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Originally Posted by SentToStudCalder is GREAT in December. Nine graded stakes, and another 8-10 of $100k+. A lot all the top East coast trainers are down already and the MSW and NX1 turf races are very good and bettable full-fields. On top of that the place is big and comfortable and not overpriced. Oh, yeah, the weather here in December ain't bad. My favorite racing month down here, by far.
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You say its headed in the right direction?
I have a few questions for you then.
1) Are the purses there not embarassingly small given the type of horses who winter there(like the ones YOU cited) and the fact that there is a huge horse population to draw from?
2) Are the weekday cards not an absolute disgrace containing nothing but cheap claimers and maiden claimers(as cited by trainers last year including Frankel when they went to management to complain about it)?
I also agree that I much rather go to Calder December over January Gulfstream. That being said you must see the double standard in your comments. You blast GP for points 1 and 2 above. These statements are consistent with the Calder in December as well (you will see many of the same horses running for lesser purses in December at Calder that you will see at GP in January). For Calder however your quote is "I agree completely. They do a hell of a job down there and put on some good shows. December is a great month there." I don't see you how you can have it both ways?