Barry Irwin of Team Valor and Jan Rushton at Aqueduct discussing the Gotham (Sarah K. Andrew)

Congrats to Barry Irwin and all the connections of Visionaire for their win in the Gotham yesterday… and a special thanks to Mr. Irwin for signing the Take Back The Race petition!

I’m obsessed with the reading the comments that petition signers are leaving at Take Back The Race. They’re as diverse as the fan base. Some people focus on the name of the race, others don’t like a two day format while still others either want a Saturday/Sunday format OR a championship day and non-championship day. In my mind this is making the point about a Fan Committee.

As I’ve been making the rounds publishing the link to the petition I noticed at least one other point that we didn’t broach in the petition, but again, a Fan Committee would identify…. purse structure. If the new format is indeed “two separate but equal championship days” as stated by Peter Land, chief marketing officer for Breeders’ Cup, then why is the “Ladies’ Classic” purse not also increased to reflect that “equality”?

Here’s a sample of some the comments…

Most folks work Friday – no plans to wager or attend. Seen every BC race since the very first one, losing interest with the dilution of the categories, (“everybody gets a ribbon”), useless syn tracks, terrible sites like last year, etc. The Ladies Day angle seems rather gay. Racing suffers – marketers win…..in the short term.

I am not all that excited about watching a race that sounds as if it is named after a razor. As well, I am not able to take a Friday off work to devote to watching all my favorite filles and mares race. I guess I should only pay attention to the colts from now on.

This is not a good idea. The greatest thing about the BC was its diversity in racing. Without the females racing it changes everything.

This is a disgrace to the pagentry and tradition that makes up the Breeder’s Cup. Most years the Distaff is just a competitive and exciting as the Classic. Changing its name and pushing back ALL the filly and mare races to one day is just moronic. What a snub to all the great fillies, mares, and their owners and trainers.

These are only a few of the many excellent and diverse comments… won’t you go add yours?