This is our second issue. Our mission, as stated in the inaugural piece, will be to observe thoroughbred racing at the Midwest tracks, beginning at those venues within reasonable traveling distance of our home base in Southern Illinois. While we have attended races at Fairmount Park in Collinsville, Illinois as well as at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, new job opportunities and family pressures have prevented us from making our way to Arlington Park near Chicago or Fairgrounds in the Big Easy. When opportunity arises, we will also attend events at Hoosier Downs in Indiana as well as observe racing at Hawthorne near Chicago.
Of course, Between The Rivers has a basic task of observing horse racing at the smaller tracks, this writer has a larger mission. This newsletter will make an effort to look behind the scenes of
Between The Rivers would probably enjoy an interview with Todd Pletcher, D. Wayne Lucas or other horse-training corporations.Though we are small-town boys, we believe we would be up to the task. But we probably won't expend a lot of time and effort covering the world of major stakes races, with some exceptions.
On the contrary, this newsletter will be directed toward the $2 and $10 bettors, toward trainers of $4,000 claimers, toward the local racing crowd that includes track employees, stall muckers and riders who drive to work in a $3,000 car.
thoroughbred racing, especially in the Midwest. One of the key concerns in recent months has been the decline in the number of races at small, local tracks such as Fairmount Park. In addition, there is discussion among racing aficionados about the continuing injuries to these well-bred animals we wager on.
With that in mind, Between The Rivers will look closely at horse health and medicine. It is our plan to consult and interview equine veterinarians about this, as well as quote experts and scientific studies that impact the area of concern.
The newsletter is also quite interested in the social network created by jockeys, grooms, stable workers, exercise riders etc. While we feel that most of the major issues of horse racing are adequately covered by long-established publications, there are gaps in this coverage, as long-standing magazines avoid health/science issues and look away from the growing number of immigrant riders and workers.
While it would be tempting to set our sites on major tracks and those diamond-studded venues in New York, Kentucky and California, Between The Rivers believes that thoroughbred racing at smaller venues is a huge business to those involved. While there may be no doubt about the size of the economy surrounding this segment of horse racing, there is some doubt about how media covers it and whether it is truly understood.