Richard Goodall / Eclipse Speech…

[DanG]

From the 1/27/09 Crist / DRF blog this morning he singled out the classy speech given by HTR alumni…Richard Goodall. I assume professional public speaking is part of Rich’s resume; as his speech after winning the title in Vegas was also greatly respected.

Well done Rich; well deserved accolades on a fantastic year! :)

Steve Crist ~ Okay, maybe I'm prejudiced since I handed this one out to the guy who won our contest last year, but I thought the highlight of the night, certainly for horseplayers, was Richard Goodall's speech accepting the 2008 Handicapper of the Year award. He eloquently beseeched track management to take care of their customers, keep the game fun, and work to repeal the insane Federal taxation system regarding gambling winnings.

BTW: To the two people who voted Ginger Punch over Zenyatta :eek: you get your voting privileges revoked and I hope we bet into the same pools. :D

[TEJASKIDD]

Nextel ought to do a commercial.....If Horseplayers ran the world.....

[Mayo]

I did watch some of the eclipse awards last night (which I do not normally do) for the sole reason of hearing Richard's speech. I talked with him at the Saturday night NTRA awards dinner and he encouraged me to watch and hear his speech. I must say I was certainly glad I did. He was very professional and at times funny in getting his message across to the room full of pompass folks honoring themselves. I am talking of mostly the track management and other members of the "good ole boys" club who continue to run this great sport into oblivion. It is going to take much more of this kind of communication with track owners and managers by "US" the CUSTOMERS (as Richard put it) to get things changed.

Shortly after Richard's speech a U.S. House member from California (I do not remember his name) was a presenter for the next award. He did comment on Richard's speech about the IRS rules concerning the ridiculous tax laws put on horseplayers and vowed to help get them changed. As a member of the coalition committee appointed to work on this for 2009, I encourage each of you who can help with your congressman to certainly do so.

I hope many of you got to watch Richard's speech. I actually watched it again this morning and at least for a little while was very encouraged. Great Job Richard, you represented us all very well.


Mayo

[DanG]

Shortly after Richard's speech a U.S. House member from California (I do not remember his name) was a presenter for the next award. He did comment on Richard's speech about the IRS rules concerning the ridiculous tax laws put on horseplayers and vowed to help get them changed. As a member of the coalition committee appointed to work on this for 2009, I encourage each of you who can help with your congressman to certainly do so.

I hope many of you got to watch Richard's speech. I actually watched it again this morning and at least for a little while was very encouraged. Great Job Richard, you represented us all very well.

Well said Mayo;

BTW: Dennis Cardozo of California was the house member.

[km]

Way to go Rich - thanks for putting it out there - congrats on the Eclipse award!

[Bob]

Hi Rich,

Thank you for saying what needs to be said, over and over. Congrats, also, on a fantastic 2008.

Regards,
Bob G

[Rich Goodall]

WE SHOULD ALL THANK THE NTRA FOR GETTING THE PLAYER IN FRONT OF THOSE FOLKS AT THE ECLIPSE AWARDS, THAT WASN'T JUST ME UP ON THAT STAGE,THAT WAS ALL OF US. SALLY AND I WERE TREATED LIKE ROYALITY BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER MY COMMENTS, IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE WE WILL NEVER FORGET. BUT,THAT WAS THEN AND THIS IS NOW, SO WHEN IS THE NEXT QUALIFIER?

[JimG]

Hi Richard,

I finally got around to watching the Eclipse awards last night and your speech was excellent. It looked to me like you reached some of the audience for sure. Thank you for using that forum to speak for the horse player. It is in their best interest to listen, hopefully they will.

Sorry I did not get to meet you while I was at the NHC. You are a very popular guy that was always attracting a crowd. :D BTW, Stan B. is a mutual friend of ours.

Jim

[Mall]

From none other than Eclipse award winning jump jock Sean Clancy:

Handicapper of the Year (yes, it's a real award) Richard Goodall made more logical and intelligent points about the sport in his one minute (plus) than, perhaps, the rest of the recipients combined. And that's not slagging anybody else. Goodall walked up like a regular guy, talked like a regular guy and simplified our sport better than any of the committees, organizations, associations, studies and task forces set up to improve horse racing. Take care of the customer (come down from the corporate offices and say hello to them once in a while) and repeal the federal taxation on gambling winnings. Now that's one minute that could change a whole clock.


It's a pretty good article overall (http://www.bizlex.com/Articles-c-2009-02-03-84787.113117_Equine_industrys_best_cant_speak_thei r_piece_in_60_seconds.html), despite the gratuitous "yes it's a real award" crack and some of Clancy's comments re Mr. Jackson, which are in the same thoughtless vein as Jason Levine's statements on his show last week characterizing Jackson as an oddball who shaved his head for the dinner. No doubt the family and friends of someone who has invested three quarters of a billion dollars in the game wish these snide remarks were true, as there unfortunately are other explanations, particularly when the person in question is in his seventies.