Before I step out the door to re-ignite the Saturday afternoon simulcast tradition at Fairmount, I will try to briefly respond to Steve's "it can't hurt" point.

Racing needs to start reversing the trends they started by taking "real" action and using the dollars allocated to an "Alix" to chase the young, male sports bettors and start fixing the game. It won't happen though.

1. TGJB's point that the BC in Cali every f*&*(ing year doesn't help is a good start. After all, why would people in the other parts of the country want to see the championship races??

2. NYRA lists 20 states they don't provide NYRA Bets to right now. How about allocating the Alix money to lobby for those easier states to make Online gambling and ADW action legal? While Missouri might not be one, there are 19 other states to chase to find the right type customers.

3. Super-trainers. How about we limit trainers to one entrant per race? Esp stakes races? Before everyone screams OMG, the field size is bad enough. . . the owners will be forced to spread out to other trainers. A Derby with 20 different trainers is more interesting to me than one with Four Pletchers, 2 Chad's, 3 Steve's, and 4 Brad's. MSW races have good owners that get excluded b/c the super trainer entered 3 that made the main body while little trainer is on the AE.

If horse racing would start looking at REAL changes and these are just quick thoughts, then maybe the game could improve. Alix ain't saving the game but while it doesn't hurt, neither do the ideas I just posed... but no one will even consider one of these 3 any time soon.

How about someone tackle the Cali problems with something besides higher takeout would be another spot to take some real change....list goes on and on.