Is it my imagination or is the quality of the opening day card a little suspect? http://www.dmtc.com/racinginfo/entries/index.php?f=/racinginfo/entries/html/060719.html
There are 4 (out of 9) claiming races. I hope this isn\'t a harbinger of things to come. Do you think those folks will ever get it through their heads that racing 6 days a week just doesn\'t work anymore? Is the future Polytrack really going to solve all those problems? My suggestion would be to bring in more mule racing -- Del Mar could have three mule races to start the card each day -- what do you think?
Let\'s hope I\'m wrong or I\'ll be getting out much earlier and betting Saratoga. One time I hit a pick six at Saratoga that paid $128.00 for 6/6.
I am sure to be the person on this board who won the all-time LEAST paying pik 6...it paid $18 at Fairmont Park - at least 10 yrs ago...and I had to split it with my wife\'s uncle! I\'m not kidding.
Shanahan:
Sounds like an all Gall pick 6. How much did you and your uncle in law invest?
Dana666 -
My own view is that appeal of Del Mar racing is more about the atmosphere and environs than about the quality of what\'s running around the track. This card isn\'t markedly different in quality from last year\'s Opening Day card. The Opening Day cards used to to be a bit better. In particular, I remember that they used to run open 2yo maiden special that has now been replaced by a Cal bred version.
I think most would agree that the quality of racing at Saratoga is superior, although (from what I\'ve read recently) that may be declining this year as well.
A note about betting Saratoga at Del Mar: in past years, they haven\'t taken bets on the first two races from the Spa. There\'s a legal limit on how many simulcast races they can offer per day (how ridiculous is that in the TVG era?), and they prefer to offer races later in the day when more people are around. You can watch the races on the monitors, but you have to bet by phone, etc.
Dana,
While its not full of ALW and Stakes races, it does have plenty of full fields. Thats a big deal when you consider how many short fields we get out here.
Oceanside, as usual, split into 2 races (6th and 8th). Full ALW fields in the 5th and 7th, 4th race for 50k claimers on the turf with another full starting gate.
I\'m flying down for the day and will enjoy the atmosphere, people (women) watching, and full fields. Hanging out with a couple friends and will enjoy the sunshine. Its Opening Day, lets worry about full card quality when the weekend hits.
I knew this orange county type fellow who\'s always let everyone around him know how conservative and prudent he was and that he had cashed the shortest paying trifecta ticket in the history NY racing - can\'t remember what it paid or the guy\'s name . But the guy was serious and thought he was being smart about things - jerry might remember this guy .
maybe shanahan and dana were seated at the track in the same section where some nuns were sitting , that might explain ...
on of my best stunts is checking the wrong track - mon instead of mth on my otb bet slips .
ha ha...probably, don\'t remember exactly - do know it was a Tuesday since we were there in daylight...probably only a $30 or so bet...I was a newbie and the thrill up until the payouts were posted was memorable...but, hey...backthen they had 50 cent beer on Tuesdays...but I don\'t have to tell you that do I?
Dana666 wrote; \"Let\'s hope I\'m wrong or I\'ll be getting out much earlier and betting Saratoga. One time I hit a pick six at Saratoga that paid $128.00 for 6/6.\"
I wonder if that\'s the same day several plus years ago that I had 5 out of 6 for a humungous $16 payout. It poured all day and the scratches knocked the fields down to 4 or 5 runners..each race had a mud stickout (still managed to miss one race).
Those were the good old days(pre beyers,etc.) when the sheets (either Rags or TGs) were king just on odds/number power.
Asfufh
I\'m very anxious to see Canani\'s french bred 3 year old \"Porto Santo\" run...No value and I won\'t play the card but I do want to see this one run...He\'s in the 8th - the Oceansicde restricted stakes for 3 year olds. New Joisey Jeff, the horse Valdivia jumped off of (literally) last month at HP also goes in the Oceanside. Should be interesting turning for home...
Using the racingpost.co.uk both Porto Santo and Caribbean have shown their best with at least some cut in the ground.
Dana666 Wrote:
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Is it my imagination or is the quality of the
opening day card a little suspect?
I think some of you are being a bit harsh. The card starts off with a couple of low level claiming races, but they do have 8 and 12 horses running in them. The 4th is a full field of 50k turfers with a 51k purse. Several have run in Alw, Stakes, or Optional claimers. The Optional CL 25k has a purse of 63k. Many of these aren\'t your typical 25k horse. The traditional splitting of the Oceanside with an Alw race between them.
Granted, Saratoga has great racing. So lets everyone pile on Del Mar because they don\'t have a graded stakes race every day?? We all know why Saratoga is able to put on cards with deeper quality, they have a much larger horse population to draw from. The top Stakes races at Del Mar can compete with any circuit in the country.
Enough with the comparisons. Hopping on a bird in the morning to drink some cold Del Mar beer.
Hey Dana........can you pick me out a winner?? The beers aren\'t cheap.
They can be cheap if you BYOBeer..at the spa ....(not that i do that but I know you can)
NC Tony