ON THE MARK.

DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT "THE SPORT OF KINGS" ANYMORE?

I was destined to become a fan of "the ponies".   My Dad used to tell me stories of how he and his brothers would climb a telephone poll outside the old Dufferin Racetrack in Toronto, and shout out the numbers of the horses as they crossed the finish line.  Somebody at a pay phone would place the bet with the bookie, known as "past posting", and hopefully the bookie wouldn't catch wind, and pay off the bet.  After a while, the bookies caught on and wouldn't accept a bet after a certain time.    
     When I first worked in radio, for Foster Hewitt's CKFH, they used to run the stretch drive of the races from Woodbine, Greenwood and Fort Erie.   After a song, the buglers call would come on and then you'd hear the voice of Daryl Wells calling the last eighth-of-a-mile or so.  The call came in on tape, and then the tape was played as soon as the song ended.  That meant there was a gap of a minute or two from the time the race ACTUALLY ended to the time it aired on the radio.   I once got a call from a scary sounding guy who wanted to know if I could pass him along the winners before the tape went to air.   I told him I was already aware of "past posting" and hung up.
      The reason I tell these stories is because Horse Racing is dying.  There are many other ways to gamble now.  Folks don't have to leave their homes, and if they do, they can head to the casinos and play the slots.  In fact, the slots have basically pushed Horse Racing out of the picture in Ontario.  Some 60 thousand jobs will be lost when the industry finally dries up, which could happen in the next couple of years.   There is now less racing for smaller purses in Ontario.   Back in the day, the Queens Plate, the Prince of Wales and the Breeders were a big deal.  Now, there's talk that the Canadian Triple Crown could be a thing of the past very shortly.
     Which brings me to tomorrow's Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the U.S. Triple Crown of racing for three year olds.  "Orb", who won the Kentucky Derby a few weeks ago, is the favourite at Pimlico, and it's hoped by many that he wins, so we can have yet another equine sensation try for the Triple Crown, which hasn't been won since 1978 (Affirmed).    You may recall last year, when "I'll Have Another" won the Derby and the Preakness, but then was scratched from the Belmont and had to retire with a tendon injury.   That was a dagger in the heart of the sport because there was no longer any drama associated with the race.  Once again, there would be no Triple Crown champion. 
     Horse racing went on for decades without any real competition, but now it appears sloppily-dressed poker players are more popular than racehorses.  The average person wouldn't know the difference between Mr. Ed and Orb.  Even if Orb wins the Preakness and then goes on to take the Belmont and the Triple Crown, he won't revive the sport.   Back in the "Golden Age" of Sports, Horse Racing and Boxing were by far the most popular sports.  Now, nearly a century later, both are replaceable.   MMA has taken over from Boxing, and for the gamblers, on-line and TV poker and casino gambling have surpassed horse racing.
     I know a lot of people who depend on horse racing for their livelihood.  And not just the people who own the horses and breed them.   The trainers, the jockeys, the hotwalkers and exercise riders, the stewards and racing secretaries, valets, ticket takers and cashiers.  The folks that sell feed, hay, trailers, sulkies, saddles and other tack.  The vets, the folks in public relations, marketing, the chefs and waiters and waitresses who work in the dining room.   They all depend on horse racing.  They're hoping things turn around for their industry.   But they're betting on a longshot.  Horse racing will never be the same.