They can let this be the one and only "Ladies Day of Ra

[winds]

Let's see 2 days of racing, championship racing. Fillies and mares relagated to the lesser of the 2 days and lo and behold the horse of the year is a FILLY! Do you think they can redo this concept and put the DISTAFF back on the MAIN day of racing?

winds

[bdw0617]

long time no see winds

What I don't get... when you do that, and you have a filly like the one that wins the mile.. what does that say about the fillies that ran the day before?

I think it would be better to to turf one day, dirt (or Turf X2) the next

[winds]

bdw,

That sounds like a better idea than the way it was done this year.

winds

[Still Dreaming]

I think it would be better to to turf one day, dirt (or Turf X2) the next

I second this motion. Also, they need to change "Ladies' Classic" back to "Distaff". NOW. Seriously, whose idea was that? They're not "ladies": they're HORSES. Also, does anyone else think that if they're going to hold a race called the "Dirt Mile," it ought to be run on actual DIRT? Just my two cents...

[majxmom]

Saturday would have been so much better with Zenyatta in it. And "Ladies Classic?" Phew! It's a Distaff, boys.

[bdw0617]

i came up with that idea off the top of my ehad but that's actually a pretty good idea with no downpoints.

Also, i have come to the conlsion that we have too many races.


You need to considlate the 2YO turf races.

[Worksoplad]

What exactly is a "distaff?"

[bdw0617]

it's an adjective used as a descriptor for the female branch of a family

[Heidilady]

In all fairness, it's how they promote it that determines if it's "lesser" or not. I mean the Derby wasn't as big a deal til Colonel Winn got ahold of it right? I mean if they promote it properly maybe it won't be a problem. I understand their point that Zenyatta might've gotten lost in the headlines if Curlin had won Saturday, although that's not the only reason--I'm sure it had something to do with handle as usual. In theory though, if a horse is deserving of being on the stage on Saturday, they're more than welcome to run in the Classic. Who are we kidding about the status of the fillies and mares as it is? Older male dirt routers get the halo first. The Ladies' Classic (just not getting used to that, eh) is not the same distance, the winner has to anticipate the male divisions of both older and 3yo colts/geldings to fall apart to have hope for HOY, they don't give out the same purse. There's focus on the males in a family through things like Chef de race, dosage, and other formulas...there's undervaluing of females on and off the track.

They already have been treating them like 2nd class citizens of the equine world (3rd class if you put older horses over 3yos in the bias for HOY). Are we really gonna gripe that it's the main event 24 hrs earlier? I think it misses the bigger issues. They weren't valued as they should be when it was all on the same day. Now we protest?

[Twingirl]

In all fairness, it's how they promote it that determines if it's "lesser" or not.

Bingo.

A survey taken in 2007 analyzed more than 3,000 sports pages. The total coverage of women's sport amounted to only 60 pages (2%), with almost one third of the individual newspapers failing to mention women at all on their sports pages.

Guess it's the same for female horses as female humans.

[steward]

1. F & M racing is "restricted" racing, no matter how one slices it. "Open" racing is the only way to test superiority, blind to sex or age when it comes to ability. In fact, for one race like the Classic, I would get rid of wfa.

[winds]

Then I guess the Arc de Triomphe is a lesser race because you can't run a gelding in the race?

No, Zenyatta deserves HOY and she should have been held to the same esteem as Curlin.

winds