Del Mar or Saratoga?

[dilanesp]

Hey we have Arrogate and Saratoga doesn't. :P

[RunForTheRoses]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Hey we have Arrogate and Saratoga doesn't. :P

We had Arrogate, gave him his start in greatness in last year's Travers, you know If You Can Make it Here...Try Again.

You know you lost all credibility calling Toga a dump.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by RunForTheRoses

We had Arrogate, gave him his start in greatness in last year's Travers, you know If You Can Make it Here...Try Again.

You know you lost all credibility calling Toga a dump.

It is one. This is the emperor has no clothes. People praise old stuff because it is old. I much prefer new and comfortable to old and wooden.

[RunForTheRoses]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

It is one. This is the emperor has no clothes. People praise old stuff because it is old. I much prefer new and comfortable to old and wooden.

Dump implies unsanitary...which Saratoga is not. I do think this site is East Coast centric but that's different than bad mouthing Saratoga.

dump
dəmp/
noun
noun: dump; plural noun: dumps
1.
a site for depositing garbage.
synonyms:transfer station, garbage dump, landfill (site), rubbish heap, dumping ground; More

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by RunForTheRoses

Dump implies unsanitary...which Saratoga is not. I do think this site is East Coast centric but that's different than bad mouthing Saratoga.

dump
dəmp/
noun
noun: dump; plural noun: dumps
1.
a site for depositing garbage.
synonyms:transfer station, garbage dump, landfill (site), rubbish heap, dumping ground; More

I admit, Saratoga is clean. But I think of old, wooden, too small for the crowds, etc., as a dump.

At any rate, you can have Arrogate back.

[delayjf]

Been gambling here around for 10 solid years........times 4. There was a time that this was a serious question. Saratoga has been watered down a bit by meet extension but only the best run here......the best owners, the best horses, the best trainers, the best jocks. Del Mar is a skeleton of its past glory. Anyone that's anybody (horses included) wants to compete and win in Toga. Its almost as bad as an "A" and "B" league now barring the biggest days at Del Mar, even then some of their best stock winds up here. American Pharoah, Arrogate, and apparently now Songbird is racing here. Arguably, the best horses of this generation.........the quality of the product is not even close. The competition on the grass courses , Jeez, look who shows up at Saratoga and Arlington, Del Mar is fading more almost every season. That anyone even refers to Saratoga as a dump, is just internet ignorance.......its the freaking "Mecca" of American Horse Racing right now. Or what's left of the "glory years". Between the spring ,summer and fall (with a few exceptions)....NY racing is practically keeping this game on the map or alive at all. Its an embarrassment that the game doesn't hold any Breeders Cups at Belmont....but I guess they have to throw California a bone every year.......they won't admit it but they know that entire program is almost on life support.

This isn't just bias, its the reality of the game right now. Anyone that can't see it is either delusional, in denial or blind. I'll be sure I hammer that 3 horse feature on their 7 race card..........if the day isn't canceled all together.......

Saratoga has a huge advantage in that Saratoga draws the best horses from multiple circuits (NY, NJ, KY, MD and Canada). Delmar gets most of their horses from the SoCal circuit. So basically Delmar is only as strong SoCal racing itself. In the 90's when SoCal racing was strong, the product was every bit as good as Saratoga's. What happened to SoCal racing since then is another topic.

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

I admit, Saratoga is clean. But I think of old, wooden, too small for the crowds, etc., as a dump.

At any rate, you can have Arrogate back.

Ya know what? You have an opinion. So be it. But referring to Saratoga a dump is a conclusion. One that is incorrect.
That's like saying in comparing to the Twin towers in Kuala Lampur to The Biltmore Estate and saying ( because it is old and wooden in construction) it is a "Dump". Each has its own attributes. The Malaysian buildings are a wonder of modern engineering. Places such as the Biltmore Estate were marvels of engineering and functional architecture for the time periods in which they were constructed. Well preserved and maintained, it still is today. As is the Saratoga physical plant. It may be old, But it has a charm all its own. Leave it at that
We have different likes. I prefer older and preserved to modern and antiseptic.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by thespaah

Ya know what? You have an opinion. So be it. But referring to Saratoga a dump is a conclusion. One that is incorrect.
That's like saying in comparing to the Twin towers in Kuala Lampur to The Biltmore Estate and saying ( because it is old and wooden in construction) it is a "Dump". Each has its own attributes. The Malaysian buildings are a wonder of modern engineering. Places such as the Biltmore Estate were marvels of engineering and functional architecture for the time periods in which they were constructed. Well preserved and maintained, it still is today. As is the Saratoga physical plant. It may be old, But it has a charm all its own. Leave it at that
We have different likes. I prefer older and preserved to modern and antiseptic.

Saratoga isn't a wonder of modern engineering. Hoover Dam? Sure. But not Saratoga.

It has no charm whatsoever for me. I want to see the horse race, and I like new, beautiful, well designed facilities with great sightlines. I don't like trees, don't like posts, don't like creaky wooden floors, don't like single level structures, and think anything older than 50 years old should probably be torn down unless it is extremely well designed like Hoover Dam or Santa Anita is.

I hate Saratoga. And I am right. It's a terrible place to see a horse race, and it's too bad the best horses in the country don't get a top flight new facility with a big grandstand and beautiful sightlines that they deserve. I hope they tear it down and start from scratch.

[sour grapes]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Saratoga isn't a wonder of modern engineering. Hoover Dam? Sure. But not Saratoga.

It has no charm whatsoever for me. I want to see the horse race, and I like new, beautiful, well designed facilities with great sightlines. I don't like trees, don't like posts, don't like creaky wooden floors, don't like single level structures, and think anything older than 50 years old should probably be torn down unless it is extremely well designed like Hoover Dam or Santa Anita is.

I hate Saratoga. And I am right. It's a terrible place to see a horse race, and it's too bad the best horses in the country don't get a top flight new facility with a big grandstand and beautiful sightlines that they deserve. I hope they tear it down and start from scratch.

I agree on the sightlines but if you ask most people they would say leave it alone,in fact most people are out in the backyard enjoying themselves just fine watching the races on big screens.Your west coast bias is coming thru loud and clear.

[Dahoss9698]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Saratoga isn't a wonder of modern engineering. Hoover Dam? Sure. But not Saratoga.

It has no charm whatsoever for me. I want to see the horse race, and I like new, beautiful, well designed facilities with great sightlines. I don't like trees, don't like posts, don't like creaky wooden floors, don't like single level structures, and think anything older than 50 years old should probably be torn down unless it is extremely well designed like Hoover Dam or Santa Anita is.

I hate Saratoga. And I am right. It's a terrible place to see a horse race, and it's too bad the best horses in the country don't get a top flight new facility with a big grandstand and beautiful sightlines that they deserve. I hope they tear it down and start from scratch.

I'll ask again, when's the last time you were at Saratoga?

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Saratoga isn't a wonder of modern engineering. Hoover Dam? Sure. But not Saratoga.

It has no charm whatsoever for me. I want to see the horse race, and I like new, beautiful, well designed facilities with great sightlines. I don't like trees, don't like posts, don't like creaky wooden floors, don't like single level structures, and think anything older than 50 years old should probably be torn down unless it is extremely well designed like Hoover Dam or Santa Anita is.

I hate Saratoga. And I am right. It's a terrible place to see a horse race, and it's too bad the best horses in the country don't get a top flight new facility with a big grandstand and beautiful sightlines that they deserve. I hope they tear it down and start from scratch.

I neither stated nor implied the Saratoga plant was any such thing.
In the previous post, I clearly stated we have differing opinions.
That should have ended the debate.
Once again, You have an opinion. Opinions can be neither correct nor incorrect.
Therefore your point "an I'm right" is misplaced.
Your hope (obviously tinged with anger) will never become a reality.
If you believe NYRA is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars razing the current plant to replace it, you are being unrealistic

[Rex Phinney]

Ahhh yes another of those classic east vs. west threads.

It starts by everyone giving their opinion. It ends with east coast homers turning their opinions into facts, insisting that non-conforming opinions should be considered second rate, ridiculous, grounds for a PA ban really.

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by Rex Phinney

Ahhh yes another of those classic east vs. west threads.

It starts by everyone giving their opinion. It ends with east coast homers turning their opinions into facts, insisting that non-conforming opinions should be considered second rate, ridiculous, grounds for a PA ban really.

A ban?
Gee, why not go for the gold and put the person who commits said egregious offense in stocks at the courthouse steps and let the towns people throw rocks at the scoundrel.....

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by Rex Phinney

Ahhh yes another of those classic east vs. west threads.

It starts by everyone giving their opinion. It ends with east coast homers turning their opinions into facts, insisting that non-conforming opinions should be considered second rate, ridiculous, grounds for a PA ban really.

I really dont care about facilities, most the time I am betting via video not in person.

I always will be a west coast player first but objectively there are some areas that the west coast racing is ahead of the east coast and it revolves around the dirt racing.

The dirt racing in socal is more competitive, and part of the reason is while baffert is a dominant presence he has paired back his stable a bit so he is not in nearly as many races, in NY Pletcher and CB dominant almost every entry box and often times the races are hardly competitive.

The depth of the turf fields is much higher in NY though, not really sure why but there has been a very noticeable drop off in talent in socal on the turf. I would be shipping west for any Grade 1 or 2 with second tier stock if I owned horses. I would do the same on dirt going east.

[LoserAtTheTrack]

Been to both many times. Was just at Saratoga for 4 days. As much as I look forward to it each year I go home wondering why? I love racing but like on Monday they drag out the races way to long. Does there really have to be a half hour between races. By the end of the day the place is a ghost town. Most of the people there during the day don't even know why they are even there. They could just get a picnic table in a state park and do the same thing for much less. To fill cards they have to run formless turf sprints at least 2 times a day. The place is not a dump but is in great need of upgrading place is falling apart all over the place. If this was how racing was in the olden days it is a wonder there is any racing left at all.