Quote:
Originally Posted by Calzone Lord
You can't do anything about the fact that the same five trainers get all the good stock, with one getting most of it.
I'd like to see more open cheap claiming races at Saratoga and a lot less of these stakes races with five and six horse fields.
I'd like to see more baby races with 10 and 12 horse fields where you can make a lot of money if you're right -- than a whole bunch with small fields.
From a betting standpoint, I would take a card loaded with competitive cheap class races and big field baby races ... over a card with a bunch of soft stakes races and 6 horse field baby races.
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Well you could stop giving them 150 free stalls.
The initial problem is that no one in a leadership position in racing seems to understand this is an issue. Funny that they always like to toss other sports analogies in regards to racing (usually in the wrong context but whatever) but seem to miss that competitive balance has been a war fought in every major sport since the begining of the free agency era. Salary caps, player drafts, luxury taxes, etc are all staples of other sports that work to attempt to achieve some sort of balance. Yet in this sport it is absolutely ignored and many of the moves made actually further the cause of the supertrainer and large barns to the detriment of just about everyone else. Unlimited stalls, the proliferation of overnight stakes races, the field size limit in 2 yo maiden races are all things that are absolute boons to the barns with all the talent providing more easy spots for their huge arsenal of horses, often creating poor betting races as well.