Been watching the races at NYRA for 30 years and dont remember a card like this:

Race 1 10k Claimers (8 wagering interests before scratches)
Race 2 20- 18k Maiden Claimers (9)
Race 3 35k Claimers 3YO (8)
Race 4 NYB MSW (10)
Race 5 15k Claimers (11)
Race 6 25k Claimers (8)
Race 7 50k Claimers (9)
Race 8 ALW/ Opt Claim 25k (14)
Race 9 7.5k Claimers (11)

At about 4:15 PM I should be able to determine whether or not this was a good card.

Meanwhile at the Magna Mall at Hallandale, and at the Shoppes at Santa Anita Frank will run his pet project, the Sunshine Millions, once again (3rd Year?). There seems to be a lot of interest among bettors around these races, and it looks like there will be full fields of quality horses, but the purist and Magnaphobe in me will once again point out that these races are run to the detriment of the Graded Stakes programs at 2 major race tracks.

Have not been following too closely the racing from Gulfstream. Still Calder at Gulfstream during the week? To me this is one of the primary reasons Frank Stro would like to shut down Maryland racing during the winter, hoping to improve the quality of overnight racing at the Gulf. It also looks like Tampa (home of the world's worst track announcer and Margo the amazing expanding paddock girl) is getting more quality horses that may have raced at the Gulf in the past.

Stronach/Magna running NY tracks as a sole proprietor is not likely to happen. The fact that Frank Stro reached out to the Churchill people and the Woodbine people to form an investigatory consortium tells me that in Frank's mind he would not be willing or able to absorb the financial responsibility of running the NY tracks.

Golf note to NC Tony, my favorite Jesuit horseplayer: Client golf in Boca at the end of January??*#@! YOU DA MAN!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2006 08:53AM by richiebee.