Published:
December 9, 2008 07:48 am EST
Woodbine had another night of 7/8-mile races last night. Anyone want to offer some opinions: good, bad, or indifferent?
When the plan was announced, I praised Woodbine merely for trying a new idea. It seems as if many people think that new ideas in harness racing cause cancer and should be avoided at all costs. So Woodbine got innovative and tried racing at a new distance. BRAVO!
That doesn't mean that every innovation works or even makes sense. I'd like to see tracks try longer races with larger fields to get away from one-mile monotony and to get away from short-priced winners.
What are your thoughts thus far on the 7/8-mile races? What, if anything, would you change?
Regarding last Monday
Regarding last Monday night's 7/8 mile races at Woodbine. Six races were trotters and trying to rush them off the gate, a number of horses in each race were on the run. Who wants to sit last in a 7/8 mile race, especially at Woodbine, as a bettor I boxed four horses and three were on the run. Why not race a mile and one eighth and let the horses settle down and protect the bettor. You are losing your bettors to the Meadowlands; where the bettors are getting a better shot at winning.
Is this distance change,
Is this distance change, actually getting a fair shake form the WEG race office?
This Monday they wrote 4 trot races in the first six races. Honestly if your going to run sprint races shouldn't it be with pacing horses? Why stick a knife in the back of the initiative by using trotters?
If they have to plague the Monday card with trotters to gamble on why not race them at long distances?
Race the endurance trotters, a mile and 7/8's or two miles. Let the drivers and horses have a chance to create flow in the race. Stop lumping the two gates into the same basket. They aren't the same.
The first Monday night this initiative was introduced the Handel jumped dramatically 250,000 grand and now with just the second card in the books it has plummeted.
The caliber and gate of the horses carded and expected to race in sprint races is not conducive to the betterment of the initiative, to say the least.
If this is the extent of support going to be extended from WEG, the WEG race office and the WEG trainers, stop now, before you do more damage than good.
It's not that new ideas or
It's not that new ideas or innoventions will cause cancer. If you are looking to solve a problem, lets shoot for a solution that actually works! Unless your horse can leave [quickly], the shorter race distance just makes it even easier for horses that can leave, and will continue the front end bias. I think the two easiest answers for WEG are to 1) LENGTHEN the races and 2) change the track surface.
I quite like the 7/8 mile
I quite like the 7/8 mile dash. I watched them last night. They certainly go all out and they are hard to handicap... for those who gamble. Dean, I'm with you, Dean, on the longer distances with more horses. I watched the Extreme races at Georgian Downs and found the races to be very engaging. The short dashes were a blast too, much like quarter horses races. Innovation and experimentation is what makes life interesting. What's that old saying - 'Variety is the spice of Life' It should be no different in horse racing.