Kentucky Derby drama

[Travelman6]

To the horse racing fans, what's the appeal?

I actually wonder the same thing, same with bullfighting too.

 

[the Q]

I actually wonder the same thing, same with bullfighting too.

Easy.

I root for the bull.

 

[temery]

Unless one horse pulled a knife on another horse, I really don't care. Every jockey was whipping his horses ass. It's a weak ass move to whine about contact.

 

[the Q]

Unless one horse pulled a knife on another horse, I really don't care. Every jockey was whipping his horses ass. It's a weak ass move to whine about contact.

Especially if you weren’t even involved in the contact...

 

[Ts5034]

To the horse racing fans, what's the appeal?

$$$. If people could not bet on horses, there would be zero interest and the sport would not exist. Lets see what happens to horse racing over the next decade. They have already gotten some real bad press with all of those horses getting put down at Santa Anita. The negativity surrounding the outcome of the Derby doesnt help either with casual fans. Theres almost zero interest in horse racing in people under 45, and as great a moment it was when American Pharoah became the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 40 years, you could make the argument that it hurt the sport from a casual viewers standpoint. There was no longer that history tied to it. When Justify was going for the Triple Crown, it just didnt have the same “buzz” because it happened three years earlier.

Going back to my point about interest in horse racing for younger people. Its just not there. Keep in mind, back in the day, wagering on horses was the only kind of legalized betting. There was no Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods in the 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and Atlantic City didnt pass legalized gambling until the late 70’s, but you could go to the track and bet on horses. Now, sports betting is legal in New Jersey and soon to be legal in CT. More people are going to bet on football, basketball, and baseball than horses so that is another main reason I think horse racing will decline.

 

[Deepster]

To the horse racing fans, what's the appeal?

Looking at:

Current odds
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
Races at this distance
Races on this surface
Recent practice times
Recent race performances
Season WPS %'s
What the "experts" pick

Then tossing in drinking and lucky numbers and names that strike a chord. My biggest win ever was on a horse that had my mom's name in it and I threw a bet in at the last second. My buddy bets on gray horses any time they race.

So, you take the mix of all those numbers.....and you pick a winner, or winning trifecta that isn't just taking the heavy favorite. There's excitement and satisfaction in it.

 

[Waquoit]

$$$. If people could not bet on horses, there would be zero interest and the sport would not exist.

Not zero, but much, much less. They have non-wagering races that get a decent crowd. But I agree, racing will be gone sooner rather than later. And ironically so will all the thoroughbred horses. There's no such thing as "wild" horses. Those non-domesticated horses are actually feral; domesticated animals that escaped into the wild. Without racing, there will be no incentive to breed thoroughbreds anymore.

 

[superjohn]

It's just weird to me that dog racing is banned almost everywhere, dog fighting and cock fighting are banned everywhere and prison sentences doled out for people partaking in it, and yet horse racing is still celebrated.

 

[Pudge]

Go to Saratoga. Make it a few days

Don't tell me there is no charm nor buzz about the sport. Go to a place that has oodles of things that create the experience. Maybe I'd cut 90% of the sport and just have it at a few pristine places. (having said that ... wazzup with Santa Anita)

 

[Waquoit]

It's just weird to me that dog racing is banned almost everywhere, dog fighting and cock fighting are banned everywhere and prison sentences doled out for people partaking in it, and yet horse racing is still celebrated.

You don't think there is a difference between an animal being trained to run fast and an animal being trained to kill?

 

[Waquoit]

Unless one horse pulled a knife on another horse, I really don't care. Every jockey was whipping his horses ass. It's a weak ass move to whine about contact.

Not really. Those whips are all cushioned, no pain. But causing or potentially causing a spill is verboten. Now more than ever.

 

[the Q]

Not really. Those whips are all cushioned, no pain. But causing or potentially causing a spill is verboten. Now more than ever.

Tell that to the team who given victory. Bumped another horse and got away with it

 

[Dogdeacon]

Why do people that don't like a sport try to be prescient and predict the demise of said sport? I'm not a big NFL guy, but I'm not rooting for it to end or predicting its over when the helicopter generation are running around with 1 foot thick helmets. I enjoy the NFL playoffs and an occasional regular season game, that's it. Boxing is another sport where people love to pick its demise. Soccer kind of opposite, "it'll never work here". Are soccer haters the same people that want to kill various other sports?
I'm pretty certain the guys paying massive stud fees are better educated on the sport and have done some math on the odds that racing continues.

If you don't like it don't watch and don't post in threads about it.

 

[uconnfan68]

Unless one horse pulled a knife on another horse, I really don't care. Every jockey was whipping his horses ass. It's a weak ass move to whine about contact.

I thought it was like NASCAR, where the leader could do anything.

 

[the Q]

Why do people that don't like a sport try to be prescient and predict the demise of said sport? I'm not a big NFL guy, but I'm not rooting for it to end or predicting its over when the helicopter generation are running around with 1 foot thick helmets. I enjoy the NFL playoffs and an occasional regular season game, that's it. Boxing is another sport where people love to pick its demise. Soccer kind of opposite, "it'll never work here". Are soccer haters the same people that want to kill various other sports?
I'm pretty certain the guys paying massive stud fees are better educated on the sport and have done some math on the odds that racing continues.

If you don't like it don't watch and don't post in threads about it.

I actively root for the end of the nfl (too corrupt) and soccer in general. The latter is mostly due to soccer parents, who are some of the worst people.

The football insurance article I shared a while back shows that the future of football is very precarious as it is.

 

[polycom]

Why do people that don't like a sport try to be prescient and predict the demise of said sport? I'm not a big NFL guy, but I'm not rooting for it to end or predicting its over when the helicopter generation are running around with 1 foot thick helmets. I enjoy the NFL playoffs and an occasional regular season game, that's it. Boxing is another sport where people love to pick its demise. Soccer kind of opposite, "it'll never work here". Are soccer haters the same people that want to kill various other sports?
I'm pretty certain the guys paying massive stud fees are better educated on the sport and have done some math on the odds that racing continues.

If you don't like it don't watch and don't post in threads about it.

That's one way to look at things...

 

[uconnfan68]

Not zero, but much, much less. They have non-wagering races that get a decent crowd. But I agree, racing will be gone sooner rather than later. And ironically so will all the thoroughbred horses. There's no such thing as "wild" horses. Those non-domesticated horses are actually feral; domesticated animals that escaped into the wild. Without racing, there will be no incentive to breed thoroughbreds anymore.

Aren’t all thoroughbreds descendants of 8 Arabian stallions from 19th century? A lot of inbreeding it would seem.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Easy. I root for the bull.

Sadly that doesn't quite work. Even if the bull scores/gores he is still meeting a grizzly end.

The most dangerous/violent time of bullfight is actually when the horses and bulls are together and its most dangerous for the horses. Picadores atop blindfolded and padded horses try to stick giant spears into the bull, lowering its head and making it MUCH less dangerous for the matador. But more often than matadors, or picadores or bandarillos (people in the bullfight) it is the horses that get gored by the bulls.

So saying you are 'rooting for the bull' in a thread about cruelty to horses is actually more cruelty to horses.

Sincerely,
The horses

 

[the Q]

Sadly that doesn't quite work. Even if the bull scores/gores he is still meeting a grizzly end.

The most dangerous/violent time of bullfight is actually when the horses and bulls are together and its most dangerous for the horses. Picadores atop blindfolded and padded horses try to stick giant spears into the bull, lowering its head and making it MUCH less dangerous for the matador. But more often than matadors, or picadores or bandarillos (people in the bullfight) it is the horses that get gored by the bulls.

So saying you are 'rooting for the bull' in a thread about cruelty to horses is actually more cruelty to horses.

Sincerely,
The horses

I didn’t even realize there were horses in bullfighting.

Im rooting for the bull against the people.

Poor horsies.

 

[Waquoit]

I heard a good line today that may put this decision in perspective for non-racing fans. "It's was like deciding the NCAA championship on an off-the-ball foul call."

 

[Dogdeacon]

I heard a good line today that may put this decision in perspective for non-racing fans. "It's was like deciding the NCAA championship on an off-the-ball foul call."

I had an opposite thought while observing traffic this AM. If someone cut across 2 lanes, actually hitting another car in the process, they'd be at fault - the ef yous would be flying and universally the lane crosser would be responsible. It is literally the same thing including potentially life and death.

 

[Vancat]

Just watched another view from head on and yeah, he swerved badly. Luckily no one was injured.

 

[Pmurph678]

It's just weird to me that dog racing is banned almost everywhere, dog fighting and cock fighting are banned everywhere and prison sentences doled out for people partaking in it, and yet horse racing is still celebrated.

Terrible take, racing and fighting are very different.

 

[The X Man]

No Triple Crown. Country House is out of The Preakness.

Country House out of Preakness Stakes in Triple Crown debacle

 

[UconnU]

To the horse racing fans, what's the appeal?

Only betting. It’s the perfect sport to handicap and bet. Legitimately 80%+ of the people who watch have money on it.