It'll make you mad

[Kentucky Bred]

Today is March 13th of 2003. I was shocked to look at the PP's for the field of eleven horses scheduled to run in Santa Anita's 1st race. This race was carded for TWO YEAR OLD HORSES to run TWO FURLONGS!! As best as I have seen, this is the first two year old race of the year. But I have never seen a two furlong race with Thoroughbred horses before. And I certainly have never seen this at the once glorious Santa Anita, who has a distinguished history of protecting the racehorse (or in a business sense, "not biting the hand that feeds you").

This practice by the disgusting management of Santa Anita Racetrack is shameful. I have owned thoroughbreds and while some mature earlier than others, no baby horse is ready to run at this time of year competitively without risking serious and life threatening injury to the animal. Most good trainers would not even think about working them out for two furlongs yet.

The winner of the "race", named "Rockin the Ship" paid $9.00 to win. By past history standards this horse has almost no chance of racing as a three year old. He was born in the month of March. He has a 50/50 shot of not even being a true two-year old. Very few horses even have completely closed knees at this point. Ask a vet who works with them.

Santa Anita, you should be ashamed of yourself. You can't card anything better than short fields of claiming and allowance races. Your not getting much notice around the country because your stupid satellite feed can't be seen without an act of Congress. You are the "king of all maiden claiming races" because you don't have enough horses on the grounds who are well enough to race, and what do you do in response?

YOU RACE TWO YEAR OLDS IN THE MIDDLE OF MARCH TO GO TWO FURLONGS!! Nice move, an excellent way to fill the stalls with horses for the future. Wipe 'em out now--before they even have a chance of being useful to the track as even a hard-knocking claimer.

This is such a great sport if the powers that be do not ruin it.

For now, I will fight back the only way I can in a free and open society. I will not bet any of these "baby" races in the winter of their second year. I will wait to later on in the spring. Maybe my little money NOT being in their pool will have an influence on them to learn to survive as a business another way.

Kentucky Bred

[PaceAdvantage]

They've been doing this for a number of years now, have they not?? Even before Stronach bought the place....


==PA

[Zaf]

Yeah this is nothing new. Nothing like filling out 8 race cards with short fields and crappy maiden claimers with a 2F job.

ZAFONIC

[Bruddah]

I agree with you 100%. It is ridiculous to race a young horse (2yrs) at this time of year. I was unaware that any track was still doing this. I don't play SA, so I guess I really never thought that they would do such a thing. I know for a fact the Management of Oaklawn banned these baby races for 2yr olds in the late 1960's or early 1970's. Until then, they had them in March and they were running anywhere from 2f to 3.5f. Today that track has full fields on practically every race. They averaged over 10 starters per race for their meet last year and are even more this year. They are no SA, but in this case, I am extremely happt they aren't.

[Observer]

I thought I read somewhere that the first 2yo race scheduled in the condition book didn't fill .. so I think Santa Anita had already planned to run one by now .. but I agree, and I've complained about this before .. this is just silly and unneccesary running babies at 2 furlongs. These horses are bred enough for speed and precocity, we don't need to add fuel to the fire by carding 2yo races this early. Geez, Derby fever is only just starting .. do we really need 2yos now?? Are these races really needed??

[kenwoodall]

Equibase shows Ca. has 1f and 2f workout, maybe in company. Maybe 2 year olds. All owners want another Awesome Again- 5 races then out to stud!

[stuball]

Could this be a good betting angle to help eliminate horses from trainers that run in these races..? I mean if a trainer cares that little about his two year olds or is that desperate then his judgement with all other horses under his care has to be questioned...any opinions on that???

That was just a thought that ran thru my head as soon as I saw this thread...Sooper stupid !!!!

Stuball

[gillenr]

Just a side note - Sunland ran one on/about 3/10.

[rrbauer]

Re: Baby races at SA

SA has run these for a long time. They have some rules to mitigate some of KB's concerns.

1. Knees must be closed.
2. No blinkers
3. No whips

It's a dilemma for me because I understand the risk of injury and permanent damage that can result from abusing young race horses. At the same time, these races always seem to fill, so it would appear that SA is simply responding to the horsemen's demands.

[so.cal.fan]

Richard is correct.
Most of these two year olds are Jan. or Feb. foals, so they are actually 2 years old.
I have never researched them, but I would guess that they provide owners with CHEAPER horses to win a purse going very SHORT.
Does anyone know if ANY of these runners ever do anything later in year? I don't think they do, but I could be wrong.

[cj]

Originally posted by kenwoodall
...Maybe 2 year olds. All owners want another Awesome Again- 5 races then out to stud!

This horse ran 12 times with 9 wins and 2 3rds.


CJ

[Holy Bull]

Originally posted by so.cal.fan
Richard is correct.
Most of these two year olds are Jan. or Feb. foals, so they are actually 2 years old.
I have never researched them, but I would guess that they provide owners with CHEAPER horses to win a purse going very SHORT.
Does anyone know if ANY of these runners ever do anything later in year? I don't think they do, but I could be wrong.

I think Squirtle Squirt won one of the 2 furlong races. A few others have gone on to be good sprinters. Most don't amount to much.

[Zaf]

Originally posted by cjmilkowski
This horse ran 12 times with 9 wins and 2 3rds.


CJ

I believe this hoss was bred in Ontario and he won a huge race. A very big race.

ZAFONIC

[anotherdave]

Originally posted by zafonic
I believe this hoss was bred in Ontario and he won a huge race. A very big race.

ZAFONIC

More than one -Queens Plate, Jim Dandy, Whitney, Stephen Foster, Hawthorne Gold Cup, Saratoga Breeders' Cup, and Breeders' Cup Classic. Not bad for 12 starts.

AD

[Kentucky Bred]

Now that I've cooled down a bit from my shock in seeing this race carded, it is clear to me that the problem is economics. California racing has problems and is suffering. I was a licensed California horse owner and I can tell you there is great pressure to enter your horses and once you have entered them, you better have a reason for scratching. Look at the pressure they are under.

Richard must be right as well. The horsemen (especially the lower ranked trainers that frequent these races) will take a purse from wherever they can.

But overall, the tracks have a responsibility to protect the horses, especially in a closed-in circuit like California. When I was there you had nowhere else to run. Who shipped their horses to Tijuana for the races at Aqua Caliente? Or Turf Paradise except to get some "black type" for your horse with a low level stakes race? You stayed home or went to Northern California.

The purses in both areas are good, so what's the problem? How can it be solved? Because the day the box in the racing secretary's office is filled with entries is the day the tracks stop carding these baby races so early in the year.

California race tracks, you better start getting yourself some national exposure by getting on TVG for starters. You need all the help you can get. Is now really the best time for you to play hardball in your negotiations?


Kentucky Bred

[Zaf]

Originally posted by anotherdave
More than one -Queens Plate, Jim Dandy, Whitney, Stephen Foster, Hawthorne Gold Cup, Saratoga Breeders' Cup, and Breeders' Cup Classic. Not bad for 12 starts.

AD

I remember well he won the Breeders Cup Classic, but I forgot about a lot of those others. Quite a nice horse !!!

ZAFONIC

[WINMANWIN]

California race tracks, you better start getting yourself some national exposure by getting on TVG for starters. You need all the help you can get. Is now really the best time for you to play hardball in your negotiations?


Kentucky Bred [/B][/QUOTE]
In my opinion, I think racing as a whole will never regain the fan support that existed yrs ago.I know with the simulcast age and OTB, Phone wagering etc, On track attendance will never be the same.But, without the hardcore race fans, like us.The game will
keep dwindling.Lets face facts.The race cards at most tracks
now dont get the pulse racing, The small fields are prevailing
daily in most mths.The class of animal is horrible 70 % of races
provide the low level mdn claiming races and statebred filled
races where 1 steed beats 3 steeds, and 3 weeks later, another beats , 3 of the same, and on and on it goes..For instance the Big Cap Santa's most prestigious race of the meet, was Won by the Track Owner. My advise to any newcomer that wants to get serious, and get started handicapping horses weekly is, Find Another Passion. Cause this 1 will aggravate you to no end, and can adversely effect 1's health....All this from a capper thats been there, and done that, and is having a GOOD MTH OF MARCH !!!

[Kentucky Bred]

I know I'm a bit harsh on Cal tracks but my memories are still so vivid and I don't want them to die.

I can't wait until until the movie of the GREAT book, "Seabiscuit" comes out. They filmed part of it here in Lexington at Keeneland. But the film crew had to blow up dummies to put in the seats because they couldn't find enough extras in town to fill the stands. You see, Seabiscuit ran during an era where people filled the racetrack. Even with the incentive to be in a major motion picture, they couldn't fill the stands to mimic a bye gone era.

We are missing the BIG horse who runs for two or three solid years and captures the nation's attention. Secretariat came along at a time that racing needed him. But today, most likely Secretariat would have won the Triple Crown and then the BC classic and then been sold to Japan. It is hard to build a following that way.

Kentucky Bred

[rrbauer]

Kentucky Bred

As I posted earlier, Santa Anita has been running these baby races for as long as I can remember. In fact, one of the better gate riders in these races in years past was a guy named Ismael "Milo" Valenzuela, who I believe is Pat Valenzuela's uncle.

Given the restrictions that SA has placed on being able to run 2YO in these events they seem to be sensitive to some of the issues involved with racing 2YO.

Perhaps you could comment on Kentucky's rigorous protection of the breed given that they have the highest allowable medication levels in the game. And, I see that Keeneland has a 4.5 furlong race carded for opening day, April 4. It's OK for babies to run 4.5 furnlongs at the beginning of April, but not OK for them to run 2 furnlongs, three weeks earlier?

[Kentucky Bred]

No, you will not get me to defend any of the early-in-the-year baby races or the over-medication that goes on here as well. I've always said that any time you mix animals and money, some bad things are liable to happen.

One thing for sure. I don't think the tracks can go less than two furlongs...can they? Could we ever see one furlong races? So, I guess there are limits for all eventually.

Kentucky Bred

[rrbauer]

Kentucky Bred wrote
Could we ever see one furlong races?

Comment:
That's Zippy Chippy's speciality!