My backyard friend Sean D. is responsible for the following post.

Fact:
No one in Saratoga or likely North America drank more than Fairmount did Travers week.

Travers day attendance gets the Vodoo Fugazzi award of the year. The announced count of 47K and change was in fact closer to 35K than 40. It was my 45th consecutive Travers Day (one year I had to leave before the actual race) it was not crowded. Frosted's 2016 Whitney had a bigger crowd. American Pharoah's Travers had 50K actual people as did Affirmed& Alydar's you could not move either day.

NYRA propaganda claims 3 straight years of 1 million plus attendance. Klueless and crew need to remove their shoes when counting. Season passes (a great deal one of the few) are counted daily.

The weekday cards are more Aqueduct in March like than traditional Spa ones, particularly Monday/Thursday.

Myths:
Frank D. has not found religion and given up gambling. Jimbo may argue and has offered me a one way ticket to Tibet to find the meaning of life.

Bob Baffert, Chad Brown & Todd Pletcher are not the greatest trainers EVER....

Thoughts:
I think few here would argue that my passion for the sport and particularly The Spa are not exceeded by many. My shyness in expressing such over the past 10 years here is well documented.

I did not buy a season pass this year, I was live a mere 7 times, the least number of days since I was 16. My cumulative total of wagering for the entire meet was exceeded on any of the past 30 plus Travers days alone.

We can go on and on bitching about the same problems in the game that have been discussed here and in every other forum for years. The Nero's at the top of the industry fiddle away as Rome burns.

The compacting of stakes into big event mega handle days that provide media coverage, flashy headlines and draw the willing to be fleeced crowd have no doubt drawn interest to new folks. However NONE of them come back on Wednesdays?

We had this discussion yesterday at 59, I was the baby of yesterday's backyard crew. Horse players are a dying breed and there is nothing on the horizon to replace them. I have 40 plus years as a horse player, wagering 250-300 days per year with 30 plus years of 7 figure handle almost all of it before the rebate era.

I've turned into a casual player, decreasing my handle over the past few years out of frustration and distaste as to what the game has become. I'm now part of the tourist crowd, triple crown, Derby prep days, BC and some Spa trips to see TG friends. My wagering now consists of 50 or so days and no longer am I investing serious money as IMHO the risk vs reward equation is no longer available enough to draw my interest.

TG without a doubt is the strongest product on the market. There are many days where an advantage is attained via the numbers & data that cannot be found anywhere else. It still is the my go to product when I choose to dip my toe in.

I'm simply choosing not to reach into my pocket as much strictly on a risk vs reward basis.The value debate has been talked about many times here. It's worth
and perception are definitely in the eye of the beholder.

My humble opinion which I'm sure would draw arguement from some is that we are no longer participating in true pari-mutual wagering. There is no longer enough casual money in the pools on a day to day basis.Without insulting any individuals there are some pretty idiotic opinions expressed here, I wish there were more!
The same opinions could once be heard several times a day at the tracks and OTB
parlors, you know the ones that are all empty. The day to day battle has information loaded sharpies and bots battling over the same crumbs. No one can argue the day to day deflation of win, ex and tri prices nationwide. My perceived value just ain't there Day to day. Throw in drugs, pool integrity concerns, increasing take outs,no IRS modification on the current horizon and you have the perfect storm to chase not just moi away.

The million dollar question to the Nero's of the industry is who are you going to replace mine and others daily dollars with? Bots aren't going to get 10-12% rebates forever. What happens to 20% or so of the handle at the major tracks when their rebates are cut to the point their risk vs reward is no longer there and they move on to the next opportunity? It's not going to rain casino dollars forever! Are the big event willing to be fleeced crowds suddenly going to start betting 3 zero's a day? Not likely. The Spa picnic table crowd pays more for a weekend table than the whole table will send through the windows on a given day.
As much as we would love them to the Uncle Bill's and Miff's of the world ain't gonna live forever, the rest of us aren't that far behind......

Frank D. ain't dead or in Tibet, he'll be around just not so much.

Are you happy Sean, you got me to post.... 🐎