The racing landscape has changed both nationally and on the East coast, mostly due to the influx of slot money which turned morbid, D level tracks like Delaware and Philadelphia Park into B level tracks. 25 years ago NYRA clearly was not only the top racing circuit but the biggest purses and strongest stakes program as well. IMO the tracks in 1985 were ranked approximately like this in terms of strength of horses and purse levels:
A. Belmont/Saratoga
B. Aqueduct
C. Monmouth/Laurel/Pimlico
C-.Garden State
D. Philly/Delaware/Suffolk/Atlantic City
E. Penn National/Charlestown
There was no Presque Isle or Colonial
Arlington Park and Chuchill Downs were C level tracks with virtually no crossover of horseman with the East Coast Tracks. LA tracks were D level except for the FG which was an C level. Southern CA racing was very strong but outside of Lukas there was almost no crossover in trainers or horses.
The mid Atlantic tracks ran turf sprints but virtually no one else did. NY breds had a complimentary role in the makeup of cards. In NY there was a clearly defined structure of claiming horses from 14000 up to 100000 claimers with 20/35/50/75 in between and no conditional claimers. Guys regularly ran horses back in 2 weeks. There were very few trainers that had divisions at more than one track. Off season training at Saratoga was fairly limited. Statebred programs outside of NY had very little to offer.
Think about how this has all changed.
As the lower ranked tracks purse structures were strengthened, the allure of racing in NY waned. As those other tracks rose in stature, NYRA was forced to adapt some of the cheaper conditions that those other tracks were offering. 25 years ago you may not have shipped a $30000 nw2 lifetime horse to Philly after breaking your maiden because the purse there was simply not attractive enough to risk the wrath of Lenny Hale. You simply found your level at the NYRA track against open claimers and ran there, usually for a significantly higher purse, even if the competition was stronger. However as the conditioned claiming purses rose, the crap was worth taking.
Then add in the "super trainer" factor where the concentration of horsepower has funneled virtually all the best bred horses to a handful of trainers. They now train for owners that would have been considered rivals of sorts, yet now they are all on the "same team" and if another horse in the trainers stable is deemed superior to yours, off to Delaware they go. Of course not all owners fall for this trap but often they are the ones who are a little more attuned to the finances of their stable and see the value in racing at circuits other than NYRA. In a lot of cases they are competing for superior purses against inferior horses often at day rates/vet expenses/etc. far lower than what they pay in NY.
I haven't even factored in the rise of the KY tracks in the 90's which siphoned off many good horses that previously would have been sent to NY.
NYRA has made a lot of missteps over the years in regards to it's racing program. Relaxing the rules regarding the number of horses on the grounds has created the super trainer who has absolutely hurt the overall quality of racing in NY. Adding too many different class levels especially conditioned claiming races. Depending too much on NY breds that often make up the bulk of the card on a lot of days. Way too many turf sprints. But I cant say that the people making the calls on those issues could have envisioned the current scenario now in place. And these things happened over the watch of several different hierarchies as well.
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