Pat Cummings

Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Two weeks ago, Microsoft announced the launch of its "Open Data Campaign," in their words, "to help address the looming 'data divide' and help organizations of all sizes to realize the benefits of data and the new technologies it powers. "We believe everyone can benefit from opening, sharing and collaborating around data to make better decisions, improve efficiency and even help tackle some of the world's most pressing societal challenges." Now, it is obvious that it is in Microsoft corporate's interests to convince others of this, but...

The following is an abridged version of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation's #FreeDataFriday entry for this week. The full version can be read at this link. Here is a simple question: How much revenue does a horse race produce for the horsemen running horses in that race? The answer is incredibly complex, and in many jurisdictions, almost impossible to discern. A publication from the Thoroughbred Owners of California in 2016 offers a glimpse into an answer, at least for races run in that state. While these numbers are likely to have...

Thoroughbred Idea Foundation executive director Pat Cummings joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Wednesday to discuss a wide-ranging assortment of macro issues the sport is facing, and how it can be more efficient post-pandemic. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Cummings was asked about last week's #FreeDataFriday white paper posted by the TIF, in which he focused on the shockingly small percentage of purse money that is derived from wagering dollars. "It's been happening like this for a very long time...

The Thoroughbred Idea Foundation issued a paper last week showing just how much of the pie goes to ADWs, and how little to purses, in California. Pat Cummings of the TIF joins us to talk about it.

by Thoroughbred Idea Foundation For more than two weeks, Home Box Office (HBO) has offered free streaming via the HBO Now and HBO GO platforms for several of its famous titles, "the first time...this type of programming [is] available outside of a paywall throughout the month of April. The service is usually priced at $14.99 per month." Horse racing is not HBO, but the point is obvious. What a better way to get people to try your product than take the most captive audience period in history and give them...

The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (OHRC) has suspended the Sooner 6ix wager until further notice and all wagers on the Sooner 6ix placed Friday were to be refunded, according to a tweet from Remington Park. The decision stems from Remington's failure to pay out the Sooner 6ix jackpot Apr. 10 to horseplayer Jeff Arthur, who constructed what appeared to be a unique winning sequence using 2,016 combinations ($403.20 ticket cost) Apr. 10. Remington Park claimed that a dead-heat created a second winning ticket, thus nullifying the jackpot. Arthur instead was...

From the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation: Oklahoma-based Remington Park has failed to pay its single-ticket jackpot to a winning customer, claiming a dead-heat created a second winning ticket, negating the player's unique win. Horseplayer Jeff Arthur structured several non-overlapping tickets playing Remington's Sooner 6ix bet Friday, Apr. 10, 2020. One ticket, costing him $403.20 and including 2,016 combinations, was entered via Arthur's ADW account. An image of the ticket can be found here. Arthur received consolation payouts totaling $8,920, which was the total amount of that night's minor pool, and which...

'What happened to the organization once called "the FBI of racing?" TIF Note: We hope you are staying healthy during these challenging times for our world. Over the past months, we have published a series of reports questioning the state of transparency and integrity measures in North American racing. We have made some suggestions that, if implemented, would yield more open reporting in the hopes of creating a sport in which well-intentioned participants have more confidence. The following is another submission in this series. What questions might you have about...

Editor's Note: the following is part of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation's weekly `Free-Data Friday' series. by Pat Cummings The federal indictments handed down on Monday, March 9 have rippled through the American racing industry, with every indication more are on the way. The results confirmed details which American horseplayers have accounted-for in their analysis over a long period. The veritable dean of those, Andy Beyer, used his platform in the Washington Post as the nation's horseplayer/columnist of record for decades to share his insights informed by observations and data. In...

Pat Cummings is Executive Director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation "Oh, the places you'll go," hoped Dr. Seuss. There are reasons to be optimistic about the future of Thoroughbred racing in North America. Our future could be far brighter than the present, but it is all very conditional. A massive effort to modernize the sport is needed. "Modernization" does not just imply technological or other sorts of novel innovation, but rather, change to long-standing practices that will improve the outcomes of our sport for all stakeholders--horses, owners, bettors, fans, etc....

Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Pat Cummings's comment on Pa. Governor Tom Wolf's plan to divert the bulk of funding from the Race Horse Development fund (representing about 90% of all purse monies in the state) was both courageous and spot on. For too long Pennsylvania racetracks and horsemen's organizations alike have focused their efforts almost exclusively on procuring annual revenues from slot machine proceeds, while doing little or nothing to build the racing business or promote the sport. In the long run, no state is going to prop up a dying...

This week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN's Writers' Room Podcast, Thoroughbred Idea Foundation Executive Director Pat Cummings, implored the racing industry to learn from what has happened in Pennsylvania and to end what he sees as decades of complacency. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has submitted a budget that calls for $204 million to be diverted from the state's Race Horse Development Fund and used for a program that would provide college scholarships for Pennsylvania residents. Should the money, which comes from slot machines proceeds, be taken...