[html]December is a great month there.[html]
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Then things changed. The racing has been destroyed at Gulf, plain and simple. The incredible amount of claiming races, VERY cheap horses and non2 life claimers(which are even worse than the regular ones) have left most gamblers unhappy, and horsemen even unhappier.
IMO the quality of racing at Calder in December and racing during the Jan-March Gulfstream meets are comparable (and if they are comparable I would rather go to CRC for all the reasons you state). I am merely stating that this is not the picture you are painting in your prior statments and in your quotes above. IMO they take the same cheap horses running 2/3 of the races at CRC and run them at GP. The Saturday stakes "model / weekends" are similar as well (stick 4-6 stakes races onto one card every couple weeks). This is not new to the past 2 years. Midweek cards at GP were always filled with CRC, MON, CD rejects for cheap purses (I have been going to both for 15 years).
If you want to make the argument that we should expect more from GP for all the reasons you state I can't argue with that. I absolutely believe they have the ability to write better races and have an obligation to do so. In their defense and I don't have the data to back it up (I am sure others on this board do) but from my memory the purse structure at GP has been comparable the past 2 years to the pre Stronach area. This is despite horrible attendance and from what my memory has been a horrible handle the past 2 years.
I am giving them a partial pass for the past 2 years (quality of 3 year old racing only, not facility design) and am expecting a turnaround if not this year then by next (slots).
I am obviously not going to sway your opinion so we agree to disagree.
Peace out.
P.S. I went from an 1 / week attendee prior to 1 / month attendee the past 2 years (IE I hear ya)