changes to gulfstream stakes

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/47272.htm

shortening dist in alot of stakes ..spreading the purses to some new ones i like it..

[Scav]

Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

http://news.bloodhorse.com/article/47272.htm

shortening dist in alot of stakes ..spreading the purses to some new ones i like it..

I might be mistaken but Gulfstream has the same configuration as Arlington (1 turn mile). They just need to do an alternate finish line like Arlington did to satisfy the need for 8.5f races.

[SniperSB23]

So they fixed the debacle from last year where they moved the Holy Bull after the Florida Derby but now the distances of the preps goes 9f/8f/9f? How does that make sense? Why not start at a mile and then run the next two at a mile and an eighth?

[philcski]

Originally Posted by Scav

I might be mistaken but Gulfstream has the same configuration as Arlington (1 turn mile). They just need to do an alternate finish line like Arlington did to satisfy the need for 8.5f races.

You are correct... mile and an eighth oval with a 1 turn mile.

[blackthroatedwind]

Personally, I love one turn mile races, however in this particular case ( for a number of reasons ) this feels like a questionable decision. I'm not sure where exactly to begin, but I'll start with the placement of the race now versus history. The Fountain of Youth used to be the third to last major prep for the KY Derby. Now, with the Florida Derby being moved forward, and becoming horses' final Derby prep, for the most part, the FOY became the second to last prep. Thus it is now a much more important stepping stone and I seriously doubt trainers will be happy to use a one turn mile race as their second to last prep for the KY Derby. NYRA moved the Gotham to the inner to make it two turns pretty much solely for this reason.....and trainers have responded favorably. I would be curious to know how much Gulfstream consulted with trainers before making this change.

By the way, I hear the mall is now at least partially built and it basically abuts the paddock area. I wonder if construction will be going on in that area during the race meet.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

im not sold on the ideas of shorter races or the moving of dates.but i do like the of reducing the purse for it and creating new stakes races that im sure the trainers would be in favor of..not all trainers have that caliber of three year old..

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

im not sold on the ideas of shorter races or the moving of dates.but i do like the of reducing the purse for it and creating new stakes races that im sure the trainers would be in favor of..not all trainers have that caliber of three year old..

Ummmm, they added four stakes restricted to Florida Breds to supplement the already bloated ( from a purse standpoint ) Sunshine Millions card. Those purses were the ones that should have been reduced first. Regardless, they cut the purse to save themselves money, not that I blame them, but let's not act like it is merely a redistribution.

However, this was the quote from the article that I really enjoyed.....“Horse racing’s appeal is strong with women and we want Sundays to be special not only in terms of the racing product but also in terms of the various attractions Gulfstream offers,” Murphy said.

[Linny]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

By the way, I hear the mall is now at least partially built and it basically abuts the paddock area. I wonder if construction will be going on in that area during the race meet.

Does this mean I could check out the horses in the paddock while shopping at Bloomingdale's? That might be enough to get me down there this winter. Oh well, I forgot, I'm one of those "girls" that they suddenly want to appeal to. Maybe they can install a nail salon in the simulcast room.

Agree with you Andy about the placement/distance changes. It seems weird.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Linny

Does this mean I could check out the horses in the paddock while shopping at Bloomingdale's? That might be enough to get me down there this winter. Oh well, I forgot, I'm one of those "girls" that they suddenly want to appeal to. Maybe they can install a nail salon in the simulcast room.

Agree with you Andy about the placement/distance changes. It seems weird.

Now I'm worried that you were sitting by us at dinner last night, as I made the exact same Bloomingdale's reference. But who are you kidding, you know you're one of those South Beach babes that are literally flocking to the Tiki Bar.

[Bigsmc]

Originally Posted by Scav

I might be mistaken but Gulfstream has the same configuration as Arlington (1 turn mile). They just need to do an alternate finish line like Arlington did to satisfy the need for 8.5f races.

Shhh. Don't help them figure it out.

There's two 8.5f preps at Tampa and we like it that way.