Here's a suggestion

[the_fat_man]

Rather than carding all these BS 2F, 2.5F, 4F, and 4.5F races, how about the tracks card races for horses than can, AT LEAST, get 5F? Everywhere you turn, tracks are carding these races.

I mean, how about we start carding 1F races for all the OUT of SHAPE, FAT, horses? Or, let's do a special HORSE OLYMPICS, for all the developmentally challenged horses --- that would be alot of fun, watching them stumble and bumble their way while we all bet our money.

What's my point? Keep them in the ****in' barn and on the training track until they're ready for the big leagues. I don't go to developmental or minor leagues games when I expect PROFESSIONAL performance.

With all the other BS going on in the game, who needs all this petty ****.

[Linny]

Other than babies, who in "the big league" goes 4.5f? They do the short stuff at Flakes because most of those horses were standing on a snowbank in Genneseo 'til April 1st. Of course that's not exactly big league.

[the_fat_man]

That's the point: RUN the BABIES when they're READY to RUN!!!

I no more want to see Tbreds going 2F, than I want to watch developmentally challenged PORN

[Linny]

I'd prefer non betting training races like Fair Grounds used to hold. It makes sense rather than betting on these crapshoots.

[hockey2315]

If you don't like them then don't bet them . . . I don't see what the big deal is. . .

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Cardus

Is a 2F Thoroughbred race helpful to the sport? (I'm sure that someone is going to dig up old PPs that show Carry Back running in a 3F race first out.)

If Calder wants to have its novelty Rocket Man Stakes once a year, fine, but why bring two-year-olds to the races at, similar to what was said above, a minor league distance? And as a wagering event?

But is it harmful? Most of the major outfits in NY don't crank up their 2YOs until June at the earliest. That's their choice. And I know that the 2YOs that we have had were just coming north about now, if everything went right down south.

The calendar in KY is far different, and the 4.5F races at Keeneland seem to be popular. With racing at Ellis/Turfway from July-September, if you want to run your 2YO early in KY at "major league" tracks, you need to get them going earlier.

As for the CA races, there have been some nice horses in recent years running in the 2F races that Santa Anita has carded. Golden Ballet and Sea of Pleasure are two that come to mind immediately.

With all the trouble racing secretaries have filling races, I'm sure they want to get their 2YO programs going as soon as possible. It's been a source of frustration in NY for the past few years. Some horsemen (Pletcher, Asmussen, Ward, to name a few) push their babies; other do not.

In the end, I guess that I agree with the sentiment that, if you don't like them, don't bet them.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Linny

Other than babies, who in "the big league" goes 4.5f? They do the short stuff at Flakes because most of those horses were standing on a snowbank in Geneseo 'til April 1st. Of course that's not exactly big league.

There's about a 0.1% chance he's talking about Finger Lakes, and if that 0.1% chance is true he doesn't know where Geneseo is anyways (although you're absolutely correct on that)

[NoLuvForPletch]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

Rather than carding all these BS 2F, 2.5F, 4F, and 4.5F races, how about the tracks card races for horses than can, AT LEAST, get 5F? Everywhere you turn, tracks are carding these races.

I mean, how about we start carding 1F races for all the OUT of SHAPE, FAT, horses? Or, let's do a special HORSE OLYMPICS, for all the developmentally challenged horses --- that would be alot of fun, watching them stumble and bumble their way while we all bet our money.

What's my point? Keep them in the ****in' barn and on the training track until they're ready for the big leagues. I don't go to developmental or minor leagues games when I expect PROFESSIONAL performance.

With all the other BS going on in the game, who needs all this petty ****.

2f is much different than 4.5f...if you are saying that 2YO races shouldn't begin so early than say that, but I don't see an issue with starting 2YO's off at 4.5f in April, moving up to 5 in May, 5 1/2 in June, 6 in July and 7 come August...they run 5f races for 2YO's at Belmont in June and early July, don't they?

[pgiaco]

Originally Posted by NoLuvForPletch

2f is much different than 4.5f...if you are saying that 2YO races shouldn't begin so early than say that, but I don't see an issue with starting 2YO's off at 4.5f in April, moving up to 5 in May, 5 1/2 in June, 6 in July and 7 come August...they run 5f races for 2YO's at Belmont in June and early July, don't they?

Well said. The 2f races are nonsense, but the 4.5f races are great for the 2 year olds that come to hand early. Why should you have to keep working them for nothing when you can get paid to run. The fields are usually big and obviously wide open. If you don't like them, don't bet them. If they don't generate handle you can bet they won't be carded anymore.