Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Holland Hacker
The REALLY scary part is that MEC believes that Gulfstream is having trouble (declining attendance, handle, etc) because people have to walk too far from the parking lots due to constructions. What about being a track that is no longer conducive to getting a horse to the Kentucky Derby via a "traditional" stretch out in distances of races (1 mile - 1 1/16 miles, 1 1/8 miles). Not to mention a lame condition book being written due to the lack of funds to support a good purse structure.
Does anyone at MEC know what it takes to run a race track, or has Mr. Stronach "excused" nearly all of the capable individuals because their opinions differed from his.
OK I'll step down from the soap box now.
|
I don't buy the part about Stronach ruining things by building a 9F track. What's gone now? A few n1 and n2x Allowances and one Graded race at 8.5F? I'd much rather see racing on a 1 1/8 track any day over a 1 mile track. And there is realy no comparing grass racing over a 1 mile track vs a 7/8.
It's also not as if GP is now irrelevant as far as prepping goes. Barbaro did ok prepping there. And last year, Street Sense didn't run at 3 until mid-March so the FL Derby was certainly not going to be on his schedule.
Also, it will be interesting to see how GPs 3 yo race in April draws.
As far as the construction, it is unbelieveably ridiculous. If you park on the west side of the track, you can either walk 1/3 mile or take a shuttle which is pretty nuts on days when there are 2,000 people there.
And you can't deny $113,000,000 isn't a lot of money. That buys a lot of strudel or cheescake.