3 year old colt Pacing Division has deteriorated ....

[captaintreacherous]

2 years ago we had some legit horses knocking heads

and showing up for The Jug, Metro and Pepsi NA Cup
as well as the Meadowlands Pace.
Captain Albano, Captains Quarters, Nijinsky, Legendary
Hanover, even the doped up Funtime Bayama until
Canada's 10 Time Obrien award winning trainer got exposed
on the World Stage.


Now all I see is a fast Sire Stakes Colt from Canada and
 an  Indiana gelding ,both ducking the Meadowlands Pace.

We are down to maybe the worst crop in a decade.

How is it possible that both the "top" colts are

not showing up at The Meadowlands Pace??

Are they lame?   

Has Harness Racing come to this?

[Sweet]

Not the first time it's been said here....

They're burning through them at 2 like there is no tomorrow.

Quite frankly, Obsolete did his 148 with ease, BB has the inside advantage but why go full throttle tonight when 3 are getting a bye...maybe we'll see more up an comers and not the usual suspect household names.

The 3 yo fillies look strong 

[MIKE CAMPBELL]

If harness racing wants to remain relevant, they need to eliminate two year old racing, move it up one year and offer stakes for 3 and 4 year olds.

[Harness racer]

This topic is regurgitated from BigM prerace show.

[Laag]

because they are going multiple sub 149 miles as 2 years olds and if you are pacing 151 as a 2 year old you are basically relagated to 10K claimers the next season

the 2 year old races are killing the sport

[captaintreacherous]

The players cant even bet anymore...

How many times have you played a horse that was

6/5 or even money when the gate left...

and at the 1/2 mile pole you see 1/5 odds.


This has helped kill the sport.

[MIKE CAMPBELL]

because they are going multiple sub 149 miles as 2 years olds and if you are pacing 151 as a 2 year old you are basically relagated to 10K claimers the next season

the 2 year old races are killing the sport

Correct

[Harness racer]

That’s the worst part of betting for me.  Thinking im getting 2-1 and I get
2-5.  Doesn’t feel legit.  Betting should be done 30 seconds before the race.  I know it will never happen, but that’s the only way to make the small time player want to win bet.

[Lockedin with Pace]

Would owners still invest money in high price yearlings if they couldn't see the track until 3, some definitely wouldn't.

[MIKE CAMPBELL]

Would owners still invest money in high price yearlings if they couldn't see the track until 3, some definitely wouldn't.

That is a fair point

[Harness racer]

Would owners still invest money in high price yearlings if they couldn't see the track until 3, some definitely wouldn't.

Excellent question.  Another year of bills with no return.  Or would the sales schedules completely change?

[BrokenHeadPole]

TRACKS DON'T CARE ABOUT THE SMALL TIME BETTOR. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS THE CAW MONEY AND THE PHONY HANDLES. THESE CAWS ARE TRULY KILLING THE SPORT.
ITS NEAR 50% of HANDLE AT MANY TRACKS. EVERY YEAR. MORE AND MORE PEOPLE LEAVE OUR SPORT. AND IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE. THE TRACKS CREATED A MONSTER AND NOW CAN'T FIX IT

[Kenny]

Would owners still invest money in high price yearlings if they couldn't see the track until 3, some definitely wouldn't.

That is exactly the point. The customer base for harness racing is gone. For the most part the races are held in order to distribute government handouts. The inflated purses from the handouts has made breeding the top horses the optimal decision. That means the "stars" are only on the track for a short time never to be seen again. If you want to attract fans, you need the "stars" on the track. With the sire stakes programs it makes it possible to skip the grand circuit races.

As I have said before, take 75% of the money for two year old and 50% of the money for three year old and move it to races for horses four years old and older. That way horses could earn big money for several years while generating fan interest. At the same time the risk profile of breeding changes to make racing a more favorable choice.

It is only a matter of time until the politicians grab the handout money because few of the voters care about racing and the casino industry lobbies enough to get decoupling.

[BrokenHeadPole]

If you look at the sales results, it's the same big-time trainers with the same deep-pocket owners who are buying the top horses. There is no guarantee that the more you spend, will get you the best, but it sure helps. But these owners have big egos and are very well funded. They would still spend.

[Kenny]

If you look at the sales results, it's the same big-time trainers with the same deep-pocket owners who are buying the top horses. There is no guarantee that the more you spend, will get you the best, but it sure helps. But these owners have big egos and are very well funded. They would still spend.

First people with money did not become wealthy by made bad financial decision. The difference would be they portion of what they are investing in would shift somewhat from racehorse and possible breeding material would shift toward the racehorse component. Horses would stay on the track longer.