Horsesplayers have only one power – to bet or not to bet. If we refuse to exercise the power not to bet, then we have no power at all. 

I don’t know if anyone else said that first, but it’s critical for all horseplayers to remember. Our power lies in our willingness to support or not support the industry.

Racetrack management sees themselves as the most important piece of the pie. Without their willingness to run a racetrack we’d have no sport.

Owners and breeders see themselves as the most important piece of the pie. Without their willingness to breed and race horses we’d have no sport.

The are both wrong. Horseplayers are the most important piece of the pie. Without them there would be no need for racetracks. Breeders would have little reason to produce 20,000 thoroughbreds each year. Owners would have little reason to pay the upkeep on a race horse that doesn’t race. We create the demand for racing facilities. We create the demand for horses to run at them. We are the basic economic unit for the sport.

Horseplayers are great at recognizing the problems and offering solutions. We’re spectacular when it comes to complaining. What we’ve not been effective at is creating change.

Simply pointing out the problems hasn’t worked. If we are to make change for the better we have to send a clear and unequivocal message: we will not support management that ignores horseplayers or does not operate in a way that promotes our interests. We are not asking for ridiculously low takeout, but we are tired of 30% rake on a trifecta bet.

There is only one way we have the power to be treated as the base of the racing structure. We have to vote with out pocketbooks.

Boycotts have been tried. They haven’t worked because if they had, there would have been real change. Oh, I know the CDI boycott apparently resulted in lower handle, and a boycott in California had the same result. But did they change their take-out as a result of the boycott? Did they suffer in some obvious way? CDI showed an increase in profit last year. It seems like that boycott isn’t discouraging them.

Boycotts haven’t worked because horseplayers will not unify in sufficient numbers to make them work. There is some horse in the 7th race they simply have to bet. They want to go to the track, and by golly nobody is going to tell them to stay home. We are the ultimate in independent contractors, emphasis on independent.

For a boycott to work we all have to agree to act in our real self-interest. We have to give up one day of racing and betting to make long term gains. It has to be well publicized. It has to be printed in the major racing publications. Everyone, even the big money whales has to agree to go in on it. The rolling cascade effect simply hasn’t worked. It will take a fully unified action to change the unchageable.

It is the one thing that would cause racetracks to take us seriously. They would know that at any time, players can unite to protest a just cause. It would reinforce the notion that our issues can’t be easily dismissed. It would make them recognize that they are, in fact, vulnerable, and they do need to not only listen to our issues, but effectively act on them.

It doesn’t have to be on Kentucky Derby day or the Breeder’s Cup. Some Saturday in February would be good enough.

Horseplayers still have a choice. They can exercise their power or continue to complain and hope for change. As Ben Franklin said,

We must all hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately.