Back to discussing Delaware Park....
From an owner's standpoint, there's good and bad in dealing with the small fields.
Good - there's fewer horses to beat and if you are shippiing in, there's a better chance you'll at least get enough of a check to cover the van ride even if you run in the crapper. Granted, for years Delpark has given an entry "bonus" to every starter, but with gas going UP, that bonus doesn't cover van costs anymore.
Bad - there's fewer spots to run your horses so it is tougher getting into races.
In addition to the possible problems related to Del's steroid ban, Delpark has always made it difficult to claim horses. If I started a new partnership today, and I was a licensed owner anywhere in the past year, I could not claim at Delpark for the new partnership. But, if I hadn't been licensed anywhere for the last year, I could come in as a "new" owner and be granted a claiming license.
By the same token, if I am a MD owner and I run on the last day of Pimlico's spring meet, and lose my horse to claim, I can't claim at Delpark for the whole summer because I am not a "new" owner, nor have I started a horse there. Delpark's rules say you have to have started a horse before you can claim.
If you are short on horses, the best way to grow your horse population is to get more owners involved. Delpark does everything it can to prevent owners from getting involved.
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