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July 15, 2021 – Getting Out of the Gate. The Race Continues.
Many of you who have visited GettingOutOfTheGate.com since Neal launched it in April 1, 2013, know he used it
to share his love and knowledge of horse racing with anyone who wanted to learn more about his favorite sport. If you
take a few minutes to click on different links, you can see that for several years Neal posted a lot of articles and
interviews. Sadly, Neal fell ill and he is no longer with us. He passed away May 25, 2019. I’ve thought a lot about what
would become of all of Neal’s hard work on the website. I didn’t have the same knowledge as Neal to keep it going, so I
started thinking maybe one of his friends would take over the reins. I reached out to Nancy and Shawn Meyers to see if
they wanted to assume ownership of the website. After talking with them, I knew they would manage it consistent with
Neal’s mission statement, to help bring new fans to racing and provide a positive place for everyone to learn about
Thoroughbred horse racing. They also will maintain the link to Neal’s other website “Daring Ways” to help anyone who
needs support when faced with challenges. I wish them luck as they continue to help racing fans to get out of the gate.
- Deb Benoit
When Deb asked us to assume ownership and operation of Gettingoutofthegate.com, we had a bit of trepidation
because we’ve never managed a website before, but happily said yes. Given we have “day jobs” and are familiarizing
ourselves with the website structure and how to most effectively post new information, please be patient. While we do
not have the technical skill to fully understand web design or posting information like Neal, we will make every effort to
be sure that the website provides an entertaining and informative place for new and longtime race fans, while bringing
our own perspective. To Deb and all of Neal’s friends and followers, we miss him very much. We will never be able to
replace Neal. What we can promise is that with every post we will try to honor the passion he brought to the greatest
game played outdoors. For those who want to help us on this new venture to get out of the gate, can you let us know
what topics you’d like us to write about? What do you prefer? Handicapping tips or interviews of players in the game?
Your responses can help us keep the website fresh and responsive to your interests. As Neal said, together we can share
our passion, hopefully learning from each other and having fun after getting out of the gate!
Sincerely,
Nancy & Shawn Meyers 
Welcome to Getting Out of the Gate. A website dedicated to educating and entertaining fans in the sport of Thoroughbred Horse Racing; with a special emphasis on getting new fans started. For more experienced fans, we have much to offer – including articles on handicapping tips, wagering strategies, and how to use handicapping programs (such as DRF Formulator and TimeformUS). Also, we provide a Meet The People series containing in-depth interviews with horse racing people like Maggie Wolfendale, Christophe Clement, Tom Morley, Gary Stevens, Julian Leparoux, and many more.
Is this the right website for you?
- If you’ve taken an interest in horse racing, but get overwhelmed by all of the racing jargon used by public handicappers … you’ve come to the right place.
- If you’ve ever visited a racetrack and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and excitement, and left thinking that was fun, but I sure wish I knew more about this sport … you’re at the right place.
- If you’ve ever opened a racing program or racing form, took one look at the past performances and said, “What language is this written in?” … you’ve found the right place.
If all of the above happened to you, and you threw up your arms and said, “I’m just going to bet on the grey horse!” … you have absolutely found the right website.
But, this website is about more than just figuring out what horse to bet on. We include the travels and stories of a real horseplayer and his friends. Also, there are articles about real people (e.g. trainers, jockeys, track announcers, and paddock analyst) involved in the horse racing business.
If you are brand new to our website, please take a moment to read our Mission Statement and some information about the Founder of this website. A visit to our Site Guidelines is a great place to see how the site is organized, what you can expect to find, and a few simple policies for interacting with us. If you’d like to read what our readers are saying about us, then visit our Testimonials Page.
Get Started
We have organized dozens of educational articles under the “Get Started” tab. Rather than having to search through past Blog posts, we have provided a brief synopsis of each article and grouped them based on their level of difficulty. For example, Racing 101 contains the basic building blocks required for understanding this sport. If you are familiar with the topics covered in Racing 101, you can jump directly to Racing 201 or another level higher up.
Staying Connected
If you like what we have to offer there are many ways to stay connected with us. You can like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. You can subscribe to our e-mail list and receive an e-mail every time we post a new article. Click here to read an article explaining all of these options in greater detail.
Mobile Access
Thanks to the Horse Races NOW App, visitors can view our website in a mobile-friendly way by downloading the HRN App, and then following the instructions outlined on our website. Click here to read the article that explains this process. Screenshots are included with a detailed explanation.