#Soundbites - How can the coordination of stakes races / condition books be improved?
Article by Bill Heller
Tony Dutrow
That’s a very good question because that is a needed: a source of information for horsemen. So many of us have a decent horse, and we want to make it a lot easier on ourselves to see what is out there. If it was as easy as going to a website, it would take literally seconds and that would give you all your options. I don’t know how to collect all that information, but if the information was there, I’d love it.
*****************************************
Ian Wilkes
We all have to work together. I think we can do a better job. There are only so many horses you can run. A national stakes program would work. Some stakes are on the same day or a week apart. The Iowa Derby and the Indiana Derby were on the same day. Why can’t they be in a series of races on different days? Also, we’ve got to do something to make bigger fields for races like the Travers. We have so many choices with fewer horses. The whole industry needs to work together on this, on everything.
*****************************************
Carla Gaines
Oh, God. I’m so locally based on the West Coast. Particularly, three-quarters of my barn are Cal-breds. I don’t venture out of the state much, but, for sure, any type of coordination in any business is always a positive thing. Previously, when I had horses we’d consider running in other places, you’re trying to figure out how to run here or there. So it would be a good thing.
*****************************************
Cherie DeVaux
They can put it in one place where it could be searchable. Also, the stakes are on top of each other which makes it hard for each of the stakes to attract a decent field. But it’s also hard as a trainer. You’re trying to get appropriate riders and sometimes that gets difficult.
*************************************
Charlie [Charlton] Baker
That’s kind of a difficult question. I would think it would take an overseer, a person just in charge of doing that job to contact all racetracks and get the dates so they coincide. Having them coordinated might be a better idea of how to do it.
*************************************
John Sadler
All the tracks have to get together and figure out a program to work for everybody. But they have to really want to do it. They don’t like to work with each other. We have a long history of that. Santa Anita would never work with Hollywood and Del Mar didn’t work together with them. So it’s just about what it would take. It wouldn’t be that hard.
****************************************
John Servis
I think each track should have a condition book committee, made up of horsemen and the racing secretary and his assistant on a monthly basis to go over the condition book. Also, I think they need to have either a larger or stronger graded stakes committee to evaluate the stakes a little better.
