Belmont the Fall Championship Meet

[Slewbopper]

Oracle: The Breeders Cup was a great idea in theory. A year end celebration of racing that would move from place to place in order to expose more fans to racing.
But what its done is create a voting system for champions that ignores the rest of the years accomplishments and in the process has destroyed the stature of many races. Trainers no longer wanna hook up with the main rival in the year, they play dodgeball, and who can blame them? Its crippled the product all year long and I just don't think that one fantastic day is worth all that.
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You are absolutely right on all accounts. The BC has destroyed the the handicap TC of the Met Mile, Suburban, and Brooklyn. It caused Philip Morris to bow out of the Marlboro Hcp. Many establ;ished G1 races have been shortened to accomadate the BC. The only 1 1/2 mile dirt race left in America is the archaic Belmont Stakes which is run at that distance for tradition only.

I am sure that all of us that were following the game at the inception of the BC thought it was a wonderful thing. In retrospect what has happened, is, as you said, we are waiting around all year for one day while one time meaningful races run throughout the year are nothing more than a means to this end.