Saratoga maiden policy...

[parsixfarms]

If I recollect correctly, until recent years (when there has been such a premium placed on field size), the 5F races at Saratoga were limited to eight starters, and 5.5F races were limited to 10 starters. My sense is the prior limitations were for safety and fairness reasons (much like when 8.5F races on the inner turf at Belmont were limited to eight starters).

Limiting field size in 6F and 7F races at Saratoga doesn't make much sense to me.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Scav

I am wondering if another reason is that it will create more 2 year old winners (40 entries now creates 5 winners instead of 4) thus giving their graded stakes fields a boost. We all know that when you win a MSW with a 2 year old, the next logical step now days is a G2.

Perhaps they dont want a NY bred trainer winning the title again so they are creating more races for Pletcher to win...only kidding....sort of...

[Alan07]

@ncthorseracing: Del Mar, TOC agree to limit 2-year-old races to 10 starters one day after Saratoga announced they would limit starters to 8.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Alan07

@ncthorseracing: Del Mar, TOC agree to limit 2-year-old races to 10 starters one day after Saratoga announced they would limit starters to 8.

total grandstanding move, they cant hardly fill the straight mdn races past opening week.

[Gaelic Storm]

I thought this was an effort to get more 2 year old winners and card some N1X Alw races and get bigger fields in the 2 year old stakes later in the meet.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Gaelic Storm

I thought this was an effort to get more 2 year old winners and card some N1X Alw races and get bigger fields in the 2 year old stakes later in the meet.

I think people are over thinking this. I dont think the extra few races will make any dent in the later winners races mostly because the same handful of trainers are likely to win additional 2yo maiden races anyway. It is a really weak PR ploy that serves to diminish one of the key elements of Saratoga's meet and is another example of the racing establishment's desire to deemphasize 2yo racing (Derby selection process, CDI not taking entires on 2 yo's till they are calendar year 2yo, etc.).

Of course there are high profile cheerleaders for these moves but too much bs that is written about this sport demanding change misses the extremely important point that changes are just as likely to be negative (some would say far more likely to be negative based on recent history) as they are positives. As usual instead of a comprehensive plan of attack, taking a comprehensive and frank look at the issues causing the weakness of the product that we are putting on the track on a daily basis, we are capping maiden fields for some nonsensical gibberish about safety and quality. NYRA is hardly alone but they have the tools (purses, facilities, quality horses, strong statebred program) to create a better product unlike the crapfests being put on so many other places.