[boswd]

I think it's time NYRA or who ever is going to be running Saratoga is going to need to do something about The Travers. This has been slowly happening to this race for quite sometime now. The Breeders Cup is slowly making this race just another race to skip. The Haskell is no longer used as prep for The Travers anymore and is it's event all it's own now. This once proud race is slowly becoming just another race. With so many different million dollar races available as other options the better horse are just spacing themselves between races more and more The PA Derby will have a larger field than the The Travers and that is a shame. Yes we can still cling to the fact that it will have Street Sense but unless alot of minds change over the next couple of weeks that's all it's going to have. Street Sense and 4 other mules. It's time to start making some changes and if that means for NYRA or whoever to start swallowing some pride and come to realize that The Travers is no longer lure it once was.

Some options

1. Raise the purse to $1,500,000
2. or raise the purse of the Jim Dandy to $750,000 is order to lure horses from the Haskell and WV Derby so the horses will have that oh so desired of 4 weeks between races.
3. Sit down with racing officials at Monmouth and see if they can agree to have the two races separated by 4 to 5 weeks and if that means Saratoga swallowing it's pride and holding The Travers one week later than so be it. In a couple of years no one will care that is no longer the last Saturday in August. I mean trainers are not really caring right now as it is unless it the old school trainers.