,
Don't feel bad. I've also been in school for about 6 years with nothing to show for it either. But in another years I'll finally get my 2 year degree lol.

[randallscott35]

Pmay, is that you on the right in your avatar? Are you actually K-Fed?

[pmayjr]

As for the decline of Midwest racing, there's positives and negatives:

Negatives- Great Lakes Downs shutting it's doors. Places like Aksarben and Sportsman's Park also closing their doors since the 90s.

Positives- Prairie Meadows. Due to Casino gaming being added, that track has flourished and has had 2 additions. I hate their field sizes, but the track is doing fine.

Canterbury- The place closed for about 5 years in the early 90s, but re-opened in '95, and has steadily earned more revenue every year. Eventhough they've failed on a number off occassions to get slots added to the track (partly due to a giant Indian Res. casion 5 miles down the road from it), they did add the largest poker/casino card game room (black jack, pai gow, etc etc) which has added a lot of $$$ to the purses. On summer nights, the place is packed, with mainly a younger demographic as well.

The Chi-town tracks at least seem to be holding their own. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I guess that at least covers "Upper Midwest" tracks.

As for Great Lakes Downs. I hope it can be resuccitated like Canterbury was in the Mid 90s. Magna might be willing to sell it for pretty cheap since they closed it (I'm assuming because they couldn't get slots put in the place?). So Let's see what new (and hopefully local) ownership can do with the place...

[disappearingdan_akaplaya]

Originally Posted by pmayjr

Playa,
If you can make a lil backside bbq happen I'd most appreciative (the way I phrased this sounds really bad lol).

Hailrazor,
Don't feel bad. I've also been in school for about 6 years with nothing to show for it either. But in another years I'll finally get my 2 year degree lol.

no problem makin it happen and well have a good time. wish i coulda met up with ya during the CC@cby, coulda met ya and got ya tll the free booze and food ya wanted that weekend. shame its not@cby again this year, they really take care of the people involved

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

It's easy to say a love of horse racing, but I think there is more to it than that. This could be an interesting thread for the group to comment on. Some of these you may agree with and some you surely won't.

Let me generalize about the people on this board for a moment, again these are generalizations. Here are 8 items to consider:

Now, how far off am I? Randall

Hadn't had the chance to respond to this fun, funny, interesting topic..

1. I'd agree that the vast majority of our membership is 'white', but that doesn't necessarily translate as 'anglo'..

2. College educated question.. I'd agree as well as racing's fan base is overwhelmingly a well-schooled lot..

3. Exposed early (Grandfather), interested in 20's, serious fan in 30's as disatisfaction with team sports grew, devoted to it in 40's..

4. While I'm from the Northeast, I can say pretty definitively that DTers are spread across the country proportionately. Probably 60% from urban centers (NY-Boston, Philly-Balt-DC, Chicago, LA-SD); 40% from regional outlying areas..

5. Logical conclusion.. Racing's portrayal as strictly for an aged fan base is a total falsehood. While the game does have an 'older' fan, it has always been a sport that grew on hobbyists as they got older. Speaks to leisure time for handicapping and development of 'opinion' with maturity..

6. Began posting at PaceAdvantage and ESPN in winter of '02.. Derby Trail began as Yahoo Group on February 15, 2003 doubling in size annually from 50 to nearly 400 last year.. Launched as free-standing URL version last year after Preakness.. While the ESPN board provided the early base of membership, non-ESPN posting Y! DT members equalled that base as early sign-ons as well.. ATRAB listeners have been a big addition obviously, and a large number of people found DT via writing/story links to the site on Equidaily and Racing Dispatch; 50-60 added when this was the first internet site to confirm the passing of Lost in the Fog and we were linked from elsewhere, and similarly just this week almost 100 visitors via the Azeri foal photos craze.. Mentions of DT on Capital OTB-TV 12 (thanks to Seth Merrow, Jeanne Wood, Tom Amello and Nick Kling) has brought about another 50-60 members, and friends bringing friends here has filled out the numbers.. The fact that we have 1,250 members (1,100+ active within the last 30 days) in 9 months is amazing..

7. I believe we have a perfect balance of serious horseplayers and casual fans here.. I'd agree that those here that bet, bet more often and greater amounts than most..

8. Single, 47, never married.. Every girlfriend I've had since 1984 has enjoyed the track. Now for most of them it featured Saratoga, Preakness or Belmont Stakes visits, which provide a rather nice atmosphere (except for Old Hilltop), but even runs to blah Hippodrome Bluebonnets in Montreal for simulcast tabs was an eye-opening new experience for gal pals. The racetrack is one of the greatest date locales there is...

[Pointg5]

1. White
2. Degree in Finance
3. 3rd Grade at River Downs with my dad
4. Cincinnati
5. 34
6. ESPN
7. Currently on betting hiatus, I tend to bet the big days, usually around $1,000
8. Married 6 Years

[hailrazer]

Great way to find out about people.....

1. White (with blue and green freckles)
2. 6 years of college with ZERO degrees; this has to make me the dumbest person on this board alone.
3. Started going and wagering at Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis Arkansas in high school. Wasn't of age, but never had a problem. Didn't go to a horse track until college (Blue Ribbon Downs) and didn't fall in love with it until I made it to Oaklawn about 15 years ago.
4. Lived in Arkansas all my life. OAKLAWN BABY!!!!
5. 37 years of age and plum sexy.
6. First message board. Was surfing for horse racing info on the net and stumbled across site. Too good to stay away. Lurk pretty much everyday and trying to get a little more involved.
7. $30-$50 a race and I don't really have it to blow. When I'm losing, I'm on tilt. When I'm winning, still on tilt.....
8. Married 12+ years with a 6 year old little girl. Wife is going to the track Sat. without me. Daughter will be a better capper than me by the time she's 10!

It's easy to say a love of horse racing, but I think there is more to it than that. This could be an interesting thread for the group to comment on. Some of these you may agree with and some you surely won't.

Let me generalize about the people on this board for a moment, again these are generalizations. Here are 8 items to consider:

1. Overwhelmingly the people on this board are white, I'd put it in the 90% range. Yet when I go to the track, other than Saratoga, a good portion of the clientele are minorities. White.

2. Most of the people on this board are college educated, at least the ones of age who could be. I would put that number in the 80% range easy. That says something about the competency of the people here and their general work ethic outside of the hobby of horse racing. College Educated

3. Most of the people here were exposed to horse racing at an early age. While this seems obvious, I would say there are a lot of people that grow to like horse racing even if they weren't exposed to it early--but those people, to me, are less likely to have the kind of passion to seek out a message board on the subject. Agreed.

4. The majority of posters on here are from the coasts, especially the east and a good portion from the Chicago area. This is anecdotal, but it says something that generally speaking the south is less well represented here. Obviously, some of the best racing comes from the areas where most posters are, but demographics play into this....The retirement crowd of Arizona and Florida are not Internet savvy, and even if they are horse racing fans, they aren't seeking out a message board to post. Yeppers.

5. Which leads me to age. Steve might have more stats on this but I'd say 75% of posters are between 25 and 50. Which quite honestly makes sense, but I do think the the patronage of the track is older than this on average, especially on a lonely day in March at the big A. Agreed.

6. The majority of the posters came from the ESPN board, that much is true. But the new group is here by word of mouth, or through Steve's radio show. Advertising of some other kind could surely boost our numbers, but would it water down the content?...The many new friendships made on here were the result of only a few people. Speaking for myself, one of the nice things that Mike did was introduce me to Steve and Kevin. Saratoga has become a haven for these meetings, as I've been able to meet many others and strike up a friendship with Pais even though I only got to hang out with her for one single afternoon in Toga. Stumbled in on my own.

7. Most of the people here bet 8-10 times what a normal patron at the track will bet. I say most, especially the Selection board crowd on here. Sure there are 5$ bettors, but I'd say a good portion are betting more serious sums of money. Could be the general ability levels here and comfort with making larger wagers b/c of much more study into day to day racing. Could be we have a crowd here who are "bigger" gamblers in general. Could be we have more disposable income to be betting...don't believe it's this one by the way. I'm a cheapass

8. Most of the under 40 crowd are not married. Especially the men on here. Why is the bigger question? Maybe b/c our hobby is not conducive to meeting women, which is undoubtedly true. More likely, b/c serious gamblers do not often make good mates. I think they are less likely to want commitment and are independent types in general. Plus, handicapping, if you are serious about, is a time consuming process. Married. As my friend once said to me, "Why are you getting married? It's like breaking into jail."

Now, how far off am I? Randall