Which racetrack do you prefer to host the Breeders' Cup (2015-2030)?

[mchorseracecall]

Zen, what I am trying to say is; in my opinion, I don't support on the move of having four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the same racetrack. Because it has no variety for horse racing fans and four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup in the same location is just way too much for the horse racing fans. Imagine if we have the Breeders' Cup races to be run at Churchill Downs for four consecutive years between 2015 and 2018, many horse racing fans will get tired of it, and they think it's a lack of variety because these fans wanted the Breeders' Cup to be held in different racetracks every year. I want to ask Baroque, are there any other places beside the Santa Anita Autumn Meet that he prefers to choose for the Breeders' Cup in 2015?

[BlindLucky]

Zen, what I am trying to say is; in my opinion, I don't support on the move of having four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in the same racetrack. Because it has no variety for horse racing fans and four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup in the same location is just way too much for the horse racing fans. Imagine if we have the Breeders' Cup races to be run at Churchill Downs for four consecutive years between 2015 and 2018, many horse racing fans will get tired of it, and they think it's a lack of variety because these fans wanted the Breeders' Cup to be held in different racetracks every year. I want to ask Baroque, are there any other places beside the Santa Anita Autumn Meet that he prefers to choose for the Breeders' Cup in 2015?

It's pretty obvious that people were just taking your list and scratching out the tracks that don't have facilities capable of hosting right now. Just take your list and rearrange it in some random order, then. For 2015, I'd say just host it anywhere but Santa Anita so that it retains its legitimacy and doesn't turn into the SoCal regional championships.

[Vic in Chicago]

In my unbiased opinion, the BC should be run every year in Chicago.  Dirt races at Hawthorne, turf races at Arlington.  Between the two tracks, they can handle the crowds.

Weather here is always great in early November.  What can go wrong?   

[Dave in TJ Mex]

2015 Del Mar Fall Meet : the facility is too small, replace with Santa Anita
2016 Belmont Park
2017 Churchill Downs
2018 Woodbine (Canada)
2019 Keeneland: the facility is too small, replace with Churchill
2020 Santa Anita Autumn Meet
2021 Churchill Downs
2022 Belmont Park
2023 Santa Anita Autumn Meet
2024 Gulfstream Park: when Stronach "remodelled" Gulfstream, the grandstand became too small to accommodate a BC crowd
2025 Belmont Park
2026 Laurel Park: the facility is too small, replace with Santa Anita
2027 Belmont Park
2028 Churchill Downs
2029 Gulfstream Park: see above
2030 Del Mar Fall Meet: see above
  Now, if Gulfstream, Keeneland or Laurel could miraculously undergo some necessary rebuilding, then they could be considered (although IMHO lovely and historic Keeneland should be left just the way it is). I doubt that could happen with Del Mar, since it's on property owned by the state and used for many other purposes throughout the year. That will likely restrict any major construction.

Nope, you are almost certainly wrong as to Del Mar not being given serious consideration.

Del Mar is expanding their turf course as we speak and as a result, will qualify for BC bidding.

Its been at Santa Anita a lot.  Supposedly CD will get the BC in 2015, then Del Mar may be in line for 2016 unless Belmont and the NYRA get their act together and put together a bid.

In recent years, SA has been the only  track to put a serious bid in.  CD has played hardball with the BC as to how to split the profits, and I don't believe any of the NY tracks have even put a bid in.

Del Mar is a little small --- 47,000 is about its max, unless you put a lot more people in the infield --- but if nobody else bids, where will the BC go?

[Dave in TJ Mex]

Santa Anita ...

Aside from its proximity to me ... I feel that championships should be optimum weather places. I don't want to know who the best mudder is ... I want to know who the best racehorse is.

Sick of so many big races being run in slop.

JMHO

It also rains in southern California!!

A good horse supposed to run even on broken glass! And win.

Yeah, but it almost never rains in So Cal the first week in November.

This year, BC weekend was a wet hot mess in NYC, if you remember.

[Dave in TJ Mex]

I agree with Baroque, the BC would have to be a few fries short of a happy meal to have Del Mar host the event. It is FAR too small of a track, the turf track in particular is lilliputian, not nearly wide enough, and the stands simply couldn't accommodate the throng.

This being said, opening day does accommodate at least 40K, but very uncomfortably, there's always lines to the bathrooms and forget about grabbing a drink. If it's that bad with 40K, think of the lunacy with 60K there. There would probably be a bigger crowd than at SA, I wouldn't doubt it. It's a smaller metro area and the locals support their local venues with great enthusiasm.

Still, my major concern above all would be the turf track. I had heard they wanted to widen it but how, I can't figure out.

You do know the turf course is being expanded this fall, right, so that it can handle 14 horse fields, right?

They have 47,000 on Opening Day.  If they sell tickets separately for the infield (and put any excess people there, rather than in the grandstand and general admission areas), it would work.

Oh, and you do know that current BC CEO Craig Favel is the former Executive VP at Del Mar?

You folks who think Del Mar is not going to be a serious competitor for a BC in 2016 or 2017 (after CD gets it in 2015) are delusional.  Del Mar may be the only track that presents a legitimate bid for it those years.  SA may not even bid to assist Del Mar in getting the BC.

Just because you had a bad train trip to Del Mar from LA will not disqualify it from getting a BC.

Worried about long lines for bathrooms and food/drinks?

What are you talking about?  You've been to the BC at SA, as have I, same thing there.

[Dave in TJ Mex]

I understand Stronach, who also owns San Luis Rey Downs, is doing some major reconstruction and expansion there. I know he wants to turn it into a world-class training facility with much needed stables, but whether he's got something else up his sleeve,  who knows?

Nobody is lining up to build race tracks in SoCal in the middle of nowhere.   San Luis Rey is too far from major population centers to work as a race track.  Race tracks are not all that profitable.

Once Santa Anita can average 5,000 a day on weekdays, Stronach can think about building another race track in hayseed-ville, California.

[Vic in Chicago]

You folks who think Del Mar is not going to be a serious competitor for a BC in 2016 or 2017 (after CD gets it in 2015) are delusional.  Del Mar may be the only track that presents a legitimate bid for it those years.  SA may not even bid to assist Del Mar in getting the BC.

Just because you had a bad train trip to Del Mar from LA will not disqualify it from getting a BC.

Worried about long lines for bathrooms and food/drinks?

What are you talking about?  You've been to the BC at SA, as have I, same thing there.

OK Dave, let's get down to it.  What about the infamous Del Mar ice-cream-line scandal of several years ago, which as I recall, you yourself brought to the world's attention! 

Forget the turf track.  Is Del Mar ready for the ice cream lines?

Eagerly awaiting your response!   

[Dave in TJ Mex]

You folks who think Del Mar is not going to be a serious competitor for a BC in 2016 or 2017 (after CD gets it in 2015) are delusional.  Del Mar may be the only track that presents a legitimate bid for it those years.  SA may not even bid to assist Del Mar in getting the BC.

Just because you had a bad train trip to Del Mar from LA will not disqualify it from getting a BC.

Worried about long lines for bathrooms and food/drinks?

What are you talking about?  You've been to the BC at SA, as have I, same thing there.

OK Dave, let's get down to it.  What about the infamous Del Mar ice-cream-line scandal of several years ago, which as I recall, you yourself brought to the world's attention! 

Forget the turf track.  Is Del Mar ready for the ice cream lines?

Eagerly awaiting your response!   

Don't get me started on commercial venues that make it hard to buy their product. 

Why, its almost like President Obama getting the ACA passed, then setting up exchanges that don't work, so you cannot buy insurance even if you want to!   :chickendance:

That, however, was the old days at Del Mar.  From about 2010-2012, they actually had ice cream carts in the stands for easy purchase of ice cream.

So yes, Del Mar is ready to sell ice cream at the BC.

Now if they only sold White Castles!

[Vic in Chicago]

Now if they only sold White Castles!

Since you brought it up...there is a White Castle - with a drive-thru - two blocks from the main entrance to Hawthorne!  Just sayin'.

B-C at Hawthorne!  B-C at Hawthorne!   

[mchorseracecall]

In my unbiased opinion, the BC should be run every year in Chicago.  Dirt races at Hawthorne, turf races at Arlington.  Between the two tracks, they can handle the crowds.

Weather here is always great in early November.  What can go wrong?   

Not going to happen, Victor. Personally, I don't support on the permanent move for the Breeders' Cup World Championships. It's kind of like putting the Olympics in Los Angeles and putting the FIFA World Cup in the United States every time during every four year period, or putting the Super Bowl in New York every year, putting a major racetrack to become the permanent site for the Breeders' Cup gives no variety to the horse racing fans. On the other hand, having four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be in the same racetrack, also gives no variety to the horse racing fans. In my opinion, it should be held in different racetracks every year, having two to three consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup to be in the same location, that's fine for me, and to some of the horse racing fans across the United States.

[mchorseracecall]

Now if they only sold White Castles!

Since you brought it up...there is a White Castle - with a drive-thru - two blocks from the main entrance to Hawthorne!  Just sayin'.

B-C at Hawthorne!  B-C at Hawthorne!   

Victor, as I said before, I don't support the idea of having four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup to be in the same racetrack. Also, I don't support the idea of having a major racetracks to become the permanent site for the Breeders' Cup, because it gives no variety to the horse racing fans. Imagine, if we put Los Angeles as the permanent site for the Olympics, United States as the permanent site for the FIFA World Cup, or New York to be the permanent site for the Super Bowl, they will be giving no variety to sports fans around the world. It is better to have two to three consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be in the same location, four is just way too much. In addition, it is also better to have the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be in different racetracks every year.

[Dave in TJ Mex]

In my unbiased opinion, the BC should be run every year in Chicago.  Dirt races at Hawthorne, turf races at Arlington.  Between the two tracks, they can handle the crowds.

Weather here is always great in early November.  What can go wrong?   

Not going to happen, Victor. Personally, I don't support on the permanent move for the Breeders' Cup World Championships. It's kind of like putting the Olympics in Los Angeles and putting the FIFA World Cup in the United States every time during every four year period, or putting the Super Bowl in New York every year, putting a major racetrack to become the permanent site for the Breeders' Cup gives no variety to the horse racing fans. On the other hand, having four consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be in the same racetrack, also gives no variety to the horse racing fans. In my opinion, it should be held in different racetracks every year, having two to three consecutive years of the Breeders' Cup to be in the same location, that's fine for me, and to some of the horse racing fans across the United States.

Mchorseracecall, Vic in Chicago was kidding.

And you miss the point that if tracks in other venues don't bid at all for the BC (New York) or don't offer enough money for the BC (Churchill Downs), the BC is going to continue to run mostly at Santa Anita, given that the BC apparently finds SA's money offer acceptable. 

It doesn't matter where the BC "should" be; what matters is which venues make acceptable monetary offers for the BC.

[Vic in Chicago]

I believe one issue CD has in getting the BC is that there is another very large convention in Louisville every year the same week - the Future Farmers of America.  Believe it or not, it's as big or bigger than the BC in terms of economic impact, hotel rooms etc., and runs four days, not two.  Plus, they're willing to come every year, which of course the BC never will.  And Louisville is not big enough to accommodate both at the same time.  As big as horse racing is to Louisville, the city fathers are unwilling to risk losing the FFA by trying to muscle them out of their preferred dates. 

[Dave in TJ Mex]

I believe one issue CD has in getting the BC is that there is another very large convention in Louisville every year the same week - the Future Farmers of America.  Believe it or not, it's as big or bigger than the BC in terms of economic impact, hotel rooms etc., and runs four days, not two.  Plus, they're willing to come every year, which of course the BC never will.  And Louisville is not big enough to accommodate both at the same time.  As big as horse racing is to Louisville, the city fathers are unwilling to risk losing the FFA by trying to muscle them out of their preferred dates.

I've never heard this.

But you would know, you are kind of a hayseed with special interests in corn and hogs, aren't you?