It's not NYRA's fault but......

covelj70 · October 01, 2009, 12:49:30 PM

man o man does the Saturday card out there suck for what\'s suppossed to be the biggest day of the Belmont Fall meet.

Two 5 horse fields, then 7, 8, 9, horse fields for 5 grade 1\'s.

I know many on the board complain with some justification about the issues with California and the synthetics but what NYRA has going on it\'s biggest day this fall is much worse than what Santa Anita will have for it\'s BC prep races over the next few weekends.

The JC is a competitive, albeit small field but this card is really garbage overall.

I was really looking forward to this weekend for Belmont but really hard to get excited about this.

RICH · October 01, 2009, 01:05:03 PM

They been calling for torrential downpours for the last week, its going to be a mess there Saturday. Hardly worth it.

Michael D. · October 01, 2009, 01:05:42 PM

covelj70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> man o man does the Saturday card out there suck
> for what\'s suppossed to be the biggest day of the
> Belmont Fall meet.
>
> Two 5 horse fields, then 7, 8, 9, horse fields for
> 5 grade 1\'s.
>
> I know many on the board complain with some
> justification about the issues with California and
> the synthetics but what NYRA has going on it\'s
> biggest day this fall is much worse than what
> Santa Anita will have for it\'s BC prep races over
> the next few weekends.

I\'ve done my share of bitching when it comes to the BC and the pro-ride surface, but I\'ve had enough of dirt racing for the time being. Derby day, Haskell day, Travers day - all complete washouts. Rain also ruined Belmont day. Now we get the subpar card on Sat, which might get washed out as well. Remember also that the last BC over a dirt surface was a disaster. And when the weather does cooperate in NY, who knows what these goofs at NYRA are going to do to the track. Very much looking forward to the SA and Kee meets.

> The JC is a competitive, albeit small field but
> this card is really garbage overall.
>
> I was really looking forward to this weekend for
> Belmont but really hard to get excited about this.

magicnight · October 01, 2009, 01:34:19 PM

Check out the card for Longchamp Sunday.

http://www.racingpost.com/horses2/cards/home.sd?r_date=2009-10-04&tab=

Nice weather, and the Saturday card ain\'t bad either. Wish I had some air miles ... and a longer leash.

covelj70 · October 01, 2009, 01:42:38 PM

\"and a longer leash\"

this is awesome, first time all week I have laughed!

thank you

Michael D. · October 01, 2009, 02:24:00 PM

Great racing Bob. I don\'t think we can bet Saturday\'s card though, or Sunday\'s undercard.

magicnight · October 01, 2009, 02:46:35 PM

Yeah, too bad. You don\'t sound too enthused about trying to beat Sea the Stars.

I had the good fortune to be in the area some years back around this time and was there for both days. It\'s a hoot. A lot of British and Irish make the trip and it\'s just a great atmosphere. Huge fields. You can watch the stretch run from either side. Enough pretty women in wild hats to fill Jan Rushton\'s closet ten times over. And you can get there on the Metro. Can\'t recommend it enough.

richiebee · October 02, 2009, 05:37:55 AM

covelj70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> man o man does the Saturday card out there suck
> for what\'s suppossed to be the biggest day of the
> Belmont Fall meet.
>
> Two 5 horse fields, then 7, 8, 9, horse fields for
> 5 grade 1\'s.
>
> I know many on the board complain with some
> justification about the issues with California and
> the synthetics but what NYRA has going on it\'s
> biggest day this fall is much worse than what
> Santa Anita will have for it\'s BC prep races over
> the next few weekends.
>
> The JC is a competitive, albeit small field but
> this card is really garbage overall.
>
> I was really looking forward to this weekend for
> Belmont but really hard to get excited about this.

Kind of a whiny post, but I\'ll take the bait.

First of all, whatever is wrong with New York racing, it IS NYRA\'s fault. NYRA
held the franchise for 50 plus years and was inexplicably extended well into
the 21st Century. But what can you say about a state whose politics have come
under the scrutiny of Commissar Obama, head of the Obamunist Party?

I mean what can you say about a racing organization that gave you last
week\'s \"twin superfecta?\" And I have been saying for two years that NYRA should
have set up and promoted a big day of dirt racing to \"complement\" the Breeders
Cups at Synthetic Anita, but NYRA hasn\'t the vision, the money or the cojones
to pull something like this off.

Look if you want big fields, you have to wait for the two upcoming main events--
New York Bred Showcase Day and the Breeders Cup.

Now lets look at Saturday\'s card which has you all upset. And I am not going to
compare NY racing to racing in other venues, or dirt to synth, or Rachel A. to
the superstars of yesteryear.

First of all the races on the undercard have decent fields. The 3rd race, a
maiden dirt event, features at least 2 sons of G1 winning mares.The 5th and 11th
are turf MSWs with large fields which will need some help from the weather.

The Beldame came up short but we can all root for Copper State, the house mare,
to get her first graded stakes win in what would be a huge upset.

The Vosburgh also comes up a short field, but features the best dirt sprinter
in the country, Fabulous Strike (by Smart Strike). Two of FS\'s 4 competitors
are major SWs, and FS did lose this race last year to the longest shot on the
board.

The Flower Bowl features 2 G1 SWs, a multiple SW, some first time Lasix Euros
and a mare ridden by Jamie Spencer, who always seems to make things
interesting. Carribean Sunset is entered here. When she ran at the Spa I made
her my best bet of the day and was emboldened when a certain tar heeled Jesuit
sidled up to me during the TG seminar and told me she was his best bet
of the day. I doubled my win bet on her (9/1) and neglected to bet a single
dollar with CS under Forever Together in the exacta. BRILLIANT!

The Joe Hirsch, field of 9 includes 7 graded stakes winners, 5 G1 SWs, and
arguably the best turf runner in NA in Gio Ponti.

The Jockey Club Gold Cup has arguably the two top male 3YOs in training, and
Macho Again, who came close to beating RaChalk in the Woodward.

Not the best Super Saturday in Belmont history, but with all due respect, not as
bad as you make it out to be.

covelj70 · October 02, 2009, 06:00:23 AM

Come on Richiebee,

I am usually right there with almost everything that you say but 2 G1\'s that have 5 horse fields? You just gloss over that in your comments. The argument about how bad this day is begins and ends there as far as I am concerned.

Also, I couldn\'t disagree more about needing to wait for Showcase Day and the BC for big fields . The Keenland races will be loaded with oversubscribed fields next weekend.

And, back to the 5 horse fields, the Beldame is just an absolutely horrific field with only 2 legit G1 types in the field (which is why I am sure Jerry put Copper State in the race).

You are poster #1 on this board as far as I am concerned but I have to disagree with you on this one in a pretty big way.

richiebee · October 02, 2009, 10:23:12 AM

Covel:

My point is that Music Note, Gio Ponti,Fabulous Strike (by Smart Strike), Summer
Bird, Macho Uno and Quality Road on one card is nothing to sneeze at.

Part of the problem is the weight for age format. If you owned a sprinter why
would you want to go at FAbulous STrike at weight for age? Too many trainers and
owners not willing to carry the weight and not enough jockeys who can tack 112,
113, 114 killed handicap racing and one may argue smaller fields are the result.

As to poster numero uno, that might be you, kind sir, because you frequently use
the product, have a stake in the game and are articulate and considerate of your
fellow posters. Michael D. gets honorable mention for his encyclopedic knowledge
of bloodlines and disdain of runners going off at single digit odds.

As for me, I am content to remain

Richiebee
Serial Poster Emeritus

Lost Cause · October 02, 2009, 10:40:47 AM

covelj70 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Come on Richiebee,
>
> I am usually right there with almost everything
> that you say but 2 G1\'s that have 5 horse fields?
> You just gloss over that in your comments. The
> argument about how bad this day is begins and ends
> there as far as I am concerned.
>
> Also, I couldn\'t disagree more about needing to
> wait for Showcase Day and the BC for big fields .
> The Keenland races will be loaded with
> oversubscribed fields next weekend.
>
> And, back to the 5 horse fields, the Beldame is
> just an absolutely horrific field with only 2
> legit G1 types in the field (which is why I am
> sure Jerry put Copper State in the race).
>
> You are poster #1 on this board as far as I am
> concerned but I have to disagree with you on this
> one in a pretty big way.

Cov,
I think if you said this was not a good betting card it would have been better. There are some good horses running but it does not seem that there will be any value Saturday.

covelj70 · October 02, 2009, 11:33:30 AM

Lost,

you said this perfectly.

I am using a narrow defition of \"good\" here and I should have been more precise. You are right on. Thanks for the clarification.

Richiebee, you crack me up, love you man!