8/25 (SAR): Travers, King's Bishop, Test (G1's), Ballston Spa (G3)

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Danzig

ok, question. do people want a good betting race? yes. is this a good betting race? i think it is.
now, of course one wants the big races to draw the big names, but in the end, don't you want a good betting race? obviously the race is a victim of the war of attrition. exactly what could nyra have done to get a better group? i think criticism of nyra in this case is unwarranted. to complain is to suggest there could have been something done. how could they have produced a better field quality-wise?

The complaint is not with NYRA. As you said, they couldn't do more to get a better field. It's with the state of the sport in general. I have read a few people saying how it's a good betting race. That may be so but the fifth at Yavapai can also be a good betting race. Any race at any track on any day can be. When it's a race that's supposed to be of the highest quality, I don't think it's wrong to have a complaint when the quality is severely lacking. I feel like every time people make excuses for the continuing decline in quality, it will take that much longer to figure out what changes need to be made to start turning things around.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

The complaint is not with NYRA. As you said, they couldn't do more to get a better field. It's with the state of the sport in general. I have read a few people saying how it's a good betting race. That may be so but the fifth at Yavapai can also be a good betting race. Any race at any track on any day can be. When it's a race that's supposed to be of the highest quality, I don't think it's wrong to have a complaint when the quality is severely lacking. I feel like every time people make excuses for the continuing decline in quality, it will take that much longer to figure out what changes need to be made to start turning things around.

i think for some, yes, it is a complaint with nyra.
yeah, everyone knows what changes need to be made. the trick is getting those who benefit from the current climate to make that change. after all, how long can breeders benefit if the sport suffers? if the sport declines far enough, the demand for horses will also drop. so, the cannibalization of top horses in order to breed would eventually lead to the end of breeding...
however, in recent years, young sires' have declined in popularity due to the economy, so that points to a self-correction.
but this year imo is an anomaly. these horses have suffered legitimate injuries. even if not normally career-ending, they certainly were season-ending. this is the type of occurrence that should cause a halt and re-examination by breeders.
take i'll have another for instance....i think there are two reasons he didn't get any real interest. one is commercial viability. his son hasn't exactly set the world on fire, and iha could be his one blip. but the other thing i wonder about-he's an unsound horse. it caused issues for him at two, and probably contributed to the early end of his career at three. is he actually the type of horse one wants to sire future racehorses?

i don't think this years travers is a good indication that the sport is going south in a hurry. i think it's just suffered because of a run of bad luck. but i do think people really need to take a step back and re-evaluate exactly why they choose who they choose for stud and broodmare purposes. the breeders would be doing themselves and everyone else involved if they would take a bit more effort in choosing who to stand.

another thing...just like in human medicine, veterinary science has taken huge strides. but in both cases, there hasn't been a real surge in better health or longevity. perhaps everyone involved needs to take some real time to consider what they're doing, how, and why. and where does it take them? are they improving the breed, and thus the sport?

[OldDog]

Like someone said, some Derbys are better than others.

This Travers may not feature, in some minds, the star power that they would like to see, but it definitely has some interesting handicapping angles, and it is fairly representative of what a summer 3YO race looks like when the season has lost a significant portion of the cream of its crop. As for me, I think it still has some very good and interesting horses as we look to the latter part of the year.

As for the "state of racing," if you don't like the Travers, then just look to the Pacific Classic. That race is loaded with opportunities and really interesting horses.

[Danzig]

http://www.drf.com/news/crist-traver...ling-after-all

crist on the travers...and i agree, it is an appealing race.

[declansharbor]

It's a real shocker that some horseplayers are chronic complainers!

I could see people having a legitimate gripe if the top guns were still in training and all decided to skip the race. Such isn't the case, so either bet it, or pick your ball up and go home (with your head down, kicking rocks, using expletives) Either way, Toga will survive!

[tywizard]

Looks like John V could have a big day.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by declansharbor

It's a real shocker that some horseplayers are chronic complainers!

I could see people having a legitimate gripe if the top guns were still in training and all decided to skip the race. Such isn't the case, so either bet it, or pick your ball up and go home (with your head down, kicking rocks, using expletives) Either way, Toga will survive!

Great betting race, horrible quality from what is expected of the race historically. I'm shocked that this is too difficult a concept for people to comprehend. Saying it is in no means bashing or blaming NYRA for it. It is what it is due to the depleted crop.