Historic NY races losing stature
Once known as “Racing’s Crowning Event,” the famed Jockey Club Gold Cup has become “The Sort of Important Prep” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The JCGC’s $1 million purse was dropped to $750,000 on the Belmont Park fall stakes schedule released last week by the New York State Racing Association.
Oops, my bad.
The association was recently re-privatized and is again the New York Racing Association.
The race won by Hall of Fame members Man o’ War, Gallant Fox, War Admiral, Whirlaway, Citation, Nashua, Kelso, Buckpasser, Damascus, Arts and Letters, Shuvee, Forego, Exceller, Affirmed, John Henry, Easy Goer, Cigar, Skip Away, and Curlin appears to be going the way of other fabled New York handicap races such as the Suburban and Brooklyn.
The Suburban and Brooklyn are no longer the powerhouse summer events of decades past.
As a fall event, the JCGC is one of several major races that have been negatively affected by the Breeders’ Cup.
A Breeders’ Cup that was last seen in New York in 2005, and shows no inclination to return here any time soon.
Laurel Park, which is making lots of right moves to improve its product and support racing, will get it the next time it returns to the east coast.
The last winner of the JCGC to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic was Curlin in 2007, although Drosselmeyer, Blame and Fort Larned all came out of the race to win the big one in the last 10 years.
For a very long time, from the 1880s to the 1960s, the trio of the Metropolitan, Suburban and Brooklyn summer handicap races downstate carried national prestige.
Known as the handicap triple crown, racing’s immortals targeted them.
The oldest is the Suburban, begun in 1884 and won by Salvator, Henry of Navarre, Beldame, Equipoise, Bold Ruler, Buckpasser, Dr. Fager and Forego.
Next is the Brooklyn, begun in 1887 and won by Tenny, Grey Lag, Exterminator, Discovery, Seabiscuit, Gallorette, and Forego.
The Metropolitan dates to 1891 and its roster includes Sysonby, Stymie, Native Dancer, Carry Back, Gallant Man, Sword Dancer, and Forego.
Just four horses have won the trio in the same year.
They are Whisk Broom II (1913), Tom Fool (1953), Kelso (1961), and Fit to Fight (1984).
Only the Metropolitan, now part of the Belmont Stakes Day card, retains its stature.
Speaking of the Belmont Stakes, it is interesting that NYRA offers a $1 million bonus to any horse based in Japan that wins the third leg of the Triple Crown.
The $1.5 million Belmont itself has an image problem when the Triple Crown is not on the line, and that should not be so.
How about boosting its purse to $2 million or more?
I’m pretty sure we won’t be hearing too much talk about skipping the Belmont and awaiting the summer and fall stakes if the Belmont purse is raised.
Or how about a $3 million bonus or more for New York and American horsemen who compete in the Metropolitan, Suburban, Brooklyn and Jockey Club Gold Cup?
Are these races worth supporting, or not?