Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic
When all is said and done, more is said than done.
Lou Holtz
Bloodhorse – Jay Hovdey – Is This the Eight Days That Will Shake the Game?
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
TDN – Bill Finley – The Triple Crown Passes Away At 107
Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.
Doug Larson
Phil has a question:
When the nostalgic regressives pine for the tradition of the Triple Crown do they mean the traditional way the inaugural winner Sir Barton won it.
1919: Triple Crown sweep
At three, Sir Barton won his season debut as a maiden in the Kentucky Derby on May 10, 1919, ridden by jockey Johnny Loftus. Legend holds that he was supposed to be the rabbit (pacemaker) for his highly regarded stablemate, the gelding Billy Kelly, but that assumption is only partially true; in reality Sir Barton was regarded at having a better chance of winning the Kentucky Derby than Billy Kelly, owing to both his weight allowance as a maiden as well as the fitness he had demonstrated in the preparations for the Derby. Sir Barton led the field of 12 horses from start to finish, winning the race by five lengths.[3] The next day, Sir Barton was shipped to Baltimore to run in the Preakness Stakes, held only three days later on May 14. In the Preakness, he again led all the way, winning wire-to-wire and beating Eternal by four lengths.[4] He then won the Withers Stakes in New York on May 24 and shortly thereafter completed the first Triple Crown in U.S. history by winning the Belmont Stakes on June 11, setting an American record for the mile and three-eighths race, the distance for the Belmont at the time. Sir Barton’s four wins were accomplished in a space of just 32 days. He has been retroactively honored as the 1919 Horse of the Year.
*** Reproduced without permission from Wikipedia
TDN – Michelle Boniface St. John – Letter to the Editor: This is Not Just About the Preakness
Paulick Report – Chelsea Hackbarth – Preakness Moved Back One Week, Will Be Run Sunday
It isn’t necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia.
Frank Zappa
Bloodhorse – Frank Angst Maryland Touts New Preakness Date, Community Approach
TDN – Sue Finley – 2027 Preakness To Be Run 22 Days After the Derby
Bloodhorse – Preakness Stakes Date to Move to Fourth Sunday of May
Bloodhorse – NBC Sports Extends Agreement to Cover Preakness Stakes
Phil has a question:
Why not the first Saturday(Sunday) in June, keep the distance the same to give trainers and owners an easier distance than the Belmont, bump the purse to $3 Million and see how NYRA likes that.
When Gulfstream closes in the next couple of years can the Federico Tesio be moved to replace the Florida Derby.
Adding more big event days to the racing calendar is good for the game overall. But doing so at the expense of a race like the Preakness is a zero-sum game. And eliminating the excitement of a potential Triple Crown winner is a step in the wrong direction.
That’s my view from the eighth pole.
Paulick Report – Ray Paulick – View From The Eighth Pole: A Zero Sum Game?
Front Office Sports – Michael McCarthy – NBC to Retain Media Rights to Preakness Stakes
Phil has a question:
Is the real problem affecting thoroughbred racing that CDI and NYRA are playing a power grab game or the fact that there has been no mention of the new 3 year old Thoroughbred series in any of the regular sports media outlets.
Has Stephen A. even heard about the new 3 year old Thoroughbred series.
Matt who.
Is CDI looking after the best interests of thoroughbred racing or the best interests of its shareholders.
How does consolidating racing at a couple of major tracks help to attract new diverse fans.
Monday’s announcement by Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) that the companies would collaborate in a season-long “Thoroughbred Championship Series” for three-year-olds is light on details but heavy on ominous implications for excluded races.
Preakness, Haskell, PA Derby excluded
The Racing Biz – Frank Vespe – CDI, NYRA announce 3-year-old race series
TDN – Carter Wilkie – Future of Fair Grounds In New Orleans Assured By CDI
The freedom of any society varies proportionately with the volume of its laughter.
Zero Mostel
Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian.
Herman Melville
Bloodhorse – Frank Angst – New 3-Year-Old Series Brings Excitement, Concerns
TDN – Churchill, NYRA Launch ‘Thoroughbred Championship Series’ for 3-Year-Olds
Bloodhorse – CDI, NYRA to Launch Championship Series for 3-Year-Olds
Phil has a question:
Doesn’t leaving out the Preakness and Haskell just borrow from Peter to pay Paul.
Phil M. Stockmen