Delmar has some nice races on the weekends, but those undercards leave a lot to be desired. The weekdays are usually an utter mess, although tomorrow has a decent sprint stake.

Yes, that is true that Del Mar does have some crappy races but that's true everywhere. Keeneland actually runs some claiming races for lees than $10k.

Saratoga may not have as many cheap claiming races, but they have a ton of state-bred races. A lot of those races are pretty weak in terms of quality. Overall, I would give the edge in quality to Saratoga, but I certanly would not say that the quality of racing is weak at Del Mar. It's one of the best meets in the country.

Agreed. I, too, get defensive about California racing when people down the top stars for "only racing in cali". Why do the california horses have to ship east but the New York horses dont have to ship west?

I agree with you. However, the problem nowadays is that the tracks are so dangerous in California, that a guy would have to be crazy to ship to California to run his horse. If I had a horse back East, I wouldn't want to ship to California to run on those rock-hard tracks. The horse may not come back in one piece.

this is an excellent point. i just spent the entire summer at saratoga and it was great but i have spent an entire summer at del mar and the racing was just as good. there is a huge east coast bias in horse racing. even midwestern racing does not get the respect it deserves. saratoga has plenty of 2yr old and new york bred races that leave a lot to be desired. gulfstream park had some of the worst racing in the country last year but because there are so many new york trainers there is gets a better reputation than it deserves.

there is a huge east coast bias in horse racing

I would agree with that. Horses like Lava Man dont get the credit they are due. I find it funny that this year's older horse division in the east is apparently so much stronger than that in the west. Exactly (besides Invasor) is so fabulous?

As I have stated before, I don't think Invasor is anything special. I think Bernardini would beat him by 4-5 lengths.

don't forget everyone bent over backwards to excuse st liams bad run in the big cap last year. but lava man isn't given the same consideration, when he was vanned off in his last start prior to shipping east and the far east. obviously a tired horse, obviously the trainer thought he was of sterner stuff. they're lucky they didn't ruin him for good...thankfully some time and some patience, and he's back better than ever. this is lava mans best year ever--anyone can go look at his prior years to see that he's at the top of his game.

i know a lot of people, myself included, gave mineshaft a get out of jail free card when he skipped the bcc in cali. just imagine the uproar that would erupt if they tried the same with lava man!! and he's undefeated this year, while mineshaft ( who i really like(d)) was not in his HOY year. ah, but that was different...he beat east coasters!! lol


if the west coast is as hard and difficult to run over, and stay healthy on, as we all believe it be, shouldn't lava man get that much MORE credit for doing it all year, without a blemish?????? i mean, if the easterners are such cream puffs they can't do it, how is lava man somehow the lesser???

"it's the place to be seen and the true fan watches at home" is exactly why you want to see Saratoga, because the die hard fans thrive there. The people who show up that aren't there to picnic and 'spin' are like all of us here. There is just no words to describe the feeling of wandering about the track and city of Saratoga Springs both day and night. (and everyone has to stop at Siro's at some point in their lives!) I've been to nearly every corner of our country and Saratoga really is something special. If you love racing as much as I do, you can really feel a natural kinship to so many people because the racing fan is few and far between in the world, but in Saratoga, they are aplenty. I've been to Keeneland, The Derby, Oaklawn, Suffolk Downs (we all slum it sometimes :D ) Aqueduct and Belmont and like Oracle said, I too would give up every BC & Derby for the beauty of Saratoga.

You also forgot to mention that average field size went up this year and is very likely higher than most tracks....

One of the best things about Saratoga is all the 2 year old races. Those are my favorite races. You get to see a lot of the future stars. For me, they are the best betting races too.

They wouldnt get that or care about it Sightseek. Once these West Coast diehards get on the soapbox its pretty comical.
I havent't even looked at Dle Mar's card tomorrow, I swear. And I will make a a line right now
over/under on cheap claimers or maiden claimers 4 1/2
Now I will go and look.

I was close, it was 4. But it looks like an exceptional card for them. Quite nice!!!

more evidence of an east coast bias here. tomorrow's del mar card is excellent by any standard. saratoga is no better than del mar or keeneland. all three are basically the same. they all have good things about them. personally i like the keeneland meet better than saratoga and saratoga better than del mar. it all depends what you like. saratoga is very elitist though. not a fan of that.

:D

(oh and I don't mean to be picky but you could have added Kent D's ride on Relaxed Gesture as the worst ride of the meet! The day after his car accident wasn't all that successful either)

I just said I hadn't looked. And that it was only 4.
And if you think all three are the same, you are kidding yourself. The other two run very cheap claiming races. As low as 5 grand at Keeneland, and 10 grand at Del Mar.
You do not get those at Saratoga.
I might point out, that closing day at Saratoga contained only two claiming races.:)
Touche!!!
And if you really wanna get into it, and want me to start pulling out facts, lets get to it!!!
Shall we compare Saturday cards at each track this past summer and see who ran more cheaper races than who, and who ran more stakes and allowances. And who has more grade one races? Sounds like fun to me.

Keeneland is WAY easier to handicap than Saratoga...actually I think Santa Anita is as well. Speed! Speed! Speed! Since Saratoga was full swing I didn't cap much at Del Mar, but I've been told it isn't as favoring as SA.