I happen to be a fan of winter racing, and I cut my teeth handicapping Aqueduct in the winter (since it was an easy subway ride from my house). I could understand cutting back winter racing (like maybe take a month off) but to eliminate it entirely? I don't like that idea. Let them take off from Dec. 1 to Feb. 1. I think this would produce a distinct improvement without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Belmont is a beautiful place. Needs to be left alone.

Saratoga is a beautiful place, but for me it's like going to the Hamptons -- it's too crowded to really enjoy it. Definitely not a slots venue. They don't have enough room as it is. Plus I can't win there.

This kind of reminds me of baseball, where people think the problem is the stadium, and if they build a new stadium, it will make things better. The problems of racing (and baseball) have NOTHING to do with the venues. I guess it's easier to talk about venue than it is to talk about doing what's necessary to really solve the problems.

HP