Betfair Hollywood Park to cut purses starting June 14

by | 06.09.2012 | 8:12pm
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Due to unanticipated declines in field size and, subsequently, all sources handle, Betfair Hollywood Park announced Saturday reductions in purses will begin Thursday, June 14. Entries for those races will take place Sunday.


Non-claiming and maiden allowance races will be cut $2,000. While claiming races will be reduced $1,000, they will remain – in nearly all cases – higher or close to the same levels that were offered during the Winter/Spring meet at Santa Anita that concluded April 22.


Additionally, the purses of three upcoming stakes will be reduced. The Grade I American Oaks, which will be run for the 11th time Saturday, July 14, has been cut from $400,000 to $350,000. Both the Landaluce and the Grade III Hollywood Juvenile Championship, which will also be part of the July 14 program, have dropped from $200,000 to $150,000.


Even with the reductions, the purses for the American Oaks, Landaluce and Hollywood Juvenile Championship are larger than what was offered in 2011. The purse for last year’s American Oaks was $250,000 while the Landaluce and Hollywood Juvenile Championship were $100,000 races

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  • ITP

    The TOC has succeeded in all facets of getting what they wanted.

    Raise takeout and the entire amount goes to purses…which raised purses and hurt the track owners.

    Short fields in high purse races so the money will be spread to many participants.

    Handcuff the tracks from doing anything without being approved by TOC which means they run the show without having to pay for the show.

    Now the TOC will see what their ideas will produce in the real world where the customer/bettor is in charge and are heading for the exits when offered the TOC’s idea of a racing product.

    As Arnold Zetcher (who was Chairman of TOC when they got their takeout increase) said…”We are very supportive of the takeout increase because of what it will mean to purses” 

    Zetcher also said…”And our owners, who provide the major part of the funding for OUR sport, must be recognized for their contribution.”

    Well Mr. Zetcher and the TOC, when the purses keep dropping, maybe you dolts might realize THE BETTORS FUND THE SPORT AND RECOGNIZE THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION!

  • Tony

    I haven’t bet California racing since the takeout increase.What do you think of that Mr.Zetcher?The best part is that I spead the word and tell others.

  • rayray

    Horse racing in California is for the kings and welfare queens.  Its a great time to be an owner and the only other people who participate are on the government dole.  Who wants to work hard all week to pay 10 bucks to get in and 8 bucks for a beer 7 bucks for the form all for the privilege of betting 5 horse fields and waiting 35 minutes in between races.
       

  • stillriledup

    As soon as Betfair attached their name to Hollywood and the shills at TVG shove the “new name” down our throats every 5 seconds, things headed south.

    Maybe just a coincidence….or, maybe not.

  • Triplecrownquest

    You mean they did not make a Billion Dollars on the Bay Meadows pile of rubble?  Shocking!!!

  • Me

    B E T F A I R.

    What was Hollywood park thinking?

    Haven’t and won’t bet a dime until they dump this partnership.

    BoDog Delmar? What’s the difference. Wake up

  • Illhaveanotherandanother

    TVG has had a partnership with HP for a very long time although the name is a new thing. Racing has been heading south at HP for a long time. Now, I guess one could ask if that was a coincidence or not? I don’t watch TVG because they don’t show a product I like. I agree the presentation is bad but when they show races I bet I’ll watch. I like my TV more than the computer. Socal racing has a lot more problems than TVG.

  • Jersey Josh

    Someone please confirm…I thought that Betfair BOUGHT Hollywood Park and they own the track not a marketing sponsorship?  They own the facility?

  • Bakemyshorts

     SoCal racing is a cesspool.  Had five racing there in 2010 including stakes winner. Will NEVER go back. If had a BC horse this year (which we do not), we still wouldn’t go if they paid us. Santa Anita “new” surface is a death trap.

    Bo Derek a racing commissioner because she owns horses?  Tip of the iceberg.  Great minds producing great results.

    Too many problems and sources to enumerate.  California likes to be leading edge.  The state is leading the demise of racing. Maybe when racing falls into the Pacific the other jurisdictions will wake up!  Probably not. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/warren.eves Warren Eves

    Unanticipated declines?  Are you kidding?  Who in their right mind wants to bet on four horse fields when Baffert has two entries in the same so-called race?  The TOC?  They continue to take the once great racing in SoCal down the toilet.  Raise the take-out.  Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.  It’s like I predicted many years ago members of the TOC will wind up racing among themselves and may the bettor be dammed.  Don’t know about the rest of you but I have found bettor friendly venues elsewhere.  And until they get rid of the clown act in the Santa Anita racing office, the bleeding will continue.  No resource management, no program, and no constructive proposal to change direction.  What a crying shame, but it is, what it is. And then you have the useless CHRB which has been a clown total joke for a long time.  What a mess. 

  • Patrickmcintyre24

    Purses are being cut. Field size is pathetic. Looks like we need to raise takeout again. Yeah, that will solve the problem. Why not raise it to 100%? Better yet, why not have a rep from the TOC confiscate everyone’s wallet when they walk thru the gate? Surely this will solve So. Cal’s crisis. After all, horse racing is an entertainment business. The fans have no right to expect a fair deal, as long as the owners are happy. Just ask the powers that be if you think I’m wrong.

  • Steventyre

    I still love Hollywood park…in my opinion the greatest weather in the world…but along with others I will not bet exotics with the insane take out…just betting win and place and actually making money…they should try for example daily doubles with a 14 take out…watch the betting soar

  • Charlie Davis

    No, it’s just a marketing sponsorship that they bought.  I find it hilarious that people on here think it’s this marketing partnership that is hurting them.  Ridiculous.  

  • FourCats

    Owners happy?  You must be kidding.  Most owners are losing many thousands of dollars a year.  80-90% of horses don’t come close to winning enough in purses to cover their costs (and that’s in their best years if they don’t get injured).  To say nothing about the cost of purchasing the horse and the cost of caring for the horse after he/she can no longer race.  How do I know?  Because I am both a fan and a horse owner.  If you think that owners are making tons of money, why don’t you go out and buy a horse?

    And why do you think that fans are not getting a fair deal?  Horse racing is ENTERTAINMENT.  If you are not entertained or think that the cost is too high, don’t go or participate.  Are there many things that the leadership could and should do to improve the entertainment value of racing?  Of course.  The biggest problem that racing has is that the racing leaders seem to be either totally incompetent in running a successful business or to be actively working to eliminate racing in favor of slots/casinos.

    The problem is that the economics of racing don’t work for anyone [horse owners, track owners, trainers, etc. (not just fans complaining about high takeout)].  There are really only 2 long term futures.  Either many more fans will be created (who view horse racing as entertainment and which would reduce the incremental cost of the entertainment per fan) or the elimination of racing.  No industry or business can survive for long perpetually losing money.

  • Tony

    FourCats said…..Horse racing is ENTERTAINMENT. If you are not entertained or think that the cost is too high, don’t go or participate.

    There is no IF,why do you think their lowering the purses?

    Try using the word Bettor and Gambler next time and then you’ll under stand where your money comes from.Not fans.

  • stillriledup

     FC, good writeup, i like your passion about the game. I agree with a lot of what you say, but i think that when you say “if you are not entertained, dont go” i dont really agree with that mindset. I think that instead of giving people an ultimatum of ‘take it or leave it’ , racing needs to have the attitude “please dont leave it. Racing is a great game, how can we make you want to come back (or, come in the first place)”

    When you talk about the biggest problem, i think that part of it IS incompetence, like you say, but another part of the ‘biggest problem’ is the attitude of racing higher ups towards the rank and file.

    Racetrack managements around this country view racegoers as idiots, degenerates and peons. Racetrack higher ups are walking around in suits, some of them have graduated from good colleges so its hard for them to NOT ‘look down’ on the ‘lowlives’ who populate the ground floor at most tracks in the country.

    I feel their biggest misconception is that when they visually see a ‘first floor degenerate’, they think that person is the ‘face’ of the fans. What they dont realize is that there are a TON of super sophisticated and intelligent horseplayers who never leave their house to bet and bet large sums from home. Much of the money nowadays comes offtrack from people who should never be lumped in with the ‘fan’ that the GM’s and track owners see walking their plant.

    Its about respect and customers in horse racing have not gotten too much of it from the people running the tracks. That has to change if racing wants to go to another level of success.

  • Illhaveanotherandanother

     Years ago, I guess I was considered somewhat of a hotshot within the industry. After graduating university, I was walking through the grandstand with the VP of Operations. As we walked through the ‘Pit’ as the lower grandstand area was called, he turned to me and said, “Look at these scum.”

    I replied, “These scum are the ones that pay your salary.”

    He looked at me and never spoke to me again. My rising star took a nosedive. I stayed in the business for over 30 years but never did achieve the lofty levels that had been predicted for me. The VP was gone within 2 years.

  • MamaKin

    So? How long did it take after the name change for the fields/handle to decline & cuts to begin? Good job Betfair!

  • rayray

    Easy steps to turn Ca. racing around that will never happen.  step 1.  bust the unions. #2. race every 20-25 minutes. #3. Lower takeout.  #4. Offer food and beer at a reasonable price.  #5. cut off betting when first horse loads so we can “trust” the integrity of the pools. #6. Only race on days when you have an ave. field size of 8 or more horses. #8 demand that del mar replace that crappy, handicappable synthetic track.     

  • Illhaveanotherandanother

    Seems like there are a lot of disgruntled TVG ex-employees trolling this site.

  • Ernie

    obviously its the short fields, the polycrap as well. admission and food prices are overpriced. the quality of so.cal racing has gone down big time!! only thing good about so.cal racing is their jockeys and trainers!! other than that not really anything special like it use to be.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/HBI6ED45S7XH4IOHVURB2VXRE4 Chris Lowe

    Sorry to hear that. You could have been a sane voice in the wilderness. By the way, I have two daughters ages 20 and 27 who learned a while back that being a straight talking shooter can have consequences if not handled discreetly.

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