4/10: Aqueduct (7th-10th); Keeneland (6th-11th); Oaklawn (9th)

[jms62]

Steve a question you. Not considering Saratoga, do you think NYRA is currently delivering a quality product? If so why do you rarely Cap a AQU card or carry their races on your show. Not too long ago you capped Aqu every day and carried all their races on your show. We complain because the short fields are the Rule not the Exception. Hopefully you can answer without ripping me a new one.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by jms62

Steve a question you. Not considering Saratoga, do you think NYRA is currently delivering a quality product? If so why do you rarely Cap a AQU card or carry their races on your show. Not too long ago you capped Aqu every day and carried all their races on your show. We complain because the short fields are the Rule not the Exception. Hopefully you can answer without ripping me a new one.

The 'quality' of the product means different things to everyone. Competitive racing with nice sized fields, at any level, has quality from a wagering viewpoint. In terms of what PJ Campo has to work with, the product in New York suits me fine. My point about Keeneland's veneer is that, in general right now, there are small fields going in stakes races everywhere. That's a function of too few horses of quality available and too many stakes races to choose from. Campo cleverly has dropped the overnight stake program for the Belmont meet which grows condition purses and simultaneously will push good horses into the real stakes and lesser horses into allowance and high claimers.

My additional point was that the undue vitriole unendingly directed at NYRA has an underlying agenda that has nothing to actually do with field size in stakes. If there was real, legitimate angst on that topic, there would have been threads at all the horsey boards deriding the pitiful Beaumont, Madison, Commonwealth and Shakertown fields Keeneland offered this week. There wasn't...

As to the show and capping AQU, I never featured as much New York winter racing because it doesn't suit the radio Wed-Fri with only one race (the 9th) available to broadcast before Daylight Savings Time starts. As a result, I do a lot of Gulfstream (7th-9th on air), and complied with requests for more Santa Anita capping/audio this winter. I'm making the transition back to the New York action now.