The Real Championship Meet

[welltakethat]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

No one is saying betting on Havre De Grace last weekend was fun and I can't imagine anyone in this thread did. But when there are so many options for connections to duck and dodge, for big, big money, what are racing organizations supposed to do?

I completely agree re too many options. I believe Steve had mentioned in an earlier post to me on a different issue having some sort of shared series across tracks where divisions are mapped out and campaigns are naturally built. I think without cooperation the sport will continue to spiral down. As you said, if the cotillion is going to run the same week as the beldame and the spinster is the next week, the only solution is to more actively recruit horses from other circuits or move the race. The 4 horse field run away to me does nothing to enhance Harve De Grace's resume, great win in the Woodward by her and she's a great horse. Better than Zenyatta to me. But if this was Europe sheda been in the Gold Cup instead and maybe the field for the Beldame would have been better.

As far as synthetic goes and turf horses benefiting and it being a crap shoot, I guess most on this thread with that view missed the Kentucky Derby this year. I could be misremembering but didn't Animal Kingdom prep on the poly. Oh yea and he won the derby. And ran big in the preakness.

Steve - Thanks for having Plonk on. Heard it on the replay this morning. He to me with his statistical analysis and trending is maybe the top handicapping mind in the public perview today and his Keeneland information that he posts on their site is tremendous.