Quote:
Originally Posted by pointman
So if a horse runs in the Carter and is beaten by 25 lengths, they end up on the poor performance list?
If a talented maiden blows the doors off a field by 15 and the second finisher is 10 ahead of the rest of the field, the rest of the field is on the poor performance list?
How does reducing weekday cards to 8 races help curb breakdowns?
Is there any evidence of increased breakdowns of horses running a race within 14 days of their last race?
On the one hand it is nice to see that there is not a complete assumption that every breakdown is due to the surface of the track and that some focus is being placed on horseman who may be running horses that are lame leading to breakdowns, on the other hand, I am having a bit of a hard time finding how these changes correlate to reducing breakdowns.
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Where they will wind up with issues with the poor performance rule is when turf races get rained off (obviously not an issue now) and some blowout winner spread eagles the field against a bunch of turf horses running on the dirt. It isnt a huge issue but it can be a disincentive to stay in.
I rarely am a proponent of fewer races however in the case of NY winter racing I think that there is a point that might be valid that few have publicly stated. That is that because turf racing is so much more important that it was in years past and a far greater % of races are written on the grass in the spring-fall it makes sense that the pool of horses in NY to compete successfully on the dirt in the winter is smaller. Trainers likely have a greater % of turf only or preferred horses in their barns as compared to years past. Most regular trainers arent able to fill those stalls of the turf only horses in the winter with horses of equal ability so they take lessor/cheaper horses or just cut back. With Parx purses still pretty strong and Maryland racing on the upswing there arent that many out of town horses to attract either.