Could poly bring back the 12 furlong "dirt" race?

[Seattleallstar]

yeah but you wanna keep panning me at this loser

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

So, they are going to dramatically alter the breed to suit this new surface?

Good luck.

I say they just paint it green and call it what it is.

Who knows? I think Churchill kinda holds the cards on polytrack. If they opt to switch to polytrack it will absolutely change how breeders think.

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Who knows? I think Churchill kinda holds the cards on polytrack. If they opt to switch to polytrack it will absolutely change how breeders think.

WHy does a track with one race thats great and a bunch noone cares about hold the cards?

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Well, as long as they continue to just ignore the real problem, performance enhancing drugs, what the hell is the difference what they do.

Honestly, I am getting to the point where I don't blame people for cheating, you can't be competitive if you don't and the powers that be basically endorse it with some of the stallions that fetch big money.

I really hope this doesn't turn into a bashing x, y and z trainer thread (not that I think you personally would do that), but are the drugs as bad as some people suggest?

[blackthroatedwind]

If they switch to polytrack I will be stunned but I can't disagree with you in that they can't do it without the blessing of the breeders.

On a mildly related note, did you see the exemption Churchill got on smoking. Really hilarious.

Originally Posted by Seattleallstar

yeah but you wanna keep panning me at this loser

You paint yourself, if you would just listen to what others say to you, you would realize this.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

I really hope this doesn't turn into a bashing x, y and z trainer thread (not that I think you personally would do that), but are the drugs as bad as some people suggest?

I think they are worse than people suggest....and I think they are the biggest health risk to horses and far worse than racing surfaces.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by oracle80

WHy does a track with one race thats great and a bunch noone cares about hold the cards?

Because that one race that is the single biggest factor in breeding. Combine that with the BC being run there every four or five years, plus all the Cali tracks going synthetic and there will be too much money for breeders to ignore. All I do know for sure is it is going to be a strange year when they finally run the BC on a track with a synthetic surface.

[sumitas]

who knows ? sure, i'd watch a 12f race on poly. there are a few distance specialists out there right now. i believe Navesink River is one. and what does he get for his troubles ? they send him to Saudi Arabia last new years eve. Belmont and A once in a great while card dirt races just short of 12f.

and just a couple of years ago NYRA cut the CCA Oaks back to 10f from 12f...it seems like the tail is wagging the dog...the commercial breeders must be dictating the length, or lack thereof, of the races

[SentToStud]

They ran a 16f dirt race at Calder a couple months ago. The Umphrey Stakes. The purse was $200k.

It was on that "Extreme" Racing Day and it was supposed to be 2 miles turf, going the wrong way.

It wound up in the slop going the right way. I was there and it was fairly awful seeing what wound up as a 6 horse field of mostly $25,000 optional claimers running for a fifth of a million dollars.

It was more interesting watching the jockeys race 1/16 of a mile on foot. Always bet on Freddie Camacho going .5f in the slop. He won by 20 feet, running barefoot.

[Swap Fliparoo]

Originally Posted by SentToStud

They ran a 16f dirt race at Calder a couple months ago. The Umphrey Stakes. The purse was $200k.

It was on that "Extreme" Racing Day and it was supposed to be 2 miles turf, going the wrong way.

It wound up in the slop going the right way. I was there and it was fairly awful seeing what wound up as a 6 horse field of mostly $25,000 optional claimers running for a fifth of a million dollars.

It was more interesting watching the jockeys race 1/16 of a mile on foot. Always bet on Freddie Camacho going .5f in the slop. He won by 20 feet, running barefoot.

Actually the "wrong way stakes" and long distance race were two different ones, i'm pretty sure. Since there was a deluge, everything came off the turf... and the whole point of a Euro style "wrong way" race was defeated if not on grass.

But it was really weird watching them race 2 mi on dirt!

[Pedigree Ann]

Had the 2-mile race been originally carded on dirt, I know of two horses who might have been entered, because they are screaming for more ground, even at 10f - Andromeda's Hero and Nolan's Cat. Evening Affair was another who liked it long on dirt - won an off-the-turfer over 11f or 12f one year. Milwaukee Brew, who won two runnings of the Santa Anita H, acted like he wanted more. A.P. Arrow gives the same impression.. There are dirt stayers still being bred, but they don't get a chance to shine. Did you know that the 13f Gallant Fox H at Aqueduct was a G2 when grading started in 1973? And it had a follow-up race, the 2 1/4 mile Display H? All before the winter track was installed, of course.