David Matheny

Would Silent Tactic have been short on Derby pts w/o the AR Derby 2nd? Just seems weird to run him in that race when he was dealing w/this same issue back then. bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/a… via @BloodHorse

@derby1592 Great post! TY for the info on NYRA, as I was unaware. Kudos, @TheNYRA!

On this weeks Sport of Kings podcast, I go into a short rant about CAWs and an important choice that players need to make right now. It starts at about the 31 minute mark. For those who don't want to listen to the podcast, I pasted in the transcript for that segment below. I urge you to please read (or listen) to it and thoughtfully consider what I say. "I want to do something a little different today when talking about the wagering menu at NYRA because NYRA is now fundamentally different from every other racing jurisdiction for one big reason: they are the only major track actually doing something meaningful to manage CAW activity. NYRA now limits CAW activity in all pools. Not just the win pool or the Pick 5, all pools. CAW teams cannot batch a flood of wagers at the final click. They must get their wagers in at least one minute to post, and two minutes in the win pool. No other track is doing anything remotely close to this. Most are doing little or nothing to manage CAW access to their pools. So instead of simply complaining about CAWs, players now have something they’ve never really had before: a choice. Let me use a poker analogy. Imagine you walk into a large poker room with tables spread out everywhere. At every table except one sit the best poker players in the world. You can choose to sit at one of those tables, but there’s a catch: you also have to play by a different set of rules than they do. One rule is that you always have to bet first. They all get to see your bet before making their own decisions. The second rule is that when they win, the house only takes a tiny rake from the pot, but when you win, the house takes a much larger rake. Now imagine there’s one special table in a separate room called the NYRA Room. At that table are five regular players just like you, and everyone plays under exactly the same rules. Which table would you choose? The NYRA table, of course. You would have to be either stubborn, foolish, or both to choose one of the other tables because at least in the NYRA room you have a fighting chance. At the other tables, you really don’t. Well, for the first time, horseplayers now have a similar choice every time they log into their ADW account. You can choose to play at the NYRA table, where the playing field is at least somewhat level and where you actually have a chance to compete. Or you can continue to play at tracks that effectively give retail players the finger every single day by allowing CAW teams virtually unrestricted access to the pools. And make no mistake: NYRA is taking a risk by doing this. Their handle is down because CAW participation is down. Meanwhile, most other tracks continue catering to the CAW teams and assume the rest of us will keep betting no matter how unfair the environment becomes. So now all of us have a very important choice to make. If enough players make the right choice and shift more of their handle to NYRA, we can collectively send a powerful message. NYRA will be rewarded for creating a fairer wagering environment, and other tracks may finally feel pressure to follow suit. But if players continue supporting tracks that refuse to manage CAW activity, despite all the complaints and outrage, then nothing is going to change. The game will continue moving toward a future where computers are primarily betting against other computers while retail players slowly disappear. This summer and fall may prove to be a pivotal moment for the future of horse racing. We now have a real choice, and how we respond may determine what happens next. Think of it as our “meteor heading toward Earth” moment. We can be stubborn and refuse to adapt until we become extinct like the dinosaurs, or we can evolve, change our behavior, and give ourselves a chance not just to survive, but maybe even thrive. It’s up to all of us. Please choose wisely. The future of the game may depend on it."

Horseplayers have to take action. I lowered my annual by 90% when the CAW issue arose a few yrs ago. I also submit brutally honest surveys whenever I am sent one by an industry entity.

@derby1592 @marshallgramm Marshall, is that actually STP (seconds to post) in your chart? Thanks for sharing.

@4dwade Yes, @marshallgramm has some data that helps illustrate just how crazy large the late money on T O Elvis was in the win pool. Just wild.

Worst late odds changes I have ever seen. I have lowered my annual handle by 90% and only wager on big event days now, but it may be time to consider not wagering at all.

@AdamSchefter Not sure why he didn't keep it and run right up (or down, as the case may be) the middle.

New Dolphins QB Malik Willis threw out the first pitch Friday night:

@derby1592 His velocity is refined, not crude. 👍

My Crude Velocity figure for that race: Uber fast :-)

Nothing crude about that velocity. #PatDayMile #PreaknessNext

@illiniwes Very good info, TY. I missed race 1.

@4dwade FWIW, the winner of R1 Powershift is workmate of Renegade, think R1 was faster than R2, may not matter but info

Taptastic didn't exactly flatter Renegade (nor Silent Tactic nor Litmus Test) there in race 2.

Might as well "watch" @ChurchillDowns turf races on radio. A good portion of a turf race on their live feed is obstructed, and then there's the obnoxious logo mid-screen horizontally.

If anyone could please share the list of 6 legs of the 2-day Oaks/Derby Pick 6, I surely would appreciate it. I'm getting conflicting information. TY

@skinsipx @john_keim It’s the location of the NFL draft this year

The big night. Quite a list but that’s what happens when you pick 7th.

@derby1592 With 100% sincerity and sadness, I’m sorry to say I’ve already lost most of my optimism AND love for the sport. It’s the few marquee race days/weekends that keep me around at all. I wish it wasn’t so, but that’s the path the rudderless industry has ushered me down.

If you love this game and are not losing your optimism, then you are not paying attention.

Yes, I've lost much of my interest in horse racing. Yes, I still get Derby fever, and it sounds like the owners of Intrepido have an acute case. For the sake of the horse, I hope he does NOT draw into the race. My notes after reading a DRF article:

Shout out to @derby1592 for publishing his new book, "Betting on Horse$." I'm going to get my copy now. betwiththebestmedia.com

@raypaulick @derby1592 @keenelandracing It’s really sad. I used to LOVE my home track, @keenelandracing. The crazy late $$$ there made me reduce my handle by 90%+, though.

Someone at @keenelandracing has some splaining to do. Winner U Devil You is 14-1 after crossing the wire, then 13-1 a minute later, then pays $18.74 at 8-1 final odds. Keeneland said they were cycling bets faster than ever before. This is ridiculous.

A quick preview of today's Blue Grass Stakes at #Keeneland. Please note that I do not own the rights to any of this: youtu.be/BX3bN5YeiQs?si…

Thinking Omaha Bay outruns her odds Fri in the Ashland opening day at Kee. She faced good foes last out, incl. several w/early pace figs comparable to hers, while she was stretching out 1st time. Should've gotten a lot from that race and now faces just 1 foe w/comp. early pace

Charlize Theron, te amo.