Saratoga Saddlecloth Colors

[sandpit]

Originally Posted by Sparky13

Wasn't the NYRA the last race group to go to the color saddle cloths? I can remember just a few years ago that they went from all black saddle cloths. Today, I could undertand the "pink" for one day, just like baseball players and teams play with pink bats, gloves and wrist bands.

I think Oaklawn was a late adopter too.

[PhantomOnTour]

Originally Posted by BMustang

I'd like to echo a post on the Steve Crist blog:

"Breast cancer awareness is certainly an admirable goal. But lets get it straight, all pink saddleclothes is STUPID!!! It is anti-horseplayer of all genders!!! Can we stop this silliness once and for all??"

I'm surprised they couldn't hear all of the dissatisfaction eminating from OTBs and Sports Books across the nation all of the way back to Saratoga Springs.

I have no problem with the horses in the feature race wearing the pink cloths for one event - but for the entire card. Again, STUPID!!!

It was just for one day.
No sweat...
I bet the OTB's were mighty quiet during Sar stretch drives...no one knew where their horse was.

[Dexter M]

if it is for a good cause, they can use whatever color saddlecloths they want everyday for all i care. its not that difficult to follow your horse by silks.

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by BMustang

I'd like to echo a post on the Steve Crist blog:

"Breast cancer awareness is certainly an admirable goal. But lets get it straight, all pink saddleclothes is STUPID!!! It is anti-horseplayer of all genders!!! Can we stop this silliness once and for all??"

I'm surprised they couldn't hear all of the dissatisfaction eminating from OTBs and Sports Books across the nation all of the way back to Saratoga Springs.

I have no problem with the horses in the feature race wearing the pink cloths for one event - but for the entire card. Again, STUPID!!!

OTBs and sports books have audio for the races that could have been used to keep up with the races.

Horseplayers are undoubtedly one of the most disgruntled groups in the world but bitching about pink saddlecloths on a day for breast cancer awareness? That takes it to a new level.

[salty]

I think pink silks would have been much better. I was there today and i was Totaly surprised. I can deffinetly say that I am Totaly AWARE of breast cancer. Now please don' t do that again. It was impossible to tell what horses were making late moves in the stretch. 3,6,8,9 were the worst to follow. Why don't the paint the rails pink next time?

[duncan04]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Horseplayers are undoubtedly one of the most disgruntled groups in the world but bitching about pink saddlecloths on a day for breast cancer awareness? That takes it to a new level.

Couldn't agree more. You could keep up with your horse by the silk colors. It was one day!! Get over it

[thespaah]

Just a damn minute....For what, over 100 years thoroughbred saddle cloths were always the same color? It has been only what 10 or 15 years that saddle cloths have been color coded?
Jesus Christ, relax people.

[dansan]

maybe they should use pink ticket paper and ask everyone to donate when they have a winning ticket

[Tom]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Do you guys throw beer cans at the TV when MLB players are using pink bats and wearing pink wristbands on Mother's Day?

No, but the bats are not used to identify your bet. Pink saddle cloths was dumb idea. One race, ok, but every race - us uh. No, Nadda. They could have had pink hats, or pink pants, or something not used by people to follow the races. Someone had their head up there ass for sure. They could have honor their charity in a way that was not obstructive to the paying customers. That was pretty much the consensus at our table.
Bad move, and a few of us will be sending emails to that effect to NYRA.
29,000 people there Friday, and that particular charity was probably NOT the number one on everyone's list. Don't mess with the product when you do thing that are NOT part of your business.

Sorry to sound pissed off about it, but I was. Had I been home, I would have dropped Saratoga like a rock and played Woodbine. If this deal is on next year, I certainly will not plan on driving 4 hours only to not be able to follow the races. I cashed in early and never made a bet after the third race of so. It was the worst day I ever spent at Toga. I won't do it again.

[Cardus]

Originally Posted by Dexter M

if it is for a good cause, they can use whatever color saddlecloths they want everyday for all i care. its not that difficult to follow your horse by silks.

I've argued this in Internet Land before.

Certainly, every horseplayer should be able to follow his key horse by the jockey silks. I extend that thought to at least two or three horses in each race by jockey silks.

Add to that the amount of jockey silks that are readily familiar to all of us, and people should not have a problem with following multiple horses in every race solely by jockey silks.

I've never understood the carping about not being able to follow horses because of the sameness of saddlecloths.

[Tom]

Guess what, if YOU have no problem following colors, good for YOU. Many people can't - the TV at the tent is not very good quality to begin with, many colors are similar, you have people standing in from of you.

You've ARGUED this before? What, that everyone should be happy with what YOU like? Have you argued that everyone should bet the same horse as you as well?

What a stupid thing to argue. You assume everyone should somehow know all the silks? I could not tell you a single stables silk color. Why the hell should I care? Do you know everyone's silks at every track? How many of the 29,000 on track and how many tens of thousand betting off track, many on small computer screens, know all those colors? Or, is it just you few "insiders" that matter?

[MadWorld]

Originally Posted by Tom

It was the worst day I ever spent at Toga. I won't do it again.

Because of Saddle Cloths?

[ArlJim78]

yeah why bother with the convenience of having easily recognizable consistent saddlecloth colors when you have the option of devoting your time to memorizing the myriad array of various jockey silks which are often so similar as to be indistinguishable at a distance of more than 50 feet unless you watch with binoculars. Being able to quickly identify any horse in the race is way over rated imo because most of us fix our eyes on one horse and do not take our eyes off of it until the race is over.

[Cardus]

Originally Posted by Tom

Guess what, if YOU have no problem following colors, good for YOU. Many people can't - the TV at the tent is not very good quality to begin with, many colors are similar, you have people standing in from of you.

You've ARGUED this before? What, that everyone should be happy with what YOU like? Have you argued that everyone should bet the same horse as you as well?

What a stupid thing to argue. You assume everyone should somehow know all the silks? I could not tell you a single stables silk color. Why the hell should I care? Do you know everyone's silks at every track? How many of the 29,000 on track and how many tens of thousand betting off track, many on small computer screens, know all those colors? Or, is it just you few "insiders" that matter?

What a moronic response.

First of all, should I have considered YOU when I used the verb "argued"? I meant it in the sense that I have offered this position previously. Yes, it was an opinion that I have advocated. (Had I used "advocated" instead of "argued", I doubt that it would have made a difference with you.)

Yes, I think that people are able to know a few sets of silks in each race. It's a matter of general awareness. Is that so unreachable for you?

Where you come up with me arguing that everyone should wager on every horse that I select escapes me.

If you cannot identify one -- just one -- stable's silks means that you are oblivious. That is absurd. On second thought, maybe I should not be surprised, considering the source.

More than thousand posts and this one makes the least sense.

Congratulations on defining a new low.

[Cardus]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

yeah why bother with the convenience of having easily recognizable consistent saddlecloth colors when you have the option of devoting your time to memorizing the myriad array of various jockey silks which are often so similar as to be indistinguishable at a distance of more than 50 feet unless you watch with binoculars. Being able to quickly identify any horse in the race is way over rated imo because most of us fix our eyes on one horse and do not take our eyes off of it until the race is over.

So, Jim, watching on a TV is not a problem, right? (Of course, I am assuming that you are watching on a TV that is not more than 50 feet away.)

Advise Tom on how to see silks while watching on a TV; he seems to have a problem with that.