Anyone playing Lone Star Park?

[lonestarracefan]

I live in Dallas, Lone Star Park is closest track to me.

I played 95% of the Thoroughbred meet from 2004 to 2009 and fixture in the simulcast building in the off season. I stopped being an everyday player in 2009 due to some health issues, direction of the new ownership, and the closing of the loophole for Texas Residents wagering on-line.

Sunday was my first day back at Lone Star Park in 2.5 years, I had to resign up for my star players card because so much time had passed since my last visit.

I played LSP for the first time on Saturday (at Winstar's Racebook) and on track on Sunday.

Have the wagering pools dropped off that bad? Is this norm or has the bad weather we been having causing to people not to play LSP?
The swings in odds reminds of Evangeline Downs in early 2000's and not LSP

In the 1st Race on Sunday, I hit a horse that paid $11.80 on a win bet, great I'll take that all day, but 5-6 min before when I actually bet that horse, his odds were 10/1, I've seen odds click up or down a click or two in that time frame, never a swing like that.

On Saturday, I saw a race where the favorite change more than half dozen times between 3 horses - odds swings from 4/5 to 3/1.

So, if anyone is playing Lone Star Park regularly, is this the new norm there?

[noddub62]

Hi Joe,

Until Texas gets larger purses I afraid that is the norm. Fields are small and odds really fluciate greatly. We were there about 3 weeks ago and had a great time but no chance of any good winners. I usually go to the simulcast and have the best luck at EV or DED, CT or PEN for better prices but even then selection on decent races is required.

Going to Galveston tomorrow but I will PM you when I get back. Maybe we can hook up out there.

Bud

[lonestarracefan]

Bud,

In the past, I played the So Cal Tracks, Oaklawn, Fair Grounds, and just started to play Evangeline some (mostly on-line, when Texas Residents could).
To me, Evangeline is the only LA track that has used casino money to improve their track and their quality of racing there.

LA Downs was my favorite track until Lone Star opened. Me and my father would catch the bus ride to LA Downs a dozen times during that meet. I learned to handicap playing the old LA Downs. After going to LA Downs, a few years ago, the new racino LA Downs. Great new digs, great restaurants, but the quality of racing, meh. It seemed to me, that horses was a good excuse to build a kick ass casino. I got the same vibe from Remington Park, at least at Remington that was more people interested in the horses than one armed bandits.

I have always been afraid, even when Magna owned LSP, that if Texas ever passed slots that we wouldn't see the improvement racing there, just the same lower level claiming horses running for bigger purses, which is norm for most of these Racinos. Oaklawn & Evangeline being the exceptions.

Texas Racing Commission - under Bush & Perry, the Commission has too many Commissioners from Central Texas. The Commission should have never let Out of State Ownership happen. They should have never allowed the original sell to Magna, even before these guys.
Local Magna Management were competent people, they actually cared about the racing here, one them actually has a high position with Churchill Downs now.
I ran a Horse Racing Blog (2004-2009) , I had series of posts, what we need to improve the racing @ LSP and Texas in general. Two of my suggestions were starting the meet earlier so the LS Derby could be a Triple Crown Prep, that the date between KY Derby and Preakness made no sense and running horses here in July, also made no sense, for horses and the attendance. Also they need to move the QH meet and run split thoroughbred meet, similar to Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.

My proposal, Lone Star running 1st weekend March to the Sunday after Belmont Stakes and 1st Weekend in Sept to the Sunday after the Breeders Cup.

The executives at LSP read my series of posts, next time I was at the track, their PR guy approached me, told me that the track president/gm wanted to talk to me. His name escapes me now, his last name started with an S, he told me a lot of my assessments and suggestions were dead on, that he had been trying to move up the start of the meet since he got there, but kept being denied because of Sam Houston. He agreed that LS Derby needed to moved up. He liked my idea of the split meet, but the Commission and the TQHA folks wouldn't go for it.
When I asked him why would the Commission favor their Tier II track over their Tier I track? All he would say is look at the make up of the Commission. At that time, the Commission had one Equine Vet from North Texas (Prosper) and super majority from Central Texas, several from Houston itself.

With the current ownership, slots wouldn't help that track, when their 1st move was to get rid of LS Million Day and LS Million Preview Day [2nd & 3rd biggest attended and wagered days of the meet] and most of those Stakes races and add more concerts. I complained so much about this on Facebook and Twitter that they blocked me.

[hogoffate]

I also live in the Dallas area and the racing product is pretty disappointing.
It starts at the top, the Texas Legislature and Texas Racing Commission.
Being unable to wager on horses online is leaving a lot of money on the table so to speak.
The facility itself is nice and the race book is nice also.
I won't bet live racing there, I mainly go to the race book and play Oaklawn, Belmont, and Saratoga.

I wish it could get fixed concerning online wagering.

[Procefus]

Race Bar and Book is Quite nice considering their overall level of racing in the State, but a little uncomfortable on the Big Race Days

Surrounding States have Racing programs semi-supported by Casino $$; the poor program in the middle begins to suffocate.

Fairways & Greens,

[sprestridge]

Lone Star Park is my home track and I love it, but you guys are dead on. There are only about 3 races per card that are worth betting. When I go for the live racing, I enjoy the band between races and have a few beers. But for serious wagering, I stick to simulcast races in the Bar n Book.

[kpmats10]

I'm new to Texas. I'm closer to Sam Houston and Retama, actually live right between the two in the country. Next year, I'd like to see Lone Star and I might start tracking it.