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Cuomo Says Private Companies Could Run State Racetracks

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Cuomo Says Private Companies Could Run State Racetracks
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/sports/governor-cuomo-says-private-companies-could-run-state-racetracks.html

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday that the first charge of a newly formed board of directors to run horse racing in the state would be to determine whether its three racetracks should be bid out to private gambling Saratoga Race Course and two other racetracks could be bid out to private owners as part of a state takeover of New York racing.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

OK, so I’m an Apple Addict: On the iPhone 5

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Yes, I was on line at the Apple Store at 4 AM yesterday. And as soon as I got home, I made a typical Apple fanboy ‘unboxing’ video.

You can see it here: http://youtu.be/w_uO_8FzmOo

 

It’s sad, I know.

The very first Apple product I bought was the original iPhone. Couldn’t work any of the other ‘smart’ phones that were out way back then. And yes, I’ve been on line on the first day of every iPhone launch since then. And iPad. 

It is actually a fun atmosphere on line. Met some of the same people I saw last year. The fellow sitting next to me (yes, at 4 AM, basically all of us had chairs!) asked me if I had seen the picture of the line at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue-he turned his iPad to me, and then we both realized that I had just opened that page on MY iPad, as did the fellow sitting on the other side of me. It was the macrumors site, but if ever there was an Apple ‘fanboy’ moment, that was it.

For one of the people in line, the fellow in back of me, this was his first Apple device. The fellow in front of me was the IT director of a company that had bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment from this particular Apple store. Everybody waits. It has grown to be part of the experience.

There was, contrary to the Samsung ads, plenty of criticism of Apple to be heard-mainly about the new connectors, some about the Apple maps app (which has given me FLAWLESS turn by turn directions the three times I’ve used it). And of course grousing about cellular carriers, particularly AT&T, who promised me an unlimited data plan way back in 2007 and now throttles you down every time you use too much data, won’t let you tether your phone (handy in the race book when you need to download the scratches), won’t let you do Face Time (video calls) over the cellular bandwidth.

Driving home from the office yesterday, I called my mother, as I do every day, and for the first time in a long time, the call didn’t drop when I drove past the Flamingo exit on the I 15 or at the intersection of the I 15 and the 215. The camera is fantastic, the feel in the hand is something that has to be experienced, and it’s fast as heck!

Apparently, it was the last product that Steve Jobs had in the pipeline before he passed, and I’ll be curious to see what happens going forward.

But at least I know I have an addiction. That’s the first step, isn’t it? So,here you go: Hi, I’m Michael, and I’m an Appleholic.

P.S. This was NOT a scene from the line

[attachment=0]The Line At The Apple Store.jpg[/attachment]
The_line_at_the_apple_store

 Here’s a really good interview Charlie Rose did with David Pogue of the New York Times and John Gruber of Daring Fireball (two of my favorite tech writers) on the Business Week website: [url]http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2012-09-21/david-pogue-john-gruber-on-ipho…[/url]

 

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

Exchange Wagering Rules OK’d by CHRB

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Exchange Wagering Rules OK'd by CHRB

Exchange Wagering Rules OK’d by CHRB
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/72963/exchange-wagering-rules-okd-by-chrb

Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt

Rules governing exchange wagering gained initial approval from the California Horse Racing Board at its meeting Sept. 20, more than a year after the commission had announced its intention to promulgate them.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

2013 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos unveiled [Horse Racing]

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KYDerby 139 Logo.jpg2013 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos unveiled [Horse Racing]

http://www.louisville.com/content/2013-kentucky-derby-and-kentucky-oaks-logos-unveiled-horse-racing

The calendar may show that it is the dawn of the fall season, but the first sign of spring has just arrived as Churchill Downs unveils the 2013 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks logos.  The logos, which incorporate some new features, will appear on all Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks advertising and merchandising.

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Article: Thoroughbred Times Declares Bankruptcy

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Thoroughbred Times Declares Bankruptcy
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/72828/thoroughbred-times-declares-bankruptcy

Thoroughbred Times, a Lexington-based magazine dedicated to the horse racing industry, declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and terminated operations Sept. 14, editor in chief Mark Simon confirmed the following day.

The company is now under the control of a bankruptcy trustee who will determine the outcome of assets, including the resolution of debt to several freelance journalists and photographers. 

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

Article: Arlington Race Voided as Turf Rail Collapses

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Another lesson on the randomness of horse racing!

Arlington Race Voided as Turf Rail Collapses
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/72854/arlington-race-voided-as-turf-rail-collapses

The ninth race at Arlington Park Sept. 15 was declared no contest by the stewards when several sections of the turf rail came apart and fell onto the course in front of the field, causing interference to most of the horses in the one-mile turf race (VIDEO).

The no-contest declaration meant a refund of several wagers and affected all multi-race exotic bets.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

Zenyatta Statue to be Unveiled at Santa Anita

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Image

Zenyatta Statue to be Unveiled at Santa Anita | BloodHorse.com
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/72812/zenyatta-statue-to-be-unveiled-at-santa-anita

Zenyatta, winner of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) and Horse of the Year in 2010, will be remembered for all-time by Santa Anita Park when the track unveils a life-sized statue of the great mare in the Paddock Gardens area Sept. 29.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

Article: Downs Cuts 6 Live, Stakes Horse Races

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Downs Cuts 6 Live, Stakes Horse Races
http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/09/15/news/downs-cuts-6-live-stakes-horse-races.html

The Downs at Albuquerque is cutting six stakes races from its current live racing schedule, citing shrinking revenues from its casino and a nosedive in the value of bets placed on horse races.

Horsemen say the move will eliminate their chances to run for nearly $150,000 in purse money.

Posted via email from Michael Pizzolla On ValueCapping™, Horse Racing, And Technology

Article: Average daily handle up at Evangeline Downs

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Average daily handle up at Evangeline Downs
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2012/09/13/average-daily-handle-up-at-evangeline.aspx

Evangeline Downs registered a 4.3% increase in average daily handle for its recently concluded spring and summer meeting. 

The Opelousas, Louisiana, track reported average daily handle of to $1,389,000 for the 84-day meet. Evangeline also saw average daily on-track handle increase 9% to $62,751 for the meet. The track continues to register an impressive average field size of 9.3 starters per race.

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Turfway: Countdown to demise? Only 6 races could be filled for Sunday

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Very sobering news out of Kentucky. This does not portend well for thoroughbred racing.

Turfway: Countdown to demise? Only 6 races could be filled for Sunday | Horse Racing Blog
http://blogs.courier-journal.com/racing/2012/09/07/turfway-countdown-to-demise-only-6-races-could-be-filled-for-sunday/


If Kentucky’s government leaders needed any more proof of the implosion of the track with the most racing dates in the state, they should just look at the entries for this weekend at Turfway Park.

Of the nine planned races for Sunday, only six could be cobbled together – for a total of 39 entries, including a six-horse race with two horses coupled in wagering. Of those races that are being offered, it’s the worst racing product in decades in Kentucky, bad numbers for field size and bad quality. (For Saturday, only nine races will be held of the 11 originally planned.)

In almost 30 years of covering Kentucky racing, I’ve never seen a thoroughbred track in such desperate straits. Never seen a Kentucky track have to cancel so many races because of insufficient entries when there wasn’t a dispute sparking owners and trainers to keep horses in the barn.

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