Comments

1
I'm conflicted: I'm staunchly in favor of drinking and gambling, but I'm kinda opposed to the idea of risking a dozen animals' health/lives for two minutes of entertainment.

Fun fact: I won $28 on the first bet I ever made at a racetrack. I was 12.
2
Horse racing is the sport of kings; it's also the sport of dumb people.

If they were serious about attracting a new generation of fans, Portland Meadows could have used that money to convince racing fans that their horses are being treated well, or at least better than at most tracks. As the NYT showed, PM has a frequency of horse breakdowns above the national average.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/24/us/…

I certainly won't support an industry that treats its animals so poorly and no amount of flash mobs, live music, or barbeques can change that fact.

3
Yeah, I don't think so. My love of animals totally trumps my love of Willy Vlautin.
4
If PM stopped racing horses I might show up. If they start racing willing hipsters & vegans I'll be there for sure.
5
@helevent, did you read Lean on Pete? Vlautin's depiction of horse racing (the way the horses AND the jockeys are treated) is really grim.

And yeah, if horse racing makes an ironic comeback, everything is way, way worse than I thought.
6
Animal cruelty AND no mass transit or safe bike lanes to PM? bye bye!
7
I am surprised at the blatent lack of support for a local program and company. Every sport, horseracing or not, carries with it inherent risks, which include injuries, and albeit, not often, death. I think people have this Disney fantasy idea that these horses are somehow picked from their free frolicing lives living quietly in the mountain ranges, only to be saddled, thrown in a track and expected to win races.

When in fact that couldn't be further from the truth. These horses are athletes, born and bred to race. The odds of overwhelmingly in the horses favor that, being bred for the sport they enjoy the competion, just as much as the person betting on the horse does.

Get out there and support your local business, enjoy some sunshine while you're at it, too!
8
@Alison That book is my emotional sinkhole. I recommend it to every body!
9
@ river, you could just as easily replace "horses" with "dogs" and "races" with "fights" and the logic of your post would not be disturbed.

If it needs saying, the difference between horse racing or dog fighting and human sports is that humans can freely choose to run the risks of competition.
10
#4 for idea of the year!
11
I'm not the demographic that the advertising is aiming at, actually have been playing the ponies a little for over 50 years. I do applaud those commenting here who show concern for the horses. Especially the comment about how the track owners could have spent their advertising dollar better "to convince racing fans that their horses are being treated well". Herein lies the crux of the problem with horse racing. Generally I believe racehorses have a great life from being treated royally by their grooms to the best oats and feed, and surely an animal that is bred to run must like racing. The bond between horses and grooms and exercise riders is by all means real. The problem lies with the owners, trainers and the track management. Many of us racegoers are not convinced that there isn't a massive drug problem in horse racing. The US Congress is even getting involved to see if they can get to the bottom of that question. There really isn't anything like the thrill of handicapping and picking a winner. The races are exceptional to watch. The paddock area at Portland Meadows is kind of one of the best as you can get so close to these majestic animals. However the last few years I have withheld almost all of my betting dollars. I make a few $2 bets now and then, usually just handicap and watch. Because until I am convinced the game isn't putting the horses and jocks at risk due to drugging, I refuse to spend real money.
12
New Portland at its absolute worst. I hope everything about this goes down in flames. Except the horses. I hope they escape and get revenge.

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