Their breeding numbers go down every year. Worse than standardbreds. Sure there is that "Old Money" still around but they are getting older too. I was watching STG this past summer. They had 5 grade 1 races on one day. This was the field size of those races. 5-4-5-5-4. It's catching up to them too. The quality of racing is dropping. Do you notice how many maiden-claiming races they have? On a Saturday at Gulfstream yesterday, an $8,000 claimer and a $10,000 claimer on a feature day of the week.
Sure they handle more and the Kentucky Derby is huge, but it's not wine and roses with them either. There is just too much available for the younger generation to enjoy in the world today. Everyone is affected.