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Quick, boring question for the aficionados among you..
This trotting lark on ATR – how does it financially survive? I don’t think i’ve ever seen a double figure attendance there.
Is it purely the Tote that keeps them going.
Also, do they have british style betting shops in the United States?
Thanks,
Zip
I think Venusian might be closest to the trotting scene, but if you’re talking about the Frenchies, they’re not known for big attendances at any horse-race meetings either (outside the Arc possibly). I went to their version of the King George at Auteuil in November, and if the claimed crowd was over 6,000, I’d be demanding a recount. The card was worth about a half-million Euro’s I think, and entry was free! The PMU puts up the funding, as I understand it.
Zipster, trotting caters for the evening crowd in the States and there are some decent attendances. I’ve been when in Canada and thoroughly enjoyed it. But I’m no expert. Hopefully Pengamon or Badactor will see this.
As for your second question, North America has a network of Off Track Betting Outlets (OTB) which are connected to every racecourse (like a matrix). It’s a pari-mutuel system, so there are no fixed prices.
You’ll notice that prices change as the race is running, as late money placed in say, Miami, electronically filters into the pools at Beulah Park.
The availablilty of OTB’s varies depending on the State. You can drink in there and you usually have your own table. The ones I’ve been in are like mini-casinos, but this is by no means uniform.
Also, racecourses over there simulcast – which means each track opens all year round and shows racing from around the country with betting filtered through networked tote pools. Plus greyhounds and trotting.
It’s a well organised, totalitarian, holistic system (which generates huge prize money) and its one we could have had, had we had more foresight in 1963.
As it is, we got bookmakers and races worth fifteen hundred notes. People got excited at Nottingham today because of a handicap worth twenty grand to the winner; there was a race at Tampa tonight for Class 6 equivalents worth that.
With the US system, you really don’t need anyone watching at all – though like over here, weekend racing attracts huge attendances in California, Florida and Kentucky.
http://www.ntra.com has loads of info and links.
"Also, do they have British style betting shops in the United States?"
New York has OTBs (Off Track Betting shops) – these are the lowest of the low and not places you would want to enter, let alone stay in.
Thanks for the answers.
Not sure I like the sound of those OTB’s
I guess UK bookies are quite nice compared to their equivalent around the globe…
Zip
I think that TVG shows the Harness races on the nights in the early part of the week that there aren’t so many flat meetings. I’ve only been to one trotting track in the US and that’s the one that’s up the road from the racecourse in Saratoga. It had fallen on hard times but was racinofied a few years back and now offers much bigger purses.
New York OTBs are a bit of a mishmash. Some of them now are plusher than our plushest bookies-i.e the ones in Mayfair and offer a restaurant service. Two that spring to mind, in pretty much the same area, are the one on about West 37th street which is a tip and another which is close by which I think is called "The Writer" or something like that.
I’m too busy with the Boris Johnson campaign to follow things at the moment but New York City OTB is in crisis and I believe that an agreement will be needed within the next few weeks to stop a complete shutdown.
Good stuff…but more importantly Peng, should we be lumping on Boris to become next London Mayor?!!?!!!
Zip
Thank you for that underserved accolade, Grasshopper!
American trotting, apart from the marquee events like the Jug and the Hambletonian, is pretty formulaic stuff, with 99.9% of the races run over the same distance, namely, one mile.
In Europe, it’s a little different, a huge variety of distances, and no pacers of course. The 1 million euro Prix D’Amerique at Vincennes in January, and the Elitloppet in Stockholm in May attract crowds of over 30,000. In France, there are a number of days that get five figure crowds.
The horses run more often than thoroughbreds, and because they allow A.I., horses don’t tend to get rushed off to stud as soon as they’ve won a Group One or two. Jag De Bellouet, for instance, who only retired last year, has a top class 5-y-o in Opus Viervil currently in action who ran second in a G1 the other week.
This means that horses like JDB, Jardy, Varenne, etc can acquire the sort of following that normally only jumpers can achieve. JDB must have run well over 100 times in his extraordianry career. Varenne is possibly the best known racehorse in Italy of any discipline, even better known than Ribot dare I say it!
I’ve never really been into trotting, but it’s pretty popular in Germany, with meetings just about daily. The countries top two courses, Berlin Mariendorf and Hamburg Bahrenfeld hold meetings pretty much every week, At a guess, I would say there are about 20 trotting courses in Germany, however, I think the most interesting course has to be on the beach at Cuxhaven. Here’s a link to this amazing spectacle – Mind the cargo ship!!!
http://www.daylife.com/photo/0cu31u12w2dn8
Darren – AngloGerman
Their is a trotting track in Wales called Tir Prince which has had coverage in recent years by S4C and they cover top trots from across the country.
Darren Owen can be found doing some of the commentary on the course so maybe Richard Hoiles or Lee Mackensize can ask if to come on here and do a basic guide to it.
I have seen a few on ATR and is a tricky discipline to master in the same way as Olympic Walking is.
Trotting in the UK is little better than flapping. The body that runs it is not recognised abroad.
For some bizarre reason, the sport here is based on the dreary American model rather than the European one.
I think the most interesting course has to be on the beach at Cuxhaven. Here’s a link to this amazing spectacle – Mind the cargo ship!!!
Good lord.
Eat that, Laytown!
If it’s not Seejagdrennen or all-weather steeplechases, it’s trotting on the beach… no wonder you enjoy the variety of the racing in Germany so much, Darren!
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
If it’s not Seejagdrennen or all-weather steeplechases, it’s trotting on the beach… no wonder you enjoy the variety of the racing in Germany so much, Darren!
Quite right Jeremy!! Something for everyone in my opinion (that’s if ‘everyone’ is into the weird and wonderful world of German equine sports!). There is infact an addition to the above, which is absolutely insane. Unfortunately, the picture isn’t online anymore (it’s saved in my documents), but if there’s anywhere on the forum I can upload the piccy, I’m sure it will receive erm…interesting comments!!!!
Darren – AngloGerman
That wouldn’t be the hurdle race on the snow again, would it?
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
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