Why the BC has become bad for racing overall:
The emphasis given to winning the BC races has sucked the life from the rest of the year's racing. Once upon a time, it was the body of work that counted for championships and the only way to rack up large earnings was to win a lot of races. Now - hey presto, one race decides. Great, historic races that owners tried like anything to win are reduced to the status of 'Breeders' Cup prep.'
The fall championship season used to be spread out over several tracks, over a couple of months, so that one bad day weather-wise or a super-fast scraped track wouldn't make for peculiar results. The Beldame (then the Ruffian) at Belmont, the Spinster at Keeneland, the Ladies at Aqueduct for the mares - chances were, the best mare would be identifiable even if she didn't win all the races for one reason or another.
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