An old pal of mine stopped by the track. He had not been down in a while, and said he really missed seeing the races. We used to work together, and sat for a bit between races and came up with some interesting ideas.

It wasn’t long ago that we both called the track our work. The idea machine was non-stop. Overall our boss loved new and innovative thoughts. He didn’t care if a two hour lunch yielded a big return of handle. Hell, who could blame him?

Back to my old compadre.. He loves to bet, but his better half will not put up with his dilly-dally at the track all day. She has a list of honey-do’s that could break your back….. So, we went back to thinking about a neat bet we both loved…

The Magna 5 is a wager that takes place in about a half an hour….. You get five action-packed races, and a huge payout in a short blast… I love it, and he hammers it… How about our well-needed NTRA or “Big Brother” lining up the best races on a Saturday with the help of the tracks? I am sure they will help, as it will put them right into the spotlight of wagering. The signal will reach far and wide, and be a part of the “Power-Hour” of wagering….You need to get: New York, Florida, Kentucky, Chicago, and New Jersey to agree. OK, you may have to run your stake race at 3:00 p.m, instead of 5:30, but over 80% is bet off-track anyway…

Let’s begin at 3:00 each Saturday. We will have a a few pick-3’s, pick-4’s, and even a place pick-all. The full gamut of exotics that are allowed by field size for each race, and a little time management. This will be tough to pull off, but we can get it done if we try. After all, it is the tracks that stand to benefit. Don’t worry, if you want to follow your local track and not fool with this, you got it… This allows us top notch products in a short period. So, let’s give it a try……

3:00 p.m.

New York – turf allowance event

3:10 p.m.

New Jersey – allowance race

3:15 p.m.

Kentucky turf allowance race

3:25 p.m.

Chicago – feature race

3:35 p.m.

Florida – feature race

3:45 p.m.

New York – feature race

3:55 p.m.

New Jersey – feature race

4:05 p.m.

Kentucky – feature race

OK, now you say it can’t be done…. All that each track has to do is keep it’s own time. They can back up a race, or cut minutes to keep pace. If they can’t, they can either switch times, or go a few minutes later.  Everyone wins believe it or not… The ADW’s love it, as they will sponsor the race package so fans can get their bet on and watch it on their site. The tracks win as it will be a huge boost in handle being the feature track in the “Power Hour.”  Who loses?

This will allow for fans to get their weekend warrior fix with the best races on the east coast and mid-west. The focus is hot, and it is all packed nicely. You can start simple, and build if it works. If it does not, we can scrap it in the heap of the many things that are not working already. People love turf races, and allowance events and feature races always get top press. This keeps you in the game.

Think about it: two hours for a movie, three hours for a football or baseball game, or even an hour and a half to cut the grass and do it right… Now, you can bet the fast paced action in a well-managed package. It gives you the best in about an hour… You can wager and watch, or shower and shave and come back and check your phone and see how you have done…

We text while we work, eat, talk and drive, and now we can follow a fast paced game that we used to love. We are all on the button, and minutes count. We have 357 channels, DVR, little league, softball games, dinner to attend, and anything and everything that kills our love for the sport. Just think, you can see the best and get it done in less time than it takes to go to the store. It is possible, and why not? We have tried many things, and what better time than now for tracks to communicate and agree to maximize handle. Just open your mind, and think about keeping the game alive. If you don’t like it, just keep playing the same track you like. Maybe it will be there next meet, and we can remember when the good old days of sitting in the sun watching the ponies used to be the only place in the world.