Monmouth experiment raises bar

The Monmouth Park experiment will be a test for those who think the horse racing glass is either half full or half empty.

It's been opined that if Monmouth does not average $10 million a day in handle, which is the number supposedly needed to support $1 million a day in purse money, then the meet will fall short of expectations. I wholeheartedly disagree.

What Monmouth is doing is all about raising the bar and not settling for the status quo. The meet will succeed on so many levels even if the handle averages $7 million to $8 million a day.

For example, if Monmouth runs a 50-day meet next year offering $750,000 a day in purses instead of $1 million, does that mean 2010 was a failure? No.

I'm encouraged about Monmouth's huge surge in on-track attendance, which has always been the best way to introduce the sport to newcomers. Horse racing is a richer experience with a large, festive crowd than with a tiny one.

What Monmouth is doing will surely have a ripple effect through the business. I think the five-day race week will soon go the way of the dinosaur. With shrinking resources of all kinds, it'll be better to put on good racing cards over a three- or four-day week.

With a big spike in Monmouth betting, it will cannibalize simulcast handle from other race signals. Those tracks will need to react to protect their business.

The fact that Monmouth is paying out $1,500 for each starter might provide a key to jump-starting new horse owners. Racing does not have a horse shortage, but an owner shortage. It's difficult to break even in racing. Thus, a starter stipend is a move in the right direction.

■ TURCOTTE FEATURED -- The star-crossed career of Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte will be featured on Inside Information on HRTV at 6 p.m. Sunday.

■ CONTESTS -- Local horseplayers can play in a variety of handicapping contests this week. Station Casinos and Fiesta race books will host each Friday a $20 prequalifier for the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship.

The real NHC qualifier is Saturday at Aliante Station. The entry fee is $200.

Also on Saturday is the Super Saturdays weekly contest at the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook. On Monday, The Orleans will host a $100 qualifier for the 2011 Horseplayer World Series. And finally, the South Point Six contest is every Thursday.

Richard Eng's horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.