There were a lot of big drops off the claim over the winter. It has slowed considerably, as has the number of breakdowns.
I just read where NY R&W is intituting a rule by which the purse may not be more than two times the claiming tag. Makes sense to me. I know horsemen will bark but if the game is facing massive protests by useful idiots and other assaults, it's small price. Over the winter $7500 horses were running for about $40k. That is simply too much.
When the claim box is so active you can almost assume that if your horse is in form, he'll be claimed. That knowledge can lead some people to not bother to look at a horse's health with an eye to the long view.
As for the NYT, I wonder why they waited for the Monday of Derby week to begin their annual "ramp up the excitement about racing" series? Did the occupiers come back and take up all their happy stories?
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RIP Monroe.
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