We felt the pinch of the economy just like everyone else. Rather than leave the Super Derby at $500k, we decided to put more eggs in its basket than the other races to help get it going again.
That said, aside from Mine That Bird (whom I campagined to the trainer/owners myself, and thought they would come here once they opted out of the Travers but they wanted more time), Summer Bird or Rachel, what other 3-year-olds are out there? Unfortunately, the division is slim at this point in the year.
The Super Derby really prospered when there was not nearly as much competition for horses as there is today. Plus, spacing/timing to the Breeders' Cup was more manageable. We're aware of all these factors, unfortunately making radical changes to your biggest race which draws a massive crowd on track, generates our biggest handle of the year and is a part of the community is not an easy task. Cancel it? Forget about it. Suicide.
We could move to October, but then LAD is fighting BEL, SA and KEE on the big Saturday weekends. A big day for us is a non-starter. How can we expect to do good business? Sunday is the NFL, so that's out.
It's a tough spot and considering all the variables and factors at play - including have to make purse adjustments for the economic environment and to protect our day-to-day business - I think we did okay.
I hope everyone enjoys our races on Saturday. We had more than 175 people show-up for our post draw luncheon today and the response to our community events has been wonderful. We're excited!
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