Should JCGC return to 16F ?

[Pedigree Ann]

The JC Gold Cup was shortened to 12f when the race was moved from Aqueduct to Belmont. At Aqueduct, a 9f oval, they could start at the 7f start and have a nice long run to the turn. At Belmont, running at 16f would required starting on the turn, which the track people thought the horsemen wouldn't like. (In those days, Belmont had a chute long enough for 10f races to start on the straight. It crossed the training track.)

Moving the JCGC to Belmont predated the BC and was part of the process by which Aqueduct was changed from having spring, summer, and fall meetings to having one long meet from late fall to spring. In those days, the Dwyer H was its 'Brooklyn Derby' at 10f, and the Brooklyn H took place in Brooklyn, both held in July. I would argue that many of the problems with NY racing date from the decision to turn a major racing venue, home of championship races like the JCGC and Ladies H, into a cheap winter racetrack. That and the way the OTB was originally constituted.