Kentucky had BETTER get some sort of casino in this state and QUICK to help save the horse racing industry. Mountaineer park and Hoosier Park are just a couple of tracks in bordering states that has casinos and casino money adds to the horse track money to make purses larger. Larger purses attracks more horses and owners, bigger fields, better wagering opportunities, which increases the amount of money wagered, increases the total takeout, which adds to purse money and around and around it goes. When a $5,000 Claiming race at Mountaineer Park has purse money of $9800 and the same race at Hoosier Park has a purse of $10,000 but the same race at Turfway Park only has a purse of $6600, then more and more horsemen will take their horses to other states and race. Think about it, the difference of $3000 in purse money when 60% is paid to the winning horse comes to about $1800 additional dollars PER race for the winning horse owner. That $1800 is a lot of hay and covers a lot of training fees, barn fees and other expenses. The claiming race game is the meat and potatoes of horse racing for there are far more claiming races ran every day than allowances, stakes and graded races. The claiming horses and owners are what keeps the industry running. We may live in the BLUE BLOOD state when it comes to Horse Breeding but more and more horses that leave this state and race in others is more and more chance of them being kept in those states breeding sheds later in life. After several years and then you will see some horse farms closing in Central Ky and lost jobs. Hoosier park is raising purses 12%, tracks in Kentucky are lowering purses, Churchill Downs are averaging 7.7 horses per race, which does not promote any betting interest, which lowers handle, lowers takeout, lowers purses, causes more horsemen to take their horses to other tracks, and it is a never ending cycle. The horse industry is in MAJOR trouble and has been so for many years. Until there is ONE governing body that regulates the industry for EVERY state - WHICH IS STEP ONE, then it is just like running in quicksand.
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