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Post by Evelyn on Jul 24, 2017 7:21:08 GMT -5
Thought this was amusing - although the point re how to use available data was made!
The Numbers are Great! No, They're Bad. They're Great!
PTP
el Mar's attendance was reported down about 20% yesterday for their opener. Handle was down as well.
The sky is falling. But at least no horses died.
"A safely run racing day more than offset a downward spike in on-track attendance on opening day."
Other things that more than offset a loss of attendance:
A North Korean rocket didn't hit the San Diego Naval Yard.
E-Coli was not discovered in the Del Mar drinking fountains.
There were no (reported, at least) floppy hat injuries.
I kid. But often this represents analysis in horse racing.
Attendance could've been down for a hundred reasons - a Wednesday with something else going on, people waiting to see Arrogate on Saturday (attendance will then be up and everyone can stop hand wringing), or a big sale at Jim's Jumbo Burger. Who knows.
Horse racing's use of statistics, are in my view, so rudimentary and knee-jerk, it's no surprise we learn nothing from them.
I think that probably will have to change, especially if California racing is to get out of its funk. It's a great business to analyze, with $12B in handles and tens of thousands of people showing up for an opening day. When headlines provide some detail illustrating that use of data - instead of some strange parallel that no horses were put down - the business will be better off.
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george
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Post by george on Jul 24, 2017 9:19:20 GMT -5
I thought it comical when the top guy at Del Mar basically said, "at least no horses died"! Maybe they should think about their admission prices, which are the highest in the country.
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qhwizard
Active Member
aqueduct sucks, belmont sucks, saratoga sucks, and everything in MD. sucks. wespecially timonium!!
Posts: 765
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Post by qhwizard on Jul 24, 2017 11:52:50 GMT -5
their admission prices should be higher as it is a hell of a lot nicer day at the track to spend it at del mar then it is to spend one at aqueduct or pimlico, where you might get shot or have to bring your own toilet paper to wipe your ass.
also regarding admission prices, as far as I know, you will see no price gouging like you do at Belmont or Churchill downs. other then a slight increase on opening day, the prices are the same the entire meet. whether it is pacific classic day or a special day when a champion like arrogate makes his return, they don try to F* the public over and run them off by jacking up the prices.
as far as stats. ive said this a 1000 times. you can make any stats say what you want if you try hard enough. polls are the same way. you interview 100 different people long enough and you will get the answer you want.
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george
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Post by george on Jul 24, 2017 14:25:31 GMT -5
Those aren't fair comparisons - Aqueduct is only open in the winter and Pimlico is now only two weeks a year. A fairer comparison would be to Laurel and Belmont or Saratoga. But as for admission prices - Aqueduct is always free and NYRA prices only rise two days a year - Belmont Stakes Day and Travers Day.
PS - I've been to all of these tracks and never felt nervous around any of them - not even the track that was probably in the worst neighborhood, Hollywood Park. Maybe it's the effect of growing up in a ghetto in Brooklyn?
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qhwizard
Active Member
aqueduct sucks, belmont sucks, saratoga sucks, and everything in MD. sucks. wespecially timonium!!
Posts: 765
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Post by qhwizard on Jul 24, 2017 16:17:04 GMT -5
WELL I GREW UP IN LOMG BEACH, ON THE COMPTON BORDER AND WENT TO THE SAME SCHOOL AS SNOOP DOGG AND WARREN G SO I KNOW BAD NEIGHBERHOODS MYSELF. IF YOU WENT TO HOLLYWOOD AND WERENT SCARED FOR YOUR LIFE ON THE WAY TO AND FROM THE TRACK THEN GOD BLESS YOU. IN THE 80'S AND 90'S I WENT THERE ALL THE TIME. MY FRIEND GOT SHOT AT THE MOBIL STATION AFTER THE RACES RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET BY TWO GUYS WHO FOLLOWED HIM OUT OF THE TRACK! I SAW A GUY RUNNING THROUGH THE SECOND LEVEL OF THE PAVILLION ONE DAY WITH A GUN SCREAMING HE WAS GOING TO KILL EDDIE D. AFTER HE GOT BEAT A NOSE ON ZOFFANY IN THE SUNSET HANDICAP. THE GUY TWO ROWS OVER FROM ME PULLES A SWORD OUT OF HIS CANE AND STARTED WAVING IT AROUND ONE DAY AFTER HE WON A RACE. ARE THESE SAFE SURROUNDINGS? SOMEPLACE YOU WANT TO BRING A DATE OR YOUR KIDS? HELL NOW AND THATS WHY IT DESERVED TO BE CLOSED REGARDLESS OF FOND MEMORIES OR NOT. AND BASED ON WHAT I READ FROM OTHERS (WHO ARENT BIASED LIKE SOME ON HERE) PIMLICO AND AQUEDUCT ARE THE SAME WAY. BUT I DIDNT EVEN MENTION SAFETY DID I? IM TALKING ABOUT PRICING AND WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY? ID MUCH RATHER PAY 10 OR 15 DOLLARS FOR ADMISSION ON A CONSISTENT BASIS AND SEE THE OCEAN AND WOMEN IN BIKINIS OR THE BACKDROP OF THE SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS THEN I WOULD SOME TOOTHLESS, HOMELESS WOMAN GIVING 4 DOLLAR HANDIES OUTSIDE THE BATHROOM BETWEEN RACES FOR A COUPLE DOLLARS LESS AND THEN HAVE TO PAY 150 DOLLARS ON THE ONCE OR TWICE A MEET OCCASSIONS THAT THEY HAVE A BIG DAY.
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george
Active Member
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Post by george on Jul 24, 2017 19:00:09 GMT -5
Hah wiz, you sure can turn a phrase.
No big deal, but you did bring up safety - "a lot nicer day at the track to spend it at del mar then it is to spend one at aqueduct or pimlico, where you might get shot".
The point is, this discussion is about Del Mar attendance being down about 20% on opening day, and the sarcastically humorous column written about the reasons for the decline. Actually attendance was pretty low all week, even the day that the top horse in the world ran - only 16,000 showed up Saturday (by the way, there were 32,000 at Saratoga Saturday). Those that aren't showing up are the casual fan/bettor - per capita betting looks to be up so far, an indication that the serious bettors are there.
It would make sense for them to consider lowering admission prices to see if that would help.
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qhwizard
Active Member
aqueduct sucks, belmont sucks, saratoga sucks, and everything in MD. sucks. wespecially timonium!!
Posts: 765
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Post by qhwizard on Jul 24, 2017 21:45:55 GMT -5
I guess I did say that. didn't remember it.
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