Quote:
|
Originally Posted by SniperSB23
1) More terrible G1 winners like Flashy Bull cheapens the sport to me and in turn makes it tougher to stay a fan of the sport. It is like expanding the MLB All Star rosters to 40 and then telling me a player is great because he made the All Star Game. It just cheapens the whole system. I like it that you can judge horses by what grade stakes they have won and want it to stay that way.
2) I don't have a problem with those races if they draw quality fields. I said earlier I think the FM Sprint should absolutely be a G1. It is the tweener races like the Dirt Mile or a 10f turf race that I would like to see designated as a lower grade to prevent stealing horses from other races. Put them on equal footing and it cheapens the whole event.
3) I'd love it if the race were going to be the first leg of that series and would absolutely believe that would warrant the $1 million purse and G1 status. However, I think it is more likely it would draw a field like the previously mentioned Hollywood Turf Express which you could draw for $250,000 and have $750,000 to spread to the rest of the racing calendar.
|
The issue I have with your 1st argument is that though I agree that Flashy Bull does not belong on a list of greats of the game he won a legit grade 1 race and he won it pretty easily. Sure the entire older horse division was crap this year but that does not mean we need to downgrade all the races. Determining the merits of a horse based upon his/her winning an single graded event and using the subsquent grade as evidence of those merits is a poor way of measuring ability. To say Horse A is a better horse than Horse B because he has a grade 1 win and horse B has a grade 2 win is an extremely simplistic and flawed way of looking at things. The fact is and remains that the grading system was meant as a tool for breeders and is flawed and arbitrary system. I guess the whole point is if it brings together a diverse group of horses from different areas of the country and world then why does any one care what the purse or grade is? And the truth is that the extra $750k would probably stay in the coffers of the BC where it does noone any good.
It may become the 1st leg of that series if it existed. How would that be a bad thing? It is like the all star snub argument. It seems like it is a story for a few days but in the end it blows over and only those directly affected remember. Only a few months ago the majority of people here were adamantly against a filly and mare sprint and I would say that the numbers on that have probably flipped. I agree with StS that the BC has ruined the fall racing season especially in NY but that is now something that is not going to change.