Saturday’s HBPA meeting seemed to be focused on one thing and one thing only. Are we going to finish our 44 days?
Not much other focus unfortunately. Yes the money horsemen paid to Pinnacle to fund this meet was discussed to some length. And what was what the horizon with an Indian group was discussed. And allot of boo hooing was going on to the tune of Pinnacle is to broke to advertise, promote or willingness to even give thought to what may bring people into the business they built. Yes people, Pinnacle Race Course is a business and I know one thing when a business has no customers, clientele, patrons, and what ever other word you want to put to it. YOU DON’T HAVE A BUSINESS. Thus my first question was aimed at this point. Why is there never any promotion of Pinnacle. Lisa Campbell didn’t have to answer, because trainer James Jackson who loves to hear the sound of his own voice shouted, ARE WE HERE TO TALK ABOUT HORSEMEN’S BUSINESS OR LET ANYBODY COME HERE AND RAISE HELL! OK, Lisa was off the hook. And the question raised wasn’t meant as any disrespect to the Campbell’s. It was a question with honesty.
As for Mr. Jackson this anybody started at DRC in 1976 at age 19. And discussing whether our business is getting PROMOTED is talking HORSEMEN’S BUSINESS since it is the Horsemen that are funding this meet because Pinnacle is crying BROKE.
So if all those who attended wanted to only know are we going to finish 44 day meet or closing in July. We are in a more dire state of affairs than anticipated. Because if these same people don’t realize that people in the facility betting on these races isn’t important you might as well pack it all up and quit now. Yes we heard how broke Pinnacle is. But Pinnacles management DOES NOT EXIST.
Everything costs money. Yes we know. But some of the things may be a very well investment. Bringing up State Keno got a response well if you can find a spot for it. Northville’s machine sits behind their second floor customer service window. It’s ONE MACHINE. I think our counter as you walk through the front door of Pinnacle can accomodate one machine. You have Mutuals on week days twiddling their thumbs because of lack of bettors. One can handle that job with ease. Will it draw thousands of people to Pinnacle because they now have it? NO But considering the other two local harness tracks have them and for those who do like to play it, it would be a nice feature to have as well for the patrons.
Simulcasting signals cost money. WELL THEY GENERATE ALLOT MORE THAN THEY COST. It brings people into the building. One owner stated the reason people rather go to the other two tracks is not because Pinnacle does not run the tracks the Harness Tracks offer. But people find it hard to go to Pinnacle Road wise. Really? ASK THOSE THAT GO TO PINNACLE ON LIVE RACE DAYS BUT ELSEWHERE ON NON LIVE DAYS.
It’s not the ROADS keeping people from Pinnacle. It is the fact that the other two Harness Tracks have more signals and tracks to bet on. Simply the Truth.
All I heard since Winter is people saying what is Pinnacle’s problem? No signals to bet on. Northville has them, Hazel Park has them. WHY NOT PINNACLE? Good question, and I tried to gain an answer. But same response was spoke TOO BROKE TO BUY THEM. One consensus was well when people bet on Thoroughbreds at the other two tracks we still benefit.
DO WE?
And too broke to fund anything Pinnacle in that process loses business in Food Sales & Alcohol sales. Business and money that Pinnacle desperately needs. How much would it of cost to have Promoted a Rachel Alexander/ Zenyatta weekend as took place a few weeks ago. Millions? I think not. Nothing has been promoted at Pinnacle not even OPENING DAY of the Live meet. Northville has Texas Hold ‘Em party’s. Does Pinnacle not think Northville doesn’t gain anything from these proceeds. Yes we have no room. Well we do have a Giant Tent. How much to add full flaps to it in case of weather elements? Or in fact how about a BAND?
There was a Blues Bar in Dearborn called Tenny Road House that would host Monday Night OPEN Mic Night. These musicians would gather there every single Monday Evening. These were not main acts as in other nights at Tenny’s. But let me tell you something these musicians were damn good. And all it cost Tenny Road House was the juice to plug in the amps. They made their money off of Alcohol sales. At one time 12 oz $1 drafts as specials. No doubt now $2 or $3 drafts not out of the question. Again it cost that bar nothing to have this open mic night. Musicians were just happy to have a venue in which to jam. Some of these individuals did make it into the big time. Some of the best Blues I heard was on that open mic night at Tenny’s. There are Idea’s and money to be made but you have to have a big enough vision at present, instead of waiting of what or what may not happen in the future. As of this moment RIGHT NOW IS IMPERATIVE. So back to the question big mouth said was raising hell. No my friend it was called TRYING TO RAISE MONEY for a business crying too broke for this and too broke for that.
That’s fine and Dandy that Pinnacle’s President is spending allot of time and effort and MONEY BREEDING 26 mares. But at Present trying to promote the track you built that’s just sitting there without patrons on most nights. Because there is nothing to come there for. OK, we don’t have Grand Stand, OK, we don’t have a big main building. But we do have a very large tent. And many many activities could take place if enough thought and vision went into it. St. Raphael’s in Garden City has a Sept. weekend event every single year. There main tent no bigger than ours. Our Detroit’s own Reflections has performed there every year for the last 28 years under that tent. Rain or Shine, Hot or Cold. It has flaps that roll down in case it rains. I’m trying to explain that Tenny Road House got one hell of allot of people there on Monday nights. Through radio stations that thrive on Blues.
FM 89.3 – WHFR http://whfr.fm/
WEMU 89.1 :: Public Radio from Eastern Michigan University
http://www.wemu.org/
WDET 101.9FM http://www.wdetfm.org/
I believe any of these University stations would announce a function such as this for FREE. Especially WHFR, who was Tenny’s Road House biggest sponsor. And bringing people in the doors by any means generates more money through better business practices. There is money to be made if Pinnacle just opens the eyes and ears to viable suggestions. I’m still trying to figure out why a trainer would get so angry over a simple question of why no promotion? But I’ll tell my fellow horsemen one thing, if that’s all your concerned about if you survive another mediocre 44 day meet and nothing else. You will be the death to you. Pinnacle has been MISMANAGED from the start. And I for one am sick and tired of the excuse of we are too broke for ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. You promoted a Fathers Day Steak Dinner on the website then RAN OUT OF STEAKS.
MIS-MANAGEMENT.
Saturday June 18, you ran out of Propane to run your charcoal grill on Pavilion tent.
MIS-MANAGEMENT.
Many Idea’s that could be making money for Pinnacle are being lost. We are fighting a State that loves our 3.5% Simulcast Tax money, yet are doing their damndest to KILL HORSE RACING that generates that TAX. Pinnacle is crying broke but so busy breeding more horses, there isn’t one single moment left to think how to improve your own business. And this is all INSANITY if you ask me. Content to let patrons go out to Harness tracks to bet on Thoroughbreds is absurd. Because when those that go there, Eat there & Drink there. It generates money for that facility. And instead of listening to WCSX promote the bands that are playing there on the weekends, when Pinnacle could host a FREE OF CHARGE ( as in you don’t have to pay the players ) Open Blues Jam Mic night also getting us on the airwaves through the stations I’ve already mentioned. We also might get some people interested in our Sport who maybe have never been to a Horse Racing Track or seen a Thoroughbred Race in their life. Instead of just Monday’s it could be both the live racing days evenings as well.
The more people, the better the business thrives. If bringing up the one simple question of promotion got a man yelling, because he just wanted to talk HORSEMEN. Then you really are in the wrong business. Because without actual live bodies who come to Pinnacle to bet on these races, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS. And the talk after the meeting by many who know Pinnacle hasn’t done one single thing to promote their own business does no good. So to trainer James Jackson, YOU SHUT UP. Because you are not the King of Michigan Thoroughbred Racing that you seem to think you are.
And Lisa Campbell does have a mouth of her own in which to speak. This anybody didn’t have another persons bucks backing me throughout my career, if you ask me the Title of Groom outweighs the title of Trainer. They just happen to get all the glory when the horse wins. We really know who does all the work. And Pinnacle’s President did plenty of this her own self. And nobody was questioning how hard she still works. She’s earned her keep as all of us have. What I’ve done I’ve done on my own. And I am a Horsemen. There wasn’t somebody else’s big money diapering me as in James Jackson. I was out of them as a child. So next time let us stick to STRICTLY BUSINESS instead of wanting to be the one who can yell the loudest in the room. Legitimate questions deserve legitimate answers. And it seems to me that Pinnacle Race Course has much more problems than what the State has done to us. Pinnacle needs to get there act together NOW. As a Business owner you do what you can do at present. And sitting there hoping somebody else yells to quite any answer is unprofessional. Crying broke when some things can be done at no or very little cost that can actually be beneficial to you, but you close your eyes and ears to it. IS INEXCUSABLE.
Enough with I’m too busy breeding. Breeding for what? Your Track has no Patrons. And you had better start thinking how to get some through the door. Or your breeding will have been for nothing. Other two tracks are as broke as you, but they’ve thought of ways to still get people into the doors. Pinnacle on the other hand would rather run and hide and play the broke song and dance number beyond it’s max. We know you are broke, HBPA is funding the meet. We were grateful that Pinnacle was built, we know the bank welshed. But look beyond your nose. There are still events that could take place to generate money. Running from that only kills your business further. To me nothing much was gained from this HBPA meeting. BUT WE ARE GOING TO GET IN OUR 44 DAYS. If this is your only satisfaction, I’m sorry for you. I think we’re better and can do better than that.
The bouncer did more harm than good. Too bad he’s too ignorant to have seen it. Hushing things hurts our Industry and Business. This meeting should of been ways to enhance it. And seems to me that’s the kind of HELL that needed to be raised. Only Hell to some, actually means IDEA’S to others. To bad the Silence created from one individual did in fact speak blasting volumes from the group as a whole who were now too scared to speak up. Enjoy the rest of your meet, with less and less patrons supporting you.
BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUR MEET WHETHER YOU REALIZE IT OR NOT.
And Michigan Millions of Dollars Throw Away. Horse Racing. is still the featured Blog under the Tag of Governor Granholm, bringing much needed light to our subject matter and plea for fairness from our State for Horse Racing.
Who or What has James Jackson Enlightened? Silence gets us nowhere, which is where we’re already at.
Get some sense.
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