I was well ready to sit out all racing for the ten days that Aqueduct was closed.
Usually my dark Sunday would involve reading the newspapers and maybe watching
the Jets play.

I am not inclined to read the Sunday papers this morning. The news would only
make me incredibly sad and angry and I promised JB that I wouldn't do politics
here so I'll stop right now.

As for the Jets I guess the only way to make that interesting would be to bet
some over/unders, as in number of interceptions by Darrell Revis (I'll set the #
at 1.5 and bet over) and the total number of interceptions by the Patriots (I'll
set the # at 3.5 and bet over), as former first round draft pick G. Smith
continues to resemble a two legged version of the (Gang) Green Monkey.

Then comes the issue of where to bet, and I guess the choices would be GP or FG.

Gulfstream features very large fields and some of the slickest move up trainers
in the US. I named some of them in a previous post, but neglected to mention the
master horseman Kirk Ziadie. Horseplayers are all in favor of large fields, and
most of the races at GP seem to have them, but the chaos created in fields of 12
and 14, even on a broad turf course, makes the game more a game of chance than it
need be. I might be in the minority, but I would prefer fields of 9 or 10 rather
than fields of 12-14. I'll take a reduced payout in exchange for not having to
watch my selections have to weave in, out and around hopeless longshots.

Fair Grounds is owned by the evil empire, Churchill Downs, administered by the
Churchill Clowns. I think I just convinced myself to wager on the Hallandale
signal.

Aqueduct has changed things up a bit and the free $3 calendar will be available
at the Ozone Park facility beginning on December 26. Also on December 26, Santa
Anita opens with Shared Belief making his last start as a 3YO in the Malibu
Stakes.

We can only hope that the Magna tracks, Stronach Anita and Frankstream Park, will
offer quality racing throughout the winter. Aqueduct is at a crossroads as many
are questioning the viability, indeed the necessity, of winter racing in New
York.

I really thought that once PJ "Turf Sprints" Campo was gone, there would be an
opportunity to get rid of some of the dead wood on the NYRA backsides, owners and
trainers who do not pull their weight when it comes to entering horses. A lot of
these trainers bounced PJ on their knee when PJ was a wee lad. I thought Martin
Panza might be the new broom that could make a clean sweep, but I haven't really
seen it thus far in terms of bringing new blood onto the backside and the entry
box.

Everybody speaks about horse shortages, but that need not be the case. I have
said repeatedly (and said it directly to PJ Campo at a NYRA town hall meeting)
that there are a lot of trainers in New Jersey, New England, Canada and upstate
New York who lay their horses up every winter. There are two venues
(Massachusetts and Virginia) where the future of racing is uncertain. If there
was a way to tap these equine resources, the Inner Dirt meeting could feature the
large fields which increase handle.

How to attract some of the horseflesh mentioned in the previous paragraph? Panza
has to be inventive, to subsidize and incentivize out of town trainers to ship/ stable
at NYRA in the winter months; housing subsidies for trainers who want to relocate
here or stable here in winter; pick up the tab for shipping expenses for trainers
who ship in once that trainer has run a certain number of horses. Maybe have a
purse kicker based on the amount of miles a trainer has shipped his horse to
compete. All of this takes money, the kind of money which has already been spent
(wasted)on inexperienced and ineffective management.

Perhaps most importantly, decrease the number of races restricted to NY breds. A
condition book filled with NYB races will have a chilling effect on bringing in
new horseflesh.

I do not go crazy over takeout (Chinese or otherwise), but a seasonal reduction
in takeout for the winter months would draw the attention of horseplayers.

Happy Holidays to all, and thanks to the Varick Street gang for the free data
which is available beginning December 26.