Several of the details related to Breeders’ Cup’s Championship Friday program have received criticism from various corners of the Turf world over the past two years.
Some feel there are too many races; others have lamented a return to Santa Anita Park and its synthetic main track surface for a second consecutive year; and others did not like moving the Distaff to Friday and renaming it the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1).
Those criticisms will be discussed in the aftermath of this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, but as far as November 6 at Santa Anita went, the horse racing excitement that permeated the Arcadia, California, facility could not have been any better and is rivaled only by Kentucky Oaks (G1) day on the Friday before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).
Attendance totaled 37,651 on a picturesque day at the track, a 20.45% increase versus last year and 35.42% more than the inaugural Friday card in 2007 at Monmouth.
Hopefully the trend will continue on Championship Saturday, but without a doubt, Friday’s card was a live racing event I will remember for a very long time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 soothsayers: