We wouldn't be seeing these over-the-top 11 and 12 races card if NYRA wasn't being blown up after the meet is over. There are not enough horses to fill competitive races 5 & 6 days a week now (nationally, not just NY) unless you tap into the cheap claimers, and only going to get worse as the foal crops continue to decline. Be lucky the slots are still supporting purses.

I just don't know why everything needs to be a superlative.

I think it has to do with our society and the need to provide immediate context on everything - there is absolutely no arguing this Saturday's Saratoga card doesn't have the same degree of quality of other traditional weekend cards in the past. So - for that, it's impossible to disagree.

Now, is it a problem? I don't think so.

Because Solis was up for 2 of those wins, right?

Personally I will take a $20K claimer with a full field over a stake with a 6 horse field with one horse that overmatches the field at less then even money and two horses will scratch.

Those $20K claimers can yield some nice prices.

Exactly. They are still competitive races and as challenging to handicap as any.

I think you want a good mix of races, last thing I want to see is 3-4 2yo maidens.

But others, like me, love these races. Players that are at their best at claimers could tell you the BC card is no good as clearly there is no mix of races those days.

Impossible to disagree? You did exactly that on your first post on the thread.

No, not really.

I complained about people complaining about claiming races at Saratoga on a Saturday. Factually, it is unarguable that there are more claiming races this Saturday than any of the Saturday's before and likely after. I accept and understand the card is this way, and rather choose to enjoy racing at Saratoga no matter what is thrown out there.

You can spin it anway you like. IMO if you had answered the guys post like NTAMM did (tactfully) I believe the issue would have been wrapped up after that. Saratoga usually has a mid meet weekend that is slower than the rest. Your response was more of attack the poster and dismiss their claims out of hand. This is a typical and "predictable" response by many in the industry in this situation. Kudos to Cannon for his candor.

Exactly!

The Breeders Cup Card is and always was hand down, by a mile, the best card of the year.

Almost everyone able shows up (only those crazy sup fees for horses with obscure pedigrees sometimes keep contenders away) and most importantly -- you get a mix of horses from all different regions...which is the test any good handicapper should want.

Even among people considered good handicappers -- a lot of them focus and waste way too much of their energy on a home track and pay little to no attention elsewhere. There aren't enough racing days like it anymore where you get entire cards loaded with quality shippers from all different regions.

And you don't have to deal with trainers using the race as a prep for something else.

I don't disagree on that standpoint, but I guaranteee you there are guys out there who don't touch it or watch it because it isn't what they play. For them it's not a good card.

I don't know -- a dedicated horseplayer that does not bet or even watch the Breeders Cup? To me, they would be the ultimate outlier.

It's extreme I'll give you, but a guy that's strictly a gambler could care less. You and I are clearly in between the extremes, we gamble but we also enjoy the sport. Hardcore gambler just cares about winning. He doesnt care who is the best ever unless its making money for him. Guys that run around claiming its only about the gambling and then get gushy on Derby day crack me up.

Regardless of what people thought of the quality of the card on Saturday, they didn't shy away.

11 races (6 claimers) - total handle of $11,958,086 (with mostly sloppy/off-turf)

The same Saturday on the calendar a year ago had 3 claiming races, a G1 turf stake, and was fast/firm and handled $11,927,406 (it did go up against the Arlington Million card, which is a weekend later this year).

Monmouth Park ran 11 races in similar wet conditions on Saturday, handled $3,801,312. A year ago, they ran 12 races fast/firm and handled $6,191,436

Based on this logic when Gov Cuomo slashes the purse subsidy the new NYRA can just go ahead and get rid of all those good races and just run claimers and the handle will stay the same.

and when the slot money disappears there will have to be an overhaul of the racing calendar in New York.

Yeah might try out the no days schedule

I can't believe this thread is still going on. This card would barely have qualified as a Saturday card at Aqueduct never mind Saratoga. The baby races are fun, if you like that sort of thing, but the combination of the reduced field size and the rain made those miserable as well. There were more races that were instant passes than there were races worth looking at, and for Saratoga that is bad news. It was a terrible card, let's leave it at that and hope for better over the final 3 weeks.

It all depends on how you look at it. I had a pretty good day and found most of the races bettable.

Gamblers make the best of the opportunities and there were plenty on Saturday.

A new low...the co-feature today is a allowance for older horses, on dirt, going 5.5f. When did that extra half furlong become a problem?

Thought the $100k Troy on turf, which has a great field, and is deserving of a grading with this field, was the standalone feature on today's card.

I guess, but it is carded at the 5th and the other race is in the feature position with a purse of 82k. That really wasn't the point though. Do you realize that and are nitpicking or did it miss you?

Why do we need 5.5f races on dirt for older horses at the premier meet in the country, especially when several are supposed allowance horses. Isn't this a first?

It was just generally confusing, I thought, and I did initially miss it. Not sure the rationale for the placement as it's still in pick six. Normally those non-normally-placed stakes are done so because of an absolute standout and taken out of the pick six.

OK, I'll buy that, I should not have called it the co-feature because it has nothing to do with my point...which by the way you ignored again. I wouldn't care if the race was carded as the 1st, 5th, 9th, or was the 27th. The point is we shouldn't need races for older horses of that quality going 5.5f at the premier meet in the country.