Mid-Week Tidbits; What Might Have Been Different

There is interesting chatter on the Paulick Report about Steve Byk and Steve Davidowitz's chat on his radio show yesterday. Byk does not much care for Zenyatta and Steve D does. The weird thing for me is that Byk is a host, and Davidowitz is a guest. I have not heard, in our sport, anyone ever argue or be critical of a guest for a simple opinion. Maybe Byk should have himself on as a guest. There is plenty of talk about it on the Paulick Report here.

What would Rachel's year look like if she was not sold? According to Reid Mclellan, whose son was Hal Wiggins' assistant a battle at Santa Anita against Zenyatta was part of it, " A plan was mapped that would take her to the Acorn, possibly the triple tiara, but if she dominated in the Acorn as she did in the Oaks, the Haskell-Travers were considered for next two races, Keeneland opening weekend for her BC prep and then HOY showdown with Zen. That was the plan." Via Paceadvantage. Jess Jackson gets a ton of credit for racing her where he did. But he hated synthetic tracks so he ditched the BC. I think I would take the above schedule. Haskell, Travers and Breeders Cup against Z, trumps the Preakness, Haskell, Woodward then shelf that we got, for me.

The program is not quite out yet for the Cup elimination card. There are quite a few stakes elims scheduled. I am of the belief that to ensure a big handle on big days we should not run stakes races or elims. Run the Cup, but make the other races great betting affairs. Jamming a bunch of stakes (especially with trotters) on the same card makes it poor for bettors, and hurts handles, in my opinion. I would run all trotting finals, especilly for fillies, with something to get us interested - a seeded super high 5, a low take superfecta. Something like that.

We were a fan of the changes in the new Score show. Marketing to the people who are already watching you has always struck us as a waste of airtime. The ratings are in and the show has tripled their audience. Is it perfect, or will it save racing? No, but it is progress.

The USTA has started an Eye on Harness Racing, a video magazine, detailing the major races and items in the sport. This is the first time I have watched this feature. I wonder what you think.