Turfway / Kentucky Cup - Lets Get Real

[2MinsToPost]

After spending part of the Kentucky Cup weekend at Turfway Park, which was my first visit to this facility for live racing, I can't help but ask this question to those whom have been their.

Note - this thread has nothing to do with the racing surface but rather the facility itself.

The paddock is great, no question about it. The restauraunt along the front stretch outside of turn 4 is great with the flat screen tv's, great food and service (prime rib buffet was to die for). Too bad if you want to stay their the whole night you have to watch the tv and not the track to get ANY view of the racing action .......................unless..................... ...................

You opt to mingle with the hundreds on the front stretch and just hope to catch a glimpse amoungst all the people who are their for the party, not the racing. No lie, on Friday night I would estimate that 75% of those mingling on the fronstretch did not even have a form in their hands but rather a $1 draft.

So, you mingle up a flight of stairs and try to catch a better seat, a better place to watch the races. The view is better upstairs, if you don't mind the stuffy cramped grandstand with inadequate concessions if you are not interested in alcohol or decent food. Not to mention the seating is just like Beulah Park, no offense to my home track but come on.

As we drove home from this weekend excursion the resounding thoughts we had was that Turway is simply put Beulah Park on a larger scale. It is time for this event to be held at River Downs, a class facility that has customer service in mind. The Racebook sitting off of turn 1 at River Downs is top notch, the open air seatin in the grandstand is great, the facility bottom line at River Downs beats Turfway in EVERY ANGLE.

[otisotisotis]

River Downs, huh.........
wouldn't that make it the OHIO CUP?
or is that just a minor detail? DOH!

[2MinsToPost]

Originally Posted by otisotisotis

River Downs, huh.........
wouldn't that make it the OHIO CUP?
or is that just a minor detail? DOH!

Good point, my bag

[pmayjr]

Originally Posted by otisotisotis

River Downs, huh.........
wouldn't that make it the OHIO CUP?
or is that just a minor detail? DOH!

Well the Cinncinati airport is in Kentucky, so should it be the "Cinncinati" airport?
Florence, KY is practically Ohio anyway lol.

[tiznowthegreat]

haha these are comical observations. How often do you visit these facilities truthfully???

[NTamm1215]

I'm very confused by the Turn 1 and Turn 4 thing. Suppose I need to brush up on my NASCAR, but I thought there were only two turns at a racetrack?

NT

[cloud_break]

I too had the prime rib buffet, and it was actually well above par for Turfway. The service was well above par for Turfway too, but it appeared that they had staffed up quite a bit for the day.

I would never call either of the facilities in question top notch, but the facilities at Turfway are, overall, head and shoulders above the River. If you made the claim that the outdoor setting is better at River, you'd have a point, but not on the inside. The clubhouse at River is hardly anything to write home about.

[jballscalls]

River does have the best looking announcer in Southern Ohio, you gotta give them that.

[Swap Fliparoo]

Originally Posted by jballscalls

River does have the best looking announcer in Southern Ohio, you gotta give them that.

Personally i like the enclosed grandstand at Turfway, since it's usually freezing there (note: not "their"), although i agree that the concessions in that area are extremely lacking. The lower level simo area is crowded and smoky and gross, but the dining room is nice. Their buffet on a normal day is not anywhere near the prime rib you are describing though.

All in all, i find Turfway to be "adequate"... i love the new paddock, and the areas where i sit can be dealt with as long as i have a pretzel and $3.50 large beer in hand.

Locals are used to going to Turfway twice a year, for Lane's End day and Kentucky Cup day. No need to change it. The corrogated aluminum roof & siding of the grandstand? Perhaps. But not the venue.

[cloud_break]

Originally Posted by jballscalls

River does have the best looking announcer in Southern Ohio, you gotta give them that.

Agreed. But considering the competition with Turfway's announcer, can the same be said of the tri-state region as a whole???

[disappearingdan_akaplaya]

i absolutely love river and its a very nice track for a "little" track but saying a big race should be moved from kentucky to anywhere well.............you already read some of the responses! as far as people being out there to simply enjoy the day and drink its like that at many of racetracks. go visit keeneland for example, its a big party everyday out there. also the same at even smaller tracks like canterbury, ask PM how many are out there basically just to drink on a friday night. hey whatever can be done to get people in the track should be done, the game needs all the help it can get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


my only real gripe with turfway is the shipping barn! we shipped and ran a few there this past winter and its probaly colder inside the shipping barn than it is outside lol. the barn got floooded one time, another time the washracks were frozen etc etc. luckily they do have a heated room inside of it where you can get some snacks(if the machine dont steal your money) and watch the races and warm up

Originally Posted by 2MinsToPost

After spending part of the Kentucky Cup weekend at Turfway Park, which was my first visit to this facility for live racing, I can't help but ask this question to those whom have been their.

Note - this thread has nothing to do with the racing surface but rather the facility itself.

The paddock is great, no question about it. The restauraunt along the front stretch outside of turn 4 is great with the flat screen tv's, great food and service (prime rib buffet was to die for). Too bad if you want to stay their the whole night you have to watch the tv and not the track to get ANY view of the racing action .......................unless..................... ...................

You opt to mingle with the hundreds on the front stretch and just hope to catch a glimpse amoungst all the people who are their for the party, not the racing. No lie, on Friday night I would estimate that 75% of those mingling on the fronstretch did not even have a form in their hands but rather a $1 draft.

So, you mingle up a flight of stairs and try to catch a better seat, a better place to watch the races. The view is better upstairs, if you don't mind the stuffy cramped grandstand with inadequate concessions if you are not interested in alcohol or decent food. Not to mention the seating is just like Beulah Park, no offense to my home track but come on.

As we drove home from this weekend excursion the resounding thoughts we had was that Turway is simply put Beulah Park on a larger scale. It is time for this event to be held at River Downs, a class facility that has customer service in mind. The Racebook sitting off of turn 1 at River Downs is top notch, the open air seatin in the grandstand is great, the facility bottom line at River Downs beats Turfway in EVERY ANGLE.

Without a doubt i think RD makes more of an effort for your buisness, i live in northern KY but still choose RD over Turfway, that being i am a little closer to RD. The new paddock is great at Turfway, but no tote board is visible and no TV/Screen to see anything without going inside. As far as the people out front thats Turfway having promotions such as PBR night and dollar beer night. Been to both tracks many times and like RD over TURF

[booner]

Originally Posted by Swap Fliparoo

Personally i like the enclosed grandstand at Turfway, since it's usually freezing there (note: not "their"), although i agree that the concessions in that area are extremely lacking. The lower level simo area is crowded and smoky and gross, but the dining room is nice. Their buffet on a normal day is not anywhere near the prime rib you are describing though.

All in all, i find Turfway to be "adequate"... i love the new paddock, and the areas where i sit can be dealt with as long as i have a pretzel and $3.50 large beer in hand.

I have been to Turfway several times myself, and your post sums up my thoughts.

I took a friend to Turfway earlier this year. He loves to play Turfway and does quite well, so he really wanted to see the track. I told him not to expect too much, but he was really excited the whole ride up there. After After we left, he told me on the way home that "Turfway makes Ellis Park look like the Taj Mahal". To go even further, he said Turfway was bologna, and Ellis Park was a Porterhouse. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed.

Not to get off subject, but would it really be worth making a trip from western Kentucky to check out River Downs? From some of the posts in this thread, I know it won't be a Porterhouse, but I'm not driving that far for bologna, either.

[otisotisotis]

The River is really nice in that you 'feel' like you're in the action - small paddock, rail runs right up to the track.
If you like the summer atmosphere without a crushing crowd it;s a good place to be.

[whodey17]

I have been going to Turfway for about 25 years now. It is not great but it is a little above average in my opinion. It was a complete dump until they made the renovation many years back. The best to go was the 4th floor in a a little bar called Blinkers. It was a great place to watch the races and if you wanted to go watch the race (not on t.v) then you just walked a short distance to the enclosed grandstand and you had a great view of the entire track. Turfway does the best they can do for a C level track.

[jballscalls]

Originally Posted by booner

I have been to Turfway several times myself, and your post sums up my thoughts.

I took a friend to Turfway earlier this year. He loves to play Turfway and does quite well, so he really wanted to see the track. I told him not to expect too much, but he was really excited the whole ride up there. After After we left, he told me on the way home that "Turfway makes Ellis Park look like the Taj Mahal". To go even further, he said Turfway was bologna, and Ellis Park was a Porterhouse. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed.

Not to get off subject, but would it really be worth making a trip from western Kentucky to check out River Downs? From some of the posts in this thread, I know it won't be a Porterhouse, but I'm not driving that far for bologna, either.

If you do make the trip come upstairs and watch a race from the booth anytime.

[booner]

Originally Posted by jballscalls

If you do make the trip come upstairs and watch a race from the booth anytime.

If I make it up next summer, I'll definately take you up on your offer. Thanks!!!

[tiznowthegreat]

Originally Posted by 2MinsToPost

After spending part of the Kentucky Cup weekend at Turfway Park, which was my first visit to this facility for live racing, I can't help but ask this question to those whom have been their.

Note - this thread has nothing to do with the racing surface but rather the facility itself.

The paddock is great, no question about it. The restauraunt along the front stretch outside of turn 4 is great with the flat screen tv's, great food and service (prime rib buffet was to die for). Too bad if you want to stay their the whole night you have to watch the tv and not the track to get ANY view of the racing action .......................unless..................... ...................

You opt to mingle with the hundreds on the front stretch and just hope to catch a glimpse amoungst all the people who are their for the party, not the racing. No lie, on Friday night I would estimate that 75% of those mingling on the fronstretch did not even have a form in their hands but rather a $1 draft.

So, you mingle up a flight of stairs and try to catch a better seat, a better place to watch the races. The view is better upstairs, if you don't mind the stuffy cramped grandstand with inadequate concessions if you are not interested in alcohol or decent food. Not to mention the seating is just like Beulah Park, no offense to my home track but come on.

As we drove home from this weekend excursion the resounding thoughts we had was that Turway is simply put Beulah Park on a larger scale. It is time for this event to be held at River Downs, a class facility that has customer service in mind. The Racebook sitting off of turn 1 at River Downs is top notch, the open air seatin in the grandstand is great, the facility bottom line at River Downs beats Turfway in EVERY ANGLE.

You are right on about the paddock and restauraunt at Turfway being good.
Since when is a party atmosphere at the track a bad thing. On friday nights and last Sat, that place was jumping with hundereds and hundreds of people drinking and having a good time. Theres the corona tent and all the beer stands set up, it really is like a party atmosphere and that is a positive. I would reccomend anybody who hasn't been to a Turfway friday night in September to give it a try. It is one of the most fun places in the Cincinnati area on a weekend. Unfortunately it is only like that for the fall meet. Who cares if they don't have a form? So you can't walk up to a random stranger and talk about the upcoming race? Who cares, come with somebody that is into the racing too. Comparing the grandstand at Turfway to the grandstand at River Downs is a joke too. Half the seats at River Downs are broken or can't support a 130 pound person. Half the Tv's are out and have been out for over 5 years. You can't sit on a seat in River Downs without getting your rear end dirty from the dust and thats not an exaggeration. Turfway has 10 times as many Tv's and newer seating. Also, it's much more spacious. The food at the Turfway concessions is extremely good, you can get almost anything from a fish sandwich to chicken fingers to ribs. At river downs, you can choose between a soft pretzel hot dog and popcorn. And to call River downs a class facility is a joke. I go at least 75 times a year because I live 10 min. away and that place is the opposite of class. Turfway at least has it's moments where the place is packed, and theres something for everybody whether they want to sit and watch the races or mingle down by the corona tent in the party area. The paddock is exceptional and was amazing to be in before the kentucky cup classic. River Downs and Turfway aren't even in the same league.

[jballscalls]

Originally Posted by tiznowthegreat

You are right on about the paddock and restauraunt at Turfway being good.
Since when is a party atmosphere at the track a bad thing. On friday nights and last Sat, that place was jumping with hundereds and hundreds of people drinking and having a good time. Theres the corona tent and all the beer stands set up, it really is like a party atmosphere and that is a positive. I would reccomend anybody who hasn't been to a Turfway friday night in September to give it a try. It is one of the most fun places in the Cincinnati area on a weekend. Unfortunately it is only like that for the fall meet. Who cares if they don't have a form? So you can't walk up to a random stranger and talk about the upcoming race? Who cares, come with somebody that is into the racing too. Comparing the grandstand at Turfway to the grandstand at River Downs is a joke too. Half the seats at River Downs are broken or can't support a 130 pound person. Half the Tv's are out and have been out for over 5 years. You can't sit on a seat in River Downs without getting your rear end dirty from the dust and thats not an exaggeration. Turfway has 10 times as many Tv's and newer seating. Also, it's much more spacious. The food at the Turfway concessions is extremely good, you can get almost anything from a fish sandwich to chicken fingers to ribs. At river downs, you can choose between a soft pretzel hot dog and popcorn. And to call River downs a class facility is a joke. I go at least 75 times a year because I live 10 min. away and that place is the opposite of class. Turfway at least has it's moments where the place is packed, and theres something for everybody whether they want to sit and watch the races or mingle down by the corona tent in the party area. The paddock is exceptional and was amazing to be in before the kentucky cup classic. River Downs and Turfway aren't even in the same league.

I agree with you on some of your points. Friday nights are alot of fun at turfway. and there is NOTHING wrong with people just out there to enjoy the races, even if they are not betting. It always makes me laugh when 'serious' handicappers get mad at people for not using forms or handicapping?? shouldnt you be thanking the gambling gods that they dont do their homework??

[cloud_break]

Originally Posted by jballscalls

I agree with you on some of your points. Friday nights are alot of fun at turfway. and there is NOTHING wrong with people just out there to enjoy the races, even if they are not betting. It always makes me laugh when 'serious' handicappers get mad at people for not using forms or handicapping?? shouldnt you be thanking the gambling gods that they dont do their homework??

AMEN! When is it ever bad to have stupid money in the pools? The more beer drinking partiers at the track-the more stupid money that trickles in.