No Winter Racing at Mountaineer in 2010

Jeebs · **Joined:** Thu May 28, 2009 7:08 pm **Posts:** 2191

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... h-shutdown

Granted that 75% of the cards in January/February would have been cancelled due to weather-related conditions anyway, it appears on the surface to be a wise business decision. However, management's motive was to shut down January/February/November/December, and run the minimum 210-day statute. November/December didn't happen, but they got their 210-day minimum. The horsemen, as expected, are not too happy. They will either have to take a winter vacation, or ship out-of-town. The closest track to the Mountain this time of year is 10th-rate Beulah Park.

I sense that this is the beginning of the end for the Mountain. It's only a matter of time before the statutes for gaming in West Virginia are changed, and that will be the death knell for racing there.

lukeydog · **Joined:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:28 pm **Posts:** 1040

Jeebs wrote:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/54321/mountaineer-okd-for-two-month-shutdown

Granted that 75% of the cards in January/February would have been cancelled due to weather-related conditions anyway, it appears on the surface to be a wise business decision. However, management's motive was to shut down January/February/November/December, and run the minimum 210-day statute. November/December didn't happen, but they got their 210-day minimum. The horsemen, as expected, are not too happy. They will either have to take a winter vacation, or ship out-of-town. The closest track to the Mountain this time of year is 10th-rate Beulah Park.

I sense that this is the beginning of the end for the Mountain. It's only a matter of time before the statutes for gaming in West Virginia are changed, and that will be the death knell for racing there.

Statues already changed. Penn Gaming was awarded TABLE games today and will be up and running 3rd QTR of 2010..Now I may be worng but that may be the reason for the closure,.They need to build out the casino if it is at Mountaineer..In any case here comes the craps games.

KPMats10 · **Joined:** Wed May 20, 2009 1:48 pm **Posts:** 631

MNR already has table games

Jeebs · **Joined:** Thu May 28, 2009 7:08 pm **Posts:** 2191

KPMats10 wrote:

MNR already has table games

And MTR Gaming is a different entity than Penn National. I believe Penn Gaming runs Charles Town.

Arromanches · **Joined:** Tue May 19, 2009 11:16 pm **Posts:** 8

Jeebs wrote:

KPMats10 wrote:

MNR already has table games

And MTR Gaming is a different entity than Penn National. I believe Penn Gaming runs Charles Town.

Correct, in West Virginia each county had to approve table games and Charles Town's did not the first time through. However, they just approved them with a vote on Saturday.

Yorker · **Joined:** Tue May 19, 2009 10:41 pm **Posts:** 607

Gee I wonder where it was said that alterative gambling was a Short Term Fix for Racing

Simply Put , Racing Won't Continue to Run to Empty Seats and No Audience . We spoke often of Mountaineer being a Ghostown Trackside and Shutdowns at the Drop of a Pin .

Less Tracks may be a Benefit in the Long Run .

Jeebs · **Joined:** Thu May 28, 2009 7:08 pm **Posts:** 2191

Yorker wrote:

Gee I wonder where it was said that alterative gambling was a Short Term Fix for Racing

Simply Put , Racing Won't Continue to Run to Empty Seats and No Audience . We spoke often of Mountaineer being a Ghostown Trackside and Shutdowns at the Drop of a Pin .

Less Tracks may be a Benefit in the Long Run .

On-track handle last night was $10,608. That's not a misprint. The on-track handle was approximately .8% of the night's total all-sources handle. That means roughly 99.2% of Mountaineer's handle was OTB/ADW money. Mountaineer HAS a following - albeit in the simulcast market - but as Yorker correctly points out, the on-track participation is nil. The only thing that is saving Mountaineer's racing product is the fact that if they don't run a meet, their casino gets shuttered. This is just a beginning toward the end.

chuckles · **Joined:** Wed May 20, 2009 12:29 pm **Posts:** 148

lukeydog wrote:

Jeebs wrote:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/54321/mountaineer-okd-for-two-month-shutdown

Granted that 75% of the cards in January/February would have been cancelled due to weather-related conditions anyway, it appears on the surface to be a wise business decision. However, management's motive was to shut down January/February/November/December, and run the minimum 210-day statute. November/December didn't happen, but they got their 210-day minimum. The horsemen, as expected, are not too happy. They will either have to take a winter vacation, or ship out-of-town. The closest track to the Mountain this time of year is 10th-rate Beulah Park.

I sense that this is the beginning of the end for the Mountain. It's only a matter of time before the statutes for gaming in West Virginia are changed, and that will be the death knell for racing there.

Statues already changed. Penn Gaming was awarded TABLE games today and will be up and running 3rd QTR of 2010..Now I may be worng but that may be the reason for the closure,.They need to build out the casino if it is at Mountaineer..In any case here comes the craps games.

which statue?liberty? :roll:

Yorker · **Joined:** Tue May 19, 2009 10:41 pm **Posts:** 607

Pretty Soon The Welfare and Social Security Checks will be Dried up Or Given to Illigal imigrants . Oblabber says We gotta Give the Illigals Welfare , Free Medical and Social Security !!!

How Will the Slot Mommas get the Money to Put in the Machines ? Too Damm Fat in most cases to really Work And I know very Few Jobs where the only requirement is to Tap a Button. What other Job Skill they Got ?

States Counting on Slot Mommas Better Get a Better Plan . Se My Illigal Compadres from South of the Border Keep the Welfare Dough and Send it Home .

wooley85 · **Joined:** Tue May 19, 2009 12:44 pm **Posts:** 3048

Jeebs wrote:

Yorker wrote:

Gee I wonder where it was said that alterative gambling was a Short Term Fix for Racing

Simply Put , Racing Won't Continue to Run to Empty Seats and No Audience . We spoke often of Mountaineer being a Ghostown Trackside and Shutdowns at the Drop of a Pin .

Less Tracks may be a Benefit in the Long Run .

On-track handle last night was $10,608. That's not a misprint. The on-track handle was approximately .8% of the night's total all-sources handle. That means roughly 99.2% of Mountaineer's handle was OTB/ADW money. Mountaineer HAS a following - albeit in the simulcast market - but as Yorker correctly points out, the on-track participation is nil. The only thing that is saving Mountaineer's racing product is the fact that if they don't run a meet, their casino gets shuttered. This is just a beginning toward the end.

I look at the issue from an opposite direction. Without ADW's/online betting racing would be in bigger trouble. Racing interest grew substantially with online access. I think looking at ontrack attendance is the wrong paradigm to evaluate racing in the 21st century.

The real problem is that the host track doesn't get enough of the cut for putting on the show....that is why racinos proliferate...to (allegedly) subsidize track expenses and purses which no way have kept up with expenses for participants.

NYRA does OK w/o racinos. If VLT's and gaming tables show up in NY...then NYRA will be the name of the game.

Mountineer is a sham of a place. A dive. The last step before the truck..no rules, no laws, no drug testing...any horse with at least 3 legs can race. Racinos kept MTN racing alive....for the time being.

No Winter Racing at Mountaineer in 2010

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