Weak racing in SoCal

[cj]

Did anyone catch those G1 farces this weekend?

First, the Milady. The winner Star Parade is decent enough. The rest of the field was horrible. Second choice, at 2-1, was Victory Encounter. This 4yos best Beyer in 11 lifetime starts was a 96! She actually won a SoCal G1 with a 93 Beyer in her last start, unheard of for older fillies and mares. No one else in the field had ever managed more than a G3 in dirt.

Next, the Hollywood Gold Cup. For 750,000 this is all we get? Olmodavor, a G3 horse. Total Impact, a solid enough horse with one win in a suspect G2. Continental Red, over his head, past his prime, and on the wrong surface. Yessirgeneralsir, a one time G3 winner who in no way looked like he wanted a mile and a quarter. Gift of the Eagle and Royal Moro....WHO? Then we have the heavy chalk...Even The Score. This horse was the favorite in a G1, $750,000 race, and had never cracked 110 on the Beyer scale. I could name 10 better horses than him before I even had to pause to think of number 11.

Very sad state of affairs in SoCal, the power in racing has shifted back East.

[Bubbles]

Not quite, CJ...

Southern Image and Pleasantly Perfect are both out, 'Image with a foot injury, PP is prepping for the San Diego. And did you catch Rock Hard Ten's win in the Swaps? He looked very solid when he drew off in mid-stretch, and may finally be developing into the horse we hoped he would be. I'm not saying the West has better horses, I agree the East has more power, but the West DOES have a few very good horses that can hang with the best of what the East has to offer.

[cj]

The horses are out there, the racing secretary is not doing his job. Those races sucked!

Rock Hard 10 is not all that. When you win big like that, I expect a big figure. He didn't produce. I'll be lining up early to bet against him when he tries the big boys. Unless of course its a match race against Dynever!

[Bubbles]

Originally posted by cjmilkowski
h
Rock Hard 10 is not all that. When you win big like that, I expect a big figure. He didn't produce.

What WAS his Beyer? Hadn't heard anything about ratings, only what I saw on the ESPN2 broadcast.

[cj]

I don't know what he received, but it was no more than 105. You can check the leaderboard at DRF and see the top in several categories.

[Valuist]

Even the Score was no worldbeater when he ran in Kentucky and Louisiana. I'd love to see the graded stakes get graded one week after they're run. The Gold Cup would've been Grade 2 at best, possibly Grade 3.

[Tuffmug]

These races should be studied carefully by Class based handicappers. If they do, hen they won't be Class handicappers any more!

[cj]

The latest, from DRF. This is pathetic.

Slim pickins for stakes
By STEVE ANDERSEN
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Three stakes are scheduled for the upcoming closing weekend at Hollywood Park, but two of them may not be run.
The scheduled stakes are the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Championship and $75,000 Valkyr Handicap on Saturday, and the $150,000 Sunset Handicap on Sunday, the final day of the spring-summer meeting.

The Valkyr, for statebred fillies and mares over 1 1/4 miles on turf, is unlikely to be carded. It drew only five nominations, and not all of them are committed to start.

The Grade 3 Juvenile Championship over six furlongs for 2-year-olds is in poor shape. The race drew seven nominations, but had only four candidates as of Monday morning - Chandtrue, Commandant, Gentlemen Count, and Roman Ruler.

Chandtrue won the Proctor Memorial and Haggin Stakes earlier this at this meeting, Commandant is unraced, Gentlemen Count placed behind Chandtrue in both stakes, and Roman Ruler was an impressive maiden winner on June 19.

Commandant was not on the nomination list, but is eligible because he has been nominated to the Hollywood Futurity in December.

Trainer Bob Hess is considering passing the race with Chandtrue and starting the colt at Del Mar in the $150,000 Best Pal Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 15. The main goal for the summer is the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs on Sept. 8.

"We have to decide whether to pass," Hess said Sunday. "I think we'll do two of the next three [stakes] and miss one of the next two."

Swiss Silver, a maiden winner on June 30, was under consideration for the Juvenile until he suffered an injury over the weekend. Trainer Mike Harrington said Swiss Silver will also miss the $125,000 Graduation Stakes for California-breds at Del Mar on July 28.

[Valuist]

Thursday's card has to be one of the worst ever. But I'm sure TVG will have their live remote going. 3 five horse fields, 2 six horse fields, one 7 horse field (a 2YO Mdn Claimer) and two 9 horse fields (1 for 2YO Mdns and the other a Mdn Claimer).

[Buddha]

Originally posted by Bubbles
What WAS his Beyer? Hadn't heard anything about ratings, only what I saw on the ESPN2 broadcast.

I think it was a 108, at least I think that is what I saw on Wire2Wire today

[Macdiarmadillo]

The SoCal undercards have been nothing to write home about either. The tracks there need to start up mules, ostriches, something.

[The Hawk]

Yes, it was a 108.

[Pick4_player]

I see that the card for Thursday has a Pick Six Carryover of $140,982.

The card is extremely week as there are only 52 horses entered and within the Pick Six sequence, there are 3 races with 5 horse fields.

Guess everyone is resting for the Del Mar meet.

[delayjf]

Other than the location, I'm not sure what the problem is at Hollywood Park. It's the same circuit, horses, trainers, and owners. Yet an attitude does exist. For example, A few of the top riders like Stevens or Desormeaux would take off for Europe or Japan. Even Trevor Dedmen takes Hollywood off. Is it the Friday night racing or just what.

Perhaps SO CAL FAN can shead some light on this.

[linrom1]

Too bad that the closing week is so dismal in what was a fine meet and an improvement over last year.

[rrbauer]

The problem in California (both SoCal and NoCal) is too many races for the horse inventory that is present. But, that problem is not being addressed when the racing associations continue to request the same number of days each year. And, the reason that they do that is do preserve the status quo and prevent any of the other associations from getting additional days at their expense.

The annoying thing about all of this is the rhetoric that comes from none other than Rick Baedeker at Hollywood Park about how increasing the field sizes and improving the quality of racing are top priorities at HOL. Hollywood, about a month ago, started paying a $400 "appearance fee" to also-rans in every race. This was supposed to get more horses to enter and race. The opposite has happened. Since they started paying the appearance fees, the percentage of races with 6 or fewer starters has INCREASED. They pay trainers a "bribe" of $150 each to enter horses on their Friday night cards. All of this welfare does zip....and, in the case of the appearance fees, it is we horseplayers who are paying the freight in the form of a 1/2 point increase in exotic takeout.

The CHRB sits there and approves all of this while exercising no leadership and while placing no performance criteria on racing associations in return for the racing days that are awarded.

Del Mar is the only meet in California that is deserving of any kudos. Unfortunately, a great seven-week meet does not offset the crap that we see in the other forty-five weeks.

[charleslanger]

And not for nothing, but even DelMar has declined markedly. And sadly, it only looks like it will get considerably worse.
California's so disadvantaged: between costs, bias / surface, geographical isolation, Schwarzenegger, Magna, the various petty squabbles ...-- it doesn't even have a real climate advantage either. Problems will only increase as purses increase in other parts of the country:

Besides those horses stabled on the grounds, it only has within vanning distance cheap horses to draw on from lesser jurisdictions; and i don't see how it can really attract good horses-- if i'm an owner with a good horse stabled elsewhere-- realistically: i have to put it on a plane to go race on a paved superhighway-- the horse better be dead fit because it will need to break cleanly & come out running from the get to-- to have a chance for the win slot. I'll also have to keep my fingers crossed it will break cleanly from the gate, there's no heatwave going on, that all of above in combination with the trip will not cause a bounce.... I'm just better off stabling somewhere geographically advantageous to the Midwest / South / East-- where within vanning distance I have a plethora of high purses to choose from-- & a better chance to match my horse's running style to a track, find a kinder surface for feet & leg considerations... My only reason to go out West'd be if the Breeders' Cup were scheduled out there that year & i wanted to acclimate / get a race over the surface.
.

[KingChas]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by charleslanger
And not for nothing, but even DelMar has declined markedly. And sadly, it only looks like it will get considerably worse.

Take a look at the leading sires Cal. sires far and few between.
The leading Cal sire based on offspring earnings is Roar.$6000 stud fee.His ranking is based on an Argentine horse.I think greed came in by selling Sunday Silence and others overseas and not keeping them in Cal.Loved how Smarty Jones owners said must stay in the USA for breeding.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/sirelists/sirelistdetail.asp?Section=General

[kenwoodallpromos]

Go to Jockey Club website, online stats. You will see the average starts per year per horse has gone down from 11 to less than 7. If each horse races 2/3 as many times as it should, shorter fields because the total # of racing horses are not increasing.

[RXB]

Precisely, kenwood. And as long as the inferior breeding practices continue, and as long as the cheating trainers are allowed to continue their harmful practices, and as long as 3YO racing continues to become the focal point instead of giving the most of the big money and prestige to the older horses (where it belongs, as they are the best horses), all of these negative trends will continue.

I remember once reading how 20% of all races were maiden races. Must be more like 30% now. Give the racing industry a little more time, and they might get it up to 50%.

But hey, slots will solve everything!!! Honestly!!!! And if I run a laundromat, and my business can't survive on its own, I should be able to apply for slot machines to subsidize me, right? After all, it's basically the same thing-- a bunch of people shoving coins into a machine. Just like the racing guys say that gambling is gambling, so give us slots.

[charleslanger]

Originally posted by charleslanger: And not for nothing, but even DelMar has declined markedly. And sadly, it only looks like it will get considerably worse.

Quote KingChas: Take a look at the leading sires Cal. sires far and few between.
The leading Cal sire based on offspring earnings is Roar.$6000 stud fee.His ranking is based on an Argentine horse.I think greed came in by selling Sunday Silence and others overseas and not keeping them in Cal.Loved how Smarty Jones owners said must stay in the USA for breeding.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/si...Section=General
Those were dark days for us: our national economy was in bad shape(mainly because of the greed you alluded to) while the Japanese had their short-lived boom. They, the Arabs, Robert Sangster & a few others-- many of whom amassed their fortunes illicitly-- had most of the money. What they obtained they did so by overpaying greatly.
It's a tough business to be in-- then you have to worry what tax & other types of laws Congress & state legislatures will pass that have a negative effect.....
.

[cj]

Yeah, that SoCal racing has sure improved with the move to Del Mar. Here are some scintillating highlights from today's card:

1. A whole 8 races.
2. The first 3 races don't contain a horse that has ever won anything above the Maiden Claiming level.
3. The 4th is 9 bottom of the barrel claimers. A decent betting contest at least.
4. The 5th contains some very bad 3yo claimers. At least it appears bettable. (For this type racing, I could bet PrM!)
5. 6th is a good solid high priced claimer.
6. The featured 7th is a nice turf race and drew a massive field of five. Race should offer great value....NOT!
7. Without even looking at the last, I'm going to guess its a maiden claimer, bottom of the barrel. I will be shocked if I am wrong.

Saratoga, we can't wait! Del Mar has turned into Hollywood south with nicer scenery!

[Valuist]

Saratoga cannot get here fast enough.

[rrbauer]

At the Hollywood meet just concluded, 28% of the races had six (6) or fewer starters....and, believe it or not, that's an improvement from last year when the figure was 32%!