Crown Briefs and Jackson Subterfuge?

The Meadowlands opens this weekend with the eliminations for the Breeders' Crown.  I understand the number of days the Meadowlands races is limited, but wouldn't it have made sense to open up a week before the eliminations so the horses competing in the eliminations would have had the opportunity for a race over the track before it counted big time?

By now you know Commander Crowe is a supplemental entry to the Crown for Open Trotters.  While it will be great to see the Commander racing at the Meadowlands, the race has lost a lot of its pizzazz when the connections of Sebastian K decided to bypass the race.

There will be no eliminations for the 3yo colt trotters, 3yo filly trotters, aged mare trotters, aged mare pacers, and aged horse pacers this year.  Those who entered will be proceed directly to the finals.  

Update: 156 horses dropped in the box for the Breeders Crown.  Details here.

Next Tuesday will be the press conference and post position draw for the Breeders Crown finals.  Wouldn't it make sense to have the press conference on Monday and get the program pages out to the press and general public on Tuesday afternoon? This way should the press be inclined, they can cover the finals in earnest earlier and those handicappers looking forward to the Crown can begin their handicapping, building up more excitement.


Jackson Raceway a Leverage Tool?  So thinks a Jackson County Commissioner who commented on ESPN Radio on how Jackson Raceway was not given any racing day next year.  If racing returns to Jackson, it would likely be a couple of years.  Was Jackson Raceway a ploy to get the trotters back in Hazel Park and Northville Downs?  No one will admit it even if it were true.  All I know is Brett Boyd laid out money to get to this point.  Unless he gets reimbursed, which would probably run afoul of regulators, it would suggest it was a honest attempt.

Lastly, I owe an apology to my readers of this blog.  I am not looking for sympathy but feel the need to explain what has been going on with this blog.  Long term readers of this blog have probably noticed with the exception of contributions made by my contributors, my blog entries have not been up to snuff with previous blog entries made by me.  For myself and family, 2014 is a year I look forward to forgetting.  Starting with a late March 'flood' from above (a neighbor's sprinkler system), which made our home uninhabitable, we spent five and a half months in exile while our home was gutted and rebuilt.  While we have returned to a new and improved home, it came at a price as life was reduced to a one bedroom suite in an extended living hotel (Thank you for a great experience Residence Inn [really] of Saddle River, NJ).  The people were great at the hotel and while they made it feel as close to home as possible, it wasn't and having to spend time with insurance adjusters, contractors, and various other vendors took a lot of time and had me otherwise 'distracted'.

Add to that a family member breaking a hip during this escapade on July 17 to be precise, and landing in a hospital only to end up with three round trips between the hospital and rehab since the initial break, which included breaking the other hip two days before supposedly going home, you can see how I've been distracted,  The saga continues and hopefully they will be going home in two weeks (fingers crossed) with 24 hour assistance to start.  Ah, the joys of growing older.  I am painfully understanding my late father's saying "The 'Golden' years are made of brass".  Brass may have been too optimistic.  Anyway, being the closest relative (physically), we know who has picked up the additional responsibility of caring for a close relative; my wife and I, though to be fair, it is probably more my wife; that woman is a saint. with her upcoming return home, the added responsibility won't go away, but the frenzy level should subside. 

So while I look forward to 2015's arrival so I can put 2014 behind me (it can't end soon enough), I am hoping to start now and return to spending more time on harness racing and my blog and return to a state of controlled pandemonium which will be a welcomed change. Thanks to my contributors who have kept the blog going when I was otherwise tied up and will continue to contribute, as I start delivering blog entries more in line with my previous writings.  Hopefully, it will make View From the Racetrack Grandstand a 'must read' blog once again.