Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheffwed
I know this is controversial, but this is why Saratoga should consider adding Tapeta or a similar surface - too many cards end up unappealing on sloppy tracks with small fields - GP was smart about this (I prefer GP Tapeta to their dirt races myself)
Almost entire meets at Saratoga have been lost to bad weather in the past, then again Saratoga succeeds despite NYRA, not because of it
more controversy while we are at it - Saratoga should also up the minimum weights so jockeys don't have to make weight all the time - it doesn't affect the quality of racing - witness the exciting steeplechase race last week and see what the weights were
Saratoga should do all it can to be as ethical and high bar minimum standard on safety for jockeys and horses as possible and it fails (as does the sport more generally) though steps like no Lasix in Stakes was a great move in this direction
(PS I own horses a bit with the great Keri Brion, who prides herself on not using Lasix, and steeplechase racing is better for horses who don't get run at high speeds during sprint races while on injury masking drugs - the racing these days at Colonial for example seems much more well suited to what's best for horses, longer races, more turf, less cheap sprints)
I realize adding All Weather at Saratoga probably isn't likely and a lot of people would disagree
I do have to wonder if there's some way to alter the dirt track a bit to have more all weather flexibility
For those who don't like All Weather at all, I get it, but one wonders if recent technology might be worth a look (probably would help to look at Colonial's turf technology which helps keep races from coming off the turf as well)
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Don't have the numbers but it sure seems that Gulfstream cards as many Tapeta races as they do dirt races now, which makes that venue impossible for me to handicap and play, which I seldom do. This when it seemed their intentions for installing Tapeta was primarily for races rained off of the turf, and not to be an everyday surface for racing. If this is the direction NYRA ends up taking with some of their tracks they'll lose some of my wagering dollars as well. Not that it would matter on an individual basis but have to think there are a majority of other players with the same sentiment.