Opening day at Gulfstream Park Dec. 2 had a fast start—as did every other race on the card—as the South Florida track started its races close to the listed post times on the program or as updated throughout the day.
This is news because in recent years, Gulfstream routinely started its races five or more minutes after the post time listed in the program, or, more importantly, several minutes after the adjusted post time presented on the tote board or simulcast signal. As the "minutes to post" reached zero, horses were still warming up or just walking onto the track.
Handicappers knew that "zero minutes to post" meant they still had several minutes to make their picks, although it was unclear exactly when the off time would occur.
Knowing the change for this year's meet could potentially cross up horseplayers, Gulfstream racing analyst and simulcast host Jason Blewitt sent a Tweet on Wednesday morning advising handicappers of the change.
"Bright and clear at 9:30 a.m. on this opening day at Gulfstream Park," Blewitt tweeted. "We run 10 today and post time is a 'firm' 12:35 p.m. ET. Couldn't be any nicer nor the grounds more pristine. Want to thank everyone again for supporting this circuit year-round."
Mike Lakow, the vice president of racing operations for Gulfstream Park, said the plan is to have horses entering the gate at post time throughout the meet, although he did note that for large Pick 6 pools or other large carryover pools, the track may allow bettors some extra time by delaying a bit, which is standard practice at many tracks.
Lakow said the decision to end the post time lag came from Aidan Butler, the COO of 1/ST Racing and president of 1/ST Content. Lakow said the change seemed to be well received by players based on initial feedback. Gulfstream did not release a total handle figure on the Equibase charts for its Wednesday card.
The lag time at Gulfstream was hampering industry efforts to stagger start times of tracks to avoid overlap and allow simulcast players to wager on multiple signals. Gulfstream's post time drag often made that goal difficult as other tracks had a hard time guessing when races would start at the South Florida track.
The lag time also allowed the Gulfstream signal to be prominently placed at the top of many advance-deposit wagering platforms that typically list upcoming races by off time. Since Gulfstream would be at "zero minutes to post" for a longer time than any other track, the signal would stay in that prominent position on ADWs for a longer time than other tracks that begin loading horses at "zero minutes to post."
"This is an incredibly welcome adjustment for horseplayers, and not just those of Gulfstream but of all tracks who have been negatively impacted by these delays for years," said Pat Cummings, the executive director of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation, which has pushed for changes in racing's business model. "Racing is best positioned for success when it seeks, collectively, to adopt policies which grow wagering for all."
On Wednesday, Gulfstream started its races, on average, three minutes after the post time listed in the program. More importantly, as adjustments were made during the day, post times were accurately updated in the simulcast signal and on the tote board to the new time. It's routine for tracks to adjust their start times for races during the day as delays occur or as a way to keep signals off the top of one another.
In general, when the countdown reached zero minutes to post Wednesday at Gulfstream, horses were entering the gate.
As the track works to educate players of the change, Blewitt sent several more tweets reminding players that races would be starting promptly relative to the post time listed on the tote board or on the simulcast, as he did again ahead of the Dec. 4 card.
Day 2 @GulfstreamPark. No brainer: 🌴🌴🌴🌴🌴 of 5 in the weather. Ten races. Program starts at 12:35 ET - sharp!!!! ⏱😎 pic.twitter.com/rQ9UI6DKeD
— Jason Blewitt (@jasonblewitt30) December 3, 2020
Noting the importance of coordinating daily race schedules to optimize the simulcast experience and opportunities to wager, The Jockey Club applauded Gulfstream Park's decision, noting in a statement that "not only does post time drag frustrate bettors, but it also has a negative impact on handle."
The Jockey Club noted that at its 2017 Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing, Ben Vonwiller of McKinsey & Company spoke on the importance of race scheduling among racetracks to maximize total handle. According to McKinsey's models, a more synchronized race schedule could lead to an annual handle increase of $400 million across the United States.
In response to these findings, Equibase established a scheduling office to assist tracks in communicating to each other about their post times to minimize overlap. Through a scheduling hub, tracks submit their proposed off times, and Equibase suggests changes based on a tool developed by McKinsey & Company. On race day, any changes to post times can be communicated to other tracks. The Jockey Club encourages racetracks to participate in this service for the benefit of the horseplayer and the racing industry.
