John,

I tend to agree that the purses could use a tweak as incentive.. or at least the resurrection of the TC bonus.. And the Derby at $2MM is STILL less than it should be given its' status..

I hope Nafzger doesn't think he can go Haskell or Jim Dandy-Travers-BC Classic. Making your first start against elders in the Classic has not been a terrific move.

NT

Perhaps not, but Flower Alley managed to finish 2nd. IMO, Street Sense is a much better horse than FA was.

I would guess they would give SS one more prep before the Classic.

FA did start in the JCGC and finished a distant 4th, and you may recall Pletcher sending out Bishop Court Hill as a rabbit and Chantal Sutherland totally botching the assignment.

SS is a MUCH better horse than FA, that I can agree with you on.

Exactly. It's a travesty that the Belmont Stakes has the same purse as the Travers and Haskell Invitational.

I'm still baffled how no company has stepped up and replaced Visa for the Triple Crown bonus. At the very least I expected J. Paul Reddam's Cash Call to step up to the plate.

Bottom Line: This is another in a long line of disappointing moments for this sport.

I think that statement over this is extremly overdramatic.

Really? Why?

I do agree with justin in that in order to build horse racing's following, we need to have our biggest stars run in the biggest races. The Belmont is for American dirt racing one of the three most well-known and followed races, and it would have been a nice moment to see Street Sense and Curlin butt heads again here.

You think this is one of the most pressing issues in the sport? The fact that an owner and trainer are looking to skip 1 race to be prepared for a long summer and fall campaign.

You don't think the doping and drugs are a bigger and more disappointing issue? Do you think this whole New York Racing issue is going rather well? How about that almost every decent 3 year old colt gets retired to the shed and we never get to see a 4 year old campaign. That isn't disappointing?

While its too bad we won't get to see these 3 horses run against each other in the Belmont, will you be complainging if they run in the Travers, or the BC Classic? Or would rather see them all retired or injured and we get to see Circular Quay run against Invasor in the Classic?

Instead of ridiculing or being pissed about the situation, try to find some good aspects to look at. Who knows, maybe we might get a 4 year old season from Street Sense, and then who will be complaining that he skipped the Belmont?

With all due respect, what are you talking about? I never said anything about drugs or early retirement. I said this one issue is a disappointment, and there have been many before it. Yes, of course there are other issues that need to be addressed. Yes, there are bigger problems. That doesn't mean this isn't also disappointing.

I think more horses will enter now.

You said; "Bottom Line: This is another in a long line of disappointing moments for this sport." I just don't think this falls into that. I think there are many aspects of this game, some of which I noted, that are far more disappointing than SS skipping the Belmont to shoot for the Travers then BC Classic.

We can agree to disagree, but I still think this is overkill for a horse and trainer who wish to shoot for a long term goal with their colt.

I am just amazed that this much is being made over this. It would be one thing if they were retiring Street Sense, or picking a different race the same weekend of the Belmont, but I don't think this will destroy the racing fan base or hinder new fans.

Just my take.

Street Sense
 

It is understandable that people are frustrated that SS is not in the Belmont, but his connections are doing what is best for him; not the fans. A trainers job is to do right by the horse and find the best spots for there horse to win. These 3 races are very tiring on a still growing 3 yr old horse. SS gave 2 great races and they don't feel he can do a 3rd within the 5 wk period. I think it is commendable that his connections aren't chasing the $ and doing what is best for the future of their colt. At least he gave you 2 great races. Bernardini only raced once and then was retired shortly after that. Be thankful that SS will be pointed to some great races later on like the Travers, etc.

You can defintily tell these guys are very old school. Though the Travers is still a very highly regarding race and the next big race in terms of Prestige behind the Triple Crown but these guys have been around this game for a long time and back when The Travers was just as big as the other ones. Though it's sad to not have SS run in the Belmont it is sort of refreshing in way for Nafger to hold the Travers in such high esteem that way it was once thought of and should still be.
You see so many other trainers who after the TC races and will race top quality hoses in those cheesy, " Hey we'll throw a million $ race" ( Penn. Derby etc) and skip the Travers.
Again though I wish he was running in The Belmont, I love his old school way of thinking in regards to The Travers.

I think Nafzger and connections saw all they needed to see when Curlin came back and won. It's foolish to run against that horse again.

I think the REALLY sad thing is that modern horses aren't tough enough to run in all thre Triple Crown races, take two months off, and then begin a new campaign. By skipping the Belmont, Nafzger is essentially saying, "My horse can't run in the Belmont and still be compeititve two and a half months later in the Travers." That's what is sad.