Saturday Musings

Remember the Super Meet at Monmouth Park last year?  The first condition book has come out and purses will be down 40% from last year's purses.  Now, the first condition book is for races being run by the NJSEA with racing for five days a week.  It is possible, the lease holder may be able to get the horsemen to agree to a reduction in racing dates, but rest assured, purses will not look anything like last year.  Anyway, it should give you an idea what purses at the Meadowlands would have been looking like if horsemen insisted on racing 168 days this year.

In the third race at Freehold today, there was an inquiry for possible interference by the eventual race winner Art Simpson against Sign Of A Ditch approaching the half.  The judges decided there was no cause for a disqualificaiton, but how difficult would it have been for the track to show the video feed the judges were looking at during the inquiry?  It makes no sense why the track doesn't show the video feed; after all, they do it at the the Meadowlands.  I can hear the comments now by those at the track, "The judges are examining their tickets before declaring the results official".  All kidding aside, with all the integrity issues harness racing has, this is one issue which could be addressed so easily, yet tracks refuse to do anything about it.  It is inexecusable, but for an industry that shoots itself in the foot so often, not surprising.

Haven't taken the latest HANA Harness Survey yet?  Click here to begin.

Harness racing continues to get the shaft in Maryland.  As reported by Harness Racing Update, the Maryland Senate committee head taking up legislation to allow racetracks to use slot revenue for operating expenses is looking to remove Rosecroft Raceway and Ocean Downs from the legislation which would allow the tracks to divert money dedicated to capital improvements to be used for venue for operating expenses instead of capital improvements.  I am not a big fan of diverting the money, but can someone tell me why there is a double standard between the two breeds?  Could it be part of a campaign by the Maryland Jockey Club to get rid of harness racing so they alone benefit from slot revenue? 

Don't forget while you are figuring out your Pick 4s for the guaranteed Pool wagers, Yonkers Raceway is offering six divisions of the Levy Memorial this evening.  There have been a few defections from the Levy series as only forty-one horses are competing in the Levy series this week.  After this week, I expect even more horses defecting as they conclude they have no chance to make the final. 

Tired about the lack of 'color' on the racetrack; specifically the lack of color in standardbreds?  Well you will like the horse Cool Runnings.  He is definitely a horse of a different color.  Heather Moffett tells the story.