Purse cuts

The reaction among horsemen this morning at Lone Star Park to the announced cut in purses ran the gamut from stoic disappointment to indignation. Perhaps, though, trainer Ralph Rampellini said it best: “I don’t know why horsemen and racetracks can’t be united for the good of the sport.”

Lone Star has announced that it will cut overnight purses 10 percent, effective May 8. The cut is “in response,” according to a press release, “to the recent decision of the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership, in conjunction with the recently formed Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Group, to withhold the Lone Star signal to all Account Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies in an ongoing dispute regarding the percentage of simulcast wagering that goes to the horsemen.”

The horsemen’s withholding approval hurts only themselves and the fans. On the other hand, Lone Star’s handle is down across the board, and the loss of ADW money accounts for very little of it.

The real problem at Lone Star is declining quality. The last two years, the racing has been, for the most part, mediocre, but with some shining moments. This year, in my view, the quality has taken another step south.

With a declining foal crop in the state, the Texas-bred races rarely attract full fields. Three of the track’s most powerful stables – those of trainers Steve Asmussen, Bret Calhoun and Cody Autrey – have sent many, if not most, of their better horses elsewhere. Asmussen, of course, has operated stables on several fronts simultaneously for years. But this year, he said, he probably has the thinnest group at Lone Star that he has had here in several seasons.

That’s the problem. And cutting purses 10 percent, just as Louisiana Downs prepares to open, can only exacerbate it.