I go back and forth on all the NY-bred races carded now. I can't escape the nagging feeling - and perhaps this is just the senitmental moi memory tricks talking - that the day to day quality of the racing back in the late 1980's, when my Toga addiction first kicked in and the meet ran for only four weeks, was far, far higher than it is today. The parade of NYBs seems to serves as an in-my-face reminder that things ain't what they used to be.

On the other hand, given that it's all the rage among the conditioners of the higher level or potential-rich stock to trot their horses out there like four times a year, I don't see how the racing secretary can card a lot of races for the Stars of Today and Tomorrow. Yesterday's gone, the days of Quick Call running three times in a four week meet are over, and there's thirty six days of racing cards to fill, and they sure ain't gonna fill 'em with classified allowances for could be any kind types who MIGHT run once a meet. So, why not reward the guys who are actually willing to run their horse flesh out there.

A specific comment about today's four-bagger of NYBs, I would think maybe one factor (in addition to the Street Sense point mentioned above) was simply that the racing sec got scared by listening to the weather dolts who spent the past five days screeching about impending meteorological doom..."torrential downpours", "slow-moving thunderstorms containing hail of Biblical proportions", etc. Yeah...good job forecasting....