3/8/2004

The Blind leading the Blind

Last week in the Daily Racing Form it was reported that Rick Baedeker, an employee at Hollywood Park, was leading a drive to solicit 600,000 signatures from racing fans in favour of slot machines at racetracks: so that a petition could be submitted to the California state legislature. It sounded like the last desperate appeal of a condemned man.

Unfortunately, though, Mr. Baedeker is not alone in his misery and apparent utter failure to see a way out from thoroughbred horse racing’s plight in North America. For all across the continent similar wails of derision are eminating from racetrack executives; including most notably Magna Entertainment’s Frank Stronach, who once declared slot machines to be an unfair tax on the vulnerable, but who now complains that he cannot survive without their ill-gotten avails.

Quel dommage!

Once Rick Baedeker was the golden boy of the Breeders’ Cup/NTRA’s great marketing plans, before he abandoned that aimless ship and sought sanctuary for his as-yet unidentified skills within the Churchill Downs Group, where Tom Meeker (a rare beast in this business) at least knows the game. And the Magna Fuhrer himself used to boast that ‘he’d straighten out the Sport of Kings in a New York minute’ if given half a chance by the delinquent ‘clubby-guys’ who were in charge.

Now Messrs. Baedeker and Stronach twiddle their thumbs anxiously…..looking for fresh culprits to blame for the complete collapse of the noble sport. But who is listening to their cries? Who really cares? And who is going to do anything about their plight?

Unfortunately, by the looks of things, nobody! As the brain surgeons at the NTRA seem more interested in ‘moving the deck chairs around their own equine Titanic’ by recruiting more half-baked staff; seeking solace from the likes of Rudi Guiliani and his unnecessarily expensive wagering security report…..and also hiring vacuous ex-NYRA pencil-pusher Terry Meyocks, to try and fathom out why all of their initiatives (Mystery vouchers, Futures betting etc.) have run aground.

Quel horreur! Talk about the blind leading the blind……this is a ridiculous waste of time and money.

This corner has said it many times before……the good ship Horse Racing (North American Fleet) is in much tempest: not because its boring and no longer provides excitement and entertainment, but because its crewed by fools who have no idea how to steer it to clam waters.

So a mutiny or complete crew change is needed, because unfortunately there would appear to be nothing promising on the horizon and the current course that has been charted is bound for the rocks…..probably sooner, rather than later.