NCT:

IMO, Globalization or Global interaction is essential to the future of Racing, and having less Racing and more Big Days is right in line with my current personal approach to Racing. My current thinking is that a good book or even a mediocre round of golf at a decent course is time better spent than betting an unspectacular racing card. A quick look at today's first 2 at Belmont sent me running for the bookshelf looking for that good book.

News Flash-- even the BIG DAYS can suck. JC Gold Cup drew 4 runners.

Right now a problem, which reflects the lack of Global co-ordination, is that the Dubai Brothers (and sons) are cornering the best bloodstock and are more than content to take their own purse money in their own big event in the Desert.

Its possible that Discreet Cat, Invasor and Jazil could all make their next U.S. start long after the Breeders Cup in order to prep for the Dubai World Cup. And hey, if they are not 100% sound they have all done enough to retire.

NCT, I hope you didn't miss out on the good old days of Racing, where the top trainers would have tried to work around obstacles created by missed conditioning and physical infirmities to make sure their horse was standing in the gate on that big day. It would have been interesting to see if Pletcher or Frankel could have flourished back in the day when owners expected to run their big horses in the big races-- at the time it was the only way anyone could make any money.

There was a lot of intrigue in the old days because the top runners would sometimes compete when not 100%; the intrigue was to find out if these runners could compensate with heart and class.

I have no doubt that the superior horsemen from past generations (Whittingham, MacK Miller, PG Johnson, TL Rondinello, Laz Barrera, Whiteleys (father and son), others) would have been very competitive today.