Working Backwards
Asmussen, Pletcher, Nafzger — they’ve all made mention recently of working backwards from the Breeders’ Cup in plotting out racing schedules for their talented charges. Sherry Ross writes in the NY Daily News that the approach comes with a cost:
The Breeders’ Cup, designed to keep top horses in racing deeper into the calendar year, has accomplished that goal. But now it is doing it to the detriment of other quality stakes races in the months leading up to the main event.
Why isn’t Rags to Riches running in the Alabama on Saturday, or Curlin or Any Given Saturday in next week’s Travers? Because their trainers are eyeballing the schedule and figuring out the least taxing way to get their charges to the Breeders’ Cup.
It’s not only for the purse money, but for the emphasis — some would say, over-emphasis — that many Eclipse Award voters place on the Breeders’ Cup results, often ignoring year-long achievements.
Yes. So, what is to be done? Standings, a revamped “Win and You’re In,” bonuses — the emphasis needs to be on encouraging competition through the year, not just one day.
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