Scanning the Daily Racing Form, Leann Berning scribbled notes, handicapping the day’s thoroughbred races before an array of televisions at the Santa Maria Fairpark’s Horseman’s Club.
A professor at Cal Poly in SLO, Berning takes a scientific approach to predicting race results, based on jockey reputation, speed ratings, and running styles.
“I’ve always enjoyed numbers, and this is a lot of numbers,” Berning said. “After I’ve done the cerebral stuff, I watch the way the money moves. When I see those patterns emerge, I couple them with the facts. Sometimes it doesn’t make any sense at all, what you see
on the board.”
She put her theory into practice for a race simulcast from the Fairplex in Pomona, picking horses 3 and 6, but not putting any money down. After starting slow out of the gate, the horses pulled away from the competition on the straightaway and, sure enough, finished first and second.
The result would’ve made a healthy return as an exacta bet, but to Berning, it’s not all about the money. She’s won her fair share to be sure, but the social aspect of the club is just as important.
“It’s a pleasant diversion for me,” Berning said. “There are people who get over the edge with it, but if you keep it recreational, it’s a lot of fun.”
Berning has been a regular at the Horseman’s Club for 20 years. One of 32 wagering facilities in the state, the club opened at the Fairpark in 1987 and caters to clientele from all over Central California. The facility televises races Wednesdays through Sundays on its 83 screens, taking bets at teller windows and computerized self-service machines.
For a small admission fee, patrons come to enjoy the experience of being at the track and the sense of connection with other knowledgeable racing fans. The club’s clientele is diverse, ranging from retirees to day laborers, Lotto winners, and horse
owners.
Staffing the club’s video controls is Bob Willoughby, the Fairpark’s satellite supervisor. For his patrons, the thrill the sport provides is unmatched.
“When they pick that winning horse, it’s just incredible,” Willoughby said. “They jump up and down, they scream and yell. When they lose, it’s the lows, but when they win, there’s no other feeling they can get like that.”
Horseman’s Parimutuel Manager John Tintle has worked at the club almost from the beginning. He said he values the club’s clients like family.
“We look out for them,” Tintle said. “Sometimes they get excited over the course of playing the races and forget that they left a balance in the machine or they’ve lost a ticket. We feel it’s our responsibility to be customer-friendly and look out for them and [make sure] they have an enjoyable experience and don’t cause them to lose money unnecessarily.”
As part of his job, Tintle handles the revenue for the racetracks. The money taken in by the club goes into a pool where it’s split up among the racetracks, wagering facilities, gamblers, and jockeys. All of the profits made from the facility’s cut go to the Fairpark, and the state grants money for equipment and remodeling.
The club has managed to turn a profit every year, but Willoughby said this year might be the worst yet. Like all of the wagering facilities across Southern California, the closure of San Mateo’s Bay Meadows Racetrack in 2008 and bankruptcies at Santa Anita Park and other tracks have hit business hard.
Online gambling has posed another ominous threat. Revenue at Horseman’s has declined about 23 percent since the arrival of Advanced Deposit Wagering, which allows betting from home. The club still receives a commission from online wagers—determined by area code—but loses out on revenue that would have been made from selling programs and concessions.
“Ten years ago, [wagering] was very lucrative for the Fairpark. Now it’s a marginal profit,” said Fairpark CEO Dennis Pearson. “With the ADW, people get up in the morning in their slippers and bathrobe with a cup of coffee and bet on television or online, so that’s affected the number of people coming in.”
The downturn in the economy hasn’t helped either. Horse racing isn’t a profitable business to begin with, and wealthy horse owners have found other ways to spend their leisure money. Besides that, gamblers aren’t playing as much, Willoughby said.
The state’s furlough program has taken a toll as well. Fairpark workers, like all state employees, have been forced to take three days off per month, and the club has had to hire workers to replace them to stay open.
To help offset the losses, state facility operators are negotiating to increase their take from window bets—known as “the handle”—from 2 percent to 3 percent.
“If we could get that done, that would save satellites and horse racing across the state,” Willoughby said. “When the satellites begin to decline, it’s going to hurt horse racing more than anyone can even imagine.”
The latest satellite threatened with closure is Earl’s Place at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, which opened the same year as Horseman’s. After years in the red, the Showgrounds’ board members voted to close the facility in August. A decision reached at a subsequent meeting on Sept. 17 will allow the park to stay open until Oct. 15. In the meantime, the facility’s customers will seek alternative ways to keep the club in business.
If Earl’s Place does close, the Fairpark would likely see patrons from Santa Ynez, Solvang, and other areas north of Santa Barbara—an estimated one-third to one-half of the Showgrounds’ current clientele. Willoughby said that could mean an extra $60,000 to $100,000 profit for the Fairpark each year. Even so, he hopes the closure doesn’t happen.
“We’re all in this together,” Willoughby said. “I don’t want to see them fall. I don’t want to see the domino effect on the sport.”
With races set to start up again at Santa Anita, and possibly at Hollywood Park, Willoughby said he’s not worried about the future of the club or the sport.
“I think horse racing is on the right track again, and I think we’re going to have a lot of positive things happen next year,” Willoughby said. “I think we’re going to be right back in the money again and everybody’s going to be good to go.”
The club’s longtime clients are betting the odds are in their favor.
“I’d sure like them to stay open,” Berning said. “I love the environment here. They take good care of me. It would be a shame if they went away.” m
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas is a mudder. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 24 – Oct 1, 2009.