Comments on: Breeders Cup Foundation (and Future), 1984

By: Trent Podnesik

Trent Podnesik — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:29 +0000

Colins Ghost:

Have you ever heard of these guys - are they credible?

Saw this ad on Facebook - trackplayer.com - supposedly giving away $10 - $100 to each new member for 'Breeders' Cup Bonanza' they call it.. Never heard of them, but free money is free money. I got $25.

Thought I would share.

Trent

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:02:04 +0000

"The Breeders Cup is one of the best things to ever happen to American racing "

Wow. Do I disagree!

Sure I pay attention, and have every year since the thing started. But I pay much less attention to the major races in the fall especially, because the owners and trainers pay much less attention to them. Even the races in the summer have been affected. Remember when the Sapling was a major race for 2yos? Even the Hopeful, while retaining its Gr I status, is little more than a high level allowance race these days.

And what of the effect on the horses themselves? Almost all the top 2yos now point to an 8.5f race so they race longer in their young lives and are more frequently removed from the racing population by injury. 2yos used to run mostly in sprints and the top ones were usually among the top 3yos the next year. Since the advent of the BC, it is pretty rare for a successful 2yo to have a good campaign in the following year or years.

I could go on.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:34:15 +0000

For anyone who bets on European horse racing, you might be interested to know the odds your offered are artificially shortened by the European Union. Instead of allowing a free and open gambling market across the continent, proper competition between gambling suppliers is hampered, so consumers lose out. There's a campaign at http://www.right2bet.net trying to get gamblers a fair deal. Add your support to the petition!

By: The_Knight_Sky

The_Knight_Sky — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:30:23 +0000

Colin's Ghost wrote:

What is most striking - reading the words of John Gaines twenty-six years later - is what is missing here. In his bold declaration on the foundation of the BC he does not acknowledge gamblers and racing fans as major players.

Instead, we hear about the amorphous "public" and the only reference to gambling is in the context of "racing's major enemies."

______________

Good point on Mr. Gaines' now-errant vision.
And horse racing will never be another Super Bowl type of an event. First it must start to rival The Stanley Cup in stature before thinking so loftily.

The direction of the Breeders Cup as an event for the next 10 years hinges on the success (or failure) of the Breeders Cup 2009.

Mr. Gaines wrote:
"...for the first time in the history of the sport the owners and breeders have taken charge of their own destiny and accepted responsibility for both the improvement of the breed and improvement of the sport..."

It is truly unfortunate that neither of those two have occurred in the last 26 years.
Instead the fleecing of the wagering public continues with a concurrent deterioration of the thoroughbred breed.