Some should post Paul Moran's espn article. I can't currently but it is very good.

It is a joke Belmont is not in a rotation with CD, SA, and GP. They are simply the best options.

like if were at the Spa ?

I didn't say in a blizzard.

hasn't been snow there yet during Breeders Cup in 10 years, actually been pleasant, but hossplayers aren't afraid of a little cold weather.

I feel like the elephant in the room is do these tracks really want the Breeders Cup? If they lose money on them why? I thought CD only wanted it because the City of Louisville provided them a government hand out for hosting it, that has run out in 2010, strangely they have hardly been aggressively negotiating the return, at least I get that from reading between the lines. NYRA is in a tough position to take on something that may be a loss leader just to say they have it.

This has been discussed a million times already, on top of weather, it was logistics and size of venue for the reasons why Saratoga has no shot in hosting it.

since monmouth, churchill, belmont and others continue to petition for it, one must assume they want it.

since it's not due to handle and attendance, as santa anita isn't the leader in either area, what is it? nbc covers the derby, so it's not like they can't get to louisville.
bcl isn't telling the whole story. someone is paying them the money to more than make up handle/attendance differential.
in the words of danny devito in johnny dangerously, someone is 'playing ball'. it's not the weather, the locale, etc....isn't it always about the money?? wonder what mr. gaines would say.

http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/stor...nta-anita-park


'Breeder's Cup leadership has gone to great lengths to sully what was once the focus of the racing season. First, the expansion of the event into a two-day hodge-podge of races, many of which lack consequence and standing, abandoned the central concept that these are races intended to determine championships in every case. Now, on Monday, comes the announcement that the event will be couched at Santa Anita in 2014, a third consecutive Southern California renewal of what was once intended by its founders to be a moveable feast. After the 2014 running, five of the last seven Breeders' Cups will have been run at Santa Anita.'



'Originally, the founders established seven races, a program now expanded to 14 -- several meaningless in terms of the establishment of champions -- spread over two days. The present-day Breeders' Cup resembles the original concept in no more than the most obtuse sense and this is not a development for the better. Nine races run on one afternoon would be sufficient. The others do nothing for the event except create betting handle on an otherwise slow Friday. Only a fractional sliver of the current event -- one hour -- commands broadcast-network exposure. In the grand scheme, the Breeders' Cup is contracting in terms of importance and prestige. Squatting in Southern California will only deepen the self-inflicted wounds.'

Monmouth will never get it again after the debacle last time.

Andy I would imagine they petition for it to save face with the horseman, look if NYRA really wanted this thing they would have had it by now, IMO.

I am and have always been against Monmouth getting it (and it's my home track). That being said, it's extremely unfair to blame them for the so-called debacle. They just had extremely bad luck with the weather and in my opinion with the cards that they were dealt, they did a pretty admirable job.

I see lots of posts about the weather in this thread, what happened at Monmouth is a component of the selection.

That had to be the worst BC ever, the track was totally ill prepared for that kind of weather.

Debacle? Weather is a debacle?

How do you prepare for a monsoon? That's basically what the conditions were on Friday. If it wasn't the Breeder's Cup that Friday card would have be canceled in a heartbeat cause the weather was so bad.

disagree completely about the debacle. i thought monmouth did a good job, and just had to deal with nature, which is something no one has control over. also had rainy weather at arlington, does that mean they won't ever get it again?

belmont has tried, repeatedly.

the issue isn't whether other tracks have tried (they have), the issue is that regardless of what the other tracks do, or the state (ky had a tax break if the racing was there at least once every 3 years), the issue is that santa anita has a seeming stranglehold for some reason. what's that reason? it's not lack of want from others, it's not handle, it's not attendance....
so, what is it?

The results seemed fine. What was so bad about the racing, other than some people got wet?

:tro:

Overcast and 55 degrees with a little give in the ground is just fine with the horses
It's their show

The BC at Monmouth was just about as formful as racing can be. Outside of a breakdown on the card, which happens everywhere, nothing on the track was bad or shocking or appeared to be altered much by the rain.

EXACTLY...one of the most formful BCs in recent history. There were zero winners you couldn't make a case for after looking back at the form. Churchill is always good for 2-3 WTFs.

Didn't have any issues with Monmouth either.

I could also see Del Mar as host if Joe Harper pulls the plug on poly. I think the track surface is why Arlington and Woodbine do not get the event.

except santa anita had poly and still got it.

Actually it was cushion track but more to the point that not one main track winner prepped on dirt and you had several turf horses winning on the main, I think that was enough to have them be skeptical of having the event at another all weather surface venue.

......worst cup ever, took such a massive beating.

Monmouth sucked.......rain, bad track and soggy turf course. The staff in the grandstand was not even close to ready when the gates opened, no food ready at all. Paddock is way to small and so is the grandstand.....yeah they put up bleachers to house the crowd but it was pretty hard to get people to go sit in them in the rain. I dont really think people wanna be bottled up inside with no elbow room so they dont have to stand in the rain, no umbrellas allowed.
I can see why S.A. is the perfect spot.....5 airports within 30 mins, almost 99% chance there will be sunshine. Grandstand is big enough to handle the crowd and then there is always the infield.
Besides the races there are numerous things to see and do and places to stay and go eat all with in walking and driving distance of the track. BIG BONUS!!!!! They are extending the gold line of rail out past the track that will take you right into downtown LA.
Until there is a better venue I can see SA getting the BC most years.

hey, wouldn't break my heart to never see it on an awt.

Well there is that...

It should have been at Hollywood park this year as a sendoff to the iconic track.

Lotsa stuff to do in LA.....just for fun and lunch you could go the art district, they have brew houses, chinese food, art and a german lunch place to name a few.
Staples center had been the BC party more than once.....my favorite was the one at Universal.
Beaches and Disney are close and if you dont like that you can always take a couple hours and go up to big bear they have an Alpine Slide open when there is no snow.
Oh yeah and you can pretty much count on some sun.

Just for giggles I would love to see NYRA damn the torpedoes and go head to head with the Breeders Cup. The week before the BC, they should card the Champagne, Frizette, Flower Bowl, Turf Classic, Kelso, Vosburgh and Jockey Club Gold Cup. I would bet The Breeders Cup would look alot like Cal Cup day since trainers would rather ship to New York from Europe, Canada and Kentucky. Of course, doing that would be exactly what is plaguing the industry right now.

NYRA didn't submit a bid, from DRF.

The only other candidate for the event was Churchill Downs, according to Breeders' Cup officials. Belmont Park, which is operated by the New York Racing Association, had in the past expressed interest in the 2014 event but did not submit a bid.

what happened to del mar's bid?

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/...breeders-cup-/

and monmouths?

http://www.nj.com/horse-racing/index...eders_cup.html

hey, revidere, you might be on to something:




http://insiderlouisville.com/news/20...breeders-cup/#

It’s hard to believe that the sport’s greatest day of racing would never return to the greatest American venue. Common sense and old-school politics argue otherwise.

Kentucky remains the heart of the U.S. thoroughbred industry, and New York remains the nation’s media capital. It also boasts arguably the country’s best racing. West Coast horses routinely ship to big races in New York. Horses from New York, Kentucky and Florida seldom go west.

Except for the Breeders’ Cup.

If the Cup permanently relocates to Santa Anita – or a rotation of Santa Anita and Gulfstream – look for Churchill Downs and Belmont Park to someday stage a championship series of their own.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that. Such a move could make the 30th Breeders’ Cup, this fall, the last of its kind. World Thoroughbred Championships? If Churchill and Belmont create their own year-end racing festival, the Breeders’ Cup won’t even be an American championship.

If bridges are mended and reasonable accommodations made, the Breeders’ Cup can be saved by restoring Kentucky and New York to the rotation.

Which is what most everyone wants anyway.

I was only teasing, but the best of LA is not really downtown aside from the arepas at the little marketplace.

I would love to see that. I don't even bet the Breeders Cup anymore,Never liked the 2 day thing and I don't like their bias against NY.

This alone is worth going downtown for....Trust me on this!

http://www.philippes.com/

philippes is alright, think if it was in new york it would be out of business.

Saw this reply in in Lousiville CJ from a gentleman named Walt Gekko:

For Churchill to host the BC in any of the next three years, they would have needed to ask the Future Farmers of America to move back their convention by one week. Obviously, with Breeders' Cup Ltd. choosing to go back to Santa Anita for 2014, the FFA refused to or could not move their event back a week (as I understand it, they already booked every hotel room in Louisville for 2013-'15 for that event). That left the Breeders' Cup with no choice because they really can't move the BC off their current spot due to the positioning of other events on the international Horse Racing calendar. Moving the BC back a week in this instance (which would be necessary for Churchill to host the BC would likely cost BC Ltd. several horses from the Arc de Triomphe Festival whose connections would simply then wait for the Japan Cup and supporting events at Tokyo Race Course at the end of November/beginning of December. BC Ltd. would need the Japan Racing Association to agree to move their events back for the BC to be able to move theirs back.

That was the problem here, and it left BC Ltd. with no choice because New York (Belmont or Monmouth Park) is not an option for the foreseeable future either due to the New York City Marathon being on the Sunday after the BC with that event taking up a much greater amount of hotel space just since Monmouth hosted the 2007 BC (this reared its ugly head last year when many people displaced by Sandy were then being kicked out of hotel rooms by those in town for the NYC Marathon before it was cancelled). A secondary problem is a scenario where the Yankees or Mets have home field for a World Series that goes the distance (Game 7 as currently structured is on the day before the Breeders' Cup). That problem would be even worse if multiple rainouts (as happened in 1962, '75 and 2008 and would have also happened last year if the Giants had not swept the Tigers as the remnants of Sandy would have caused three straight rainouts of Game 5 in Detroit) pushed Games 6 & 7 back a few days to where they were played on BC weekend. In any of those baseball scenarios, Major League Baseball would likely have priority on hotel space over those in town for both the BC and NYC marathon (as the visiting team along with media and fans would need that space), creating a nightmare in that scenario for both BC and NYC Marathon officials.

That's why Santa Anita landed the Breeders' Cup again.