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04-09-2021, 02:41 PM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 8,798
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Santa Anita down to two days a week
In case you haven't noticed, there's no racing at Santa Anita today. There will also be no racing next week. Supposedly, in 2 weeks, we will go back to racing on Friday.
To me, this is a sign of real trouble within the sport. Not enough horses to even race 3 days a week?
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04-09-2021, 04:41 PM
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#2
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 16,921
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Welcome to CALIFORNIA racing.
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04-09-2021, 05:06 PM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,054
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Ostensibly, the turf course is getting a break ahead of anticipated heavy use during the rest of the meet.
From the DRF (published over 3 weeks ago, by the way):
Santa Anita will not race at all on April 9 and 16, and will not race on turf on April 10 and 11 to give the turf course a brief rest next month in advance of the final months of the winter-spring meeting, track officials said Saturday.
As a result of those added off days, there will be a gap of nearly two weeks without turf racing from April 5-16 for maintenance, racing secretary Chris Merz said. The course will be used extensively through the conclusion of the current meeting on June 20.
“The turf course needs a break for everything to come together,” Merz said.
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04-09-2021, 07:45 PM
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#4
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Buckle Up
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 10,614
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What a convenient excuse to use for lack of horses....Dilan is correct.
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04-09-2021, 08:04 PM
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#5
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DJ M.Walk
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Compton, CA!
Posts: 2,073
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I'm sure they don't want the turf course looking like the one at Turf Paradise!
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04-10-2021, 02:42 PM
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#6
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The Voice of Reason!
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Canandaigua, New york
Posts: 112,888
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Speed Figure
I'm sure they don't want the turf course looking like the one at Turf Paradise!
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Good thing they make up for it with a great announcer!
__________________
Who does the Racing Form Detective like in this one?
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04-10-2021, 07:32 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 8,798
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom
Good thing they make up for it with a great announcer!
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We had a great announcer. Santa Anita fired him.
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04-10-2021, 09:10 PM
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Near Lexington, KY
Posts: 3,246
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dilanesp
We had a great announcer. Santa Anita fired him.
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That move never made sense.
__________________
Just when you least expect it...just what you least expect-The Pet Shop Boys.
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04-13-2021, 11:32 AM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 510
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Put a fork in it and sell the property. Make it a Homeless encampment.
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04-13-2021, 12:30 PM
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 172
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I am completely amazed whenever I criticize California racing in other forums how people lambaste me and accuse me of having an east coast bias. Last Saturday they have 3 five horse fields and 3 six horse fields.
I compound this with why TVG is based out of California. I understand the access to producers, studios, etc. from the Hollywood business, but realistically everything in the horse business happens in Kentucky. The sales, breeding, etc. Heck, many of the TVG personalities have either moved or purchased homes in Kentucky in the last few years.
This industry needs to get more transparent. Look at what the show Driven has done for Formula 1. There are so many good personalities in this sport and total access would not only allow these to be highlighted but also open up this sport to new fans.
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04-13-2021, 01:34 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 8,798
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Quote:
Originally Posted by exactatom
I am completely amazed whenever I criticize California racing in other forums how people lambaste me and accuse me of having an east coast bias. Last Saturday they have 3 five horse fields and 3 six horse fields.
I compound this with why TVG is based out of California. I understand the access to producers, studios, etc. from the Hollywood business, but realistically everything in the horse business happens in Kentucky. The sales, breeding, etc. Heck, many of the TVG personalities have either moved or purchased homes in Kentucky in the last few years.
This industry needs to get more transparent. Look at what the show Driven has done for Formula 1. There are so many good personalities in this sport and total access would not only allow these to be highlighted but also open up this sport to new fans.
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I have something of a west coast bias (as some on this forum know), and even I know the product at Santa Anita completely sucks these days.
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04-13-2021, 02:36 PM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,054
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Quote:
Originally Posted by exactatom
I am completely amazed whenever I criticize California racing...
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I truly do not understand why people have the need to get on here and criticize
a whole racing jurisdiction. There is so much that can be improved in the sport to get in back to the way it used to be when fans would climb trees just to see a race.
Food for thought:
A. This is a very tough job just to fill races with a dwindling horse population in the face of severe safety measures (not reciprocated elsewhere) and intense public scrutiny; then try to do it multiple times per week. Uncommonly you even see a whole race card cancelled due to insufficient entries. To those of you that think is easy enough to be in a position to offer criticism, get a condition book and try filling a race.
B. The reason we all go to the track is to pick winners. While I love the racetracks that run races all across the country, no race ever fails to have a winner because of the track’s location.
Racetracks make a lot of sacrifices for us. They are allotted only seasonal dates, deal daily with scrutiny, pass on lucrative real estate deals (unless managed by CDI or Jack Liebau), and get very little positive publicity from the media. While I, like everyone else, have my favorite track, I take my topknot off to each track that are in the field and thank you for the enjoyment you have given every fan.
Now let someone post some great Santa Anita stories instead of a thread declaiming California "completely sucks".
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04-13-2021, 03:09 PM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Queens, NY
Posts: 20,625
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spalding No!
Ostensibly, the turf course is getting a break ahead of anticipated heavy use during the rest of the meet.
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IMO high caliber CA turf racing has been a notch below some other areas of the country that focused on it more. Maybe this signals a shift.
It's starting to feel like OP, KEE, CD, FG and few others are slowly becoming the centers for the best dirt racing, CA is somewhere in between, and NY is the center for high caliber turf racing.
__________________
"Unlearning is the highest form of learning"
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04-13-2021, 03:26 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,570
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spalding No!
I truly do not understand why people have the need to get on here and criticize
a whole racing jurisdiction. There is so much that can be improved in the sport to get in back to the way it used to be when fans would climb trees just to see a race.
Food for thought:
A. This is a very tough job just to fill races with a dwindling horse population in the face of severe safety measures (not reciprocated elsewhere) and intense public scrutiny; then try to do it multiple times per week. Uncommonly you even see a whole race card cancelled due to insufficient entries. To those of you that think is easy enough to be in a position to offer criticism, get a condition book and try filling a race.
B. The reason we all go to the track is to pick winners. While I love the racetracks that run races all across the country, no race ever fails to have a winner because of the track’s location.
Racetracks make a lot of sacrifices for us. They are allotted only seasonal dates, deal daily with scrutiny, pass on lucrative real estate deals (unless managed by CDI or Jack Liebau), and get very little positive publicity from the media. While I, like everyone else, have my favorite track, I take my topknot off to each track that are in the field and thank you for the enjoyment you have given every fan.
Now let someone post some great Santa Anita stories instead of a thread declaiming California "completely sucks".
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Now HERE is a guy who should be "in front of a crowd".
__________________
"Theory is knowledge that doesn't work. Practice is when everything works and you don't know why."
-- Hermann Hesse
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04-13-2021, 04:36 PM
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Posts: 5,870
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when the decoupling of slots to the tracks happens and SA loses its casino revenues they are in deep trouble.
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