Not A Fan Of These NYRA "Festivals"

[Thomas Roulston]

They're worse than the one on that Star Trek episode in fact. Look at the card we got on Memorial Day instead of that day's card being headed by the Met Mile.

It's time to go back to what worked when the likes of Forego and Foolish Pleasure and Father Hogan battled it out, and Buckpasser and Damascus and Dr. Fager before them - Met Mile on Memorial Day, Suburban on July 4, and so on. And now that the inner dirt track has reverted to a turf course, the summer meeting at Aqueduct, last held in 1976, should be brought back as well.

[Tom]

Too much for one day.
I don't start playing that early in the day.
I won't be interested in racing until about the 7th or 8th.

One big weekend sandwiched between two months of crap
weekends.

But, where else do you find a great NYS In-bred festival for
Memorial day? :puke:

[dilanesp]

When do you think the Met has a better handle? Memorial Day or Belmont day?

[Tom]

When do you think the Met has a better handle? Memorial Day or Belmont day?

Why in the world would I give a crap what the handel was?
I get it $$ is what drives NYRA.

Their success has zero importance to me as bettor.
I don't care what the handle is, what the attendance is. I care about betting races. Nothing else.

[thespaah]

I miss the days of the big three spring/summer races at Belmont. The Met Mile on Memorial day,. The Brooklyn in mid June, then mostly the same horses battled it out on July 4th in the Suburban.
Each day brought big crowds.
My guess is NYRA management most likely realizes that standalone Grade 1's on Saturdays, won't draw the large crowds as they did in the past.
Plus, there are so many graded races that connections can choose from so that they can pick a softer spot for a big purse as opposed to going eye to eye against the better older horses in training.
And better three year olds are all but held away from races vs older until the fall.
The game has changed. The marketplace is changed. Track managements have to adjust.

[Tom]

One would think that with all that great handle they will rake in this weekend, they could afford to fix their pathetic excuse of a timing system.

[thespaah]

One would think that with all that great handle they will rake in this weekend, they could afford to fix their pathetic excuse of a timing system.

Gulfstreams timing system is stone knives and bear skins compared to NYRA's..
Yesterday I watch this one turn mile race over the slop.
These were mid level claimers, winners preferred.
Out of the gate they go 24.17...The leader had an easy time of it, going unchallenged. The half mile was timed in 46.02 HUH? In the slop?
The 6 panel time was 1:09.74
The final time was like 1:35.62
These fractions are suspect.
The timer indicates the unchallenged leader paid down a second quarter mile of 21. 83..Ya, looks completely normal to me. Sure it does

[castaway01]

They're worse than the one on that Star Trek episode in fact. Look at the card we got on Memorial Day instead of that day's card being headed by the Met Mile.

It's time to go back to what worked when the likes of Forego and Foolish Pleasure and Father Hogan battled it out, and Buckpasser and Damascus and Dr. Fager before them - Met Mile on Memorial Day, Suburban on July 4, and so on. And now that the inner dirt track has reverted to a turf course, the summer meeting at Aqueduct, last held in 1976, should be brought back as well.

The day Saratoga gets scrapped so Aqueduct can run a summer meeting is the same day you'll get all those turf courses built. Dare to dream!

[Tom]

"Gulfstream - Decades of mis-timed races, because we don't give a s!"

A joke track - Would bet your money on any GP raes. Not fit to call itself a racetrack.

[Thomas Roulston]

The day Saratoga gets scrapped so Aqueduct can run a summer meeting is the same day you'll get all those turf courses built. Dare to dream!


Who said anything about scrapping Saratoga? Prior to 1977, they went to Aqueduct right after the Belmont Stakes, and from there went up to Saratoga.

And why bother turning the inner track back into a second turf course just to run on it for a couple of weeks in April and then a couple of weeks in November?

Plus if there are two pre-Saratoga meetings instead of one there will be fewer off-the-turf races with their 3- and 4-horse fields because the Stewards will let more grass races with the turf listed as yielding, soft, and even heavy stay on the grass.