Updated: Horse Racing in Texas, On Its Way to the Last Round-up?

• last round...!? you mean that the horse racing in texax had already stop this performing a race

• Wow ! You certainly have completed an excellent effort putting these Horse Racing in Texas in place. Fantastic type of delivering the knowledge and I could relate to it. This kind of an excellent information for me. Thanks for this

• do you have any new updates!?

• Bravo times two. What you say makes since and I believe you. I can only speak as a patron. I have seen racing fans, the ones keeping the track afloat, treated like jailed inmates on concert days. I have seen a patron hassled by a security guard because he went outside to smoke. The patron was told "You are outside listening to the music. You did not pay for the music you have to walk to the other side of the grandstand". The stupid no smoking policy is the reason he was outside in the first place! This was a guy who spends thousands a week. I have seen a high-roller being given a parking ticket on a Tuesday when the parking lot was empty. He told management he spends a $100K a month out there, so can they take care of the ticket. They refused. He has not been back. The track has lost many gamblers because of the obvoius contempt for the patrons the product, and the employees. We we swindled out of almost all of out players' rewards points with no warning. I have also heard of non-sensical pop quizzes being given to tellers who have worked there for ten years. The track does not deserve slots. Fill up the 'Dome with slots. If legalizing slots mean slots for SHRP I will vote no.

• Bravo Roger! Thats it in a nutshell...But Im not sure Andrea deserves all the blame, some must fall on Maxxam for hiring her to begin with. One can only assume based on her past failures the only reason she was hired was because they knew she would do exactly what she has done...Fail. The sad thing is that Andrea is so stupid, she actually doesn't think its her fault. And marketing? What marketing? The current marketing dept at SHRP is a joke to those of us who work there. As far as Andrea and SHRP's marketing dept are concerned, all that dirt and dust and those smelly horses just get in the way of their "concerts"...Andrea Young is an idiot and not qualified to operate a snow cone stand. Shes too stupid to realize shes being used by Maxxam so SHRP could appear to legislators to be dire straits and they must have the slots to survive...And all this without a second thought given to the countless loyal employees who are now standing in unemployment lines. I could go on forever about the frivolous spending and the fact that upper for management its business as usual...Andrea's private party thrown at the expense of SHRP last saturday night in honor of "Loverboy" says it all for me

• The fact of the matter is the "closing" of Sam Houston is nothing more than a political ploy ment to "scare" Austin lawmakers, and force there hand on expanded wagering (vis a vis slots or VLT's) Contrary to what Ms Downing states in her article, Sam Houston Race Park (SHRP), lost no dates, but they are considering throwing them away! SHRP is located in the fourth largest city in the US and remains its best kept secret! Chicago, LA, New York and Washington DC all have viable racetracks, without the benenit of slot driven purses or capital. The sad truth is slot machines are the lazy way out. Properly marketed and advertised horse racing can become a thriving, money making venture, capable of generating a profit for its principals, providing employment for hundreds of people and sending positive economic ripples for hundreds of miles and through hundreds of businesses. I would like to say that the marketing of horse racing was done poorly by SHRP, but the fact of the matter is isn't done at all. The thoroughbred meeting (in the fall and winter) does make a modest profit for Maxxam. However, all of the ill conceived and misguided attempts to market other non-racing related events at SHRP at the expense of the racing product, drain whatever profits there are, and have mired SHRP in a pool of red ink. The blame for this moronic strategy can be laid squarely at the feet of Andrea Young and her of concert promoters. To wit: how many people in the Houston metroplex knew that on Saturday (August 14th) racing history was being made? True racing fans would have loved to know they may have been able to watch Stoli's Winner become the richest quarter horse of all time! But (as stated in a Facebook post by Ms Young) " ...all I care about is Loverboy ..." referring the the 80's rock band scheduled to play in concert on the same day. Guess that little quote 'bout says it all, don't it Roger

• That's enough of that sh*t track!

• It will be a shame if the track closes.. It's a beautiful track.. Too bad about the management having their head up their ass. I was there for the 4th of July and the place was PACKED!! Perhaps having Fireworks on a weekly basis could be a start along with $1 beer and free hot dogs... I hope something happens soon to save this track from closure.

• Truth is the culprit is none othere than Andrea Young and her boneheaded management decisions. I am sure she will blame eveyone but herself. Ask any patron or employee what the problem is. The Woman ran the place into the ground.

• The idea that SHRP should be the ONLY company to offer slot machines in Houston is outrageous. If the voters approve slots, or even casinos, the racetracks should not be the ONLY companies to have them. The idea that racetracks - and no one else - are entitled to slots should be offensive to any rational voter.

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