pimlico special cancelled

mightyhijames · Postby **mightyhijames** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:42 am

found this on another forum, we have to have to dumbest legislators in the country!

“Unfortunately, we have no choice,” said Lou Raffetto, President and Chief Operating Officer of the MJC. “We have limited purse monies available, are facing increasing competition from growing slot-fueled purses in West Virginia and Delaware, and are about to face an entirely new wave of competition this year when Pennsylvania’s racetracks begin their slot operations. Under these circumstances, we must do everything we can to keep our average daily overnight purses for our local horsemen as high as possible and in order to do so must reallocate the dollars that would otherwise have been used to fund the purse for the Pimlico Special. Our first priority must be our local horsemen who support our program on a daily basis throughout the year.”

Ill-bred · Postby **Ill-bred** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:24 pm

Sad to see a race of this tradition cancelled.

Barbaro06 · Postby **Barbaro06** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:44 pm

We'll see what this year's legislative session in Annapolis brings to racing in Maryland. I doubt if they will pass any slots legislation...and we'll continue to see horses run elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic region. I would hate to see the day when horse racing truly becomes a thing of the past here in Maryland. The Preakness will be run in another state and the tracks will be bulldozed in order to build cookie cutter, over priced townhouses, houses and condos. Or golf courses...

Whoa! Am I in a pessimistic mood or what?

It is a shame that a storied race gets cancelled for lack of money for the purse...

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:22 pm

For all intents, the Pimlico Special has become a "who cares" race.

(1) It's run before a horse entered in a Dubai race has time to recover

(2) It's certainly a race that someone looking to make a stallion out of a colt doesn't want to win any more - where's the commerical value in a winner of the Pimlico Special? Bring back the race as "The Pimlico Juvenile" with the same purse and watch how much more interest is generated.

Handicap races are dinosaurs. The days of Kelso, Forego, and the like are dead and buried. Why are they even called "Handicaps" any more? Highweights get 119 pounds.

Ill-bred · Postby **Ill-bred** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:57 pm

To me, the Black-Eyed Susan has become more of a who cares.

Recent Pimlico Special winners: Invasor, Eddington, Southern Image, Mineshaft, Inlcude, Golden Missile, Real Quiet, Skip Away, Cigar, Devilhisdue, Strike the Gold, Criminal Type ...

That's a pretty strong list.

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:16 pm

Hi Ill-Bred. Yep, there are some nice colts listed there, but as I said, how many have commercial value as a stallion? Mineshaft has the hype (we'll see in a couple of years from now where he is), and Include is off to a good start. Who else? Golden Missile fell like a lead balloon, Real Quiet is in $5,000 land, Devil His Due is terrific as "breed to race," Criminal Type couldn't sire a donkey.....

And, as far as public interest, will people watch the Pimlico Special with the same enthusiasm as the Woodward or the JCGC? Um....nope.

majxmom · Postby **majxmom** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:11 pm

I hate to see a great race with a storied history get cancelled, but I don't disagree with the philosophy that they don't want to take money away from the overnight purses. The little guys are struggling enough these days.

Maryland is in an impossible situation, surrounded by slots. I fear a great racetrack is about to expire...and then Stronach will move the Preakness to Gulfstream or Santa Anita. :cry:

Sam · Postby **Sam** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:39 pm

majxmom wrote:I fear a great racetrack is about to expire...and then Stronach will move the Preakness to Gulfstream or Santa Anita.

I see Pimlico ceasing to exist. It should. The track is a pit. I do not see the Preakness being moved to a new track (and especially not Santa Anita... never mind that SA is closed by then -- Those are Hollywood's dates -- so it would serve no purpose). Stronach will either try to buy Laurel and move it there or the race will be canceled entirely and the "Triple Crown" will cease to exist.

As a race on it's own, the Preakness is a waste of time and should have been downgraded from a G1 years ago. The only reason to run in it is if you won the Derby or you think you can win it and the Belmont. Spend A Buck's connections showed how much running in the Preakness was valued anymore and the industry responded by instituting two different bonuses. Both have since been eliminated. Neither lasted 20 years.

In an era where "superstar" horses are worth more in the breeding shed than they are on the track; when we coddle them and cherrypick their races to minimize the risks of a loss, the Triple Crown is an archaic holdover from a never-again age. It's time to let it die an overdue death. I would MUCH rather let the series cease to exist than to modify it by changing the distances, moving the races to lengthen the time between them or moving any race to a new venue.

eta

*finishing thought about Preakness

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:20 pm

SAM writes, "As a race on it's own, the Preakness is a waste of time. The only reason to run in it is if you won the Derby or you think you can win it and the Belmont."

Brilliant! Bernardini should have never entered the race!

To say that a $1 Million, Grade 1 is a "waste of time" has to be the stupidest statement of all time. Why run the Travers?

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:12 pm

OK, I have an added question:

The Preakness still gets Grade 1 winners. How many Grade 1 winners enter the Belmont Stakes? This year, Bob & John was the ONLY Grade 1 winner in the entire 12 horse field (and his Grade 1 Wood Memorial win was one of the slowest ever run). So, why are you so concerning with downgrading the Preakness and not the Belmont Stakes? The Belmont Stakes is a "once in a lifetime" distance on the dirt for 99.99% of all horses that run.

Then you'll say that there's no point in running in just the Belmont Stakes. I'm waiting for that pearl of wisdom to pop up.

majxmom · Postby **majxmom** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:40 am

Sam wrote:I see Pimlico ceasing to exist. It should. The track is a pit. I do not see the Preakness being moved to a new track (and especially not Santa Anita... never mind that SA is closed by then -- Those are Hollywood's dates -- so it would serve no purpose). Stronach will either try to buy Laurel and move it there or the race will be canceled entirely and the "Triple Crown" will cease to exist.

I would MUCH rather let the series cease to exist than to modify it by changing the distances, moving the races to lengthen the time between them or moving any race to a new venue.

I don't think you're giving old Frank enough credit. I think he would definitely try to make a grab on Hollywood's dates if he could move the Preakness to SA. World domination is the apparent goal....

I also hate the idea of modifying the series. I know that there were some adjustments in the past, but if we dabbled in changing it now (so the big boys could finally win a TC), we would lose our yardstick to the great horses of the past. There are no flukes in the Triple Crown, but there would be if we spaced them farther apart.

Ill-bred · Postby **Ill-bred** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:59 pm

Rokeby Forever wrote:Hi Ill-Bred. Yep, there are some nice colts listed there, but as I said, how many have commercial value as a stallion? Mineshaft has the hype (we'll see in a couple of years from now where he is), and Include is off to a good start. Who else? Golden Missile fell like a lead balloon, Real Quiet is in $5,000 land, Devil His Due is terrific as "breed to race," Criminal Type couldn't sire a donkey.....

And, as far as public interest, will people watch the Pimlico Special with the same enthusiasm as the Woodward or the JCGC? Um....nope.

I don't judge races based on the winners' commercial value as a stallion. I guess that's a factor, but certainly not No. 1 on my list.

To me it's more about great horses, match-ups, the track, strength of field, memorable finishes, etc....

And to people outside the East Coast, the Woodward and JCGC aren't that big of a deal either. I bet that list of Pimlico Special winners would compare favorably with almost any race on the U.S. stakes calendar.

Rokeby Forever · Postby **Rokeby Forever** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:11 pm

Wait a minute...the Woodward and JCGC aren't still a big deal? Take a look at some of the recent Eclipse winners and what races they won.

Ill-bred · Postby **Ill-bred** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 2:49 pm

The Woodward and JCGC are good races with rich traditions. But as sporting events go, they don't create much buzz anymore. To me, a big event is also judged by the live crowd and atmosphere created on race day. I have attended the Pimlico Special in person (saw Invasor win it in 2006) and eventhough Pimlico is a dump, there was still some electricity in the air. I have not attended those other two races, but if I showed up at Belmont for the Woodward or JCGC, would it feel like a special event or would I be in a more than half-empty racetrack?

I'd pull a list of the last 10 or 15 Woodward and JCGC winners to compare with the Pimlico Special, but I can't find it in the maze that is the NYRA website.

Sam · Postby **Sam** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:06 pm

Ill-bred wrote:I'd pull a list of the last 10 or 15 Woodward and JCGC winners to compare with the Pimlico Special, but I can't find it in the maze that is the NYRA website.

Woodward winners

The Special isn't going to be missed by many outside of Maryland. People seem to forget it wasn't run for 30 years and was resurrected when the handicap bonus was developed.