Aug27 wrote:As Dave noted above, this will temporarily mask poor management. MD racing hasn't been the same since Frank DeFrancis passed. (His kids ran it into the ground.) Used to be the Laurel Fty and DC Int'l were big time races ... But poor racetrack mgt is only a part of the problem.
The deterioration of the breed through drug use and perpetuation of flaws via breeding is what's taken any predictability out of the game. Why should an old-time horseplayers stay with a game that's become harder and harder to beat? You never know when the O'Neill or Pletcher or Dutrow runner will have the juice or not (or Biancone's cobra venom, or whomever's milkshakes, etc).
When the powers that be in the game get serious, and insist on self-imposed regulation - not from the gov't - and breeders set aside their greed (including their lust for foreign money) and focus on the health and long-term betterment of the animal (like Tesio did), then maybe we'll see some change. Otherwise, just continue to plan on seeing the game spiral downwards. Tony Kornheiser, on his PTI show the other night, noted that "horse racing is gone". Even mainstream media can see the light!
Still, the slot money should help level the playing field in the mid-atlantic. But, money has not raised the quality of the game at Del or Mnr or CT or PN, so far ...
CT or MNR will never be mistaken for Saratoga. MNR IMHO is one of the better managed tracks in the country. they run cheap claimers, it's what they do, they know it's what they do, and they are damn good at it. they have the best paddock people in the business, they offer competiive purses for, lack of a better word, cheap horses. You have a horse that couldn't hit the board at Aqueduct, but you can run in a a 30k allowence race EVERY night at mountineer? that's pretty good. 5k claimers run for about 12-14k in purse money. that's not bad. And they showcase the west virginia derby, 750k jackpot. What more do you want?
I'm prejudiced against Charles town becuasei hate frekaing bull rings and they have no turf.
Delaware is one of the more solid 2nd tier tracks in the country. It's one of the tracks you really have to pay attention to now for up and coming races, it's right up thtere with saratoga, gulfstream and churchill. Afleex Alex, Bellamy Road, Barbaro, Hard Spun, and now Old Fashioned all made their debut at Delaware. they run a million dollar race for 3YO fillies, and have one of the safest dirt tracks in the business.
