With racing's temporary opportunity as the only game in town, the TDN's Katie Ritz took a poll of some industry insiders known to like a good bet and asked them: what is one simple way that tracks could make betting more friendly for existing horseplayers and/or more effective at bringing in new players? As you'll see, none of them could stop at just one.
Editor's note: Henderson, 95, has attended the races regularly at Oaklawn Park in her hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, every year for decades until COVID-19 prevented her from doing so in 2020.
Race tracks are doing absolutely nothing to keep the younger generation interested in actual horse racing, so the people are attending, spending their money on food, drinks and making bets on horses' names, etc. I feel that the tracks should have a one-hour teaching program every day, advertise it and really teach the population to handicap. I was so fortunate to have the best-ever teacher, my brother Joe Finley, who wrote the popular handicapping book How Will Your Horse Run Today? and others under the pen name of William L. Scott. I now have enjoyed handicapping races for 50 years and hope to enjoy it for a few more.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
