What would you change?

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by oracle80

Breeding is free market and trade enterprise and its so completely unrealistic to think that courts would uphold such an edict. It would be laughed out on the first challenge. You can't tell people what to do with their property. I understand the sentiment, but what would you suggest a guy with a horse who has been injured do if the hores has been injured at age two or three?

To give an answer to this question that is realistic and could actually be done, I'd find a way to get purses in graded stakes races raised to a level which would encourage and make it financially feasible to race horses on at older ages. In other words I think you guys are in the right church but the wrong pew. The reason people retire horses early these days is because the proportion of money you can race for and earn as compared to the money you can get in the shed is way out of whack. The insuranec alone on a great stallion prospect or broodmare is far more than they can earn racing another year after you pay expenses and the trainer and jockey 10% apiece. A horse that earns 3 million in one year really only nets his owner about 2.3 million after expenses. It simply makes no sense to race on these days.
How many horses earn 3 million a year? 1-5? Maybe? none? maybe?
If you made grade ones worth a minimum of 1 million, grade 2's a minimum of 500,000 and grade 3's a minimum of 250 grand, TRUST me people would be glad to race on!!!! You would still lose the 1-5 VERY best prospects and those who are injured, but the fringe very best horses would indeed race on with the lure of plenty of cash to go after. You'd also increase field sizes in thesegrade one events which have become like 4-6 horse harness races where they take single file order with uncontested paces. The "keepaway" from teh other good horses would end, for a million bucks a crack you could bet your ass that people would race in more spots.
You'd also see owners abandoning a specific 4 race campaign aimed at the BC. They'd race all year and say if we make the BC great, but if we don't thats ok as well.
It would also make more than 5 days a year "big days" at the racetrack. In addition people may start trying to breed a bit more towards the performance side instead of just the commercial side. The reason the breed has slipped so badly is that the robber barons of yesteryear used to breed to sell and RACE with equal interest. As a matter of fact many just bred to RACE. They chose matings and sires that weren't just an attempt to get a flashy worker in February at a 2YO in training sale, or to break their maiden in rocketship time in June going 5F.
The bottom line is that all the bitching and moaning about the game really boils down to the fact the economically it makes absolutely no sense for anyone to race on or race often with a good horse.

I never said anything about it being legal but I don't see the legal implications being that difficult to get past. Why is it different from saying that yearlings can't race? Why is it different than the NBA requiring you be at least 20 years of age to play in the league? I understand that it is people's property we are dealing with so obviously you can't tell them they can't breed the horse but what is to prevent the jockey club from not recognizing horses bred to a stallion of less than 5 years of age?

As far as the horse that is injured at 2 or 3, I really don't think they are doing that much to help the bloodlines to begin with. They can still be bred at 5 but would have to wait a year or two to begin their stallion duties. I actually think that would have a positive impact on the sport as they would have to stand the test of time before being bred and might not be as big a market commodity when they can breed. It would also encourage people to try and breed a horse that will stay sound through their four year old season so they don't get stuck footing the bills for two years on an injured horse while waiting to stand it stud. Sucks for that owner but nowhere near as much as it does for the probable #1 pick of the NBA Draft as a 19 year old that can't go to the draft, is forced to play another year, and gets into a motorcycle crash like Jason Williams that effectively ends his career. The end result is if the owner can't afford to pay the insurance to race a horse at four or to wait two years to breed a horse that was injured at 2 they can always sell it to someone that can afford it.

Sniper,
how did they raise money for the BC and its fund?
You charge a nomination fee to the foals to participate in the added money to stakes races. The money raised in the fund is added to the purses in the graded races in top of what the track puts up, and horses who arent nominated to the program don'tget too compete for the added money, only the base purse by the track. Everyone would wanna nominate their foals to increase their sales and racing worth!!! The Bc has already done this successfully, why would it not work in what I am describing?

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by oracle80

Sniper,
how did they raise money for the BC and its fund?
You charge a nomination fee to the foals to participate in the added money to stakes races. The money raised in the fund is added to the purses in the graded races in top of what the track puts up, and horses who arent nominated to the program don'tget too compete for the added money, only the base purse by the track. Everyone would wanna nominate their foals to increase their sales and racing worth!!! The Bc has already done this successfully, why would it not work in what I am describing?

I like your idea too. If they could get people to raise the money for it then I'm all for it but I'm a little skeptical that we could ever see purses like that from getting enough people to nominate. It worked with the BC but will it work again?

The problem is the people retiring horses most rapidly aren't the ones that need money. Bernardini, Henny Hughes, Aussie Rules, etc weren't retired because the purse money for racing was too low. They were retired because the owners are anxious to get that next big stallion. I don't see anything short of not allowing horses to stand stud until 5 preventing that from happening. And I fully recognize that there is zero chance of ever seeing that happen. However, if you put me in charge of racing for one day and allowed me to make one change that is the change I would make.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

I never said anything about it being legal but I don't see the legal implications being that difficult to get past. Why is it different from saying that yearlings can't race? Why is it different than the NBA requiring you be at least 20 years of age to play in the league? I understand that it is people's property we are dealing with so obviously you can't tell them they can't breed the horse but what is to prevent the jockey club from not recognizing horses bred to a stallion of less than 5 years of age?

As far as the horse that is injured at 2 or 3, I really don't think they are doing that much to help the bloodlines to begin with. They can still be bred at 5 but would have to wait a year or two to begin their stallion duties. I actually think that would have a positive impact on the sport as they would have to stand the test of time before being bred and might not be as big a market commodity when they can breed. It would also encourage people to try and breed a horse that will stay sound through their four year old season so they don't get stuck footing the bills for two years on an injured horse while waiting to stand it stud. Sucks for that owner but nowhere near as much as it does for the probable #1 pick of the NBA Draft as a 19 year old that can't go to the draft, is forced to play another year, and gets into a motorcycle crash like Jason Williams that effectively ends his career. The end result is if the owner can't afford to pay the insurance to race a horse at four or to wait two years to breed a horse that was injured at 2 they can always sell it to someone that can afford it.

Damnit, Sniper! I hate it when somebody says what I'm trying to say so much better than I said it!

--Dunbar