Tag: The Biz

Blood-Horse To Change Frequency Of Print Magazine And Tablet Edition From Weekly To Monthly

BloodHorse announced today that, beginning April 1, 2021, the publication is changing the frequency of its print magazine and tablet edition from weekly to monthly and adding a premium online service.

“Readers' habits are evolving,” said Carl Hamilton, chairman of BloodHorse. “Social media and the internet are the go-to sources for real-time news, and the COVID pandemic has accelerated change in our readers' habits and the media industry at large. Providing a content-rich magazine once a month in addition to our regular and now premium online content will give our readers robust, interactive tools they can use as owners, breeders, and fans to stay abreast of the Thoroughbred industry.”

The new premium portion of the website, called BloodHorse+, will provide exclusive content to subscribers, including multi-media videos, a FOX Sports / BloodHorse show produced by the New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) previewing upcoming events each week, and other content based on the sport's calendar of events. Users will also have access to a detailed stakes winners section supplemented with comprehensive statistics as well as a monthly credit on equineline.com.

“NYRA is pleased to partner with BloodHorse and FOX Sports to provide racing fans with engaging weekly coverage highlighting the very best that the sport has to offer both on the racetrack and off,” said Tony Allevato, NYRA chief revenue officer and president of NYRA Bets. “This new platform is an exciting addition to the racing media landscape and we are excited to be a part of its growth.”

The monthly BloodHorse magazine will have a 100-page minimum and provide additional feature stories that are longer and more in-depth. The content currently provided byBloodHorse.com and BloodHorse Daily will remain available to all users.

“Transitioning the magazine to a monthly schedule will enable BloodHorse staff to analyze and focus on noteworthy people in the industry, racing, breeding, sales, the health and welfare of horses, and other topics that are important to industry participants,” said Evan Hammonds, editorial director of BloodHorse. “The timely, insightful information our users expect from our website and the Daily won't change.”

More details on the monthly magazine and BloodHorse+ can be found at BloodHorse.com/FAQ.

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Gagliano: HISA Cost Shouldn’t Come From Horseplayers

As American racing prepares for a new era under the recently-passed Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), many in the sport are wondering how the new group will be paid for. The text of the bill did not make clear what the funding mechanism would be, except that the new authority would oversee drug testing and track safety nationwide with the aid of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Jockey Club president Jim Gagliano recently joined the Thoroughbred Daily News's Writers Room podcast to answer his and other questions about the industry's future.

“I don't think it should come out of the horseplayers' pockets,” Gagliano said of the HISA cost. “Every state funds its regulation differently. The problem that we faced when we were considering that matter, is there's really no one-size-fits-all that we could push down to the states. The most important thing we want to do is make sure we capture first the current expenses, and then that those were brought forward. After that, the Authority will work with each state and through its racing commission to determine what the number is. I suggest the simplest way is to share [the costs] between the tracks and the horsemen. But honestly, there's a lot of details to be considered.”

HISA has been a big focal point for The Jockey Club through out 2020. Now that HISA has been passed, Gagliano was asked what organization's focus will be.

“There's plenty,” Gagliano said. “How we market the sport. The opportunity of television, which thank goodness, during this pandemic, to see the amount of live televised hours of horse racing has been a godsend. We've talked about scheduling. We need to put the product in a place where it can have the best showcase. Other areas: HISA is going to put USADA into a role and there are now rules that will be in place that will change the sport, we believe. Investigations, that's something that racing has not done very well over the last bunch of years. I anticipate The Jockey Club will continue to invest in those kinds of resources to make sure that things we don't want to happen in our sport, don't happen.”

Read more at thoroughbreddailynews.com.

Listen to the full podcast episode here.

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USTA Releases Year End Economic Indicators For Harness Racing

The U.S. Trotting Association released the following information this week regarding harness racing's economic indicators:

With the suspension of racing for about three months during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, total wagering at all U.S. harness tracks for the year was down by 18.39 percent from $1,424,886,558 in 2019 to $1,162,848,201, a decrease of $263,038,357.

In addition, the amount of purses distributed was down significantly by 30.82 percent. In 2020, horsemen earned a total of $304,059,115 a decrease of $135,486,904 from the $439,546,019 in 2019 purses.

The 2,358 race days in 2020 was 1,066 less than the 3,424 race days in 2019, a 31.13 percent decrease.

Despite all of the lost race days, the per race wagering average increased by 10.5 percent from $5,008 in 2019 to $5,534 in 2020.

To better understand the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the lengthy suspension of racing during 2020 had on the numbers, the economic indicators are broken down into three categories.

1. The year-to-year economic indicators for 2020 compared to 2019.

2. The “Before COVID” economic indicators before the shutdowns caused by the pandemic comparing Jan. 1 to March 22, 2020 to the same timeframe in 2019.

3. The “After COVID” economic indicators after tracks resumed racing following the shutdowns comparing June 1 to Dec. 31, 2020 to the same timeframe in 2019.

Following are the comparative economic indicators for U.S. harness racing from 2019 to 2020.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS ON U.S. RACES

YEAR-TO-YEAR COMPARISON

Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2020

2020 2019 % Change
Total Wagered $1,162,848,201 $1,424,886,558 -18.39%
Per Race avg. $45,140 $39,991 +12.87%
Per Betting Interest $5,534 $5,008 +10.50%
Purses $304,059,115 $439,546,019 -30.82%
Race Days 2,358 3,424 -31.13%

 

BEFORE COVID

Jan. 1 – March 22, 2020

2020 2019 % Change
Total Wagered $299,074,258 $315,189,172 -5.11%
Per Race avg. $52,756 $56,976 -7.41%
Per Betting Interest $6,594 $6,975 -5.46%
Purses $53,949,205 $52,804,155 +2.17%
Race Days 474 455 +4.18%

 

AFTER COVID

June 1 – Dec. 31, 2020

2020 2019 % Change
Total Wagered $844,385,389 $796,464,289 +6.02%
Per Race avg. $42,414 $35,097 +20.85%
Per Betting Interest $5,173 $4,414 +17.20%
Purses $248,668,418 $306,707,985 -18.92%
Race Days 1,866 2,339 -20.22%

 

“Obviously it was a very difficult year for everyone in harness racing, especially for our horsemen, racetracks and everyone whose employment depends on our industry,” said USTA Executive Vice President and CEO Mike Tanner. “All of them should be commended for their efforts and compliance with the required health and safety measures that allowed us to return to racing. And we'd like to thank all of our loyal harness racing fans for their continued support through tough times.”

Please note:  The information above includes U.S. and Canadian common and separate pool wagers on races contested in the U.S.

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Francia Announces Short-Term Closure Of Grass Track At Turf Paradise

Turf Paradise general manager, Vincent Francia, announced via Twitter this week that the facility's turf track would be closing for about 2 1/2 weeks starting on Dec. 7.

Francia writes that when Turf Paradise shut down in mid March of 2020, so did the watering system for the turf course. This caused a lack of Bermuda grass, which typically grows when the track is watered over the summer, and left only rye grass with no base to keep the track lush and strongly rooted. If Francia had continued to allow racing on the turf, it would soon become unusable and unsafe.

The 2021 meet at Turf Paradise has been in doubt at various times last year after lengthy and contentious negotiations between the horsemen and the racetrack. An air of uncertainty has hung over Arizona's horsemen in recent months due to ongoing disputes over simulcasting signals which have limited wagering in some places in the state.

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