Watered down winter racing

[The Indomitable DrugS]

It's bad enough that there is Dubai to kill winter racing....but the Sunshine Millions remains the ultimate horrendously bad idea.

Look at Sunday's Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita. The 5/2 morning line favorite is Cal Bred Johnny Eves. He ran a 42 Beyer in his last start - and he is ducking the 300K Sunshine Million to run in a ultra pathetic 150K Grade 2.

The 3/1 second choice on the morning line is Florida Bred Machismo. An ordinary sort who lost five consecutive races at Calder last year - he's also in here ducking.

The Donn Handicap is going to be a joke. The two favorites might be Einstein and Kip Deville ... who both might be better suited for the 9 furlong Grade 1 GP TURF Handicap the day after the Donn. A race that will no doubt come up laughably pathetic if it loses those two to the Donn.

Why not just combine the Sunshine Millions races with existing stake races at GP and SA that it has helped to crush ... and if you must insist on handing out huge chunks of money to Fla and Cal breds ... let them race for big bonuses that go along with the Graded Stake purse.

You can even keep the cheerleaders - and the jocks on the Cal Breds can wear black pants, the jocks on the FLA breds blue pants, and the other jocks white pants. Just in case anyone is deranged enough to care about which breed is scoring more points.

Run four races at GP and four races at SA on the same day - but alternate them each year. Remember, a race can still keep its graded stake status if it's run once every other year.

* The Sunshine Million Dash is the Spectacular Bid at GP and San Pedro at SA

* The SM Oaks is the Old Hat at GP and the Santa Ynez at SA.

* The SM Filly & Mare Turf is The Suwannee River at GP and San Gorgonio at SA.

* The SM Sprint is the Mr Prospector at GP and the Palos Verdes at SA

* The SM Filly and Mare Sprint is the The First Lady at GP - and the Santa Monica at SA.

* The SM Distaff is the Sabin at GP and the Paseana at SA

* The SM Turf is the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap at GP and the San Marcos at SA

* The SM Classic is the Donn at Gulfstream and the San Antonio at SA.


Nothing can be done about how Dubai has watered down winter racing - but getting rid of these restricted races is a big step in the right direction. I don't know which is worse - a $1 million race with a Grade 3 field like GP's 10th today - or a Grade 2 stake race with a field of eight has beens and never will be's like tomorrows 3rd at SA.

[Linny]

Not to mention that the Strub Seriens and the La Canada Series in Cali for 4yo's give those horses a reason not to run against older. They often run the 4yo race on Sat and then 4up on Sunday. What the...?? Those races have lost any punch they once had.

[Danzig]

i agree about the sunshine millions watering down other stakes. and to know that the donn (which was mentioned above by ID) pays less money than a restricted race...well, that just doesn't make sense! the idea of keeping the format of having racing on both coasts with a tie-in makes sense-the restrictions are what need to go. pay a bonus to those bred there if you wish-but open the races.
i really wish all the tracks would join forces in a way that would provide big racing more than a few times a year-magna could have a couple of race wknds like the sunshine millions (open to all of course) and cdi could do the same. have a wide world of sports type show on every saturday, with the usual break between races at the TRACK, but not on the show-a few minutes between starts, time enough to run down the field, show the post parade, etc. the best way to get better tv attendance is fill the time allotted with racing. a half hour show should/could have three races. just stagger post times at the various tracks..

[MISTERGEE]

playing devils advocate here but arent we just saying that the kentucky breds arent invited to this group only. the cal breds always get their ass kicked in the sunshine millions. there are many cal restricted stakes anyway, and the older fla bred horses need to get some $ along the way besides the fla stallion stakes which is only for 2 yo. the kentuck breds usuall get all the rest of the $ anyway

[The Indomitable DrugS]

It's not just the Kentucky breds that are being excluded. You also have a lot of good imports that get shut out of the turf races. The Pennsylvania breeding progam isn't that bad either - they have there recent good ones like Smarty Jones, Hard Spun, Fabulous Strike etc. and that program will improve quite a bit over the next few years.

[MISTERGEE]

as a horse owner i probably have no sympathy for the imports on this one, and as far as the pa breds, besides 1 or 2 a year they have a very long way to go, and my favorite horse of all time is a pa bred Joey Blueeyes. I respect your opinion though

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by MISTERGEE

playing devils advocate here but arent we just saying that the kentucky breds arent invited to this group only. the cal breds always get their ass kicked in the sunshine millions. there are many cal restricted stakes anyway, and the older fla bred horses need to get some $ along the way besides the fla stallion stakes which is only for 2 yo. the kentuck breds usuall get all the rest of the $ anyway

no
what we're saying is it's a shame that you have restricted racing drawing off good horses who would otherwise be running in races such as the donn, and giving it a reason to be a graded race. there have got to be better ways to reward in-state breeders than having sunshine million-type events. if you want to draw attention to your breeding program, seems winning a graded race would do far more for you than winning a restricted race. black type stands out far more than money won.

[MISTERGEE]

Originally Posted by Danzig

no
what we're saying is it's a shame that you have restricted racing drawing off good horses who would otherwise be running in races such as the donn, and giving it a reason to be a graded race. there have got to be better ways to reward in-state breeders than having sunshine million-type events. if you want to draw attention to your breeding program, seems winning a graded race would do far more for you than winning a restricted race. black type stands out far more than money won.

most of thes people need cash now, not black type which may or may not do their horse any good down the road

[MISTERGEE]

i would say that at least in the last 40 yrs only 1 donn winner has gone on to become a prolific sire, deputy minister in 83