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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Saturday Musings

Today is closing day of Colonial Downs' 30 day standardbred meet with their $368,800 Day of Champions for 2yo and 3yo horses and this year, they added a $20,000 aged Pacing race for VA breds.  This will be part of their program which marries the VA Day of Champion and the Breeders Cup simulcast. 

I assume there will be a Day of Champions next year despite the fact the 2012 meet proposed by Colonial Downs will be only eighteen days, but come 2013, if Colonial Downs gets their way, it will be kind of hard to have a Day of Champions when they plan to race four racing days.  The VHHA plans to negotiate with Colonial Downs to see if this can be changed. 

A great idea which will never happen.  With Woodbine having a separate track for standardbreds and thoroughbreds, wouldn't it be great if we had a joint Breeders Crown-Breeders Cup where the races were intermingled to keep the action going on a faster pace and the best racing off both breeds would be shown?  Unfortunately, while there may be some issues which would need to be addressed by the Hambletonian Society, there is no way the Breeders Cup committee would consider it.  The sad fact is the breeds only work together when they have too.  Otherwise, they don't cooperate together.

The Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association (FQHRA) is challenging the quarterhorse license which has been issued to the Gretna racing group who plans to offer parimutuel barrel racing.  My question is why are they fighting the license after the fact, when a license has already been issued?  It goes to show you that no matter how ridiculous an idea may seem, horsemen's associations need to be proactive instead of reactive. It is easier to have an agency deny a license than it is for them to retract a decision which almost guarantees a legal fight.


Continuing on the decision regarding Manofmanymissions being sent to stud as a 4to.  Jeff Gural is not happy about it, because of his  efforts to keep 4yos on the track.  Sadly, you can make all the proclamations you want,but the only way three year olds heading to stud will stop is if the marketplace speaks.  When 4yo stallions don't get much demand by breeders and the yearling of those stallions bomb at the auctions, that is when the four year olds will keep racing.  Until then, it will be business as usual.

For those of you who are looking for selections for the Breeders Cup, you are looking at the wrong site.  I am a harness racing fan and other than perhaps the Kentucky Derby, you don't see me following the runners so for me to offer selections would be like dart throwing.  There are other sites where you an get bloggers' selections, but this is not it.

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