kudos to byk.....

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

allthough i tend to pass by the front page of this sight after reading it...steve commentary on the first page is on point...congrats ..
hooves..

[todko]

It is indeed . . . what Hooves said . . . great commentary.

[Sightseek]

Great points all around!

Strong points, Steve.

I'm looking forward to the Filly & Mare Sprint. Why a Turf Sprint wasn't added is the real question. It just further solidifies the view that the powers that be in the industry have no idea what they're doing.

[SniperSB23]

Good article although I disagree with the premise. I think the creation of these races will create demand for logical preps leading up to them especially in the Mile and the Juvenile Turf Divisions. Yeah, this year may be a little rocky but I think down the line it will be for the better of the sport and the preps will be created to make the races make sense. You do make a good point as to whether or not they will go directly to G1 status. I have been wondering that myself. I'd actually like to see them be G2 events so that they don't dilute the normal 8 BC races and instead supplement them with additional good racing and a reason to go to the BC site for the Friday before. I highly doubt that happens though.

[philcski]

Some solid arguments, however one point I definitely disagree with is that Monmouth is a questionable venue. It's a lovely, historic racetrack that has proven to handle large crowds well. It's about time they finally made it there.

Very good op piece Steve. I believe Bill Nadar of NYRA called for more inclusion from all into the process, as well. It appears that the motivating factor here is the want to expand to the 2nd day, ala kentucky oaks/derby. It would seem to me that it is a corporate driven, not racing driven plan. Your salient points about the F/M sprint are well taken and it seems as if the quality is being watered down. i can also see alot of cross entree's and scratches on the horizon, as owners/trainers seek to avoid the heavy heads, but still get their G1 black type win for breeding .

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

Strong points, Steve.

Why a Turf Sprint wasn't added is the real question. It just further solidifies the view that the powers that be in the industry have no idea what they're doing.

What possible good could this do for horse racing? It would dilute the sprint as I guess a few would likely try it, and further the idea of breeding horses to run abbreviated distances.

I'd rather see a 250k turf sprint stakes on the undercard or something. It would draw pretty much the same field that a one million dollar race would anyway. No way this should be a BC race.

I do question the use of the word ersatz in the article, but other than that, it is great.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by philcski

Some solid arguments, however one point I definitely disagree with is that Monmouth is a questionable venue. It's a lovely, historic racetrack that has proven to handle large crowds well. It's about time they finally made it there.

I'm a Jersey guy, but I am not a fan of Monmouth at all. I travel to Belmont when I feel like seeing live racing. The product, the facilities just don't do it for me. Nice to have the BC there from the standpoint of going to see it, and its every bit the venue that Lonestar is--that's for sure---but not my top choice for a BC venue as Belmont is.

[Linny]

I agree as well. BC execs are concerned that the Cup never really caught on to the general public, like the Derby but making a 2 day spectacle doesn't seem to be the answer.
Churchill has developed the Oaks/Derby weekend into a great racing/social/corporate event. The Oaks is now one of the most important races for 3yo fillies. As little as 15 years ago it was a decent fixture for mostly midwest based fillies. However, the Oaks has played off the popularity in the general public of the Derby. Non racing folks all know about the Derby. Your grandmother knows about the Derby! It's easy to understand the Derby. It's one race. For most people, the details of nominations and eligibility are meaningless, they want to see the race.
The BC has a problem amongst the general population in that it has so many divisions, that it's confusing. We segregate horses by age, gender, surface and distance. Within each age group, there are turfers, sprinters, turf sprinters, fillies, colts, etc. It's hard for general sports fans to translate all the divisions. Adding more divisions not only dilutes those that exist, it makes the novice all the more confused. I cannot see how dragging the event into 2 days makes it more appealing to the general fan.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by point given

i can also see alot of cross entree's and scratches on the horizon, as owners/trainers seek to avoid the heavy heads, but still get their G1 black type win for breeding .

No cross entering allowed in the BCup races

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Linny

I agree as well. BC execs are concerned that the Cup never really caught on to the general public, like the Derby but making a 2 day spectacle doesn't seem to be the answer.
Churchill has developed the Oaks/Derby weekend into a great racing/social/corporate event. The Oaks is now one of the most important races for 3yo fillies. As little as 15 years ago it was a decent fixture for mostly midwest based fillies. However, the Oaks has played off the popularity in the general public of the Derby. Non racing folks all know about the Derby. Your grandmother knows about the Derby! It's easy to understand the Derby. It's one race. For most people, the details of nominations and eligibility are meaningless, they want to see the race.
The BC has a problem amongst the general population in that it has so many divisions, that it's confusing. We segregate horses by age, gender, surface and distance. Within each age group, there are turfers, sprinters, turf sprinters, fillies, colts, etc. It's hard for general sports fans to translate all the divisions. Adding more divisions not only dilutes those that exist, it makes the novice all the more confused. I cannot see how dragging the event into 2 days makes it more appealing to the general fan.

The general sports fan does not matter in horse racing.

[Linny]

Cannon, you are right. Yet every article I've read on the BC changes refers to further attemps to "reach out" to the sports fan who generally doesn't follow racing and get them to watch the Cup. I'm not a big baseball fan but I watch the World Series. Same with football and the Super Bowl. Everyone does. BC keeps saying that they want to to get the same "casual viewership" for the Cup but this doesn't help. Thus, I feel they should improve their program without bastardizing their own races.

[Cannon Shell]

I have no problem with the BC expanding. Instead of having a decent card the day before, we will get top notch races and added exposure via ESPN. As far as the catagories the mile race seems to be a bit of overkill, the fillies sprint is great and the 2 yo turf may cause problems. The mile race will be a two turn event at some tracks and a one turn at others which really concerns me. Having a mile and 70 yrd race this year and a one turn mile at Churchill next year seems strange. I cant wait for someone to tell me that a horse that wins the BC mile deserves to be sprint champion, especially if it is a 2 turn year. Maybe it will take away from the Classic and will certainly hurt the Cigar Mile but eventually it will fit in ok. Despite the success of some great fillies over the years it is only fair to have a fillies sprint. I'm not sure why they want to have it at 7 furlongs but it is sure to be a good race. The 2 year old turf race is the one that troubles me the most. Being that there are virtually no graded turf stakes for 2 yos in this country to use for qualifing, how do we determine who gets in? I also hope they dont intend on running a 14 horse field in either of the new 2 yo turf races. That would be a certain disaster. The only down side I could see is the price of the weekend will be going up as Fridays tickets are now BCup controlled which means more expensive.

[cmorioles]

Unfortunately, the Cigar Mile will probably eventually be moved to a spot before the BC and serve as a prep race. I really hope that doesn't happen, but we've all seen it happen too many times already.

When are the Breeder's Cup people going to address the polytrack issue? Will they run on it and call them dirt races?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Unfortunately, the Cigar Mile will probably eventually be moved to a spot before the BC and serve as a prep race. I really hope that doesn't happen, but we've all seen it happen too many times already.

When are the Breeder's Cup people going to address the polytrack issue? Will they run on it and call them dirt races?

I dont see how they could do it any other way

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Unfortunately, the Cigar Mile will probably eventually be moved to a spot before the BC and serve as a prep race. I really hope that doesn't happen, but we've all seen it happen too many times already.

When are the Breeder's Cup people going to address the polytrack issue? Will they run on it and call them dirt races?

The Cigar Mile is history as it has existed. The BC ruins another good race ( NYRA's fault I assume ).

You're right...I see it mid September at Belmont now. So, instead of being one of the last interesting and meaningful races of the year it gets reduced to YET another meaningless prep.

Who gave the BC the right to destroy all these races and render them close to useless? Maybe when NY gets slots they can make the Cigar Mile worth $3 Million and run it in direct competition with the BC Mile and 70.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Who gave the BC the right to destroy all these races and render them close to useless? Maybe when NY gets slots they can make the Cigar Mile worth $3 Million and run it in direct competition with the BC Mile and 70.

The NYRA Cup?

Of course you are correct , stupid me.

How about cross nominating, with first choice for the weaker race ?

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

No cross entering allowed in the BCup races

Originally Posted by point given
i can also see alot of cross entree's and scratches on the horizon, as owners/trainers seek to avoid the heavy heads, but still get their G1 black type win for breeding .

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

The NYRA Cup?

I'm staying away from that obvious trap.