Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis Stone
This race needs help.
If the Europeans aren't going to support, who will? Our horses? They're being pulled towards shorter distances, which makes for a very light and weak division.
Handle is pinched too. The Dirt Mile out-handled the BC Turf by $1.3 million ($9.3 million versus $10.6 million). The Dirt Mile did have a pick three. However, the double pool in the Dirt Mile was small because of it. The double pool in the Turf was huge.
If you take-out the multi-race wagers, for the second year in a row the Dirt Mile out-handled the Turf.
That said, the Turf has never been particularly strong in the field size department. Since 2000, there have only been four runnings with 10 or more horses. Four races with eight horses, and this year with seven.
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Sure it would be nice to have bigger fields in the turf, if we didn't have the Filly/Mare turf I'm sure the field would be 10+ but that would take away a good race on Fri's card. In Europe, unlike The Arc you have small fields, Harbinger only beat 5 horses in the King George, Cape Blanco beat only 5 in the Irish Champion stks also, if Stoute didn't scratch 8 would have been a good number to start in a race and distance where North Americans don't really focus on. I thought yesterday's turf was one of the more interesting races.