connecting the dots ain't easy

The Baltimore Sun published a front page piece this morning on a study by the Maryland Tax Education Foundation that raises concerns over purse dollars earned at Maryland tracks flowing to out-of-state horse owners. The group's contention is that the state will approve slots in-state and then have all of the new monies wind up out of state in places like New Jersey. (I think that's my parents' plan, anyway). It's shocking, shocking stuff. I especially enjoyed the fact that, in 2007, almost 6% of those purse dollars went to owners based out of Maine. No kidding? Have my in-laws gotten in on the business and kept it to themselves? (Yeah, I'd play it close to the vest, too, given this operation, so no hard feelings.)

Regrettably, the article fails to address the turnaround of those dollars back into Maryland's economy. All that money ain't getting parked into out-of-state ING accounts, I'm afraid. Most of it is coming right back to where the horses are to pay for training, feed, blacksmiths, vets, chiropractors, van operators and the occasional horse whisperer. If the owner has the few bucks left after paying the bills, god bless. Besides, those surplus dollars typically go toward buying new stock more often than not.

The real story isn't where the owners hang their hats, it's the overall decline of foals dropping in-state. I mean, this is Maryland, where you'd normally go for some of the nicest, toughest thoroughbred blood out there. It's all leaving the state, though. I mean, look at our little operation. Veiled Reference is from a family that traces back to Kentucky, but was brought along here in Maryland by the Benders (Sondra and Howard; trainer is Larry Murray) for years. They culled Bocamis from their broodmare crop and where does she wind up? West Virginia, baby! You think that even 10 years ago that would happen? She'd still be eating crab cakes and drinking Natty Boh, because a local operator would have picked her up and had a go. Now, save for the few operations hanging on, a lot of breeders have moved on to places like West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York.

Take, too, Nautical Agent, a Md-bred through and through. She's up in the Hudson River Valley doing her thing because I can either try to get a foal running for $75,000 NY-bred purses some day, or keep my fingers crossed down here that they don't turn Pimlico into condos. Which option strikes you as more appealing? I'd love to have her here, chilling on my back patio, but the economics of the game are such that I've got to go where there's a decent opportunity to earn out on our investment.

Finally, it's rather telling that Go For Gin is hailed as the star stallion in that Sun piece. I mean, Go For Gin is a nice enough stud, but threatening to take him to Pennsylvania is like me threatening Tiger Woods that I'm going to brush up on my swing. Ummm, don't think either scenario is causing anyone night sweats. So, other than Not For Love, who's, like, 28 years old, there isn't too much sire power in Maryland these days. The Stallion Station and Northview have a few solid ones, but none of the sort that had folks shipping in from all over to breed. In defense of the stallion operators, they can only keep what works for the local mare population, so it really all cycles back to getting more mares to foal in state and developing racing programs that help sustain increased breeding over time. More horses translates to larger fields, which translates to increased wagering, which translates to more money for track operators, purses, breeders, stallion owners, etc., which translates to more dollars pumped into the economy and state, increased open space and overall cheer. NY is a model to consider (save for their move to shorter racing, which they did to maintain numbers, but now are trying to get away from with increased purses going long - a step in right direction, anyway). PA is fine, too, but needs to work on its tracks. (Philadelphia Park in its current form as the epicenter of PA racing isn't going to cut it.)

Read the article. Stay in the loop. Vote in favor of the slots referendum if you live in Maryland. I'll work on the Maryland strategic plan, if only to get Nautical Agent down here to breed and ride to the Safeway for groceries.