Breeders Cup charging $50 to park on Friday and $75 on Saturday

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

I discovered this during my ticket buying process.

It takes a pretty high price point for me to say something's ridiculous, and horse racing needs the money. But still, those are preposterously high parking fees- far higher than previous BC's at Santa Anita.

Surely this doesn't bother you. The BC is not an event for the hoi polloi.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Tom

Whales Only parking.

The game is no longer interested in the average players.
If it ever was.

The Friday is nothing but added garbage filler,
The Cup has jumped the shark.

$1000 for the good seats, $75 parking and you get a concert, and people wear really cool hats, and they paint your house.

[Inner Dirt]

I have been to the Derby, but never to a Breeder's Cup. If it is in SoCal is it becoming a place to be seen and not for the real fans of the game? As an example of a place to be seen we are talking like close to the court at a Laker game. You see a lot of people on cell phones paying no attention to the action.

[The_Turf_Monster]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

And these are the guys who insisted Baltimore had to keep the Preakness?

Crazy, right? I can't believe that we should equate an unnused transit system to keeping a revenue generator

[cj]

Originally Posted by The_Turf_Monster

I assume that the MTA will be running that weekend, but its reliability has been bad. They didn't have enough bus drivers, so some of the lines shut down for weeks at a time. The two rail lines average something abysmal like <2,500 paid riders per day and shut down on the weekends without anybody noticing.

There are basically a few City Council members that get anything done, and their constituents have no use for the MTA outside of MARC trains to DC.

Sounds like a lot of the reasons I vowed never to return, to live there that is. Visiting is fine.

[elhelmete]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

I have been to the Derby, but never to a Breeder's Cup. If it is in SoCal is it becoming a place to be seen and not for the real fans of the game? As an example of a place to be seen we are talking like close to the court at a Laker game. You see a lot of people on cell phones paying no attention to the action.

I went twice at Santa Anita, 2009 and 2012.

Plenty of ultra-fans. Mostly not what you described, certainly no more than Derby.

The biggest difference was the way 2012 was ticketed and how the facility was arranged was way different than in 2009 and not for the better. 2012 felt like a bald-faced money suck.

[Aner]

Prices like that make me even more grateful for free computer betting while sitting in my easy chair at home.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by The_Turf_Monster

Crazy, right? I can't believe that we should equate an unnused transit system to keeping a revenue generator

That transit system, among other things, allows people to travel to the alleged revenue generator. (BTW, economists say that sports events, especially one-offs like the Preakness, are big time money LOSERS for local communities.)

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by Inner Dirt

I have been to the Derby, but never to a Breeder's Cup. If it is in SoCal is it becoming a place to be seen and not for the real fans of the game? As an example of a place to be seen we are talking like close to the court at a Laker game. You see a lot of people on cell phones paying no attention to the action.

Celebrities do show up at the Breeders' Cup (I waited with Jewel at the valet stand at Del Mar once!) but not nearly in the numbers that ordinary race cards at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park drew back in the day. Even in my lifetime, the local tracks were filled with entertainment figures on the big days, and if you go back to the 1930's and 1940's all of Hollywood hung out in the turf clubs of the local tracks.

[46zilzal]

I have a ticket stub here from Hollywood 1984 with the price $15.00 printed upon its surface...GREAT Classic race too.

Last time we were at the Belmont (Pharaoh) parking was $50.00

[The_Turf_Monster]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

(BTW, economists say that sports events, especially one-offs like the Preakness, are big time money LOSERS for local communities.)

You might want to fact check that, or at least acknowledge the caveats and stipulations needed to arrive at that conclusion.

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by The_Turf_Monster

Preakness parking is $80 for the weekend, I rationalized it by it being much cheaper for 4 rides than uber/lyft would be

Does that mean you can stay overnight the first night?

If so rent an Rvr and park it

I used to attend nascar races in an Rv and after the race eat and sleep. Get up about 10p Sunday night after the crowds let out. Then drive home.

[Andy Asaro]

Definitely a money grab. People will pay


On another note IMO I like less people at big events. Been to two Breeders' Cups. At Santa Anita we had a table in a section that really didn't have anyone milling around and when you went to bet the lines were minimal. We were unable to watch the races live but these days I'd rather watch on TV monitor so that didn't bother me at all

At Del Mar we had a great table where you could watch the races live in the turf club. However the isles at Del Mar are way too narrow and when you got up to walk around or bet you constantly had to bump into people. I hate that.

Anyway, I will likely go to Del Mar this year but hope our seats are in a less travelled spot.

And yes, the prices for the tables are crazy expensive

Good luck

[classhandicapper]

Tracks either don't understand or have a reason I don't understand that high parking and food prices turn more people off more than mildly higher prices for the event/seating itself.

[SBD400]

Sports teams know their customers are addicted to sports, so they will charge absolute top $ knowing their customers will pay it. Same concept here, top event, people will just pay it.


I used to be a huge sports fan back in the day, other than tennis and horse racing, I haven't watched a professional sporting event in about 7 years. The price of tickets, etc skyrocketed over the years and honestly I don't miss it at all.