Rachel to Monmouth on July 24...

[Cannon Shell]

I find it hard to believe that what Monmouth is doing isnt a huge negative in the short and long term. Trading your integrity (which is what they absolutely have done by pandering) just makes it easier for the next flavor of the month to demand the same or more favorable terms. This game is soft enough at the top levels already and moving stakes and changing the distance to fit the schedule of a horse is another step in the wrong direction. I have no problem with them raising the purse of a race to attract horses, that is good business. But the pandering is a joke. It is like Le Bron telling the NBA he will sign with the Knicks if they agree to give them all home games and waive the salary cap for him so he can make more money.

Doing things like this makes it certain that owners will continue to duck and dive and look for handouts as opposed to actually running in races that are considered important. Hooray Racing!

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I find it hard to believe that what Monmouth is doing isnt a huge negative in the short and long term. Trading your integrity (which is what they absolutely have done by pandering) just makes it easier for the next flavor of the month to demand the same or more favorable terms. This game is soft enough at the top levels already and moving stakes and changing the distance to fit the schedule of a horse is another step in the wrong direction. I have no problem with them raising the purse of a race to attract horses, that is good business. But the pandering is a joke. It is like Le Bron telling the NBA he will sign with the Knicks if they agree to give them all home games and waive the salary cap for him so he can make more money.

Doing things like this makes it certain that owners will continue to duck and dive and look for handouts as opposed to actually running in races that are considered important. Hooray Racing!

Welcome to 90's were have you been? tear.. You ever try to sell to walmart or Target? You ever try to establish yourself in a market?

Horse racing and integrity your kidding right.. How many fn cheats are exposed a year? The friggin trainer of the super draw(Rachel) has been busted 394 times for drugs. Horses getting taken down by stewards without explaination. Jockeys attack each other during races. Trainers send horses to slaughter and owners that own 150k a session stallions starve there stock and go to Jail. Please you are worried about making a time and date for people to be entertained and smile.. Good lookin out

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by freddymo

Welcome to 90's were have you been? tear.. You ever try to sell to walmart or Target? You ever try to establish yourself in a market?

Horse racing and integrity your kidding right.. How many fn cheats are exposed a year? The friggin trainer of the super draw(Rachel) has been busted 394 times for drugs. Horses getting taken down by stewards without explaination. Jockeys attack each other during races. Trainers send horses to slaughter and owners that own 150k a session stallions starve there stock and go to Jail. Please you are worried about making a time and date for people to be entertained and smile.. Good lookin out

Those are seperate issues.

The reason that the Triple Crown works is because people desire to win those races. It seems as though that series and the BC to a lesser degree are the only important races left. Virtually every trainer of horses in the TC series would love to see the races spaced a little differently and almost none of them have horses suited to go as far as the races are written. Yet they continue to show up for them. When was the last time a TC race had a 5 horse field? It works because people have no choice but to run under the conditions given. That doesnt mean that every classic race is a classic but you can feel pretty secure knowing that winning one means something.

But this idea that horses dont have to run against top competition to be horse of the year, that the historically signifigant races are passed over for made for one horse events, that handicaps are made a mockery of because of the desire to prop up a popular horses record, that an owner can dictate the date and distance of a race that others are paying to run in as well, is well disturbing. It is one thing if baseball players are taking steroids. it is another if the league is handing them out.

The sport is crumbling and RA running in the Delaware Hdcp or Ruffian isnt going to change that. But the pandering to RA continues down the path that makes important races less important, makes competition between top horses rarer and lines the pockets of those who need it the least. Sounds like a winner.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Those are seperate issues.

The reason that the Triple Crown works is because people desire to win those races. It seems as though that series and the BC to a lesser degree are the only important races left. Virtually every trainer of horses in the TC series would love to see the races spaced a little differently and almost none of them have horses suited to go as far as the races are written. Yet they continue to show up for them. When was the last time a TC race had a 5 horse field? It works because people have no choice but to run under the conditions given. That doesnt mean that every classic race is a classic but you can feel pretty secure knowing that winning one means something.

But this idea that horses dont have to run against top competition to be horse of the year, that the historically signifigant races are passed over for made for one horse events, that handicaps are made a mockery of because of the desire to prop up a popular horses record, that an owner can dictate the date and distance of a race that others are paying to run in as well, is well disturbing. It is one thing if baseball players are taking steroids. it is another if the league is handing them out.

The sport is crumbling and RA running in the Delaware Hdcp or Ruffian isnt going to change that. But the pandering to RA continues down the path that makes important races less important, makes competition between top horses rarer and lines the pockets of those who need it the least. Sounds like a winner.

HoY this is about marketing..its about people coming to the track something which currently only happens at Delmar and SPA. People dont go to the track, horses arent stars and people have gambling options including other options at the track which keep them away from racing..

Yep that Historic Mother Goose last year was a real humdinger.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by freddymo

HoY this is about marketing..its about people coming to the track something which currently only happens at Delmar and SPA. People dont go to the track, horses arent stars and people have gambling options including other options at the track which keep them away from racing..

Yep that Historic Mother Goose last year was a real humdinger.

No it is about selling out for an extra 5000 people, most of whom wont bet more than token $2 win tickwets on RA at 1-5. That and telling some idiot pol from Hoboken that the horse of the Year (last year) raced there, can we have more money???

In three years no one will even remember the race except some other enterprising owners that will hold the sport for ransom.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I find it hard to believe that what Monmouth is doing isnt a huge negative in the short and long term. Trading your integrity (which is what they absolutely have done by pandering) just makes it easier for the next flavor of the month to demand the same or more favorable terms. This game is soft enough at the top levels already and moving stakes and changing the distance to fit the schedule of a horse is another step in the wrong direction. I have no problem with them raising the purse of a race to attract horses, that is good business. But the pandering is a joke. It is like Le Bron telling the NBA he will sign with the Knicks if they agree to give them all home games and waive the salary cap for him so he can make more money.

Doing things like this makes it certain that owners will continue to duck and dive and look for handouts as opposed to actually running in races that are considered important. Hooray Racing!

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Freddy is just cracking me up in this thread.

Even when he's hopelessly wrong about things ... he's still an all-time great poster.

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Freddy is just cracking me up in this thread.

Even when he's hopelessly wrong about things ... he's still an all-time great poster.

He just hi-jacked my call with Steve too. He's like a runaway freight train. That is unless there's another Freddy from NJ with the same views? I'll bet no.

NT

[Antitrust32]

What I dont understand is why everyone feels that just cause Rachel is running July 24th at MTH, why does that mean she wont be running at Saratoga??

She'll have plenty of opportunities to run at saratoga towards the latter stages of that meet.

Didnt she run in the Haskell AND the Woodward last year?

Maybe she wins this race and goes for back to back Woodwards?

Why is everyone convinced you wont see her at Toga??

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

Why is everyone convinced you wont see her at Toga??

I doubt they'll want to run her 10f and I doubt they'll want to run her against males off a race that is likely to have as weak a field as this year's Fleur De Lis or Apple Blossom.

Monmouth might try hard to get her back, too, with the Molly Pitcher run I believe the same day as the Personal Ensign.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I doubt they'll want to run her 10f and I doubt they'll want to run her against males off a race that is likely to have as weak a field as this year's Fleur De Lis or Apple Blossom.

Monmouth might try hard to get her back, too, with the Molly Pitcher run I believe the same day as the Personal Ensign.

I hear its a two race deal. Sometime in the next month they will ship Rachel to the shore and have her paraded to Molly Pitcher's well at the site of the Battle of Monmouth. Should be great stuff!

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I doubt they'll want to run her 10f and I doubt they'll want to run her against males off a race that is likely to have as weak a field as this year's Fleur De Lis or Apple Blossom.

Monmouth might try hard to get her back, too, with the Molly Pitcher run I believe the same day as the Personal Ensign.

I've heard that the goal is the Lady's Secret, Woodward and Breeders Cup.

Woodward was 9f last year.. did they change it?

[NTamm1215]

I did like this quote from the DRF story, "Mike Dempsey, the racing secretary at Monmouth Park, said, "There are no appearance fees for anyone involved..."

Well, thank God they didn't have to give the old coot money just for showing up. Nearly tripling the purse, moving the date, and lengthening it was just enough I guess.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/114353.html

NT