Mark Davis came into class to talk to us about the horse racing industry in Delaware. I found this lecture to be very interesting and I learned a lot of new things that I had previously not known about horse racing. I had never realized that horse racing has been around for so many years and that I was one of the first sports ever. I also found it interesting that this industry has a $102 billion impact on the US economy. Mark explained that there are over 775 thoroughbred house in Delaware, which I found interesting. He also explained all of the different regulations that go with each type of horse racing because each type of racing has slightly different set of rules and regulations. I never knew how many regulations actually went into horse racing though. There are surprisingly a lot of rules put into place for horse racing to make sure no-one is cheating as well as to make the wellbeing of the horse is always taken into consideration. Mark Davis also talked about how big of an industry horse racing is for Delaware and how that there is almost $182 million contributed to the Delaware economy annually.
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Guest Lecture: The horse Racing Industry in DE
Mr. Mark Davis came to our Agriculture class lecturing us about the Horse industry in Delaware. He is the Delaware’s Executive director of Harness Racing Commission. The horse racing in one of the oldest of all sports. It began in 12th century, invent by British, then introduce to America in 1665 in Long Island. There are 9.2 million horses in the United States. The horse industry has massive and direct economic impact on the U.S. economy. It creates $39 billion annually. Tremendous people in U.S. own horses and love horse racing. Compared to Harness racing and Standardbred racing, Thoroughbred racing has less race game per year but produce more money to the industry. A big industry always supports a lot of job opportunities. In 2014, the horse racing industry created 1500 jobs. In Delaware, there are about 100 farms housing 775 thoroughbreds and 300 farms housing 3000 standardbreds, 1000 of them are one-year-old racing horse and breeding stock. And the annual thoroughbred cost is also high than the standardbred.
The Horse Racing Industry in Delaware
I have only briefly been exposed to the horse racing industry when I went to one race as a little kid. I’ve never thought that the industry could have such a huge impact annual impact on the U.S. economy ($102 Billion). I think that it was smart of Delaware to revitalize the horse racing industry by passing the Delaware Horse Racing Redevelopment Act, which authorized slot machines at some horse racing facilities. Something that stuck out from his lecture was that not everyone who owns horses is very wealthy. In reality, approximately 34% of horse owners have a household income of less than $50,000. I definitely was part of the population who thought only wealth people had horses because of all the costs associated with owning one, such as feed, any needed medicine, immunizations, and so on. This industry so important as it not only contributes to the Delaware economy, but it also supported 1,540 jobs in Delaware in the year 2014.
Horse Racing Industry
On October 24th, we had guest speaker Mark Davis give us a lecture on the horse racing industry in Delaware.
The modern horse racing began in the 12th century when English knights returned from the Crusades with swift Arabian horses. It was not until the mid-1600’s when British settlers brought horse racing to the new world, with the first track made in Long Island. American horse breeders and racers established the Jockey Club, that still defines standards and regulations for racing, racecourses, and breeding. Harness racing is a prevalent part of the Delaware horse industry. In 1940, the opening of the Roosevelt Raceway set the stage for the current era of harness racing, which took off after WWII. In 1945, the Delaware Harness racing Commission was established. Delaware has two tracks used annually, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway. Over time, the popularity of harness and thoroughbred races went down. The decrease in public interest and aim to regain the interest of the industry the Delaware government passed a law allowing casinos to be established in the state. Casinos could only be established alongside a racetrack. With the law in place, the industry has been able to gain a steady income. Annually, the DE Harness Racing Commission issues 2,000 licenses to owners, trainers, drivers, groomers, vendors, and track employees. In 2014, the horse racing industry total contribution to Delaware economy was nearly $182 million dollars and 1500 jobs. Currently, in the U.S. there are 9.2 million horses which are used for show, racing, recreation, employees, and volunteers. The horse industry has a direct economic effect on the U.S. of $39 billion dollars annually.
Horse racing industry
Horse racing is one of the oldest of all sports that have taken place in the United States but there are even fewer that basically have had no change over the years they have been around. On October 24 Mark Davis came into our Agri130 class and gave us a lecture on horse racing in Delaware with some history behind it. The thing that really surprised me was that the First harness race at Dover Downs in 1969 and I wouldn’t have even thought that they have had race there because I only known of the race track at Harrington. But that where I have watched all the races that I can remember. An how much income the state brings in from the horse race each year even though that the industry is slowly falling.
The Horse Racing Industry of Delaware
On Wednesday October 24 2018, The AGRI130 class had guest speaker Mark Davis come in and speak to the class about horse racing and the industry within Delaware. Mark began by talking about the history of horse racing. According to mark horse racing is one of the oldest sport, however modern horse racing did not begin until the 12th century when the english knights brought back fast Arabian horses from the crusades that were taking place around that time. In the late 17th century and early 18th century the first race track in the United States was established on Long Island, New York. He went on to explain that today there are roughly 9 million horses in the U.S. with 2 million people owning horses. He also brought up how much money the horse industry brings in to the economy. He said this industry brings in $39 billion every year. I was amazed at how much money was incorporated in this industry. Before this guest lecture I had very little knowledge on this subject. However, now I know so many interesting things about the amazing horse racing industry in Delaware.
The Race Horse Industry with Mark Davis
Listening to Mark Davis talk about horse racing really hit home for me. I have grown up around horse racing and have loved it each and every time I go to the track to watch a race. One thing I did not know about the horse racing industry is that it is on the decline. Not only are less people getting into the racing community, but people seem to be less interested in it. As of 1989, horse racing was the second most widely sports attended event right behind baseball. At one point in time the economic effort of horse racing was a 39 billion dollar industry. This effects each and every part of the industry, from purses to amount of horses actively racing. In the recent years, all of these statistics have been decreasing. Mark began telling us about some statistics done in 2004, and at that time there were 9.2 million horses in the United States alone, and over 2 million people owned horses. One stigma in the US is that only people of wealth have horses but according to this 2004 data, 75% of horse owners make 25,000 to 75,000 dollars annually. Now that less people are entertained by the idea of the horse racing industry effects not only the drivers, owners, and horses but the economic activity in Delaware as well. In the near years a big hope according to Mark, is to not only slow the decline but to hopefully turn it around and increase all things in the economic activity and all that are involved in the horse race industry.
Mark Davis Horse Racing Industry Lecture
Mark Davis was very passionate about the horse racing industry. It was really interesting to hear him talk about how important the industry is. I, personally, am not a big fan of horses (for some reason hey scare the bejesus out of me) so to hear that the industry in 2014 totaled $182 million to Delaware’s economy along with providing 1500 jobs was just amazing to me. I never realized how many people went to horse races, bet on them, raised horses, trained them, and rode them. It all started back in the era of the Crusades when they brought back Arabian Stallions which were built unlike any other horse we had known up until that time. By 1530 we had had our first horse race in England. Today, horse racing is a big part of Delaware but sadly it is decreasing around the rest of the country. Delaware Horse Racing Redevelopment passed to revive the horse racing industry back in 1994 which is why horse racing has been growing in Delaware once again. We need to realize the importance of horse racing and bring it back into the lime-light.
Mark Davis’s Lecture on the Horse Racing Industry
Mark Davis gave us a great overview of how the horse industry got started and the logistics of the industry itself. I learned that horse racing is one of the oldest of all sports. Horse racing also used to be the second most attended US spectator sport after baseball in 1989. Shockingly to most, the horse racing industry is not just for the wealthy. In fact, most people involved in the industry in some way have a middle-class income. Unfortunately, with the many improvements in technology, horse racing is declining because people would rather gamble online or go to the casinos. To try to bring back the industry, they added casinos to the horse tracks in Delaware. But, other states adjacent to Delaware had their own casinos that caused competition with Delaware casinos at the horse track that takes a toll on the horse racing industry. It was good to see that they take the welfare of the horse very seriously with drug testing anyone that would be stepping on the track. They even drug test the horse to make sure they were not giving something to enhance their performance. I hope in the future people will return back to the horse tracks to gamble the old fashion way rather than go to casinos that don’t give you the same experience.
The Horse Racing Industry
Mark Davis presented the lecture on The Horse Racing Industry in Delaware. As soon as I saw the powerpoint on this topic I instantly thought of my dad. My dad used to spend his free weekends at a race track and I always wondered why I couldn’t go with him. Now I understand that it’s not the type of race track that I thought it was where you can interact and ride the horses, instead it’s a place where adults go to place bets on horses. Of course, there’s more to just that but I wasn’t aware of everything that goes into this industry until this lecture. I thought it was interesting seeing the breakdown of the money purses. I always have associated the top three winners to win some type of share of the prize but the horse industry rewards the top 5. However, with all the money that is involved, I learned that this is why people in the industry have the incentive to cheat. After this lecture I made sure to tell my dad about it, I was hoping I could tell him something he wouldn’t know about the industry but he knew it all.
Horse Racing Industry
Mark Davis came to give us a lecture about an industry I never really think about: horse racing. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot about how it works and what goes into it. Apparently the differences between different race horses is not just physical appearances, but also how many races they have a year. I also found out that not only do the jockeys get drug tested, but the horses do too! It makes sense, I just hadn’t thought about it. Another interesting fact was how important horse racing has been to Delaware in history. I have been to Delaware Park, but it really is significant to the horse racing industry. You may argue that horses should not be considered an agricultural industry anymore, what with tractors and other technologies replacing their labor in the field, but the horse racing industry is huge in the United States. It was also interesting to hear about casinos, especially in a class focused on agriculture!
Guest Speaker: Mark Davis
Mark Davis was a very unique guest lecture! I did not have any prior knowledge of the Horse Racing Industry whatsoever. I especially did not know the deep roots that the equine industry has in the state of Delaware. I found Mark Davis’s lecture to be fascinating, and fun. I never thought of the horse Racing Industry has an economically beneficial industry. I thought the exact opposite, that people go to the horse races to gamble, and most of the time waste/lose their money. Gaining knowledge about the Horse Racing Industry showed me that many businesses that you overlook, are the backbones of local economies. I did not realize just how influential the horse racing industry is, especially when paired with the casinos. I also enjoyed learning about the regulations. It is comforting to know that the industry works incredibly hard to prevent possible cheating. I did not realize how strict rules and drug tests are administered. They even fine people for different activities! I am happy to have heard Mark Davis speak, he gave me insight to an industry that I was not exposed to before hand!
Delaware’s Horse Racing Industry- Mark Davis
Listening to Mark Davis speak about the horse racing industry was definitely interesting and he was able to easily keep my attention. Learning about the horse industry is definitely something I didn’t think I would be so engaged in, but I was extremely engaged with him as he lectured. Learning about the difference between harness racing and thoroughbred racing was something I had never heard about and I was intrigued because of how often I hear about Dover Downs and other horse racing casinos. I also did not know how important casinos are to the overall economic stability of Delaware. Learning about all of this allows me to understand a little more of the agriculture industry and a little more about Delaware’s economics . Not only are casinos important to the economy, but without casinos, the horse racing industry would probably be on a decline.
The Horse Racing Industry
Growing up with grandparents that owned racehorses I loved going to Harrington to watch them race. While its not as popular today Horse Racing used to be a huge industry in Delaware. Mark Davis spoke to the class about how the horse racing industry has changed overtime and the economic impacts on Delaware. Horse racing is actually one of the oldest sports and was brought to America by the British.
Mr. Mark Davis talked about the different types of horse racing, Thoroughbred and Harness racing. Harness racing is much more common with about 2300 races a year compared to only 600 a year for Thoroughbred.
Horse Racing has about a $182 million impact on Delawares economy. It also supports about 1540 jobs. The horse racing industry is another great example of careers in agriculture and animals. I throughly enjoyed this lecture because it was a topic I didn’t know much about except for watching the sport growing up.
Mark Davis Horse Racing Lecture
The most interesting guest lecture from our Delaware Agriculture class was Mr. Mark Davis’s. Mark visited our class on 11/1/16 and gave us and in-depth history of the horse racing industry as well as its prevalence today in the modern agriculture community. We learned that horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world and that, today, the horse industry has a direct economic effect of about 39 billion dollars annually in the U.S. Also, we learned that there are two types of horses used in the horse racing industry as well as two types of racing. The first one is called thoroughbred, and that is the kind of horse that is raced with a rider on its back, called a jockey. The other kind of horse is Standardbred and these are horses used for harness racing. The biggest harness racing track in Delaware is located in Harrington at the state fair grounds. Mark Davis also explained to us the many working parts of the horse racing industry which is all regulated by the Department of Agriculture. Some of these parts include the horses, horse owners, jockeys, trainers, vets, suppliers, casinos/tracks, government representatives, commissions regulators, horse racing associations, and of course the betting public. Mark Davis’s lecture opened my eyes to huge industry of horse racing which I had previously known little about. I appreciate the time he took to inform us about this growing industry.