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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Grandstand Handicapper on May 06, 2025, 08:27:35 PM
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Over $234 million was bet on the Derby...and almost $350 million was bet on the card!!!
https://paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/new-wagering-records-set-on-kentucky-derby-derby-day-card-despite-wet-conditions
I get that it's the Derby, one day a year, and so on. It's still horse racing. If you build it, they will come.
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Over $234 million was bet on the Derby...and almost $350 million was bet on the card!!!
https://paulickreport.com/news/the-biz/new-wagering-records-set-on-kentucky-derby-derby-day-card-despite-wet-conditions
I get that it's the Derby, one day a year, and so on. It's still horse racing. If you build it, they will come.
I also read that Oak Grove set a handle record on the Monday after the Derby. It helped that they had a decent pick 4 carryover, but without that the handle record still would have been broken
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Sadly it's a dead game guy's , that is just a sorry fact
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you are right grandstand, appears there is life in horse racing
yes it is tbreds and yes it is the derby
however perhaps thee are some learnings
1. its the first and biggest leg of the triple crown, do most of use even know what the current triple crown is in harness racing
2. as a comparative in harness what race could be in a similar position, i suggest the meadowlands pace become the kentucky derby of harness racing but how ??
3. it is held at the big m which is a good facility and in a very high density area with other attractions in the area to encourage people to travel and attend
4. set up a point system so the best current horses get in the race , set the field 2 weeks prior so you have time to promote the hell out of it and create stories about every horse
5. make the field 16 horses, 8 on the gate and 8 in behind to ensure movement and excitement throughout the race and also drive wagering higher based on more probabilities ensuring great payouts,
6. make the race 1.5 miles to minimize the importance of post position
7. make the race night an event not to be missed, get celebrities to attend, red carpet etc, concerts, big betting opportunities, pools seeded if necessary to attract non harness bettors, charge an admission fee to all areas, $50.00 for general, up to $150 for premium seats , maybe include a betting voucher for 50% of the admission
just my thoughts , please add in some more, maybe someone of relevance will read and make some changes ,
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Alas very few care and the others don't want to even sit and listen to an explanation of the premise
of the races, let alone sit and wait for them to walk round and round and round, hoping to maximize
their handle. Where would the $$ come from? Would the owners want to pay a higher entry fee and
risk drawing the second tier. Would they 'BE' 3 yr olds? Seems like the calendar bleeds together
quite a bit already now. People like us might appreciate the extra effort or spectacle but the vast majority
don't and won't EVER care. Bottom line, I believe just try and enjoy what's left while it's still around.
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you are right grandstand, appears there is life in horse racing
yes it is tbreds and yes it is the derby
however perhaps thee are some learnings
1. its the first and biggest leg of the triple crown, do most of use even know what the current triple crown is in harness racing
2. as a comparative in harness what race could be in a similar position, i suggest the meadowlands pace become the kentucky derby of harness racing but how ??
3. it is held at the big m which is a good facility and in a very high density area with other attractions in the area to encourage people to travel and attend
4. set up a point system so the best current horses get in the race , set the field 2 weeks prior so you have time to promote the hell out of it and create stories about every horse
5. make the field 16 horses, 8 on the gate and 8 in behind to ensure movement and excitement throughout the race and also drive wagering higher based on more probabilities ensuring great payouts,
6. make the race 1.5 miles to minimize the importance of post position
7. make the race night an event not to be missed, get celebrities to attend, red carpet etc, concerts, big betting opportunities, pools seeded if necessary to attract non harness bettors, charge an admission fee to all areas, $50.00 for general, up to $150 for premium seats , maybe include a betting voucher for 50% of the admission
just my thoughts , please add in some more, maybe someone of relevance will read and make some changes ,
The Derby accomplished this incrementally, over 150 years. You cant start at the top. There is a lot more work to be done before your product demands $150 admission. The other points are things that can be done now. Field size and distance in particular. Although, you will have to fight the traditionalist that place mile times as a defining of greatness.
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All betting indicators are down...not sure how you are putting a positive spin on any of this. I wish the game was in better shape...just not the case.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS ON U.S. RACES
May 6, 2025: $4,077,549
2025 2024 % Change
Total Wagered $451,546,289 $525,751,241 -14.11%
Per Race avg. $50,673 $55,354 -8.46%
Per Betting Interest $6,334 $6,914 -8.39%
Purses $101,509,293 $104,706,372 -3.05%
Race Days 713 766 -6.92%
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I wonder how the Preakness handle will perform
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The Preakness handle is nowhere near what the Derby is. It's a smaller field, smaller venue in not a great neighborhood at a track ready to fall apart and torn down. Having the Derby winner skip the race doesn't help either.
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Look, there's no way #'s like that can ever get duplicated. The Derby is the Derby. It's an anomaly. Maybe the Breeders Cup can equal that, but that's about it. However, like I said, if you build it, they will come. I cringe when I hear things like marketing. Market what? A damaged sport with a broken business model? No, not yet. Clean up the sport, give people reasons to be interested, learn, watch, etc., and this business will do more than survive; it will thrive. Yes, less tracks. Yes, less races. Yes, less on-track handle. But the bottom lines in each line of business don't lie.
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you are right grandstand, appears there is life in horse racing
yes it is tbreds and yes it is the derby
however perhaps thee are some learnings
1. its the first and biggest leg of the triple crown, do most of use even know what the current triple crown is in harness racing
2. as a comparative in harness what race could be in a similar position, i suggest the meadowlands pace become the kentucky derby of harness racing but how ??
3. it is held at the big m which is a good facility and in a very high density area with other attractions in the area to encourage people to travel and attend
4. set up a point system so the best current horses get in the race , set the field 2 weeks prior so you have time to promote the hell out of it and create stories about every horse
5. make the field 16 horses, 8 on the gate and 8 in behind to ensure movement and excitement throughout the race and also drive wagering higher based on more probabilities ensuring great payouts,
6. make the race 1.5 miles to minimize the importance of post position
7. make the race night an event not to be missed, get celebrities to attend, red carpet etc, concerts, big betting opportunities, pools seeded if necessary to attract non harness bettors, charge an admission fee to all areas, $50.00 for general, up to $150 for premium seats , maybe include a betting voucher for 50% of the admission
just my thoughts , please add in some more, maybe someone of relevance will read and make some changes ,
Some of these are great ideas, some not so much, a little to gimmicky. I've always said that harness racing needs to emphasize the triple crown. Tbreds do this but harness doesn't. I've never understood that. Unless you follow the sport does an average person watch and wager on The Travers as an example? The answer is no, but the average person does follow the triple crown races.
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I agree about the TC. Emphasize it, promote it, and get people interested. Takes work. There are just a lot of other things in the sport that need to be addressed as well. The sport can absolutely make the TC easy to be interested in, follow, etc. I think part of the problem is that the TC for pacers doesn't include "the biggest" races-----no Meadowlands Pace, no NA Cup, and the Messenger lost a lot of its stature when it moved around a bit. For trotters, while the Hambletonian is the premier event, the Yonkers Trot has lost a lot of stature, and the Kentucky Futurity never really had much outside the industry. It will take work, but it can be done.
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appreciate the responses guys
what do you think or making the harness triple crown ( pacing) na cup , meadowlands pace, little brown jug
i know the jug on a half mile track etc but hey who said it should be easy and also like it or not the jug still does draw a crowd
give a serious incentive ( $) to a horse who wins the triple crown and they will come
can you imagine the lbj with a horse trying to win the new harness triple crown
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The only way to ever get eyeballs on this joke of a sport is to combine all the purse money from several of the "marquis" races and put together a 10 Miilion Dollar winner take all race. With that kind of money, I am sure national TV will be interested in broadcasting it. Until then, you will continue to have to describe harness racing to someone who asks as the races with horses and buggys.
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appreciate the responses guys
what do you think or making the harness triple crown ( pacing) na cup , meadowlands pace, little brown jug
i know the jug on a half mile track etc but hey who said it should be easy and also like it or not the jug still does draw a crowd
give a serious incentive ( $) to a horse who wins the triple crown and they will come
can you imagine the lbj with a horse trying to win the new harness triple crown
Absolutely! Years ago, didn't Visa offer a $5 million bonus to a t-bred Triple Crown winner? Why am I thinking it was when War Emblem won the Derby. Or maybe that was the year they stopped offering it. Don't know/remember.
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I think it was Visa that offered it. But I think the Derby purse was much lower than it is now.
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Sovereignty suffered a minor hoof injury and that's excuse enough for Mott to skip the race. That said, if the Preakness was 4 weeks after the Derby, perhaps he goes.
I would make a lot of changes to the racing schedule:
May - First Saturday: Derby
June- First Saturday: Preakness
July - 4th of July - Belmont
Aug: G2 races plus some displaced G1s like the Foster, Haskell, etc.
Sept: Labor Day - Breeders Cup - I'd run it at Saratoga or Keeneland or DelMar or Woodbine. I'd add a 3yo only race - The Travers Breeders Cup ( and the3 yo fillies race as well). I'd reduce the number of 2 yo Breeders Cup races and add ...
Oct: 2 yo Prep races
Nov/Dec: 2 yo Chamionship races, G2s for other ages/sex plus we bet Northfield without a program.
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you are right mike , the current regime only looks out for themselves, they think small and regional , the sport has allowed regional sires stakes to overtake the grand circuit and some of the bigger races get knocked down a notch , trainers pass up some of the bigger races because they can win a sires stake leg or final
grandstand, that's a good idea, get a major sponsor to give a decent incentive if any horse wins the new triple crown , sponsor gets advertising on all tracks and telecasts , gets to bring people to vip at each track and race
i think we have done more here that any usta etc marketing has done in years !!
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Sovereignty suffered a minor hoof injury and that's excuse enough for Mott to skip the race. That said, if the Preakness was 4 weeks after the Derby, perhaps he goes.
I would make a lot of changes to the racing schedule:
May - First Saturday: Derby
June- First Saturday: Preakness
July - 4th of July - Belmont
Aug: G2 races plus some displaced G1s like the Foster, Haskell, etc.
Sept: Labor Day - Breeders Cup - I'd run it at Saratoga or Keeneland or DelMar or Woodbine. I'd add a 3yo only race - The Travers Breeders Cup ( and the3 yo fillies race as well). I'd reduce the number of 2 yo Breeders Cup races and add ...
Oct: 2 yo Prep races
Nov/Dec: 2 yo Chamionship races, G2s for other ages/sex plus we bet Northfield without a program.
Minor hoof injury? That's too bad. Would really like to see him healthy and run in the Belmont (even though it's at the Spa and shorter, LOL).
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Harness racing spending 1 second of time trying to emulate any aspect of the krnctucky derby is a complete waste of 1 second
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you are right mike , the current regime only looks out for themselves, they think small and regional , the sport has allowed regional sires stakes to overtake the grand circuit and some of the bigger races get knocked down a notch , trainers pass up some of the bigger races because they can win a sires stake leg or final
grandstand, that's a good idea, get a major sponsor to give a decent incentive if any horse wins the new triple crown , sponsor gets advertising on all tracks and telecasts , gets to bring people to vip at each track and race
i think we have done more here that any usta etc marketing has done in years !!
big cash incentives certainly work
1985 Garden St Park offered a huge bonus for any horse to win The Cherry Hill Mile, The Garden St Stakes, The Kentucky Derby, and The Jersey Derby---causing Spend A Buck to skip The Preakness
this upset many in the industry--Spend A Buck was all out at 1-20 odds to win The Jersey Derby
in 2004-Oaklawn Park(the Cella family) offered a big bonus for any horse that swept The Southwest Stakes, The Rebel, The Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby....Smarty Jones completed the sweep handily
footnote--Mr. Cella was on the hook for the $2mil bonus--so he bet north of $500k to win on Smarty Jones to cover his ass--significantly dropping the odds from around 8/1 to 4/1--with minutes till post time--i doubt nowadays a $500k win bet will move the odds as much as it did then
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Harness racing spending 1 second of time trying to emulate any aspect of the krnctucky derby is a complete waste of 1 second
Sadly, I have to agree.
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you are right grandstand, appears there is life in horse racing
The other side is how much has attendance at an event like the Little Brown Jug declined over the last 15 years?
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Look, there's no way #'s like that can ever get duplicated. The Derby is the Derby. It's an anomaly. Maybe the Breeders Cup can equal that, but that's about it. However, like I said, if you build it, they will come. I cringe when I hear things like marketing. Market what? A damaged sport with a broken business model? No, not yet. Clean up the sport, give people reasons to be interested, learn, watch, etc., and this business will do more than survive; it will thrive. Yes, less tracks. Yes, less races. Yes, less on-track handle. But the bottom lines in each line of business don't lie.
"if you build it, they will come"
That is not true. Harness racing is still going on almost every day of the year and the attendance is getting smaller. You have to "build" something people want. the racing industry is not offering a product people want so the people are gone.
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you are right mike , the current regime only looks out for themselves, they think small and regional , the sport has allowed regional sires stakes to overtake the grand circuit and some of the bigger races get knocked down a notch , trainers pass up some of the bigger races because they can win a sires stake leg or final
The duel eligibility in KY is only making this worse. Now many horses can race in two different sire stakes programs and skip much of the grand circuit. Over time the top broodmares will end up in Ky and most horses will be duel eligible.
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The other side is how much has attendance at an event like the Little Brown Jug declined over the last 15 years?
Having gone every year for 50 years.. ALOT.
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you are right mike , the current regime only looks out for themselves, they think small and regional , the sport has allowed regional sires stakes to overtake the grand circuit and some of the bigger races get knocked down a notch , trainers pass up some of the bigger races because they can win a sires stake leg or final
grandstand, that's a good idea, get a major sponsor to give a decent incentive if any horse wins the new triple crown , sponsor gets advertising on all tracks and telecasts , gets to bring people to vip at each track and race
i think we have done more here that any usta etc marketing has done in years !!
BINGO. The sires stakes have definitely taken away from the big grand circuit races. A financial incentive for winning the triple crown is a good idea. Those should be used as prep races for the best of the best for the grand circuit and their calendars should be adjusted accordingly. The last few years the KYSS finals were the weekend before the jug. Bad planning. Why race 2 heats at the LBJ for a total purse of $600,000 when you can race in a sire stakes final for $400,000. If it were me NA Cup 1st, Cane 2nd on Hambletonian weekend with a much bigger purse. I think there was 5 entries last year for the Cane. That's pitiful. 3rd The LBJ. 3 different sized tracks rather than going different distances other then 1 mile. As the saying goes money talks and bull shit walks. If the triple crown races had the 3 highest purses along with the Meadowlands Pace with an extra incentive for winning the crown it definitely would help the sport. The LBJ had a 1 million dollar purse 2 years ago and it was the most entries they had had in years
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Having gone every year for 50 years.. ALOT.
I have not being going that long but I think the attendance was around 55,000 the first year and is now around 43,000.
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Other than the Little Brown Jug, almost no trainers will run their top horses on 1/2-mile tracks, and a few even skip the Jug because of the heats. It wasn't like this in the old days when there were alot more 1/2-mile tracks.
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I have not being going that long but I think the attendance was around 55,000 the first year and is now around 43,000.
It's easy for me, the fairgrounds is 5 minutes from my house.
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Other than the Little Brown Jug, almost no trainers will run their top horses on 1/2-mile tracks, and a few even skip the Jug because of the heats. It wasn't like this in the old days when there were alot more 1/2-mile tracks.
Absolutely correct, but if the purse is high enough they will come. Furthermore and it will happen one day the eliminations could be held at Scioto Downs a week and a half before jug day. I hope that never happens.. but it could. That's why I'd have the jug 3rd of the triple crown races... 2 heats, a test of champions, kinda like the Belmont being the longest race is last.
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BINGO. The sires stakes have definitely taken away from the big grand circuit races. A financial incentive for winning the triple crown is a good idea. Those should be used as prep races for the best of the best for the grand circuit and their calendars should be adjusted accordingly. The last few years the KYSS finals were the weekend before the jug. Bad planning. Why race 2 heats at the LBJ for a total purse of $600,000 when you can race in a sire stakes final for $400,000. If it were me NA Cup 1st, Cane 2nd on Hambletonian weekend with a much bigger purse. I think there was 5 entries last year for the Cane. That's pitiful. 3rd The LBJ. 3 different sized tracks rather than going different distances other then 1 mile. As the saying goes money talks and bull shit walks. If the triple crown races had the 3 highest purses along with the Meadowlands Pace with an extra incentive for winning the crown it definitely would help the sport. The LBJ had a 1 million dollar purse 2 years ago and it was the most entries they had had in years
Duel eligibility in KY makes this worse. Many top horses can races in two sire stakes programs.
Harness racing needs a real triple crown with a huge bonus at the end. If a horse wins all three races, they get the bonus. If not, then the bonus is distributed to horse based on points earned by placing in the other races. The points could be arranged such that the horses racing in all three races get the most points. The races should be on different size tracks and at least one being a heat race.
I think racing needs to redistribute the purses by age. Take 75% of the two year old purse and 50% of the three year old purses and make races with huge purses for older horses. People identify with "stars". This way horses could earn big money for several years.
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Other than the Little Brown Jug, almost no trainers will run their top horses on 1/2-mile tracks, and a few even skip the Jug because of the heats. It wasn't like this in the old days when there were alot more 1/2-mile tracks.
And there were a lot more fans/customers. Related? I like half mile tracks because i am much closer to the racing. On the backstretch at Mohawk the horses are so far away. Heat racing add so much drama.
We also need to go back to the Breeders Crown being one night/day not two.
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And there were a lot more fans/customers. Related? I like half mile tracks because i am much closer to the racing. On the backstretch at Mohawk the horses are so far away. Heat racing add so much drama.
We also need to go back to the Breeders Crown being one night/day not two.
I would prefer them all on one night too but don't think it will happen. As I recall the year Pocono Downs had the Breeders Crown all the races were held the same night. I think harness racing copied the Breeder's Cup which runs them on Friday and Saturday.
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Absolutely correct, but if the purse is high enough they will come. Furthermore and it will happen one day the eliminations could be held at Scioto Downs a week and a half before jug day. I hope that never happens.. but it could. That's why I'd have the jug 3rd of the triple crown races... 2 heats, a test of champions, kinda like the Belmont being the longest race is last.
I don't think it will happen because too many people would oppose it, I know I would.
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I also read that Oak Grove set a handle record on the Monday after the Derby. It helped that they had a decent pick 4 carryover, but without that the handle record still would have been broken
What was the handle? Probably around 1 million....So they could race every day for nearly a YEAR and still not do what the derby did in one race right?
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What was the handle? Probably around 1 million....So they could race every day for nearly a YEAR and still not do what the derby did in one race right?
I wish you were close but you aren't.. just short of $600,000
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I was impressed with the purse money until i did googled what it costs to get a horse into the derby. The first 2 finishers were purchased for well over a million each. All horses which were purchased averaged like $450k, trainings at least $50k year,… on and on. Theres a high end that few would ever achieve, the rest are starving like everyone else.
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JT: Had to look it up to fact check your claim that the $1M purse in 2023 drew more horses in
the Jug. You are right. I only went back to 2013 [probably a good thing for your claim] and indeed
there was more BUT nothing really significant. 17 horses in the $1M year. Four years during those
years [2013-2024] there were 15 entered. In 2013 there were actually 19 entered. So was the added
@$350k really beneficial or just wasted tax dollars? I would say unequivocally the latter. 11.wp
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I was impressed with the purse money until i did googled what it costs to get a horse into the derby. The first 2 finishers were purchased for well over a million each. All horses which were purchased averaged like $450k, trainings at least $50k year,… on and on. Theres a high end that few would ever achieve, the rest are starving like everyone else.
The winner was homebred, although his mother was purchased for 1.2 million. And journalism was 828k. Close enough I guess. I did the math before also, very few are even coming close to breaking even. Even less turning a profit.
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Godolphin, the owners of the Derby winner are multi-billionaires and the richest owners in the world, so 1.2 million is pocket change for them.
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The winner was homebred, although his mother was purchased for 1.2 million. And journalism was 828k. Close enough I guess. I did the math before also, very few are even coming close to breaking even. Even less turning a profit.
to get a 2yo good enough into a MSW race at Saratoga will cost you at least $1mil
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T-bred racing is obviously a rich man's game. Half of Bob Baffert's owners are billionaires, that's how he ends up with so many great horses.
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if you go back 15 years or so many years the jug had 3 full fields of 9 horses for eliminations
back to the point of the topic, i am not suggesting that harness racing is going to match the kentucky derby, just suggesting that if harness can mirror some of what works for t breds it might lift the game a bit
lets be honest , what we have now is not really working
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if you go back 15 years or so many years the jug had 3 full fields of 9 horses for eliminations
back to the point of the topic, i am not suggesting that harness racing is going to match the kentucky derby, just suggesting that if harness can mirror some of what works for t breds it might lift the game a bit
lets be honest , what we have now is not really working
Outside of the derby, nothing they are doing is working either. Handle is way down over the past few decades. Retail handle way way way down and caw handle way up. Both breeds have enormous problems with their product
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Outside of the derby, nothing they are doing is working either. Handle is way down over the past few decades. Retail handle way way way down and caw handle way up. Both breeds have enormous problems with their product
absolutely 100% true
when people look at "handle"--you cannot look at that number and come to any conclusions
if you dive deeper--retail handle is down exponentially while CAW handle is way, way up..and the differential will only increase
that is extremely bad news for both industries
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JT: Had to look it up to fact check your claim that the $1M purse in 2023 drew more horses in
the Jug. You are right. I only went back to 2013 [probably a good thing for your claim] and indeed
there was more BUT nothing really significant. 17 horses in the $1M year. Four years during those
years [2013-2024] there were 15 entered. In 2013 there were actually 19 entered. So was the added
@$350k really beneficial or just wasted tax dollars? I would say unequivocally the latter. 11.wp
I don't mind being fact checked, but I'm not the type that throws BS on the wall to see if it sticks like some others on here.. not you but others lol. As far as the tax dollars go,some of that purse increase was from the occupancy bed tax in Delaware county and some from the state. The bed tax was specifically passed to improve the fairgrounds. In the big scheme of things 100 or 200 grand is chump change to the state. There was only 11 entered in the jug in 2022, the year before the million dollar year where it was 17.. Last year there was only 13. The purse was back down to normal levels $625,000. Point being bigger purse = more entries and interest.
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I get you. It might draw in an extra entry or two but 'INTEREST'? I question that there were many who said:
"OOhh $1M purse! I wanna know more about this." I venture the same people that follow[ed] it before, were
about the only one's that watched, and/or wagered then. Granted perhaps a few but $350K worth? Do they
still follow it if they did? I'm biased though because as you know I don't care for those arrogant, greedy bastards up there. ;D
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I get you. It might draw in an extra entry or two but 'INTEREST'? I question that there were many who said:
"OOhh $1M purse! I wanna know more about this." I venture the same people that follow[ed] it before, were
about the only one's that watched, and/or wagered then. Granted perhaps a few but $350K worth? Do they
still follow it if they did? I'm biased though because as you know I don't care for those arrogant, greedy bastards up there. ;D
I dont like many on the fair board either. Some of them don't know which end a horse would shit out of, let alone anything about harness racing. My only point is like a previous poster had mentioned was if the triple crown races had more emphasis on them, with a sponsorship paid bonus for winning all 3, it might generate more interest in the sport and one way to do that is to have the 3 triple crown races as the three biggest purses of the year.
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We've had this discussion on here before and hell I bet there are less than a handful [if that] that even
race in The Messenger, NAC, and M[1] Pace. Since the whole thing is a pipedream , I've always liked
the idea of a grand slam with NAC [7/8] M[1] Pace [mile] Adios [5/8] Jug [1/2] All 4 sizes of tracks.
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i dont mind the grand slam idea but one horse winning all is very remote
what i could see is a $2m bonus to any horse that could win all 4 but if not that does not happen there is $1m distributed to the top 3 horses based on its earned in the 4 races, you must race in all 4 to be eligible for the payout , the $1m is in addition to purse money the 4 races offer
back to the jug, more horses =more interest =more wagering , not long ago( might have been 2023 ) they had 3 heats of 8
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Brown Jug: Nope that was the $1M year..17 entered.. Divisions of 6-6-7. Like I had written, went
back to just 2013. That year [2013] had the most [19]. I'll have another look.
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ok, thanks, at least it went to 3 heats from two the years before
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Went back to 2000 . The heyday was 2000 thru 2010 . All but 2 [2009 + 2008] had 20 or more.
the most without listing them all were 2004[24] 2003[28] 2002[30] 2001[29]. So actually you
have to go back to 2004 to find at least three 8-horse fields.
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Went back to 2000 . The heyday was 2000 thru 2010 . All but 2 [2009 + 2008] had 20 or more.
the most without listing them all were 2004[24] 2003[28] 2002[30] 2001[29]. So actually you
have to go back to 2004 to find at least three 8-horse fields.
Thanks for the research tmbz1.I like the grand slam idea. When I was a youngster my Dad would always talk about how big a race the Adios was. Before the million dollar year I think it'd been quite a while since they had enough for 3 divisions. Yes Brown Jug.. name is appropriate for this conversation lol.. I loved the three heat potential. Now most owners and trainers are reluctant to do two. One change they made that I do agree with is that every horse in the final gets a check now. They had alot of horses scratch if they drew the 7 or 8 hole in the final. At least it guarantees a full field for the final.
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https://paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/letter-to-the-editor-ludicrous-not-to-change-triple-crown-schedule
Letter to the editor.....Ludicr ous not to change the Triple Crown schedule.....