The Championship Meet?
Horseplayers accuse horses of being creatures of habit, but they give their equine counterparts a pretty good run for their money. And we can certainly include trainers and owners in that conversation. Change the scenery, move the furniture, take away one familiar convenience, and you'd think somebody had announced the end of civilization as we know it.
This whole XBTV fiasco has brought out the panic button in a hurry. Horseplayers and people throughout the industry went into full meltdown mode. Some are still suffering from the loss of TVG, or FanDuel TV, and now XBTV. You'd think somebody had taken away their oxygen supply. These folks have a problem with perseverance. First and foremost, they simply give up. Like the French Army in World War II, they're ready to wave the white flag before the smoke has even cleared.
Well, I've got news for you: there are alternatives.
Does your life depend on the Gulfstream Championship Meet? Because the way some people are carrying on, you'd think it was the only racetrack left standing. They've already cut purses for the start of the meet, and outside of the stakes horses and the grass horses, there are opportunities elsewhere.
Let's take a look at Oaklawn Park. Yes, it's main-track-only, but it's a competitive product, and you won't have to deal with the Saffie Joseph squadron of Thoroughbreds that figures to dominate South Florida. And before somebody jumps down my throat, yes, Saffie will make his way up to Oaklawn, and that will only make the competition more interesting.
You like Florida-breds? Fine. Oaklawn has Arkansas-breds. They're called Arkie-breds, and they deserve a look, too. The point is that you have options. You can either sit around complaining about what's missing in South Florida, or you can take your business someplace where the racing product gives you a reason to stay.
And don't think the horsemen aren't making their own decisions. Jockeys and trainers move around, too. Jose Ortiz is at Fair Grounds, along with Yomar Ortiz Jr. Irad is sidelined for a while. The purse situation in Florida is going to leave a sour taste in plenty of mouths, and the Championship Meet has lost some of its luster.
You've got Bill Mott, Brad Cox and Chad Brown, certainly no shortage of recognizable names. But Chad already seems to prefer the grass course at Tampa. Of course, the purses there aren't exactly setting the world on fire, either. Which brings us right back to Oaklawn.
"But Bruno, I know the jockeys and trainers at Gulfstream."
I've heard that one enough times to last a lifetime. Stop whining and learn a new circuit. You can teach an old dog new tricks, particularly when that old dog is willing to put in the effort. If your handicapping ability is dependent on knowing a handful of familiar names, maybe it's time to expand the education.
I predict plenty of complaining and hand-wringing during the first few weeks of Gulfstream. There will be a lot of people explaining why they can't possibly play anywhere else. Meanwhile, Oaklawn has an opportunity to thrive. Full fields, competitive racing, and yes, no turf. You can't have everything. But I believe the main-track product will give horseplayers a whole lot more to work with than they're likely to find at the so-called Championship Meet.
Now, let's get to the other part of this mess: the workout videos.
As I wrote in a recent blog post:
"This decision by XBTV also leaves the interpretation of what is happening at Gulfstream and the surrounding training facilities entirely in the hands of the clockers. That's a little like handing the keys to the asylum to the patients and hoping everybody behaves themselves. There are no checks and balances, no independent oversight, and no meaningful counterpoint. It's essentially a free-for-all, with the clockers left to police, interpret, and promote their own work. And when you remove accountability from the equation, you shouldn't be surprised when the people benefiting from the arrangement are the ones controlling the narrative."
I stand by every word of that.
Let's be honest about something. The clockers aren't looking over their shoulders when cashing a bet. They don't have to look anyone in the eye when a horse gets bet based on the information being circulated YOU ARE NOT PRIVY TO. And in this game, there are people who would sell their firstborn, and that child's firstborn, for the opportunity to cash a ticket. The horseplayer is just collateral damage. That's the part that seems to get lost in all the hand-wringing.
I'm not going to play Gulfstream. I'm not going to contribute to a pari-mutuel wagering system where I believe the deck may be stacked against me, or against you. That's a personal decision, and everybody else can make their own. But I have no obligation to put my money into a product when I have serious concerns about the information environment surrounding it.
Let's put the pieces together. 1/ST and XBTV have made decisions that leave horseplayers with fewer resources, while Gulfstream is starting the meet with reduced purses. Cut the purses, cut the videos, and then expect the players to simply pack their bags and follow along? That's not much of a strategy for keeping customers engaged.
And here's the part that really gets under my skin. Gulfstream and 1/ST Bet are making the same exact mistake TVG and FanDuel made: taking away things customers actually enjoy, things that have become part of their daily racing routine, and then operating under the arrogant assumption that everybody will simply shrug their shoulders and keep sending in their money.
Well, I've got a message for that kind of thinking:
You don't get to have it both ways. You can't keep stripping away customer favorites,
reducing the value of the product, and then expect horseplayers to remain loyal just because you still have a wagering platform. That's not customer service. That's not customer retention. That's treating your customers as if they're captive, as if they have nowhere else to go and no choice but to accept whatever you decide to hand them.
YOU have a choice --
In my book, it's an ignorant business decision, seasoned generously with arrogance. It assumes the horseplayer's wallet is permanently attached to your operation. It isn't. We have choices, and we're perfectly capable of taking our money elsewhere.
You want our wagers?
Give us a reason to wager. Give us a product worth supporting. You don't get to take away the things that make the experience worthwhile and then act offended when customers walk out the door.
The industry can spend all the time it wants talking about attracting new fans, growing handle, and improving the customer experience. But you can't keep taking things away from the people who already support the game and then act surprised when they look for somewhere else to spend their money.
Horseplayers are creatures of habit, sure. But habits can be broken. There are other circuits, other tracks, other opportunities. Maybe it's time to stop mourning what's gone and start figuring out where the next good bet is.
We will concentrate on having Turfway, Oaklawn, and Fair Grounds with accompanying video works. They will be far more valuable than the so called 'Championship meet', by far.
And if Gulfstream wants to keep the business, it might want to remember something: the horseplayer, YOU, doesn't owe the 'Championship Meet' a damn thing.
Loyalty is earned. It isn't an automatic debit from somebody else's checking account.
